heat sink
Latest
Cryoscope gadget simulates tomorrow's weather today (video)
This multi-layered device can't shower you with hail or tan your outdoor-deprived complexion, regrettably. What it can do though, is deliver a direct haptic sensation of how warm or cold it'll be tomorrow, just in case you decide to venture out of your bedroom. An Arduino controller pulls in forecast data from the web and uses it to adjust a Peltier element and a cooling fan, which are housed along with a heat sink inside a neat and tactile aluminum box. The Cryoscope is the handiwork of industrial design student Robb Godshaw, and it's the reason he already knew he'd be wearing a skinny t-shirt and stripey socks in the video after the break.
Samsung introduces Advanced LED light bulbs, preps for zombie apocalypse
Samsung is going to make sure your light bulbs use as little energy as possible, last literally decades and sort of look like a heat sink to boot. The company, which just released its Advanced LED Light Bulbs for the US, has put forth the A19, the PAR and the MR16, each bulb being designed for a specific purpose. The AR19, which is engineered to replace conventional incandescent bulbs, is dimmable and can shine directionally from vanity lights, wall sconces, assorted lamps and more. The PAR, which is also dimmable, is designed with a variable beam angle between 25 and 40 degrees in mind and slated around track and recessed lighting. Finally, the MR16 Bulb is designed to be used in recessed, vanity, and track lighting and arrives in two different base types with adjustable brightness levels. Samsung has priced the bulbs from $19.98 all the way up to $59.98 with a life expectancy between 27 and 36 years; they're currently available at your local Lowe's location, although if Philips gets wind of it, that could change post-haste.
More efficient heat sinks could sport nanowire whiskers
Sintering is a common process for creating copper heat sinks that involves packing powdered metals into a particular shape and baking it in a vacuum. A funny thing happens though, if you leave out the vacuum part of the equation: you don't get a solid shape, but a porous pile of particles with hollow, nanowire whiskers sticking out of it. The serendipitous discovery could lead to a new way to make heat sinks for everything from CPUs to boilers at power plants. Now researchers at MIT are trying the process with practically every material they can get their hands on. Of particular interest is zirconium, which could be used with fuel rods in nuclear reactors to improve efficiency. The idea of whisker-covered heat sinks may sound strange, but the potential for improving thermal management across a range of applications is huge. Just don't try and pet it -- these things tend to get a little toasty.
Novel Concepts' ThinSink claims title of world's thinnest air-cooled heat sink
Heat sinks may not ordinarily be the most exciting sort of component -- but the world's thinnest air-cooled heat sink? That's... something. According to the folks at Novel Concepts, their new credit card-sized, 0.75mm thick ThinSink has now laid claim to that title, and it may soon lead to thinner tablets, laptops and monitors. What's more, despite its small size, the company claims that the ThinSink still has a cooling efficiency "25 times greater than today's best microprocessor heat sinks," and it consumes just 0.031 watts of electricity when equipped with a fan spinning at 6,000 RPM. Those interested in an evaluation unit will have to fork over a hefty $750, but the company promises it will be cheaper in larger quantities, and notes that it could also easily be stamped or molded from metal or plastic, as it only consists of two thin flat parts in addition to the motor.
SolidLogic GS-L10 Mini-ITX wraps itself in blanket of heat sinks for comfort, fanless existence
Okay, so it's not exactly a looker, but Logic Supply's SolidLogic GS-L10 Mini-ITX is probably meant to be kept out of view anyway, and given its fanless operation, won't give away its whereabouts. Culled from a Serener case and MSI MS-9818 motherboard, the heatsink-laden unit supports three different Intel Montevina processors ranging from the 2.16GHz Celeron M CM585 to the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo T9400, up to 4GB memory, options for either HDD or SSD storage, and your choice of Windows XP, Vista, or Ubuntu. Connection-wise, we're looking at two ethernet and four USB 2.0 ports, as well as VGA, DVI, and HDMI for video. Prices start at around $861 if you opt out of a pre-packaged HDD, but if you're wanting the full kit and caboodle here, expect to shell out closer $1,900. [Via Windows for Devices]
Furukawa Electric shows off third-generation PS3 heatsink
Remember when you discovered that you could check out your Xbox 360's heatsink without voiding the warranty? Yeah, fun times. Now, we're getting a closer look at the third-generation PlayStation 3 heatsink -- and this time, you won't be required to perform any strange feats of inverted photography in order to take a peek. Furukawa Electric recently showed off the next-gen sink at Techno-Frontier 2008 in Japan, and aside from ditching the copper pipes used in the first two iterations, this one has also split in two in order to cool the Cell and RSX processors separately. Additionally, the latest version sucks down up to 70 fewer watts than the first-gen model, yet manages to still keep your precious console from spontaneously melting. Three cheers for progress, we say.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
A look at PS3's third-gen heat sink
It's time for another lesson in creativity, energy conservation and heat reduction, folks! Did you know the PlayStation 3 is about to move onto its third generation heat sink? Furukawa Electric brings the newest version of the heat sink to the table, boasting some impressive stats when compared to launch PS3's. Sans numbers, this version has a smaller size, a lighter weight, and a cheaper cost. It's a triumvirate of awesome-sauce.In the first two generations of heat sinks, the RSX and Cell were both cooled by one giant heat sink, but now they are cooled by two separate ones. Copper heat pipes are no longer used. Power consumption is down to about 135W, compared to launch PS3's using about 200W's. It also cuts the weight in half, from 700g to 350g because it's using fewer components. Sure, it's all technical, but it's awesome to see how much our lovely machine is evolving without us ever really noticing. Nice job, Furukawa Electronics.[Via PS3Forums]
MS installing new heatsinks in refurb 360s
The technophiles at Xbox-Scene have uncovered a tasty bit of Xbox 360 news that should serve as some relief to sufferers of the Red Ring of Death. It looks like Microsoft is employing new heat-combating measures when refurbishing broken units. Specifically, a new heatsink is being installed. The heatsink resides directly under the DVD drive, connected to one of the other heatsinks with copper tubing. Blessedly untouched by the Red Ring of Death thus far, we don't know how effective this new heatsink is, but we're hopeful that it will solve perpetually publicized 360 failures. Whether or not Microsoft is also installing the heatsink in new Xbox 360s is unknown. See video proof of the new heatsink after the break.[Thanks, Josh W]
