Hey all. It’s starting to warm up here in Northern Idaho and I’m now running into “it’s too hot to run” issues. I’m working with support on one machine because the other pro right next to it is working - 76 degree outside, 80 in the workshop.
However, here’s the actual dilemma for you. I’ve been asked to do a demo day in September at our county fair. I’ve been planning to bring all 3 pro machines and customize items for folks (somewhat similar to what GF does at MakerFaire). However my space is outside under a tent. I’ll have plenty of air flow. What I might not have is temperatures below 80 degrees F, especially over the noontime and afternoon. Has anyone looked into a cooling unit that the GF sits on top of? I’ve been told by support there are vents underneath the GF uses to pull air through. I’m wondering if I can build some kind of cooling dock that has air flowing over ice cubes or packs…
Hi Shishona. I just posted about my cooling system and found the link to your question. You could use similar setup to me but pump cold water from a large cooler filled with ice water.
There’s an ice chest cooler someone did too. Cheap, effective and pretty portable. Not as elegant as the peltier setup but certainly more energy efficient.
A more expensive option, but more likely to succeed in outdoor heat would be to use a portable AC with a homemade duct directly to the unit intakes. I would cut holes in the tables directly under those intakes. But it would not cost me anything since I already have multiple cheap tables used for craft shows and a portable AC. Cheap portable air conditioners are typically $120-$140 at big box stores. The only hard part is making a homemade vent setup.
speaking of (and thanks to @rpegg for this photo from today), here’s the picture he took of my ghetto portable AC cooling solution outside. it was about 85 degrees and humid, never had any temp issues. portable AC (10,000btu, effectively 8000btu) plus a fedex box and some gaffers tape. just point it right at the intake on the right hand side.
other positive side benefite, if you set your laptop up right next to it, you get a little cool breeze passing through under the GF so you don’t sweat as much.
If you’re really looking to upgrade things, the cooling tubes run under the Glowforge. There’s a metal conduit on the bottom side you can open up and attach an active cooling system if you’re brave.
I saw both your posts a few seconds apart.
