GoKawiilCreator Zac Builds wanted to hide a desktop PC in plain sight in their living room setup. But instead of just placing a discrete mini-PC behind their TV, they decided to build a custom case that allows them to mount it on their living room fan. They shared the project on their Facebook page, where they started with a Dreo 519S Tower Fan as the base of the unit. Aside from serving as the perfect hiding spot for the computer, the setup also served a secondary purpose by adding more air cooling to the system. At its maximum setting, the Dreo 519S can hit wind speeds of 28 feet per second, which is more than enough to help keep the mini-PC’s fans slow and keep the system’s temperature in check.
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The first thing that Zac Builds did was to disassemble the mini-PC — an AtomMan G7 PT — to take measurements and 3D-print the base that will hold the components to the back of the fan. They then disassembled the fan’s rear cover and 3D-printed four heavy-duty brackets to hold the mini-PC’s base to the fan while also guiding the airflow through the computer. While the initial base was a single flat sheet of plastic with standoffs to hold the various PC parts, the final version had cutouts to help improve airflow.
With the computer mounted on the Dreo 519S, Zac Builds 3D-printed the brackets and external case that will protect the components and ensure that air goes through the system. They initially made this into four parts (two parts for the brackets and two more for the face plates) but discovered a gap between the two face plates where air could seep through, thus ruining the flow. So, for their second iteration, they 3D-printed the face plate as one single unit and also added vent holes over the PC’s heatsink for more efficient cooling. The face plates also feature five I/O ports to allow the PC to connect to their TV and other peripherals, although we imagine that they preferred wireless connectivity as it’s kind of weird to have a bunch of wires plugged into your living room fan. Finally, to avoid having a power brick dangling from the back of the appliance, Zac Builds added a 3D-printed base that hid the power unit and threaded the mini-PC’s power cable inside the fan’s housing.
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The completed build successfully hid the mini-PC, with the only hint from the front that there’s something different with the living room fan being the tiny box attached to its side and the single HDMI cable connecting it to the TV. It also had the added benefit of reducing the computer’s fan noise by around 10 to 15 dB because of the additional airflow that the stand fan brings to the table. The only issue that we see here is that you can’t use the fan elsewhere if you want to play games on your living room TV.
You can watch the complete build here:
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