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FS Astro Fan Project

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Enskynet

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Hello, aficionados!

Let's try ChatGPT to translate my topic on Neo Arcadia:

I’m excited to introduce a brand-new project involving our beloved (New) Astro City in partnership with takumi.

Here’s the deal:
Many of you have already used my services for maintaining your power supplies and monitor chassis. Whether it’s a cap kit or a repair, our machines are over 30 years old, and I always strive to improve their reliability.

And as you all know, one of the biggest threats to electronics is operating temperature.

Whether in the past or today, manufacturers always take cooling and heat dissipation into account (thermal paste, ventilation, aluminum or copper heatsinks, etc.).

That’s precisely why the expected lifespan of a capacitor, for example, is always tied to an operating temperature (85°C, 105°C, etc.). And you’ll see, this is no small detail! 😃

After performing numerous cap kits on Nanao MS9 chassis over the past two years, I noticed that the main heatsink heats up extremely fast—almost excessively so.

Upon closer inspection, this heatsink is responsible for dissipating the heat generated by key components of our monitor chassis (the LA for vertical deflection, the flyback transistor, the MOSFET, etc.).

However, our arcade cabinets lack an efficient cooling system relative to their operating temperatures, which often leads to the premature failure of these critical components (not to mention the flyback transformer, which becomes porous and starts leaking).

Since takumi is a fellow arcade enthusiast and a neighbor, we discussed this issue after recapping his chassis and came up with an idea to improve the situation.

Equipped with high-performance 3D printers, we designed a complete active cooling system for Astro / New Astro .

This system consists of a two-part mount where we attach a fan precisely where it’s needed: the hottest part of the heatsink and the flyback transformer.
The fan comes with an AMP connector for seamless plug-and-play installation with Sega power supplies (Astro, New Astro, NVS4000 models).

Now, onto the pictures:


The Testing Procedure:


The test environment was a typical setup: the arcade cabinet had been running for approximately 45 minutes in a room of about 20–25m².


  • The cabinet was completely closed, including all doors.
  • Temperature measurements were taken directly on the aluminum heatsink at multiple points, recording the maximum temperature observed.


We tested everything last week when it was quite cold outside. [mention]takumi[/mention]’s room isn’t heated, yet with his Astro, PC, and MVS U4 running, the room temperature shot up to over 26°C!
Then, we plugged in the fan, closed the machine, and waited 15–20 minutes before taking new temperature measurements. And…



The Testing Process:


To ensure we provided the best solution, we tested several fans:


  • First, an industrial no-name fan we had on hand. It delivered excellent results but was excessively loud. Paired with a CPS, the arcade cabinet practically took off from how powerful the airflow was.
  • Next, we tried a Noctua fan—quiet, but disappointing in terms of performance. At best, it reduced the temperature by 20°C, and that’s being optimistic.
  • Then, we tested beQuiet! Again, quiet but not powerful enough.

The Final Choice:


We ultimately settled on a SUNON fan, which offers a great balance between low noise and the expected performance. Realistically, it’s hard to get below a 40°C reduction anyway.


Here’s what we’re offering:

We take care of assembling everything securing the parts together, installing the fan, soldering the cables, and crimping the AMP connector. It's completely plug-and-play.


All you need to do is screw a provided nut onto the frame at a designated spot that is already prepared to accommodate the setup no modifications to your cabinet required[/u][/b]. Then, simply plug the connector into the power supply.


Pricing:



✅ 60€ + Shipping (To be arranged, worldwide)






The product is ready and we have some spare parts available.
There is Only Black color available at the moment.
If you're interested, sign up here, and I'll personally send you a message with the next steps. 🚀
 
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Wow what a great idea and your results are so interesting.

Is the fan blowing air onto the heat sink rather than pulling hot air away?
 
Equipped with high-performance 3D printers, we designed a complete active cooling system for Astro / New Astro and Egret 2 cabinets (pending verification, as we haven’t yet tested the installation in a real setup).

This will not work on Egret 2 cabinets in it's current state. That cabinet does not have a monitor frame to bolt onto.
 
This will not work on Egret 2 cabinets in it's current state. That cabinet does not have a monitor frame to bolt onto.
True ! It is the original message i posted on Neo Arcadia. A member have tested one, but the frame of the Egret 2 is not made the same way. Modifications are in projects


To be pedantically technical, a 40°C drop from 80°C is about an 11% drop in temperature (313 vs 353 K).

Still very impressive results, nice work!
My maths abilities are better about taxes and customs haha ^^
 
Here is my install in a Versus City. I will say that this really should include the mounting hardware for the mounting bracket, I just used what I had laying around.

The fan sits in a small frame that is secured with 2 screws - that is fine. However, this frame is held to the bracket with a single screw and nut which is a tad too poverty for me. Same is true of the bracket itself, just a single fastener holding it.

I removed the small standard nut that was included and secured the frame with some VHB tape and used lock washer and flange nut (same as the control panel ones that secure the carriage bolts). Did the same with a wing nut for the main bracket. Wiring is very thin as expected, so I added some sheathing where appropriate. My power source is from an unused ATX style connector on my PSU.

Have yet to reinstall the monitors but I am hoping the fan is far enough from the tube to not cause purity issues. Will post when I have them hooked up again.
 

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I'm pretty happy with this. I think perhaps a bit too much time was spent on the logo for me to just go and stick it in anything but an Astro City.

I see no issues with purity being affected by the fan and while you can really feel the airflow, it is also very quiet. I'm glad a bought another set for the Astros. I think adding some additional bracing and fail-safes (zipties/threadlock) puts me a bit more at ease since once the monitors are back in, I won't be able to really seeing anything unless there is a catastrophe of some sort.

@Enskynet - Please do keep us informed when you have a working E2 or NNC design. For the E2, I'm sure you could utilize the existing chassis rails to come up with a mounting bracket that is rigid enough. Either that or you make use of the little shelf on the left that holds the monitor wires.
 

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@JohnRambo'sKnife Thank you for your detailed feedback. We're working on the NNC version. It will be soon released.

For the E2, we need to have the cab in our hands to work on it but... we don't have one available
 
I have put one in my Astro city as anything to keep them cooler on long sessions is a bonus! Great product and well finished. My only advice would be to get the printer to form a hex in the mount where the bolt/nut goes. Then swap the countersunk for a hex bolt and the hex head will lock into place, thus allowing easier installation.
 
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