RT-AC87U/R: Cooling solutions

[DaveMishSr]

I saw a suggestion in another thread about starting a new thread featuring the cooling solutions hit upon by each individual user. So, in that interest, here is the photo of my fabricated cooling system for my AC87R using paper towel tubes (empty of course), Popsicle sticks, cardboard (heavy double product used to ship LED TV's works best) and a $3 USB laptop cooling fan (purchased on eBay):

It may look silly but my temps before active cooling were, on average:

2.4 GHz: 48°C | 5 GHz: 58°C | CPU: 78°C

and my current temps are:

2.4 GHz: 41°C | 5 GHz: 47°C | CPU: 54°C.

Let's see those pictures!

 

[tim]

My effort is bit lame compared to your engineering wonder

Lego! Stolen from my son's large collection.

Current temps: CPU: 66C | 2.4G: 49.5C | 5G-1: 49C | 5G-2: 51.5C

 

[oric1]

I'm using Cooler Master NOTEPAL X-SLIM II.

Can't hear the 200mm fan motor spinning. It's dead silence.

Before
2.4GHz = 50°C | 5GHz = 72°C | CPU = 92°C

After
2.4GHz = 42°C | 5GHz = 56°C | CPU = 65°C

 

[hggomes]

 

[cmillar6]

It may look silly but my temps before active cooling were, on average:

2.4 GHz: 48°C | 5 GHz: 58°C | CPU: 78°C

Were you having stability issues with these temps?? The cpu on my 68P has not seen a day below 80C and its perfectly stable. I only reboot it when its flashed with new Merlin firmware.

 

[hggomes]

Those chips can handle temperatures up to 125º, the datasheet shows it.

No need at all cooling it down, but obviously the cooler it is the better

 

[Stach]

Well, I have been thinking about cooling down my AC3200 as well, even though some say that you don't need to, it should extend the life of the unit. I was finally inspired by you guys after seeing your solutions and digging through my spare parts to piece together the following:

- 12v Panaflow low-speed / quiet desktop case fan (spare I had laying around)
- USB cable (spare I had laying around)
- wire mesh paper tray (spare as my wife is a teacher)

My AC3200 is in a basement storage room and here are temperature readings after 3 different setups:

Setup 2.4Ghz 5Ghz CPU
1) 52C 49C 72C
2) 49C 47C 68C
3) 42C 39C 52C

1 = Passive installation on top of a plastic storage bin
2 = Passive installation on top of the wire mesh paper tray
3 = Active installation on top of wire mesh paper tray with Panaflow fan barely blowing from underneath (since the 12v fan is running at 5v)

Here's a couple pics of the final setup...

 

[DaveMishSr]

Were you having stability issues with these temps?? The cpu on my 68P has not seen a day below 80C and its perfectly stable. I only reboot it when its flashed with new Merlin firmware.

My AC87R was known to throw a fit every once in a while because I am convinced it was overheating (or heat was somehow an issue). Now, between the Guard Frogs, Attack Monkey and my $3 USB fan, and the cron job that reboots it at 5:15am each day, it never drops any connections, ever.

 

[DaveMishSr]

My effort is bit lame compared to your engineering wonder

Lego! Stolen from my son's large collection.

Current temps: CPU: 66C | 2.4G: 49.5C | 5G-1: 49C | 5G-2: 51.5CView attachment 3953

I so love that solution! Especially as I must have ~10k Lego pieces from when the kids were little. The grand kids love playing with those stupid Legos every bit as much as their parents did, as did I myself.

 

[brusyev]

I'm using Cooler Master NOTEPAL X-SLIM II.

Can't hear the 200mm fan motor spinning. It's dead silence.

Before
2.4GHz = 50°C | 5GHz = 72°C | CPU = 92°C

After
2.4GHz = 42°C | 5GHz = 56°C | CPU = 65°C

Did you or anyone you know tried applying quality thermal paste on to cpu and 5Ghz antenna? Did it make a difference? My CPU temp is averaging at 82C...

 

[VANT]

thermal paste do not make a big difference.

 

[Embattle]

I don't even know what temperature my 87 is running at and nor do I care since it works whatever it currently is.

 

[mattiL]

Is there actually anyone that have seen problems in RT-AC87 relating to high or elevated temperatures?

I'm running Merlin 378.55 and I had to power off the router after approximately 10 days uptime as my family complained at poor performance on the 2.4GHz network.
A reboot did not help.

I did suspect too high temperatures, but my router was running at 45/55/78C, so quite normal.

 

[System Error Message]

high temperatures are normal to the CPU, not to the other components on the board. Due to the way its designed with nowhere for heat to go it will just collect and heat up the other components on the board. Wifi chips do not like being above 50C all the time which is where wifi instability can start to happen. The other components on the board are rated to operate up to 60C. If your PC motherboard showed 60C it would be very worrying whereas x86 motherboards usually operate between 40-50C when used in a normal environment. All my networking gear that show motherboard temperatures report 47C in a rack which were made for 24/7 operation and wifi routers are usually left on all the time. The premature deaths of asus routers are caused by either a bad psu or overheating of the other board components.

ASUS really needs to redesign their cooling and increase their quality control. Even to consumers networking hardware is left turned on all the time.

 

[snbdora]

Does anyone if there is a jack/socket for hooking up a fan on the PCB or any possibility of adding an internal fan?

I'm going to look for it but thought to ask here in case someone has looked for it already?

Thanks

 

[EsquireKnight]

I placed an AC Infinity AI-MPF120A (120mm USB Fan) underneath my RT-AC87. The running temps are 2.4 GHz: 39°C - 5 GHz: 57°C - CPU: 67°C. With the USB fan, Merlin's firmware, and the daily reboot script, this router is running pretty smoothly.

 

[pinkfloyd1173]

Getting this installed next week, funny thing is that it still wont make the router work properly

 

[snb008]

Does anyone if there is a jack/socket for hooking up a fan on the PCB or any possibility of adding an internal fan?

I'm going to look for it but thought to ask here in case someone has looked for it already?

Thanks

I suppose you can use the rear USB 2.0 port or the front USB 3.0 port to supply power to an external USB fan, if those ports have no other usage.

I am using an external USB fan to blow air in the West-East direction through the side grills. Temp is around 40C/50C/63C (ambient temp ~30C).

 

[shez]

120mm cooler master fan powered off the USB 2.0 port. Tried the same with the AC87U and didn't get anywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Getting this installed next week, funny thing is that it still wont make the router work properlyView attachment 4341

Classic !!!!