Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ – Extreme Active Cooling – Dual Fan Assembly & BenchMark

In this video tutorial, we build custom hardware for extreme active cooling of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+. We present a detailed demonstration of the dual fan assembly and the steps involved in benchmarking the system to determine the effectiveness of proper air flow across both sides of the Raspberry Pi PCB. As well, we install standard copper heat sinks and measure their effectiveness in cooling the Raspberry Pi.



Over the past 3 years, the Raspberry Pi has undergone a 30+ percent performance boost through firmware, hardware & software optimisations. The new PCB Design & SoC Packaging of the Raspberry Pi 3 B Plus has significantly improved heat distribution over the first version. However, active cooling is still very important because of the 200 MHz processor speed overclock and the fact it uses twice as much current when running at full cpu load.

Disclaimer and word of caution, do not completely enclose the Raspberry Pi without adequate air flow across the PCB. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ requires twice as much current at full load so use an approved AC Power Adapter capable of supplying 5v stable at 2.5A.

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Script required to benchmark the extreme active cooling hardware for Raspberry Pi PCB.

#!/bin/bash
clear

printf "\nStart Benchmark ...\n\n"

for f in {1..7}
do
   vcgencmd measure_temp
   sysbench --test=cpu --cpu-max-prime=7000 --num-threads=4
     --validate=on run >/dev/null 2>&1
done

vcgencmd measure_temp

printf "\nEnd Benchmark ...\n\n"


Benchmark A
Ambient = 25°C
Pi Max = 69.8°C
Dual Fan = Off
Heat Sink = None
Benchmark B
Ambient = 25°C
Pi Max = 49.9°C
Dual Fan = On
Heat Sink = None
Benchmark C
Ambient = 25°C
Pi Max = 65.5°C
Dual Fan = Off
Heat Sink = Copper
Benchmark D
Ambient = 25°C
Pi Max = 47.8°C
Dual Fan = On
Heat Sink = Copper

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