06-08-2021, 12:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-17-2021, 03:58 PM by CounterPillow.)
Hi all,
As you all know, the ROCK64 runs notoriously hot for what it is. I've taken it upon myself to remedy some of that.
I've designed a 3D-printable top plate for the "Model B" open enclosure which allows you to mount a 40mm fan to it. Your fan will likely come with self-tapping screws, and the mounting holes are sized so that they should perfectly tap into them.
I know the board is mounted wrong in the photo, I've fixed it since
![[Image: Model%20B%20Open%20Enclosure%20Top%20Fan%20Mount.jpeg]](https://overviewer.org/~pillow/up/f88af02429/Model%20B%20Open%20Enclosure%20Top%20Fan%20Mount.jpeg)
![[Image: model_b_top_cad.png]](https://overviewer.org/~pillow/up/b5862139b0/model_b_top_cad.png)
I've used PETG as filament, and a 0.6mm nozzle. PLA and a different sized nozzle should also work perfectly fine though. The fan in question is a 5V Noctua NF-A4x10 5V PWM; it comes with self-tapping mounting screws, and a USB adapter which runs the fan at full speed. This is good enough for me to test it for now, but the end goal is to do proper pwm fan control with a modified device tree.
Cooling performance is "okay"; due to the SoC being directly in the centre of the fan where airflow isn't ideal, it's less than expected. But I can now run cpuburn-a53 on it continuously without throttling. I seem to top out at 75°C in fact. Before I installed a fan, the CPU would get to 85°C and start throttling down to cool off.
My next steps are to design a circuit to drive the 5V PWM and Tacho (speed sensor) from the ROCK64's 3.3V GPIO. Then, I'll look into modifying the device tree so I can provide a patch which will speed up and slow down the fan as required using the kernel's "pwm-fan" driver, instead of a userspace software solution.
Since the Model B Open Enclosure is used by what I presume is all other Model B sized PINE64 SBCs, this particular 3D printable mod can be used for those too.
You can download the STL and STEP file from the wiki, I've licensed it as CC-BY 4.0: https://wiki.pine64.org/images/9/9d/Mode...cutout.zip
I'll try to keep this thread updated as I make progress on the 5V fan control electronics and the device tree.
As you all know, the ROCK64 runs notoriously hot for what it is. I've taken it upon myself to remedy some of that.
I've designed a 3D-printable top plate for the "Model B" open enclosure which allows you to mount a 40mm fan to it. Your fan will likely come with self-tapping screws, and the mounting holes are sized so that they should perfectly tap into them.
I know the board is mounted wrong in the photo, I've fixed it since
I've used PETG as filament, and a 0.6mm nozzle. PLA and a different sized nozzle should also work perfectly fine though. The fan in question is a 5V Noctua NF-A4x10 5V PWM; it comes with self-tapping mounting screws, and a USB adapter which runs the fan at full speed. This is good enough for me to test it for now, but the end goal is to do proper pwm fan control with a modified device tree.
Cooling performance is "okay"; due to the SoC being directly in the centre of the fan where airflow isn't ideal, it's less than expected. But I can now run cpuburn-a53 on it continuously without throttling. I seem to top out at 75°C in fact. Before I installed a fan, the CPU would get to 85°C and start throttling down to cool off.
My next steps are to design a circuit to drive the 5V PWM and Tacho (speed sensor) from the ROCK64's 3.3V GPIO. Then, I'll look into modifying the device tree so I can provide a patch which will speed up and slow down the fan as required using the kernel's "pwm-fan" driver, instead of a userspace software solution.
Since the Model B Open Enclosure is used by what I presume is all other Model B sized PINE64 SBCs, this particular 3D printable mod can be used for those too.
You can download the STL and STEP file from the wiki, I've licensed it as CC-BY 4.0: https://wiki.pine64.org/images/9/9d/Mode...cutout.zip
I'll try to keep this thread updated as I make progress on the 5V fan control electronics and the device tree.
Occasional Linux Kernel Contributor, Avid Wiki Updater, Ask Me About Quartz64
Open Hardware Quartz64 Model A TOSLink Adapter
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