EA6900 (and other EA's...) simple cooling mod

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jwh7
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Joined: 25 Oct 2013
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Location: Indy

PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 15:36    Post subject: EA6900 (and other EA's...) simple cooling mod Reply with quote
I'd mentioned this a while back, and egc was interested in pics. Wink So I modded my second one last Nov and did so, but am just finally posting it... Embarassed

jwh7 wrote:
egc wrote:
Furthermore The temps are over 70 Celsius is there a thread to open the router and reseat the heatsink?
I didn't post one for it, but I used a plastic separator tool to (carefully) open the lid; Linksys/Belkin/D-link cases are the worst. :-/ The heatsink has 3 screws I think, so my usual straight-edge razor blade to remove the old material, de-wax/grease solvent (I use PPG DX330; high-purity alcohol is prob ok), and little 330/400 then 600 grit wet-sanding if the surface is rough and/or un-flat. The case top has a grid structure inside, making hole drilling pretty easy (then a countersink to clean them up). I made 20 holes total, about 1/4"-5/16" or so. Dropped the steady-state temp quite a bit. Smile
Here are pics showing the before/after (with the one I modded several years ago). First, remove the rubber feet on the bottom and remove the screws. Then test around the lip to find a place that will unhook more easily, to see how they come apart. Pushing in on the top lid section will help.

Once the cover is off, drill thru 18 of the grid holes from the bottom of the top cover assembly, into the top silver trim piece, using a bit that barely fits through. Carefully remove the trim piece from the top, then open up both sets of holes, but not quite to the max size so you can use the drill to even out the holes. Optional: manually add a few more (as shown in the before/after pic). Countersink all to clean up and prettify. Cool If you don't have a proper countersink, an oversize drill bit would work, just drill slowly and be careful not to have it catch and rip thru the hole!

And don't forget to reset the heatsink with proper thermal compound. Smile

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OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4


Last edited by jwh7 on Tue May 03, 2022 14:58; edited 2 times in total
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jwh7
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Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 15:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Guess you can't post more than 3 pics at a time. :-/

Luckily, the silver trim piece plastic cleans up much better than the black plastic...

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# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
egc
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Joined: 18 Mar 2014
Posts: 12837
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 16:09    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nice thank you I will do the same for mine
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Routers:Netgear R7000, R6400v1, R6400v2, EA6900 (XvortexCFE), E2000, E1200v1, WRT54GS v1.
Install guide R6400v2, R6700v3,XR300:https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=316399
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Forum Guide Lines (important read):https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324087
kernel-panic69
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Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 17:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not difficult to add a USB fan to draw air up through the case, as I noted in that thread, too Twisted EvilRazz Cool
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jwh7
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Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Tue May 03, 2022 15:45    Post subject: Reply with quote
egc wrote:
Nice thank you I will do the same for mine
Note: just realized I forgot to mention step 1... removing the 4 screws under the bottom rubber feet. Wink I edited the 1st post.
kernel-panic69 wrote:
Not difficult to add a USB fan to draw air up through the case, as I noted in that thread, too Twisted EvilRazz Cool
Also easy to add a 12v fan internally, right on the SoC heatsink, but I didn't want the noise, plus adding the holes cooled it down quite well. I don't use VPN/SSL on it though, or I might consider it. Cool

Here's a 'final' pic of both routers too:
[I'm gonna sell these if anyone's interested, PM me Wink ]

_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
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