Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Heatsink Makes VR Even Cooler

Our first thought was that having big fins coming out of your VR goggles might not look very cool. But then we realized if you are wearing VR goggles, that’s probably not your biggest concern. (Ba-doom, tss.) Seriously, though, high-intensity graphics can cause your phone or device to get pretty toasty up there pressed against your face, so [arfish] set out to make a heatsink.

The build isn’t very hard. Some 0.8 mm aluminum sheet is easy to shape and cut. Thermal pads from the PC world help with heat transfer.

Thicker metal would make a better heat sink. So would ribbing to increase surface area. But both of those things would be a lot harder to work with. You do have to work with the sheet to make cut outs for the camera and maybe some other items, depending on your exact situation.

We wondered, though, if this would lend itself to competition like you see in PC cooling. After all, it wouldn’t be hard to mount a few fans and a battery — maybe the battery could go on the head strap or clip to your belt. Then water cooling can’t be far behind. We aren’t ready to lug a Dewar flask around with our VR gear, though, so there is a limit.

You may laugh at the idea, but we’ve freezing Arduino overclocks. Not to mention the water-cooled flashlight.


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