iPad Cooling Solution

Experimenting with a cooling solution for the iPad.

Yes, I am aware of X-Naut solution 🙂  Just want to try something simple before spending $300 (AUD)

So far iPad (iPad 2 Mini) has not shutdown on us in-flight.  There were cases of severe slowdown though. The iPad gets hot when it is running OzRunways and charging at the same time.

One of the solutions was to ensure it is fully charged before the flight. That reduces heat produced in-flight.

Another options being explored is to increase heat dissipation area.

RAM’s iPad mount covers around 70% of the iPad’s back retaining the heat inside. The idea is to take it away to an exposed area and dissipate it on a heatsink.

A rectangular opening has been cut in the RAMs mount to accommodate an aluminium heatsink.

Heatsink dimensions 48 x 41 x 10 mm with 13 ribs 41 mm x 7mm x 1.1mm. This is equivalent of a flat area of 100mm x 100mm. That approximately doubles heat dissipating area for the iPad.

To collect the heat of the back of the iPad a copper thermal conduit has been attached to the heatsink with two countersunk pop rivets and a bit of a heat transfer paste.

Copper conduit (strip) dimensions 0.3mm x 50mm x 120mm.

Effectiveness of this solution is hard to measure without spending too much time on it. In any case it will make the situation better.

Posible improvement is to add a small fan at the back of the mount to assist with heat removal from the heatsink.