cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Cooling fan / vent for facial interface

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
I just posted this to Reddit, but I want to share with you guys what I just started working on.
My face gets super toasty within about 10 mins of wearing the Rift.  There's not much airflow.  Thanks to Oculus uploading those cad files for the facial interface I put this together.  

Tested it with a 12v blower fan that I had on hand and it works great.  

Next step is to order a 5v 35mm square fan, find a better solution to get power (need 5v or 12v), and gets some foam for the interface.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/57chcl/cooling_venting_fan_for_facial_interface/

h3o1dmvmn9f8.png

So it's clear, this is the direction of airflow

ob9mnxmrv1ch.png
27 REPLIES 27

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
Yeah, I already mentioned on reddit that I could probably reverse the airflow to pull air out of the headset rather than blow it in.   The problem I face there is that it would require a more powerful fan than I planned on using.  I'm running my 12v 50mm 11cfm blower at 5v, which still pushes a decent amount of air in, but it doesn't do as well pulling air out.  running it at 12v, it works, but then the vibration and noise are unacceptable (at 5v it's quiet and the vibration is not noticeable), and a 50mm fan is larger than I was hoping to use (latest plan was to use 16mm 0.45cfm).  But I'll have to do more testing.  It's possible, just have to use the right kind of fan/design.   if I shorten the vent, to where the fan is pulling directly from one outlet then that might work.  

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
Okay, I'm testing a design I created last night of the fan pulling air out rather than in.  Actually in Virtual Desktop right now.  Testing it at 10v.  It actually works incredibly well.  Feels even better than the first design pushing air... but the noise is unacceptable, and I'd like to use 5v so there are more options powering it.   Tiny blower fans are really expensive, so I'll have to do more testing/designing before deciding which to buy/test.

Edit:  As for the noise...I don't actually feel any vibration, but it is loud.  I have some TPU filament that I could print a gasket from and see if that helps.  The fan is directly on hollow plastic, so it's easily resonating the sound.  

Anonymous
Not applicable
For usb power I am guessing?

https://www.quietpc.com/gel-silent4
https://www.quietpc.com/nf-a4x10

They're just  Nocta fans, so should be able to get a hold of them anywhere, but they have some pretty low db. For volate - most fans will want at least 12volts - but I guess you could always just cap v up a bit.

Can I get the specs sounds levels you are looking for? Even the CFM? Maybe I can help search for some better fans?

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer

Mradr said:

For usb power I am guessing?

https://www.quietpc.com/gel-silent4
https://www.quietpc.com/nf-a4x10

They're just  Nocta fans, so should be able to get a hold of them anywhere, but they have some pretty low db. For volate - most fans will want at least 12volts - but I guess you could always just cap v up a bit.

Can I get the specs sounds levels you are looking for? Even the CFM? Maybe I can help search for some better fans?


Those are axial fans though, whereas I'm using blower or centrifugal fans.  I'm not sure about CFM without more testing.  I'm guessing 3-4CFM would be enough.   I'll have to play with the TPU to see if that helps sound levels, but I have a few projects I'm working on for the TPU and I wanted to hold off swapping out my filament for it until I have those ready to print as well.  TPU is annoying to work with.  

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
I'd like to test a couple of these http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=209320869&uq=636121357600528009 but it'll get too expensive to just keep buying random fans to test.  

Chatsubo
Explorer
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but just having vents with enough angle to keep the light out might already do the trick? In the very least you'll get warm air rising and escaping through the top, thus allowing cooler air to enter from the nose. This might only be a partial fix but IMHO it may actually help without a fan.

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
@chatsubo Unfortunately, it doesn't help.  I've created an interface with lots of vents around the interface, and without air actively circulating it doesn't make a noticeable improvement.  A few weeks ago I tested the system with the fan pulling rather than pushing air in, and it's probably the way to go, because it's the least bothersome, but after testing for a decent length of time I found that my face was still burning.  I realized that it's mostly down to the foam and its lack of breathability.  
The foam I'm using on my printed interface is a medical foam, similar in density to the stock foam.  I have noticed slightly less burning, but it's still suffocating.  I haven't really had time to do any more, but I've got a few things in mind to try.  

Warbloke
Superstar
I see it has already been said, but I would have thought (being a contact lens wearer) that air blowing at my eyes would dry them out and become a problem.  Sucking instead of blowing I see you decided makes more sense.

Other than that, I think anything that adds extra weight and extra noise creates its own discomfort, so it would be a choice for those who find the heat build up as the greater discomfort.

I suspect a redesign of the entire hmd including head strap is the way to go - focusing more on breathable materials that let air in and out, but no light.
"You can't believe everything you read on the Internet " :- Abraham Lincoln 

agenttoff
Heroic Explorer
Focusing more on breathable materials is probably the way to go.  Right now the foam used is far too dense, and it's just completely sealing your pores.  I believe that's why a lot of us feel a burning sensation.  

As far as weight goes for a fan/vent system.  What I've printed weighs next to nothing as it's entirely hollow and only 1mm thick, and the small fan doesn't add any noticeable weight either.    
The tiny tiny fans I was looking at wouldn't weigh a thing, but how effective they would be I'm not sure, but of course I agree, adding any amount of weight isn't the ideal solution.

The noise and vibrations.  I ran my test fans at various voltages, and running around 5 volts the noise was barely audible.  I had to listen for it, and I didn't feel the vibrations.  At 12v it was very annoying.  This was with the vent system sitting directly on the headset and not isolated with a gasket, which is what I intended to do.