pixelpedant Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I tended to find in my youth that my TI 99/4A would overheat and start misbehaving, after really, really long play sessions (or at least, I can only assume that correlation is a valid one - the bed of the cartridge slot could get really frickin toasty). And I've noticed this a couple times recently again. Though I don't have as much time for multi-hour play sessions these days, the sheer abundance of games furnished by flashcarts means there's more justification for them, and when I stream my play sessions, they sometimes go on for hours. So I'm wondering if folks have advice regarding the best way to cool an original model TI 99/4A. Will running a fan off the vents near the cartridge slot accomplish anything? Has anyone done anything hackier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Has anyone done anything hackier? Yep, I cut an entirely new hole in my TI back in the old days. I mounted a fan ( a big one too ) on my TI as it was running constantly. I don't know if you can see it very well in the photo, but the little red button mounted in the little space next the TI's "+" key is where I mounted the power switch. On a side note, I had to use a Mitsumi keyboard because I had to remove part of the keyboard to allow the button to fit. I would not have been able to do it with one of the better keyboards. This suited my wife, because the TI was sharing bedroom space at the time and the Mitsumi was much more quiet. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE FOR BETTER VIEW) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelpedant Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 Mounting a fan on the back does seem like the way to go. Or at least, taking my system apart and having a look and a think, that's where I ended up, as far as ideas for solutions. The rear grill seems to be the best position from which to ventilate the system board area, from what I'm seeing. I'm thinking what I may do is rear mount a couple of these while simply removing the slats in the area. Though the real goal is of course to make my TI look like a fan-driven HoverComputer that flies around the household making obnoxious suggestions regarding Household Budget Management, Home Financial Decisions and Physical Fitness in a conspicuously synthesized voice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXB Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 (edited) I mounted a 3 inch CPU fan on top of the vents next to console using wood screws thru the vent holes with wires that run into the plug that are using power from the power supply to the TI from the TI power supply wall mount. The fan is super quiet and sucks air from under the TI into the TI and pushed it out that top vent. The power supply next to the Cart port is not warm and this is the best solution I have ever seen to be easy and simple to use once installed. I have run this console in over 100 degree weather and it still never felt hot. Edited July 13, 2018 by RXB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tursi Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Yep! When I ran my TI BBS I just dropped a standard PC case fan on top of those slots above the cartridge port (blowing OUT), and it kept the cup warmer nice and cool. I even powered it from the TI's internal 12V line with no problems. That system ran 24 hrs a day for a couple of years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkdrummer Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Go to your local Goodwill and/or thrift shop and find a laptop cooler - the ones that you place your laptop on top of and connect the usb cable from the cooler to your laptop. You can power with a usb wall wart or clip the wires and connect to a 6 volt dc supply. The fan is pulling air up from the bottom like Tursi stated. Works very well and very quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 i actually found some nice fans that will fit "inside" that area.. need to put one in a console and see how it works out.. they are cpu fans from video cards so they are nice and small Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omega-TI Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Considering how cheap << Raspberry Pi fans >> are, you could get two of them! One for sucking air in and one for blowing it out. They run on 5VDC, so you could easily steal some juice from inside the TI. Figuring out where you want to mount them would be the hardest part, but a couple drops of super glue should do the job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mizapf Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Considering how cheap << Raspberry Pi fans >> are, you could get two of them! I had to read that sentence three times before I got the message. English does have some funny homonyms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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