Cothek
Active Member
Ever since I found out that the SP3 throttles I knew I wanted to see if I could unlock the full potential of this awesome machine. My original SP3 Duct (found here) was the beginning of that process and after many iterations and trials I've created a duct that at room temp will prevent thermal throttling.
If you don't want to read through my blabbing, the second post will have a list of everything needed.
Here is XTU graphs after playing Elite for 20min or so:
Here's an XTU GPU test run for 45min:
And XTU CPU test:
First let me say that this duct is meant to be used for gaming or very CPU/GPU intense work and was designed to keep the SP3 running at max speed. What this means is that it isn't meant to be pretty and it is a little bit loud (about the same loudness as the SP3 fan at max speed), and it requires some soldering but it does it's job really well.
Here's a video of it running while playing Elite to get an idea of noise levels:
This time I used a radial notebook fan that produces a much higher CFM rate to really force the air into the SP3 side vents. The downside to this is that the notebook fan uses a very small connector and nobody makes a cable that converts this small connector to USB, so you'll have to make your own. You only need basic soldering skills. All components will be linked in the 2nd post.
You've probably noticed the big black box on the back side of the duct by now. That's a USB hub. I know from the SP3 Duct that most people didn't want one so I will make two versions of this duct available, one with the USB bracket and one without. Get the one you want. I will say though that the Amazon Basics USB hub is a really great product. It's USB 3.0 and even though the SP3 has a low voltage USB port this thing runs the SP3 USB Duct 2.0, a bluetooth mouse and a HOTAS joystick (for my Elite: Dangerous gaming
) all without a hitch. It's a bit expensive but it's a very good hub.
What you need to do is buy or use an old USB cable you already have (6in of cable length should be plenty but more never hurts), cut off one side (the un-cut end should have the standard USB sonnector - it's the side you'll plug into your SP3 or power brick) and cut away everything but the red and black cables. Strip those two wires so it looks something like this:
Next solder the cables as shown below:
I highly recommend getting some heat-shrink to protect your solder joints and exposed wires.
That's it. Plug in your fan to the connector and align your fan as shown in the pic below then connect the USB cable to your SP3 and it should be hummin!
(The right edge of the duct should line up slightly inside the edge of the active LCD area.)
I hope you guys enjoy it!
--DISCLAMER--
I am not claiming any sort of magic or miracle with this duct and you should not expect either of those things. I made this for myself and am sharing it with the community, so please remember that this is not a consumer product that some large corporation has made, just a simple man. Your mileage will vary with this thing. Ambient conditions play a large role in your SP3's performance as well as the effectiveness of this duct. I cannot offer refunds. If the 3D print of your duct is poor, contact shapeways.
If you don't want to read through my blabbing, the second post will have a list of everything needed.
Here is XTU graphs after playing Elite for 20min or so:
Here's an XTU GPU test run for 45min:
And XTU CPU test:
First let me say that this duct is meant to be used for gaming or very CPU/GPU intense work and was designed to keep the SP3 running at max speed. What this means is that it isn't meant to be pretty and it is a little bit loud (about the same loudness as the SP3 fan at max speed), and it requires some soldering but it does it's job really well.
Here's a video of it running while playing Elite to get an idea of noise levels:
This time I used a radial notebook fan that produces a much higher CFM rate to really force the air into the SP3 side vents. The downside to this is that the notebook fan uses a very small connector and nobody makes a cable that converts this small connector to USB, so you'll have to make your own. You only need basic soldering skills. All components will be linked in the 2nd post.
You've probably noticed the big black box on the back side of the duct by now. That's a USB hub. I know from the SP3 Duct that most people didn't want one so I will make two versions of this duct available, one with the USB bracket and one without. Get the one you want. I will say though that the Amazon Basics USB hub is a really great product. It's USB 3.0 and even though the SP3 has a low voltage USB port this thing runs the SP3 USB Duct 2.0, a bluetooth mouse and a HOTAS joystick (for my Elite: Dangerous gaming
) all without a hitch. It's a bit expensive but it's a very good hub.What you need to do is buy or use an old USB cable you already have (6in of cable length should be plenty but more never hurts), cut off one side (the un-cut end should have the standard USB sonnector - it's the side you'll plug into your SP3 or power brick) and cut away everything but the red and black cables. Strip those two wires so it looks something like this:
Next solder the cables as shown below:
I highly recommend getting some heat-shrink to protect your solder joints and exposed wires.
That's it. Plug in your fan to the connector and align your fan as shown in the pic below then connect the USB cable to your SP3 and it should be hummin!
(The right edge of the duct should line up slightly inside the edge of the active LCD area.)
I hope you guys enjoy it!
--DISCLAMER--
I am not claiming any sort of magic or miracle with this duct and you should not expect either of those things. I made this for myself and am sharing it with the community, so please remember that this is not a consumer product that some large corporation has made, just a simple man. Your mileage will vary with this thing. Ambient conditions play a large role in your SP3's performance as well as the effectiveness of this duct. I cannot offer refunds. If the 3D print of your duct is poor, contact shapeways.
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