# Using hot glue to secure cooling fan to motherboard?



## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

Recently had to disassemble and clean out the heat sink and reapply the thermal paste on my 1 year old HP AMD A8 powered laptop. Effectively lowered the temperature over 20º! Unfortunately there was some kind of sticky tape securing the fan to the motherboard to prevent vibration, now I've got a little piece of paper holding back the super loud vibration sound of the fan chassis rattling against the motherboard....

_Here's the Question..._

*Can I use a normal hot glue gun to safely reattach the fan casing to the motherboard *to reattach and eliminate the noise coming from the vibration of the fan against the motherboard?

:facepalm:


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Why not just reapply the tape? Any store around you should provide a strong tape to replace the old stuff.


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

DO NOT USE HOT GLUE INSIDE YOUR LAPTOP!! Temps in your laptop can reach 100 deg C; that's like 212 deg F or the boiling point of water. Hot glue melts around 150 deg F. Clearly if the inside temp of your laptop is hot enough to boil water, it's easily hot enough to melt your Hot Glue!!!! 
That will leave a melted mess inside of your laptop that won't be easily cleaned up! :facepalm:

If you must you Glue instead of tape; use Gorilla Glue; a bottle costs about $8 at your local hardware store (Home Depot, Loews, Ace, etc.).

BIGBEARJEDI


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

Double sided, heat resistant tape? Not an everday find I don't think. Plus I already have the hot glue close by and heard it is easy to remove and will not damage circuitry plus will hold up to about 80ºC..... Plus it seems like it would damper vibrations against the board better than the tape... Plus like I said, I don't think this was normal everyday tape. Has to be doublesided and heat resistant.....


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

You want something like this:

Black Gorilla Tape 1.88 In. x 35 Yd., One Roll - Adhesive Tapes - Amazon.com

You can just tape it to itself basically making a loop.


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

I read the hot glue is alright, I don't think the inside of my laptop, especially the contact point between my fan housing and the motherboard is going to go anywhere about 130ºF at most, thats where it was at when my computer was nearly melting, now I'm sittin pretty at about 105º... If I use something like gorilla glue, what am I going to do next time I need to remove the fan to clean it in 6 months, at least hot glue is easy to remove.... I'm arguing my own point answering my own questions here I feel like but I don't think gorilla glue is a good idea... Correct me if I'm wrong....


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

That tape isn't double sided.... This is nowhere near any of the hot parts of the machine, the fan sits about 4 inches away from the CPU....


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

It doesn't have to be double sided. All you need to do is make a loop of the tape, basically making it double sided. Then push the tape against the motherboard and fan.

You're not going to want to use hot glue in your system, even if you read that it is safe.


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

If my CPU is maxing out at 132ºF before I cleaned and reapplied thermal, would there really be any part of the computer that would be above that temperature? Maybe the copper heat sink tubing... I don't think the plastic fan housing and the motherboard contact point are getting anywhere near the CPU temp....


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

Hot glue is non-conductive and I'm reading it melts at around 250º F, plus I know its going to stick that sucker down to the board and eliminate all vibration sounds....... Tape is plausible but I'm still thinking the hot glue would be better....


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

Well, first thing is you can do whatever you want of course; we only make suggestions for you. _Since it's an HP laptop I doubt it will even be running in 6 mos. so you wouldn't have to worry about removing/replacing fan assy. to clean!!_ You'll be shopping for a new laptop. 

Next; what utility did you use to determine those temps?? And if you do online gaming--it won't be a question of *IF* your laptop will melt that Hot Glue, but when, and how much of your circuitry will be covered with the stuff. Also, the Hot Glue contains lots of stuff that is insulative and will stop your circuitry from operating correctly. I've had to clean out a few laptops that had this done. But, what do I know, I only fix them huh? 

BBJ


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

Alright there we go... Some direct input from cleaning the hot glue! This was all speculation up until now! HP Laptop Cooling = Suck, Toshiba Laptop Cooling = Suck... What brands do you recommend? I'm getting the new Intel N3530 Quad Core Low Watt Processor in my next laptop, one of the models is a fanless system and the other has a fan I'm pretty sure, I'm in need of a smaller 14 inch machine to take with me to school, was going to give that CPU a test run... Don't do much gaming, most intensive I get is when I'm using Audio software... But I guess I'm going to get me some of that there Gorilla tape lol.... I'll make you a bet I keep this thing running another year, its been on 24/7 pretty much for the last year, after I cleaned the sucker out last week it's just like brand new again....

I don't really play games on the computer, if I do its nothing more than a little bit of Starcraft or Emulation, I have the PS4 for the games, and if I really wanted to be a PC Gamer I would build a desktop...


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

I was using Speccy to get the temp readings.... Seriously though, laptop cooling is always an issue, what company does it right? Any diy-hacks to change up the pace of the oven? I know getting a laptop with an aluminum chassis will help dissipate the heat... Hey man with $400 mid range laptops their basically throw away items... If I were to invest in something nice what would you recommend? I recently discovered there is a small niche product market for DIY build-able laptops, that the way to go?


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

I'm about to build a server and do all my computing in the cloud, just stream it through a Chromebook screw having real components in the machine...


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

All laptops are going to get hot. There is no way to avoid that.

Dell, Asus, Samsung, and Acer all have pretty good laptops.

Fanless laptops are going to be hotter then most though. You could look at some Dell or HP Ultrabooks. They handle heat pretty well.


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## funk1u0 (Aug 10, 2014)

The N3530 Chip is supposedly so low voltage that it can run without a fan, but the model I'm looking at getting has that chip, and a cooling system, I'm hoping to see under 100º temps if I grab that machine...


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

No CPU should run at 100C. It would hit the thermal throttle before it reached that or even shut down the PC.


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

funk1u0 said:


> Alright there we go... Some direct input from cleaning the hot glue! This was all speculation up until now! HP Laptop Cooling = Suck, Toshiba Laptop Cooling = Suck... What brands do you recommend? I'm getting the new Intel N3530 Quad Core Low Watt Processor in my next laptop, one of the models is a fanless system and the other has a fan I'm pretty sure, I'm in need of a smaller 14 inch machine to take with me to school, was going to give that CPU a test run... Don't do much gaming, most intensive I get is when I'm using Audio software... But I guess I'm going to get me some of that there Gorilla tape lol.... I'll make you a bet I keep this thing running another year, its been on 24/7 pretty much for the last year, after I cleaned the sucker out last week it's just like brand new again....
> _>>>hp, SUCK! toshiba, SUCK! from the Users standpoint. However, from the repair Tech's point of view (mine), they are *MONEY-MAKERS*! They run hot, stay hot, and fry the Motherboard when used for online Gaming. I had an epiphany earlier this year and realized those 2 laptop companies alone are keeping a roof over my head. Please hp and toshiba don't start making good quality laptops anytime soon! :thumb: Forum rules prohibit me from betting you any real currency; however, if I win you have to write a "glowing endorsement" of my work here. ok? write the date down Feb. 10, 2015.<<<_
> 
> I don't really play games on the computer, if I do its nothing more than a little bit of Starcraft or Emulation, I have the PS4 for the games, and if I really wanted to be a PC Gamer I would build a desktop...


_>>>that's good, you have Good information about that. how do you like PS4?<<<< BBJ>>>_


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

funk1u0 said:


> I was using Speccy to get the temp readings.... Seriously though, laptop cooling is always an issue, what company does it right? Any diy-hacks to change up the pace of the oven? I know getting a laptop with an aluminum chassis will help dissipate the heat... Hey man with $400 mid range laptops their basically throw away items... If I were to invest in something nice what would you recommend? I recently discovered there is a small niche product market for DIY build-able laptops, that the way to go?


_>>>SPECCY is highly recommended for temps and other internal readings. we use that frequently here on TSF. so those are fairly reliable. no hacks to change "pace of the oven"; unless you wish to use speedfan to regulate your laptop fan speed. If you guess wrong, bzzzzzt! there goes your Motherboard up in smoke. of course, sounds like $400 for you is no big deal, so what the heak? if you burn one up, toss it and get another just like a cell phone, eh? All us Techs here disagree somewhat on the best brands, but of course my suggestion is the only one that matters <grin>:* Dell, IBM ThinkPad (not Lenovo), Sony Vaio, and Samsung* are the only good ones out there. :wink: The rest are mediocre at best, and the laptops in the top 10 fifteen years ago, only 3 of those are left. :frown: Of course if you go by the reviews in the PC rags or the online e-zines; most of those guys never opened a laptop let alone fix one who write those articles. A few, very few are actually computer literate.  I have a few friends who are Tech writers and reviewers who actually know stuff. :smile: _

_DIY-buildable laptops? Drop me the link. I'm suspicious already. :uhoh: I know about 50 companies that tried this over the years, and not a one of them is still in business today.:nonono: That just has never been a lucrative business since the days of S-100 computers! Laptops back then were 30 lbs. or under by the way. I've seen a few other people inquire about them from time to time on the various forums I visit, but no one has responded with information about anyone doing this. There are some guys who hack together their own, and I've seen some of them; but you can't exactly go to Radio Shack or Walmart and buy an off-the-shelf kit you can put together. They take parts from Dell, hp, acer, gateway whatever and cobble together an ugly-looking mess, but they seem to work great for their owners at a very modest price. I especially like the guy who built his laptop into a fish tank on wheels! :wink: Good questions today! Let us know what you wind up with, and oh, don't forget to buy at least a 2 yrs. Warranty on whatever you buy if you can afford it. Figure 10% of the purchase price of the laptop per year for the Warranty. a $400 dell will cost you around $130 which is a little high; but if you are a Costco Member and have a Costco AMEX, you can drop that to about $70 for a 3 yr. Had a client do this back in February. <<<<_
_BBJ opcorn: :yltype:_


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## BIGBEARJEDI (Aug 8, 2012)

funk1u0 said:


> I'm about to build a server and do all my computing in the cloud, just stream it through a Chromebook screw having real components in the machine...


_>>>What kind of server? a webserver, a network server, a CAD server, an SEO server? there are lots of different kinds. That appears to be the direction everything is moving; and the Chromebook is WAY ahead of the curve and the Macs on that one I believe. Soon as work picks up, I'm gonna try to get me a used Chromebook and link it up to the Apache server I just built a few months ago. We can compare notes! You have the right idea. If you can get fiber pulled in to your home or you're lucky enough to be in a dorm like the Univ. of Pennsylvania where all the dorms are wired fiber-direct; they get like 200MBPS downloads speeds there, outrageous! Where I live in a small resort community, it's probably gonna take 10 years before I even see FIOS!! :angry: You've got some really good ideas. BTW on the Chromebook, go with the original Samsung; they are $279 new and the other new ones by ACER and HP for the $199 price point are starting to look junky. several guys here on the forums have reported problems with those already. Cool beans.<<<<_
_BBJ uttahere_


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