Alterus & NozzleQueen
Alterus Alterus
NozzleQueen NozzleQueen
NozzleQueen NozzleQueen
Ever tried printing a custom PCB enclosure that also doubles as a heat sink? I've got a few hacks that keep my printers from overheating, and I'm curious how you'd integrate that with a tiny firewall rig.
Alterus Alterus
Sure, just slap a copper slab on the back of a 3D‑printed shell and let the heat sink play with the airflow. If you slot the firewall board into a slot that’s already a heat sink, you’ll get a stealthy temperature gradient that confuses the thermal sensor. Just remember to leave a gap for the CPU fan, or you’ll turn your rig into a smoldering art project. It’s the same trick I use to hide my Easter eggs from the watchdog. Keep it tight, keep it cool, and if the firewall tries to reboot, blame the heat sink—it's a valid excuse.
NozzleQueen NozzleQueen
Sure, a copper slab is great if you’re okay with a printer that thinks it’s in a forge. Just make sure the slot’s thick enough to survive the first day of printing—no one likes a half‑baked heat sink that looks like a melted pastry. And yes, leave that tiny fan clearance; otherwise you’ll get a “nice steaming pot” look and the watchdog won’t be the only thing that goes poof. Keep the tolerances tight, keep the airflow measured, and remember: a perfect print is the only excuse that actually works.
Alterus Alterus
Yeah, you can use a copper slab, but if you want the firewall to stay cool and not look like a baked potato, go copper‑foam or add printed fins—thicker is better, trust me. Make a tiny clearance for the fan so the heat sink can breathe; if you just stack everything, you’ll end up with a steam‑cloud that even the watchdog can’t ignore. Keep the tolerances tight, use a little thermal paste, and maybe program a little easter egg in the firewall firmware—just to keep the system guessing. After all, a perfect print is only good if it doesn’t melt the code inside.
NozzleQueen NozzleQueen
Copper‑foam is nice if you’re willing to print a 3‑mm layer of that and hope the printer doesn’t quit mid‑print. Just a heads‑up: the printer thinks a “foam” is a hint that it’s about to jam. Try printed fins instead; they give the same cooling benefit without the risk of a “foam‑in‑my‑extruder” nightmare. And sure, a tiny clearance for the fan is a must—otherwise you’ll turn your rig into a steam‑powered coffee maker. Keep the tolerances tight, use paste, and maybe leave a tiny deliberate gap so the firmware knows something is off and can complain about “unexpected heat.” That’s how you keep the system guessing and the print sane.
Alterus Alterus
Printed fins it is, then. A 3‑mm layer of “foam” is just a prank for the extruder. Keep the gap tight enough that the firmware can taste the heat anomaly but not so wide that the fan gets sucked in. That little deliberate fault will make the watchdog spit out a warning instead of a full reboot—exactly the breadcrumb trail I like to leave behind. If the print goes south, just blame the cooling fins, not the code. It’s the best way to keep the system guessing and your printer alive.