After getting a new shop computer, all was happy until the computer case fans started to whine and make way too much noise. Popping the side off the case revealed about half a pound of dust bunnies and that the fans had a thick coat of crud on them.

Given that the computer is used in an office attached to an industrial shop, a better solution was needed.

It was decided to design and build a remote air filter to provide clean filtered air to the computer case. It was decided to use common components to keep the cost down and speed up construction. Two 12" square plates of light steel make up the top and bottom of the air filter. The bottom has four steel rods threaded into it:

The top has a round hole cut into it for mounting the 110 volt fan:

A pair of automotive air filters are sandwiched in between the top and bottom plates. You can see the collar on the top plate used to attach a hose to connect the device to the computer:

A fan hole on the rear of the computer's case was enlarged and a collar installed to accept the hose from the remote filter:

Here is the final product attached to the computer:

In use, the remote filter sits on the floor, which makes the unit almost silent. In checking the air flow, we found that there was positive case pressure. This should ensure that the inside of this computer stays nice and clean even when exposed to a dusty work environment.

Jeff Cameron - Canada