Airsoft Canada - View Single Post - D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20 or so...

localfreerider · April 1st, 2011, 09:05

D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20 or so...

I came across a forum post "D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20" but after looking for it again, I think it has been sucked into some black hole of the inter-web to be found by a paleontologist a million years from now. This was a practical mod that was really easy to do with no real technical skill involved, just an adventurous spirit a steady hand and some basic tools.

I thought I would document my efforts and post a quick write up of my success or lack there of. I don't think it needs to be said, but a quick disclaimer! I am not responsible for you destroying your fancy new mask or goggles, its your eyes on the line, its up to you to know what your doing. With that out of the way, this is how I made my poor mans D.I.Y. cooling system.

For tools you will need

- Wire cutters
- Scalpel or craft knife
- Glue gun

Nice to have but not needed

- Heat gun
- Sharp needle
- Ruler
- Nail file or fine grit sand paper
- A clean work space

For materials you will need

- Mask or goggles, I used my ESS Profile NVG, $50 from eBay
- Laptop mini muffin fan, the smaller the better mine were 2x2x1cm, $7 for 2
- Wires, I paid $7 for 150ft but you can get some from an old computer
- 9v battery and snap 5$ for 10 or you could cannibalize your smoke detector

- On/off relay $2, unless you want the fans to be on all the time
- Electrical tape $1, I used heat shrink tubing $6 for a more professional look
- Some way to attach the fans, I used the metal wire from bread bag ties and hot glue but you could use small zip ties or some bolts for hard fixing them, be creative!

Nice to have but not needed

- Craft foam, $7
- Velcro strips $2

To start you want visualize where you want the fan/s to be placed while taking into consideration where your switch and battery will go and the air flow for the mask. Remember to measure thrice, there no going back after you start cutting. Remove or cover your lenses, no point in trading fog for scratches.

Once you know what you want then start, be careful and go slowly! I know my goggles rubber cuts like a Hemophiliac

. I placed my fans one for each eye, in the little recesses behind the headband and I was surprised by how well they fit, almost like it was meant to be.

I lashed the fans to the rubber frame of the goggles with metal wire and filled in the gaps with craft foam and hot glue to create an air duct. Removing the foam dust cover from the top allows the hot air to vent up. Use a file or sand paper to clean up any rough cuts.

After you have fans secured you can wire it all up. On my fans there were 3 wires, red is (+), black is (-), yellow is (ground) I think, but then again I know nothing. I only figured this out through trial, error and one burnt out fan.

When connecting wires strip about an inch of exposed wire and twisted them parallel making sure to twist all the wires in the same direction and then folded it over and shrink wrapped all the connections. Remember to put any heat shrink tubing on the wire before twisting off the connection and watch out what you heat. The rubber in my goggles melts at around the same temperature the heat shrink tubing cures at and I'm not sure what the heat will do to your impact resistant lenses.

For the relay I chose a 5v push button so the fan is only on when I hold it down. I bent the metal casing to make a box where the wires connect. The three pins are power, NC normally closed, NO normally open. You can clip off the NO pin unless that your sort of thing

. I bent the pins to make hooks but if you do so be-careful not to break the pin. Wrap a good amount of wire around the pin and secure it with shrink wrap, use hot glue to prevent short circuits and connections coming loose. I wrapped the relay in craft foam to hide my spaghetti wire job. Connect the battery and attach it to the head band with Velcro.

Pat yourself on the back! Your done, now enjoy hours of fog free gaming and remember to bring your Visine because if your fan job is anything like mine its strong enough to dry your eyes out.

If anyone goes through all this trouble post your results here I'd love to see what you guys come up with. If you have any questions don't be afraid to shoot me a PM I'll do my best to answer quickly, I am not on ASC often.

A "localfreerider" top tip: If your mags wobble and rattle in the mag-well try shimming with hockey tape or the soft side of Velcro. Use Teflon tape to seal air leaks, shim threaded connections and shaky stocks *Do Not Use In Gearbox*

I do a bit of gunsmithing and after my friends Tanaka Browning Hi-Power broke we found out parts are near impossible to find. I am in the proses of hand crafting a new rocker plate out of sheet steel with tin-snips and hand files. I will post my success or failure in my next post and hopefully we can restore more wall hangers to game-able condition.

PS: I haven't finished posting all the pics and the final product. I will soon though!

April 1st, 2011, 09:05	#1
localfreerider willing to perform services in a dark alley that may or may not leave you satisfied for a title. GFE = 1, looks = 2, BBFS for an extra $50. Trader rating Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Never gonna let you down	D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20 or so... D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20 or so... I came across a forum post "D.I.Y. fan cooled goggles for under $20" but after looking for it again, I think it has been sucked into some black hole of the inter-web to be found by a paleontologist a million years from now. This was a practical mod that was really easy to do with no real technical skill involved, just an adventurous spirit a steady hand and some basic tools. I thought I would document my efforts and post a quick write up of my success or lack there of. I don't think it needs to be said, but a quick disclaimer! I am not responsible for you destroying your fancy new mask or goggles, its your eyes on the line, its up to you to know what your doing. With that out of the way, this is how I made my poor mans D.I.Y. cooling system. For tools you will need - Wire cutters - Scalpel or craft knife - Glue gun Nice to have but not needed - Heat gun - Sharp needle - Ruler - Nail file or fine grit sand paper - A clean work space For materials you will need - Mask or goggles, I used my ESS Profile NVG, $50 from eBay - Laptop mini muffin fan, the smaller the better mine were 2x2x1cm, $7 for 2 - Wires, I paid $7 for 150ft but you can get some from an old computer - 9v battery and snap 5$ for 10 or you could cannibalize your smoke detector - On/off relay $2, unless you want the fans to be on all the time - Electrical tape $1, I used heat shrink tubing $6 for a more professional look - Some way to attach the fans, I used the metal wire from bread bag ties and hot glue but you could use small zip ties or some bolts for hard fixing them, be creative! Nice to have but not needed - Craft foam, $7 - Velcro strips $2 To start you want visualize where you want the fan/s to be placed while taking into consideration where your switch and battery will go and the air flow for the mask. Remember to measure thrice, there no going back after you start cutting. Remove or cover your lenses, no point in trading fog for scratches. Once you know what you want then start, be careful and go slowly! I know my goggles rubber cuts like a Hemophiliac . I placed my fans one for each eye, in the little recesses behind the headband and I was surprised by how well they fit, almost like it was meant to be. I lashed the fans to the rubber frame of the goggles with metal wire and filled in the gaps with craft foam and hot glue to create an air duct. Removing the foam dust cover from the top allows the hot air to vent up. Use a file or sand paper to clean up any rough cuts. After you have fans secured you can wire it all up. On my fans there were 3 wires, red is (+), black is (-), yellow is (ground) I think, but then again I know nothing. I only figured this out through trial, error and one burnt out fan. When connecting wires strip about an inch of exposed wire and twisted them parallel making sure to twist all the wires in the same direction and then folded it over and shrink wrapped all the connections. Remember to put any heat shrink tubing on the wire before twisting off the connection and watch out what you heat. The rubber in my goggles melts at around the same temperature the heat shrink tubing cures at and I'm not sure what the heat will do to your impact resistant lenses. For the relay I chose a 5v push button so the fan is only on when I hold it down. I bent the metal casing to make a box where the wires connect. The three pins are power, NC normally closed, NO normally open. You can clip off the NO pin unless that your sort of thing . I bent the pins to make hooks but if you do so be-careful not to break the pin. Wrap a good amount of wire around the pin and secure it with shrink wrap, use hot glue to prevent short circuits and connections coming loose. I wrapped the relay in craft foam to hide my spaghetti wire job. Connect the battery and attach it to the head band with Velcro. Pat yourself on the back! Your done, now enjoy hours of fog free gaming and remember to bring your Visine because if your fan job is anything like mine its strong enough to dry your eyes out. If anyone goes through all this trouble post your results here I'd love to see what you guys come up with. If you have any questions don't be afraid to shoot me a PM I'll do my best to answer quickly, I am not on ASC often. A "localfreerider" top tip: If your mags wobble and rattle in the mag-well try shimming with hockey tape or the soft side of Velcro. Use Teflon tape to seal air leaks, shim threaded connections and shaky stocks Do Not Use In Gearbox I do a bit of gunsmithing and after my friends Tanaka Browning Hi-Power broke we found out parts are near impossible to find. I am in the proses of hand crafting a new rocker plate out of sheet steel with tin-snips and hand files. I will post my success or failure in my next post and hopefully we can restore more wall hangers to game-able condition. PS: I haven't finished posting all the pics and the final product. I will soon though! Last edited by localfreerider; May 19th, 2015 at 17:05..