© 2011-2012 J.R. Perry
Computer Air Filter Monitoring System
If you want this project to become A Real Thing you can buy as a kit, go to clubjameco and vote for it. (site registration required)
Why do you need one?

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Does the inside of your computer look like this?

If you have used a PC in a typical home or office environment
for a few months, it could. Run for years without cleaning and
it's not all that unlikely.


If you just bought a computer and just cleaned it and you
NEVER want the guts of your machine to look like this
picture, you can read all about the fix for dusty computers below.

It is now possible to safely run air filters to keep pet hair and dust and dirt and radioactive contamination (fallout) and other kinds of crap out of the interior of your computer without remembering to check it every few days.

People don't do it now because when filters get loaded with crap, airflow doesn't get into the computer and the CPU and GPU are liable to fry. With a monitoring system that will tell you or a sysadmin that the air filter of your computer is clogged, you'll know when to change or clean the filter. The problem is solved, a patent is pending on the solution. Use it properly, no more internally dirty computers.

These units are available now for people capable of DIY printed circuit board assembly and tracking down electronics components from a parts list (provided). I am discussing OEM distribution of these devices at least in kit form with a major kit vendor.

If you want to join a low-volume announce-only mailing list to find out where and when assembled units or kits will be available, go to the contact page and select the mailing list subject option (default)

The technology is also available for license, potential OEM customers should go to the contact page.

Briefly, how it works is an light source illuminates an air filter, with a photodetector on the other side. What the photodetector receives is first reduced by the filter and then by the amount of contamination on the filter. The more contamination, the less light.

When the light level drops to a preset threshold indicating that the filter needs servicing, an alarm goes off. That alarm might be a local beeper, or audio or video messages on the computer triggered by monitoring software, or even e-mail sent to a remote help desk.

The unit shown here is the version that plugs into the fan input on a computer motherboard.

Alternate future versions:

  • standalone units which are attached to an air intake without hardware of software installation
  • versions that work with a laptop cooler pad
  • versions for monitoring multiple systems or multiple filters in the same system
  • filter packages with the monitor system as integral part of enclosure
  • fan plug-in packages with the LED fixture as single-piece molded part.

Simple, but . . . it works.

I came up with it because I'd been wanting one, cleaning the inside of a computer every time I stick in more RAM or a new drive gets old after a while. It wasn't on the market.

So I designed and built it and then filed for a patent.



Filter Monitor Lab Test

Contact Information
Installed and operating monitor

The light is an LED fixture operating outside the unit as shown above. The PCB module monitoring it is opposite the light, inside the computer.


Front of PCB module
Rear of PCB module
Where To Buy

Printed Circuit Board v2.2

DIY assembly using User Guide + PCB assembly documents in Downloads section below for instructions.

A kit will become available if there's sufficient demand. Assembled retail versions will be available when I can find an OEM to license this or a retailer willing to buy enough units at a time (probably 1K+) to make a full production run cost-effective.

If you want an assembled OEM version ready for installation, the best way to find out when and where it will be available is to go to the contact page and select the "join mailing list" (default) option. The mailing list is a low-volume announce-only mailing list.

Downloads

This site is a work in progress, if a link goes to a "not ready" page, return in a few days and it will probably have the announced content.

User Guide for ATX motherboard version (PDF - read with Acrobat or Okular)

Component (PCB, LED fixture) assembly information for ATX motherboard version(PDF)

Script to provide Linux gkrellm system monitor software with speech-synthesized filter service alert.