11
votes
Rubber pads for stacking laptops?
I'm thinking stacking running laptops on top of each other ( two ).
Would a rubber pad between them protect the laptops from each other's heat?
How thick would the pad have to be?
Would other materials work too?
I'm guessing this is something I can have cut to size in a hardware store.
maybe those rubber feet you put under the legs of a chair or couch so theres a gap between them for air flow?
This is a really clever idea! I would think 4 of these would be enough. Maybe run the top laptop upside down so that it's drawing purely fresh air? I guess it depends on how the fans are configured from the manufacturer, I can't say I'm an expert on fans/static pressure/effectiveness.
Regardless, I would think that a layer of rubber/foam would be a bad idea without something solid separating the rubber/foam from the top laptop to ensure that there is appropriate clearance. A think piece of plywood might honestly be a better idea or a deskpad with the plywood/plexiglass on top. I suspect that everything would be heat soaked regardless and the actual limiting factor will be fresh air draw for each laptop.
To reference snake_case's option though, I use a vertical folder stand similar to this to store a few laptops. This style allows any width or height, though thickness can be a limiting factor, while allowing good airflow.
Daiso sells very small dots that are also very slip-proof. They work really well. I use them in my homemade keyboard wrist rests.
You need an air gap. Laptops, even ones not doing much of anything, are more thermally constrained than people think. The inherent cooling of a surface exposed to the air is a large part of what they need, and a rubber pad between two running laptops is worse than nothing at all.
No need to overthink this, though. Just go to any hardware or office supply store and pick up some felt furniture pads and you're good to go. Stack them together if you need a greater gap, but half an inch should be fine.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=felt+furniture+pads&crid=ERPAL6YHB1S
Source: I work in IT and do stuff like this regularly
These laptops are work laptops. How easily do the adhesive pads come off?
About how many centimeters or inches of space should be between them?
The adhesive comes off very easily, a little alcohol or Goo Gone on a paper towel and all the residue would be removed once you pulled them off. That being said, no reason to stick them to the laptop directly, just stick two back to back and use them as spacers. That way, that way there's nothing to clean up.
I'd say for space you need 1 cm minimum, one and a half cm optimal.
Why not use something like those little paper shelves that office workers used to have for their in/out boxes back when we did everything on paper?
Not big enough for the laptop I have to add to my collection.
Use a cutting board organizer, and stand them up in that. You'll save some desk space and the airflow will be better.
Edit: like this https://www.reddit.com/r/OrganizationPorn/comments/te52fl/i_love_this_cutting_board_organizer_its_great_for/
I have done this in the past, it worked OK. I found better luck having then horizontal, but this can work.
They make adhesive electronic feet for electronics specifically for this sort of thing. I use them to keep some stackable sound and networking gear off of each other that don't fit in my rack area. You can find some pretty chonky ones on Amazon pretty cheap, but your local hardware store likely has them as well.
Would you know what name to search for those things are?
Would the tiny amount of space provided by the sticky "feet" be enough to keep the laptop underneath from getting too much heat?
The search terms "rubber bumpers" or "rubber feet" should be good. There are taller conic rubber bumpers that I personally use that give quite a bit of space and should allow some sufficient airflow as long as these aren't full on gaming working stations or monstrous mobile workstation laptops.
Edit: These are what I am using right now https://www.amazon.com/Conical-Rubber-Bumpers-Black-Electronics/dp/B075KZBR2Y
It is a work laptop. Will these things come off when the time comes?
If you're worried about glue residue after the fact, I find a microfiber cloth + goo gone works wonders. If you're having trouble removing something, do what you can to get an edge(s) up a little/exposed and soak a paper towel/tissue with goo gone and glob it around the edges of the thing to be removed. Leave it a while, remove, try to work the edges again, repeat until completely up.
Sorry for the delay, I'm on vacation. Yes, they come off pretty easily.
I would try stacking them as they are and monitor temperatures. Unless you are mining bitcoins, they won't overheat so fast that you can't turn them off. And even if they overheat, they should turn themselves off before they are damaged. You are going to have to check the temperatures anyway, so you might as well start with the simplest setup.
You can also try standing them up vertically like books. Just sure you don't block any fans.
Others have already mentioned, but I want to echo the idea of creating an air gap.Your original plan of thermally isolating the laptops from each other also causes the problem of thermally insulating them, especially the bottom one sandwiched between the desk and the rubber pad above. Creating an air gap allows for better circulation, and provides a place for the heat to exhaust out.
About how many centimeters or inches, minimum, should be between them?