Microsoft has solved the problem with Raspberry Pi: your mini-computer won't overheat so easily any more
24.10.2017
Translation: machine translated
Microsoft has designed a cooling device for the Raspberry Pi. Sounds strange, doesn't it? Research shows that this small component is crucial in a project to bring artificial intelligence to minicomputers. We are also adapting the fan support to our coolers.
The headline that appeared on my news feed today makes me smile: Microsoft has solved a problem with the Raspberry Pi. I find it strange to mention the large Microsoft group and the Raspberry Pi DIY staple in the same sentence, especially if it's the giant that works for the small computer.
Let's start with the problem with the Raspberry Pi. A Raspberry Pi has a safety mechanism that works as follows: when the processor exceeds 85 degrees Celsius, it shuts down. As the device has no active cooling device, it protects itself in this way. My editorial colleague Philipp Rüegg knows lots of people who use Raspberry Pi, and not one of them has encountered this problem. Yet it has happened to me on various occasions.
Artificial intelligence on the little computer
The Raspberry Pi is a device designed for tinkerers. So it's no surprise that it too has found its way into Microsoft's offices. It can do almost anything; it runs server tasks up to a certain size as well as a media server or a "home-made" games console.
Microsoft is working on something considerably more ambitious than an N64 emulator, however. The company wants to install artificial intelligence on the Raspberry Pi. Obviously, this drains the performance of the minicomputer. The 85 degrees Celsius, which it otherwise only reaches under heavy workloads, no longer seems so aberrant. An overview of the project entitled "Embedded Learning Library (ELL)" is available on GitHub (in English). When ELL is complete, the software should run on a Cortex-M0 (in English), a tiny processor from the manufacturer ARM.
However, ELL is currently only a preview for enthusiasts and experts to scrutinise. Because ultimately, the library should be free. However, Microsoft warns that it's entirely possible that updates to ELL could lead to incompatibilities with previously compatible components.
The little component from the Microsoft lab
Now that the suspense about the new cooling device is at an all-time high, here's a picture of it.
So what is it all about?
The small component is attached to the screw holes intended for the Raspberry Pi's seven-inch screen, on which a small fan is mounted. Underneath is a heat sink. According to the designers, this can reduce the temperature of the Pi by around half.
Given that the Raspberry Pi is a component designed for people on a tight budget with high ambitions, this mounting bracket is simple and free. Microsoft is making the models available to the public for free on its GitHub site (in English), as are the instructions (in English) allowing you to cool your Raspberry Piswithout inflicting an ELL implementation or any other heavy load on your computer.
The little component from the digitec lab
The small Microsoft component is designed for 30mm fans. But as we don't sell any - our smallest fans are 40mm - Mariana Hurtado, 3D printing manager, and I had to find a solution.
"Are you mad? You can't offer people a solution they can't do anything about," Mariana told me. Leave it to me.
So she took Spencer Persaud's design, found some 40mm fans on her desk and then adapted the design. You can download the 40mm fan compatible design from my GitHub page and then print it with a 3D printer.
Have fun!
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
20 comments
later