One problem with having the netbook inside of R2-D2 is that it sits right on top of the 300 watt amplifier. While I do have a fan pulling in cool air from the front vents, I still wanted a better solution.
The idea I came up with was to make a heat shield, or at least a shelf for the netbook to sit on top of. As the netbook heats up, it uses its fan more to keep cool. If it runs the fan more, it uses up the battery quicker.
I had some sheet metal available and needed to mount a piece 2.5 inches over the amp. While at the local hardware store, I found something cheap and super convenient...
I'm not entirely sure what they are used for...they were in the door and hinges aisle! But they are exactly 2.5 inches long and the threaded inserts are 10-24 thread! I used some leftover aluminum stock I had to make the shelf.
I also needed to move the power switches and charger port lower since the netbook was touching the back of the switches. That was just a matter of unbolting, using some L-brackets and mounting it on the next frame ring down.
Back to the cpu interface arm work!
