A set up like this should provide around 46 feet³/minute (cfm) or 78 meters³/hour (cmh).
Some of the main components (the fans, the filters) are not commonly sold in Aotearoa, and so are costly to obtain and import. You may be able to build this cheaper in Australia or the US.
If you build at least two of them, the cost comes to around NZD $210 per unit.
If you, or someone you know, has the tools and knowhow to put 116mm holes into wood, you could save another $53 by sourcing and cutting the wood yourself.
I've provided links to an AliExpress where you can find many of these components cheaply. Sellers and products change frequently so I can't link directly to a specific product so you'll have to search. The searching will show up some that aren't relevant, so do check that the product description matches closely the size and type required and when in doubt use the pictures as a reference.
| Component Name | Description | # required | Approximate Cost (NZD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooler Master Mobius ARGB Fan | These are very strong, very quiet fans that will pull air through the filter. NOTE: The Cooler Master Mobius Black fans do NOT have the same strength. | 1 | $35.00 |  |
| 7mm Air Straightener | An air straightener (or louvre) removes turbulence fro the air coming out of the fan, which means it will blow faster and further, helping to create a wall of air effect. You can get these 3D printed from the design linked. You can print these at the lowest resolution offered by a 3D printer | 1 | $26.00 |  |
| Levoit 200S Filters | The cylindrical filters used for this design (it costs $85 for a two pack, which is better value than a single) | 2 | $85.00 |  |
| Wooden Top, Bottom | Laser cut 2 pieces of 6mm MDF or similar to hold the filter and fan in place | 1 | $53.00 | |
| pwm fan cable to dc 12v | Connects the fan to the power supply | 1 | $3.00 |  |
| 12V USB-A to DC 5.5mm adapter | Provides power from USB to the two fans. Note that it should say 12V somewhere on the USB plug (see note below on USB-C) | 1 | $2.60 |  |
| 180mm M4 threaded rods | Used to hold the pieces of wood in place around the filters | 4 | $14.00 |  |
| 45mm M4 bolts | Used to hold the fans in place. They should have a flat head so that they create minimal obstruction to the filter being held in place | 8 | $5.50 |  |
| M4 hex cap nut | 12 | $3.70 |  |
|
| M4 nuts | Useful for adjusting for exact length of threaded rod which may not fit exactly | 8 | $2.80 |  |
| M4 flat head end caps | Used to hold the rubber feet in place | 4 | $4.80 |  |
| Rubber Feet 24x19x31mm | 4 | $10.00 |  |
|
| 20mm Black Elastic Band | To hold a power bank in place at the bottom | 1 | $5.00 |  |
| Component | Description | # required | Approximate Cost (NZD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12V DC Wall Adapater (At least 1 Amp) | If you only ever want to plug it in and don't want to use a USB battery pack, you can use this to plug it into the wall. If you want to do both, you could get a USB wall plug. Make sure it's rated for at least 1 Amp | 1 | $12.00 |  |
The materials will need to be laser cut or CNC cut, which you can get done at a Maker Space near you. Many will do the cutting and post the materials to you. See main page) for suggestions for places that can do the cutting in Aotearoa and Australia.
I've used Bamboo, Ply and MDF, you could also try Acrylic.
6mm (¼ inch) MDF is usually the cheapest and will do just fine.
The cuts and the instructions are designed for 6mm thick materials. I tried one with 3mm, but it bowed and didn't hold the filters in place well and I needed to add two more threaded rods in the middle to hold it together. But if your local Maker Space only has, say, 5mm that would be fine. If it's thicker than 6mm you may need longer bolts.
Once you've found a maker space or similar that can do laser cutting for you, you'll want to download the design files for the top, middle and bottom sections.
Every Maker Space is a bit different in their file requirements and in an ideal world you'd adjust your files to fit them exactly, but most maker spaces are pretty friendly to new comers, so if you send them the 4 files (3 for the wood, 1 for the air straightener) and a polite message, they should be able to help you.
You can download the 4 files by clicking on each of the following links and then clicking the download button.
| Design Files |
|---|
| Top |
| Bottom |
| Air Striaghtener 3D Print Design |
Here's a message you could send them.
Hi,
I've never had anything laser cut or 3D printed before, would you be able to help me out with getting some files cut and printed for a home project?
I have 2 files to laser cut from 6mm materials. I believe MDF would be cheapest?
- 6mmMDF_single_portable_top.svg
- 6mmMDF_single_portable_bottom.svg
The SVG files contain the required cuts in blue, and a 1mm raster in red.
I also have one file I'd like to 3D Print in Black at low layer resolution.
- 7mm_x_120mm_air_straightener.stl
What would be the cost to do this and post them to me at my address below?
<add your address>
Sincerely,
If you'd like to edit the designs, you can use this source design file which contains the design for all 3 pieces of wood in separate layers.
- Place the M4 bolts through the wood with the fan hole. Face it so the heads of the bolts are recessed a little in the engraving.
- Place the Mobius Fan on top
- Place the air straightener on top of the fan and screw on the hex caps to secure it all together
- Connect the fan power wire to the DC 5.5 12V to PWM fan cable. (The fan also have cables for the lights, these will be loose and not connected to anything)
- Plug in the USB-C 12V adaptor to the DC socket and connect it to a battery to check that the fan turns and the air blows the correct direction. Air should flow into the wooden hole, through the fan, and out the straightener.
- Take the threaded rods and screw a hex nut on one end, followed by the flat head end caps.
- Thread the rubber feet down the threaded rods to sit on the hex nuts.
- Tie elastic around the bottom panel. This can be used to hold a battery pack in place, so you'll want it quite tight so that it's held firmly against the panel even though it's heavy.
- Thread the rods through the bottom panel with the feet underneath and the engraved circles facing up.
-
Place the filter on top of the engraved circle.
-
Place the assembled top section with the fans on top of the filters.
-
Screw the top section in place with the hex nuts and then with the hex caps. Make sure you hold the rod in place while you tighten the nuts and caps, otherwise it may turn and loosen the caps holding the rubber feet in place.
There may be a gap between the nuts and caps, that's fine as long as the filters are held firmly in place. If it bothers you asthetically, you could add another hex nut in between.
- Plug it in and blow some mist over it to watch the wall of air in action!