England and Denmark have both experienced record-breaking heatwaves, prompting one hardware creator to develop a personal cooling device. Based in Denmark, YouTuber "Making Stuff with Mike" designed a hard hat equipped with a 120 mm Noctua fan to provide relief during intense heat, a project he shared via YouTube and highlighted by Hackaday.
The device, described as a "functioning art piece," incorporates a 3D-printed fan structure that juts from the top of a hard hat, resembling a mini-chimney. Airflow is directed towards the wearer's head through a drilled hole in the helmet. The fan operates on a 5000 Ah power bank, which the creator estimates can provide cooling for approximately six hours. The internal structure includes a custom USB-to-fan-header adapter.
While the current five-volt setup offers some cooling, Mike acknowledges its limitations in extreme temperatures. He plans to explore a 12-volt upgrade for improved airflow but is concerned about faster power bank depletion and the potential need for a larger fan unit that may not fit within the existing chimney design. Cable management is currently addressed by temporarily attaching the power bank to the back of the helmet with duct tape.
Future iterations of the DIY cooling solution may include internal mounting points for a PCB, potentially enabling illuminated features. Mike is also considering aesthetic modifications, debating whether to retain the hard hat's original bright yellow color or to redecorate it with a steampunk theme.