Thought I’d take a closer look at the thermal issues with the Terasic DE10 running MisterFPGA, and the effectiveness of various solutions! This was all done without benefit of ducting or a case, so the temps could get lower.
| Step 1 – Nothing After running the Genesis Core for about 10 minutes, it’s a bit toasty at about 70C |  |
| Step 2 – Heatsink only Thanks to my ISP’s rubbish router, I have a heatsink just small enough to fit the DE10 A bit of lapping was done, and some Noctua heat compound was applied to the FPGA |  |
| Step 3 – Heatsink with Arctic Cool 12V Fan at 5V I had a spare Arctic Cool 120mm fan and even with 5V (and drawing 30mA), this makes a pretty big difference. The heatsink is no longer the hottest component on the DE10 |  |
| Step 4 – Heatsink with 12V SuperMicro 6000rpm Fan For fun, I cranked up this ex-Rackmount Server 80mm fan. It draws 1A at 12V.. it was a jet engine! But very effective |  |
| Step 5 – Heatsink with 12V Noctua 80mm Fan at 5V This looks like the winner. I had a spare Noctua 1800rpm fan lyingn around. It runs at 5V and (draws only 20mA). Very quiet and not as much airflow but a good compromise. Perfect for running off the USB hub! |  |
| Footnote 31 Jan 2020 Someone pointed out that I hadn’t done a test of the DE10 without a heatsink, but with a fan.. So here’s the latest test! My new fan under test is the VERY affordable Sunon 80mm EF80251S1-1000U-A99. You can find this on Mouser for a few bucks. It’s exactly the same hole pattern as the Noctua tested earlier, and will start and run at 5V even though it’s a 12VDC fan. It draws very little currentand works just as well as the Noctua. Quiet too. |  |
| It’s a bit cooler tonight so here’s the control .. Memtest for 10mins with no heatsink and no air. About 61C. |  |
| Well there you go.. a good result ! A drop in temp of 17C without needing a heatsink at all.. |  |