Sometimes the best solutions are the ones you make yourself. Here’s a look at a clean, 3D-printed fan adapter to improve drive temps.
I love my Jonsbo N4 case. It’s the perfect compact box for a DIY home server or NAS build. But as I started filling up the drive bays, I noticed things were getting a little warmer than I liked. This got me searching for a better Jonsbo N4 cooling solution, and I quickly realized the single rear fan wasn’t quite cutting it for my hard-working drives.
I looked around online and saw a few options other people had come up with, but they all seemed a bit… much. Many were bulky or required extra hardware I didn’t have. I wanted something simple, clean, and effective that looked like it belonged there. So, I decided to make my own.
The Challenge with Stock Jonsbo N4 Cooling
The Jonsbo N4 is brilliantly designed for space efficiency. It’s a small cube that packs a lot of potential. However, its stock cooling is focused on a single large fan at the rear of the case to exhaust hot air. This is a decent general approach, but it doesn’t create direct airflow over the front-loaded hard drives, which are often the hottest components in a NAS.
When you have multiple drives stacked together, they can generate a significant amount of heat. Without air moving directly over them, temperatures can creep up, which isn’t great for the long-term health of your drives. My goal was to get some cool air pulled in from the front and directed right where it was needed most—across the drive cage.
Designing a Clean, Simple Fan Adapter
Since I have a 3D printer, the solution seemed obvious: design and print a custom part. My main goal was simplicity. I didn’t want to design something that required extra screws, bolts, or complicated mounting. It needed to be a part that anyone could print and pop right into place.
The idea was a simple, flat plate that would fit snugly in the front opening of the N4’s chassis, right behind the metal mesh front panel. I designed it to hold two 92x14mm fans, which are a great size for providing quiet, consistent airflow without taking up too much space. The best part? The entire adapter is held in place perfectly by friction. You just slide it in, and it stays put. No extra parts needed.
This approach keeps the build looking clean and avoids the “bulging” or tacked-on look I saw with other solutions. It’s an elegant fix that feels almost like an original part of the Jonsbo N4 case.
The Final 3D-Printed Mod for Better Jonsbo N4 Cooling
After a couple of test prints to get the dimensions just right, the final result was exactly what I wanted. The two front fans now pull cool air from outside and blow it directly over the hard drives, and the rear fan exhausts the resulting warm air. My drive temperatures have noticeably dropped, and the whole system runs cooler and quieter under load.
It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference in performance and peace of mind.
Because I think this could help other N4 owners, I’ve made the 3D model available for everyone to download and print themselves. You can find the file over on MakerWorld and print it with just about any standard filament like PLA or PETG. If you’re new to 3D printing, there are fantastic resources online like the MatterHackers blog that can help you get started with the right materials and settings.
If you’ve been looking for a straightforward way to improve your server’s airflow, I hope this simple adapter helps you out! It’s an easy weekend project that provides a real, measurable benefit. Let me know how it works for you.