12/2/2025 - Figured out design, started CAD

I looked into designs on Amazon and designs that other people have made to see how most of them work. The basic design is a computer fan behind an activated carbon filter. I looked at 3d printed designs and found one I like that integrates a little screen that shows fan speed, a toggle on off switch, and a knob for speed control.

Because it needs a microcontroller for the screen, I plan to use an Arduino Nano. I also plan to make a tiny custom PCB to make it a little simpler. It will be powered using an XT60 connector, which will connect to my bench power supply, which will provide 12V. This will save costs since I don't need to buy a dedicated power supply.

For the fan, I decided on the Arctic Pro fan after doing some research because it has a high RPM, but isn't too loud and has a high CFM around 60.

The components will include:

• Arduino Nano
• Arctic Pro Fan
• XT60 Connector
• PCB
• 3D Printed Parts
• Toggle On Off Switch
• Knob Speed Controller
• Activated Carbon Filters

The total cost should be under $50.

This is one of the designs I liked:

My design will include some changes including a PCB and the fan will be behind the filters instead of in front. There will also be 2 filters instead of 1. Based on the research I did online, it's better to have the fan in the back so the solder fumes hit the filter first.

I also started the CAD. This is the CAD so far. My design is basically a box that has the fan inside in the back, and then a filter in the front. The whole thing is connected to two pillars that allow the box to tilt. This allows me to change the angle of the extractor based on what I'm soldering.

The base will have a bottom that screws on so that I can access the electronics. I'll keep the PCB and electronics inside the base, and the base will also have holes for the switch, screen, and knob.

12/3/2025 1 AM - Finished CAD

I pretty much finished the CAD today. The filter slides in from the top and then the fan screws in behind it using heat set inserts. I decided to just use one filter instead of two because I felt like two filters would restrict too much airflow since I'm using just one fan.

The back of the main box with the fan closes using a magnetic lid. I did that so there's no visible screws on the outside and it's easier to access. I added two arms to the sides and the main box connects to these arms using m3 bolts. Basically there's a heat set insert on the box side and then there's a bolt that comes from the outside and tightens it. This allows for the box to tilt and then the bolts tighten it into that position.

I added a handle to the back lid so that it's easy to open and close since it's magnetized. I added a hex design to the arms and the front of the base to make it all look good. It'll be printed multicolored so the hex pops out.

These are the arms:

In the base, I added a spot for a toggle switch for on and off, a spot for an OLED screen for fan speed display, and a rotary encoder for fan speed control. All of the electronics will go in the underside and the bottom will close using screws and heat set inserts. The screen and fan speed will be powered using an Arduino Nano and a PCB for powering all of that.

This is the base:

This is finished CAD:

My next step is to start the PCB.

12/3/2025 2 AM - Started PCB

I started the PCB and added the screw terminal for the XT60 connector for 12V power from my bench power supply. I added the Arduino Nano and a 4-pin screw terminal for the fan outputs, and I added a 10k resistor to read the RPM values correctly on the Arduino. I still need to finish the toggle power switch, OLED display, and speed control wiring, and then it'll be pretty much done.

Here's the PCB schematics so far:

12/3/2025 5 PM - Finished PCB

I added screw terminals for the toggle power switch, the 12v power input, the speed control knob, the fan output wires, and a 2.54 pin header for the OLED display. I also added a buck convertor that supplies 5v from the 12v for the Arduino.

This is the completed PCB:

12/3/2025 7 PM - Finished GitHub, Shipped Project

I created the GitHub repository and added a ReadMe explaining how the fume extractor works. I added the CAD files, BOM, and the PCB gerber files on there as well. I also created a basic firmware that controls the fan speed using the knob. The total cost for the project is under $50 which is pretty close to what the fume extractors on Amazon cost.

This is the finished GitHub ReadMe:

12/19/2025 12 AM - Soldered the PCB

Today I spent a couple of hours soldering all the components onto the PCB. It was mainly just screw terminals and then the buck converter and Arduino Nano. I made sure the buck converter was outputting 5V before I soldered it on. I also connected the fan and display using the screw terminals. I also added the toggle on/off switch. I uploaded basic firmware to try to get the fan working, but it didn't work. I spent another hour troubleshooting that and used a different library, which ended up working. It currently runs at full speed so I still need to add the code to make the knob control the speed using PWM.

12/19/2025 4 PM - Finished Project

I printed all the parts and used a soldering iron to put the heat set inserts into the prints. The fan used screws to mount and then the back lid used magnets which I hot-glued in. The bottom plate also used heat set inserts which I put in and then screws to tighten the bottom lid on. I connected everything and it works well. The screen stopped working after a min which I think happened because the pins were labeled wrong on the PCB. Everything else works well and the speed control works well too. I tested it with solder fumes and it sucks them up really well even with a lower speed.