The ultimate beginner's guide to PC FANS

[cork144]

I am still confused, what do you plug the wires into to get the power?

You show those adapters, but your wires (haveing the small white plastic things connected to them) how do they fit in the adapters?

This is the only part I dont understand how to hookup the pc fan wires to a power source.

i found the wire was the same width as the metal contacts inside the plastic connectors, so i cut away the plastic coasting off some of the wire, and pushed it right on inside the metal contact, everythings placed so that the wires cant be touched unless you move the cab itself, so they donot pullout.

but id recommend making sure the wires are in there tight, it took some force to push mine in.

 

[ScrubNinja]

This is how I do it:

This way I can easily connect fans wether they have the standard fan molex fitting, or just bare wires. The wires on the molex fitting were already there, I just snipped off the excess wires (as against using a blank, unwired molex and trying to cram wires in there).

 

[qulimax]

Hey Scrub ! Man, this is a very good guide and I think it would be very useful for new growers

 

[CaptainStoner]

I'll write up a lil guide on the spacer for a fan idea one day and show folks how i do it, if you want to integrate it in here scrub, you're welcome.. although my cam SUCKS

bit of advice for people salvaging fans, psu's etc.. keep your screws. Those screws that hold fans in are SO useful and a bitch to find when you need them - usually they're long enough to be used to stack fans together, screw to a filter, etc, and if you've got good wrists, they'll anchor in MDF, chipboard etc.. they're always useful if you build pcs too or mess around with other stuff - i took a few old, very quality towers in the other week and salvaged enough thumbscrews to make my old connoiseur pc case (cm201) completely tool-less, even the motherboard & fans. Always useful, a few lbs of random screws.

edit: i even hack pc psu's up for the heatsinks, and some of the components as well as the fans and screws.. not recommended unless you're good at keeping the smoke in components

 

[ScrubNinja]

Nice one Captain! That would be great if you can do that info up! Happy to have it here or anywhere

The very first fan I used came out of a power supply and it served me well and is still going; a Yate Loon. In fact that's why I don't have a blank spacer fan...It's the only spare 120mm here and I just don't have the heart to destroy it, hahaha.

And I laughed when I read your post because I too, strip the screws and bolts out of anything that gets tossed! Slowly building up a good supply.

Thanks qulimax good luck with your project!

 

[ScrubNinja]

Want a thermostatically controlled micro grow?

Want a thermostatically controlled micro grow?

Thermostats - My Thermaltakes, and no doubt others, come with a little heat sensor thing. I've never tried using them but I suspect you could use them. I would try taping it directly to your bulbs or ballast as they need quite a bit of heat to kick full speed into gear. I'm sceptical about how stealthy this would be too, if it did work.

1 x Thermaltake Blue LED 120mm with thermal sensor placed loosely inside the centre of the coils of a 23w warm white CFL. Result: WIN!

It does exactly what it says on the box! The fan runs at slow speed - bulb warms up and the speed slowly ramps up until the bulb gets cooler, then it just fluctuates. It's been running behind me for an hour now, ramping up and down as needed and it's the coolest thing ever

Obviously this is not ideal for all situations because the fluctuations would draw attention, but for a project I'm working on, it's absolutely perfect! (and maybe for other people too). See, you can basically move the sensor to wherever you want, to adjust the sensitivity of it. And the problem with most micro grows is not trying to maintain a stable environment, but more a cool and stealth environment. So what I will do is attach the sensor to the very hottest part of the bulb which won't have much air flowing past it. When the lights come on - fans run on full speed, no fluctuation. Lights go off - fan slows to minimum speed, no fluctuation.

I don't know how many of you have tried turning your fans down for stealth at lights off, but it's kind of bad if you forget to turn them back up for lights on!! This way, it'll be automatic.

Here is a link to the fan used in the experiment, Thermaltake Blue LED 120mm (link goes to page 2 where he discusses the thermo stuff). I know that the Thermaltake Smart Case Fan II also has the thermostat feature. I feel the need to point out that the dude who wrote the review is str8 trippin' because the thermal system doesn't work on just two speeds like he says. There's at least "several" (it's hard to tell and it's actually very smooth). He is also wrong about the speed dial, it is touchy, but it's ultimately a smooth increment.

Anyone know any other thermostatically controlled pc fans?

 

[Strangely]

I think I'll go the hard wired but using connectors method for peace of mind, although that's interesting about using the contacts inside and out and just shrink wrapping.

ScrubNinja would you mind a hasty Sketchup of my mini cab idea being posted, as I'm struggling with sizes of holes/vents to go with a single 120mm fan? It's on topic (sort of!) and it doesn't merit a whole thread really.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Hiya Strangely! Go for it mate. We can at least give you some ideas Just be sure to list all the dimensions and wattage and if there's a scrubber etc.

 

[Joopndufus]

Nice article. From the perspective of a former overclocker, it's a great read and really good advice.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Nice one, thanks Joop Welcome to ICmag!

 

[BorkBorkBork]

Good stuff, I'm planning on rigging one or two PC fan's to draw some of the warm air out from under my batwing reflector. I haven't seen anyone do exactly that, but I have an idea in my head, and will see if I can get it to work.

 

[02020]

hey guys, great thread, I jus got a quik ?
Does running a 12volt fan at 9 volts do any harm, ie. is it safe?
I got a thermal take 120mm fan that when i run at 12volts is pretty loud but when I drop it down to 9volts is all but silent. I guess im askin if this is gonna burn the fan out faster or the house for that matter? thnx for the help

 

[Architechno]

hey guys, great thread, I jus got a quik ?
Does running a 12volt fan at 9 volts do any harm, ie. is it safe?
I got a thermal take 120mm fan that when i run at 12volts is pretty loud but when I drop it down to 9volts is all but silent. I guess im askin if this is gonna burn the fan out faster or the house for that matter? thnx for the help

Related question:
If you are running fans at 9v, can you run more amps? Myy adapter is 1 amp and I'm using .9 now, if I run them at 9v could I run another fan?

 

[ScrubNinja]

Hi buddy, and welcome to IC. Undervolting fans is a common practice in computer cooling so I'm pretty sure it's ok. You can even buy stealth adapters which are molex fittings except they're wired to feed the 5v line to your fans (when using a computer PSU for power).

 

[ScrubNinja]

Related question:
If you are running fans at 9v, can you run more amps? Myy adapter is 1 amp and I'm using .9 now, if I run them at 9v could I run another fan?

Hmmm not certain on this. I think so. I'll have a think about it when I'm not high and get back to you if no-one else knows the answer.

 

[Aerohead]

Related question:
If you are running fans at 9v, can you run more amps? Myy adapter is 1 amp and I'm using .9 now, if I run them at 9v could I run another fan?

I would certainly get another adapter to run two fans. It's a rule of thumb not to exceed more than 80% of the power supplies max current. Your .9amp fan is consuming .675amps @ 9v so I suppose you could add another .2amp fan but it wouldn't be much help.

 

[ScrubNinja]

Related question:
If you are running fans at 9v, can you run more amps? Myy adapter is 1 amp and I'm using .9 now, if I run them at 9v could I run another fan?

See reply #11 of this thread.

Definitely uses less current on less voltage, I just tested it on a lab power supply to be sure. Was very roughly half the current (this means Amps ) at 6V compared to 12v on a 12v computer fan.

So in other words we can conclude that a 12v 0.2 Amp fan will be using "very roughly" 0.1 Amp when running at 6v.

Well after all that Aero beat me!

 

[[m8]]

hey scrub

im just wondering, i can plug couple fans on one adaptor,
ex adaptor:

3 fans:
1. 120mm x 120mm, 12 V, 0,16 A
2. 2x 80mm x 80mm, 12 V, unknown A

 

[Architechno]

I would certainly get another adapter to run two fans. It's a rule of thumb not to exceed more than 80% of the power supplies max current. Your .9amp fan is consuming .675amps @ 9v so I suppose you could add another .2amp fan but it wouldn't be much help.

Thanks for the help aerohead and scrubninja, you guys are the best. My PC case gurus

anyways Aero, on your page you mention that the centrifugal fans don't let any light out - are they really totally lightproof, my instincts tell me that they would at least have a faint glow about them. I do not like passive intakes because of their size, so I'm thinking about getting a little centrifugal fan for my intake. Maybe even exhaust.

I've been thinking that it would be cool to have 2 PC's to house 4 banzai mums and their babies as efficiently and stealthily as possible. I would wire the PC electrical input directly to a power splitter (i.e. wired and then caulked together back-to-back) and just plug the bulb and power adapter in there without taking up space for a "utility room" like in the nanomachine. But thats just more of me dreaming right now lol


****For other newbies*****
Also, I know people have mentioned before how you can find ac/dc adapters all over the place, but I had no idea that almost EVERYTHING uses DC power. Every single electronic device with a black "box" on the plug or wire is using an ac/dc adapter! my shaver, old video game systems, laptop, router, everything! I went looking for an extra one and wound up finding like 7 that I didn't need any more, most of which are between 9 and 12 volts! A couple are like 3 or 4 volts, maybe I'll use those to blow across the canopy if need be.

 

[PaulaFloraFauna]

love the world of stealth scrog.