The ultimate beginner's guide to PC FANS

[phrike]

Greetings wiring massive! As Scrub is on an extended holiday, or just uber-stoned in a field somewhere, it would be very much appreciated if anyone can help with some simple wiring stuff. My tiny cab is all but built and I've been leaving the wiring till last as I'm pretty useless at it. I have 2 ceramic bulb holders to wire up to a plug. I have some nice wire which has three wires in it (L/N/E) do I wire it up as below and just seal off the earth? Thanks in advance everyone!

Yes you can just tape up and perhaps tuck away somewhere the ground/earth line.

Generally, if you had a metal cabinet the ground/earth can be tied to the cabinet for added protection. Basically if the live wire touches it your fuse/breaker should blow, and protect anyone touching it.

 

[Kreamy]

First off, I've found the plethora of information here and elsewhere on IC to be amaizing. These theads are great! That being said, I have a fan question on my first grow design. I've asked this in a new thread,
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=3846751#post3846751
however I thought I'd post something here also since I'm sure this is where the pc fan experts are lurking.
In short, for a 28"x18"x36" CFL grow, should the Delta AFB1212GHE Grand High Speed pulling 241 CFM
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/deaf12recgrh.html
through a carbon filter for exhaust and a Delta AFB1212HE
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/deaf12rechis.html
pulling 109CFM for intake, and two other small curculation fans work for this cab. Is the GHE overkill? I was planning on using this voltage regulator for all 4 fans. Will it work, and should it quite the GHE and HE enough to be relatively stealth, while maintaining decent temps/scrubbing odor?
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNIVERSAL-AC-Po...242?pt=Batteries_Chargers&hash=item3cb05b9b0a

 

[oldone]

First off, I've found the plethora of information here and elsewhere on IC to be amaizing. These theads are great! That being said, I have a fan question on my first grow design. I've asked this in a new thread,
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=3846751#post3846751
however I thought I'd post something here also since I'm sure this is where the pc fan experts are lurking.
In short, for a 28"x18"x36" CFL grow, should the Delta AFB1212GHE Grand High Speed pulling 241 CFM
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/deaf12recgrh.html
through a carbon filter for exhaust and a Delta AFB1212HE
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/deaf12rechis.html
pulling 109CFM for intake, and two other small curculation fans work for this cab. Is the GHE overkill? I was planning on using this voltage regulator for all 4 fans. Will it work, and should it quite the GHE and HE enough to be relatively stealth, while maintaining decent temps/scrubbing odor?
http://cgi.ebay.com/UNIVERSAL-AC-Po...242?pt=Batteries_Chargers&hash=item3cb05b9b0a

Hi Kreamy,

I cant tell you about the specific Delta fans you specify but for 2 comments;

Delta fans are fantastic (no pun intended). I use 2 DELTA AFB1212HHE-F00 speed controlled fans blowing into a 370 square inch flat scrubber. They have been flawless in 1 year of operation.

Overkill is good. Crank it when you need to lower temps...

FYI, my flower chamber is similar to yours at
32.125h x 26.875w x 23.25d 4.3 sft 11.6 cuft

good luck,
OO

 

[Strangely]

Thanks for the info phrike! I found some 2 core wire at a local store so hopefully that should make things easier. I really am cack at wiring!

 

[Kreamy]

Oldone, I appreciate the information. Reading some more information on fans, I think the Grand High Speed might be a little too much for this setup. I want to remain fairly stealthy, and at 62dba on the fan, even controlled down, I think will end up being too much. That being said, I think i may go with the Super High Speed Rev C, which is still pushing a very respectable 190CFM, however at 55dba.

 

[oldone]

np Kreamy,

I found my original notes;

DELTA AFB1212HHE-F00 44DBA
Fan Speed: 2800 RPM
Maximum Airflow: 120 CFM, 3.40 m3/min
Maximum Air Pressure: 9.00 mmH20, 0.354 inch H20

I found that even in the hottest part of the summer I had to run the fans at about 75%. At the normal 50% they make a steady quiet hum thats easily ignored. It wasn't much worse at 75.

Pay some attention to the pressure rating if you use a scrubber.

Good luck,
OO

 

[oldone]

duplicate post

 

[BC Chronic]

my fan is 65 db but with the scrubber etc, its really quite quiet..I use a Nidec pc fan) they use them in XBox's) and its also been going almost 1 year with no problems..
I have a 150 watt HPS and 4 24 watt T5's and that 1 fan does the job!!
just check around but always look at th mmH20 or whatever it is! the higher the mmh, the better the fan is..thats something that sometimes is overlooked..
if you want more watts, then a stronger fan is a must...
oldones fan is incredible...I had the same delta for years!!!
take care

 

[Sandnut]

this guy made the most contributing thread in the whole micro growing forum, how about making it a sticky arleady?

 

[oldone]

this guy made the most contributing thread in the whole micro growing forum, how about making it a sticky arleady?

absolutely

 

[phrike]

I'm looking at this fan now, a whopping max of 13.78mmH2O pressure (0.54"), and surprisingly 80 mm in size, albeit with 32 mm of thickness.

Variable from a whisper to a roar: 17dBA at 1300rpm, 48dBA at 5500rpm.

Spec'd to start at 5v and white in color. I'm thinking white is better to reflect light back into the box, although back end could be good in black for light trap.

$17 US at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220009

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_spec.php?pno=fm81&area=usa

Specifications
Material
Plastic (PC)
Color
White
Beraing
Dual ball bearing
Rated Voltage
12 VDC
Start Voltage
5 VDC
Rated Current
0.45A (Max. 0.50A)
Rated Power
5.4W (Max. 6.0W)
Speed
1300 ~ 5500rpm
Airflow
Max. 72.91CFM
Static Pressure
Max. 13.78mmH2O
Noise Level
17dBA at 1300rpm, 48dBA at 5500rpm
Life Time
50,000 hours
Dimension
80 x 80 x 32mm

 

[MeLikesPCs]

What is the minimum pressure rating needed for a pc fan with a carbon scrubber?

What is the minimum mmH2O needed? I think I have read about 7.0, but also saw 4.0? Want just enough to blow through scrubber, but not so loud its dbs wake the neighbors

Thank you!

 

[oldone]

What is the minimum pressure rating needed for a pc fan with a carbon scrubber?

What is the minimum mmH2O needed? I think I have read about 7.0, but also saw 4.0? Want just enough to blow through scrubber, but not so loud its dbs wake the neighbors

Thank you!

Hi MeLikesPCs,

What size scrubber? I believe that when you buy an off-the-shelf one the makers will recommend fans or a least publish the scrubber's flow numbers.

great thread, eh?
OO

 

[Keif]

I ordered up some dc to molex plugs. Perfect, cut my pc fan setup time down to 3 seconds. It has two molex outputs and can support my box perfect! I have three pin fans and all you need to get is an adapter for 3 pin to molex.

You can also just plug in a pc fan speed controller and run your fans from that. No spliccing required and always clean looking!

 

[MeLikesPCs]

Hi OO,

I ordered the exact Delta fans you have for my dresser! But now I'm looking to replace the 80mm exhaust fan in my PC. I'm going to make my own scrubbers. For the 80mm I want the most pressure rating with the lowest noise, just trying to pick the right Delta for that. I think the fans you use would be overkill for a PC. I was hoping someone could tell me a general minimum mmh20 for a 80mm with dyi scrubber. The PC is running fine with what I have, but I do not have a scrubber attached, and the exhaust fan is a little cranky sometimes--time for a better one. Thanks for all your help.

 

[oldone]

Hi OO,

I ordered the exact Delta fans you have for my dresser! But now I'm looking to replace the 80mm exhaust fan in my PC. I'm going to make my own scrubbers. For the 80mm I want the most pressure rating with the lowest noise, just trying to pick the right Delta for that. I think the fans you use would be overkill for a PC. I was hoping someone could tell me a general minimum mmh20 for a 80mm with dyi scrubber. The PC is running fine with what I have, but I do not have a scrubber attached, and the exhaust fan is a little cranky sometimes--time for a better one. Thanks for all your help.

A general pressure requirement is hard to say...it depends on the scrubber. 80 MM fans are tiny and if they have a decent pressure rating they will make a lot noise. My deltas are a reasonable compromise between pressure and noise. You should plan on using a speed controller with the deltas.

Overkill is a good thing. One of the reasons they are so expensive is that they have radial and thrust ball bearings and are rated for "any position" mounting. If your PC is already plumbed for 120mm fans I would just use the delta. I have never grown in a PC so my advice may be suspect.

I use a home built 376 sq inch flat scrubber and have 2 of these fans blowing into it. Doubling up on fans wont increase the pressure but will increase the cfm. On the highest settings they do make noise. Its a steady drone sound that is easily ignored or masked.

I spent 5-6 weeks planning my cab before ever cutting the first piece of plywood. I think that if stealth is important to you then a thorough plan/design is essential.

Good Luck and keep us up to date,
OO

 

[MeLikesPCs]

OldOne,

ok, I have the 2 delta fans now They have the small white 3-pins connectors with black, blue, and red wires. Can you reccomend a speed controller I should buy? I will be running anywhere from 2-6 fans. I understand how to power them with an adaptor. What controller do you use? I am assuming the controller will be a big help with noise and temp control in summer/winter. As always, thanks for your help.

 

[oldone]

OldOne,

ok, I have the 2 delta fans now They have the small white 3-pins connectors with black, blue, and red wires. Can you reccomend a speed controller I should buy? I will be running anywhere from 2-6 fans. I understand how to power them with an adaptor. What controller do you use? I am assuming the controller will be a big help with noise and temp control in summer/winter. As always, thanks for your help.

Your assumption is correct. The speed controller makes all of the difference. I use this one. The temp readouts are suspect, but the rpm readouts seem to be right on.

FYI, I use 3 of these fans as cab circulation. I had to do a little surgery to 2 hook them up together so they run off one of the 4 channels in the flower side. Veg only has one fan. Oh, and I power the controller (and thus the fans) with a PC power supply. Kinda overkill but what the hell?

So I use 1 channel for each of the veg/flower circulation fans and run the deltas each on their own channel.

Works great so far...
OO

 

[itzgrowtime]

lots of great advise in here.. thanks!

 

[MeLikesPCs]

Your assumption is correct. The speed controller makes all of the difference. I use this one. The temp readouts are suspect, but the rpm readouts seem to be right on.

FYI, I use 3 of these fans as cab circulation. I had to do a little surgery to 2 hook them up together so they run off one of the 4 channels in the flower side. Veg only has one fan. Oh, and I power the controller (and thus the fans) with a PC power supply. Kinda overkill but what the hell?

So I use 1 channel for each of the veg/flower circulation fans and run the deltas each on their own channel.

Works great so far...
OO

OO,

My dresser is not going well. I might have to use air from another room or reduce/change the lighting...

So right now I have one kick-ass, loud delta fan up top by the light bases as the exhaust. I have two times this size for passive intake on bottom. The fan is blowing like crazy on full-speed, but the temps are still about 8 degress hotter in the box than outside (room 73, box 81). This is without any scrubber and light traps. With scrubber and traps, it's going to get too hot-especially during summer. I think the problem is the hot air is being pushed out, but then sucked right back in since the dresser is only 29 inches high and all ports are on back.

I was trying for stealth, but I don' think I can do it. This fan is loud and I will need light traps. Considering cutting holes in wall next to dresser to either exhuast into or suck from.

Meanwhile my PC is fine in same room. Two 80mm, 28db fans sucking in air in front and one blowing out back (no scrubber though). 136 watts of spirals running only 3 degress hotter than room.

I can't help but think these 55W PLLs are just running too hot, or 4 in this space is too many. I have seen ah supply that you got yours from - proper reflectors/spacing might help somewhat, but I might try spirals to see how much heat they throw off. I still don't get how PLLs can be so hot, when I thought their best feature was their coolness.

O well, I'm going to keep experimenting and at some point start my own thread--I don't want to keep asking you questions on others' threads. I think I have learned mostly what I need to know, now it's just a matter of finding what works for me.