cooling fans

[captain7359]

Unless you're paying good money for well designed robust fans you're going to get plastic crap...

There is a balance point where the cheap plastic crap that lasts a few years is easier and cheaper to throw away every few years than a good fan that will last, but still fail in our environment.

Either go with the cheap disposable plastic ones or commit to the labor required to WD-40 the good metal fans every year and make them last. I've got a good EBM fan that I ran 4" over the water in my sump when I was in apartments that still works even though it doesn't have a speck of paint on it. I sprayed the thing down with WD every 8-12 months and pulled it off the sump once it wasn't needed and stopped running in the cooler months. If it sits there and collects moisture without running it gets beat up a lit quicker. Run them if they're exposed to the moist air or pull them out, but since you're running them for light cooling you should be a bit better situation. I would recommend running them for a while after the lights go off though to cool the lights and conapy and to vent the moist air out of the canopy so it doesn't get pulled into the fan motors.

 

[Capt_Cully]

Fair enough. I'm just gonna spend a few more minutes looking at 120-150mm fans, comparing consumption, flow volumes, and dB ratings then pull the trigger.

 

[Capt_Cully]

OK, I'm looking to go 140mm. One more question. A bunch of these fans have LED's on them. Presumably to be cool to computer people..... Is it easy to just snip them or will that cause a short or interrupt current.

I'm thinking I'm getting these ones:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233037

There's a rebate on them whether or not they honor it is another story. $9 with rebate. $39 without for 3. Either way, I'm good with the cost.

 

[naprestsleep]

If they are running when the tank lights are on will the LED really do any harm? Plus if they come on via your controller at another time due to high heat the led glow may work as a warning light so to speak.

my 2cents...

 

[Capt_Cully]

Depends how bright they are I spose. But you are making sense.

 

[MD Ocean Girl]

IME, newegg is pretty good with refunds. If you like them, go for it!

 

[NirvanaFan]

I don't have experience with those particular fans, but the ones I use aren't too bright or distracting.

 

[naprestsleep]

Come on leave them, you can call them your tank's bling....

 

[Capt_Cully]

Ha! Bling Bling Championship Ring!

190mA is .19A right? Not 1.9A? Just a double check....

 

[NirvanaFan]

correct. 1000 mA in 1A

 

[Capt_Cully]

Ok got my fans. There are 4 each drawing 0.30A, total 1.2A.

Wenthttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B003MYLLCC/ref=aw_d_cr_electronics to Radio Shack and a 12v 2A power supply was $40!!!!!

So just a double check, will this one work?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B003MYLLCC/ref=aw_d_cr_electronics

 

[NirvanaFan]

Got a link to the fans?

 

[Capt_Cully]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233037

 

[captain7359]

Yes, that transformer should work. Do you have any old cell phone or other transformers? Cordless house phones?

Even a 9V transformer would work, but would spin the fans a little slower.

I'm guessing black & red are going to be your fan leads(red + black -, any sparky types confirm the polarity?) and the yellow the aux power for the led's. You'll need to wire all the red leads together then to the corresponding lead from the transformer with the correct polarity, and all the black leads to the other transformer wire. If you use the led's I assume those would wire to the + side of the transformer and the - is already tied in with the fan, unless they have everything all prewired internally from the fan to the led's. I may be totally off with the yellow lead too, but the propellerheads can chime in on that

 

[naprestsleep]

If the fans are designed for a PC that can vary their speed do they use the third wire for that?

 

[Capt_Cully]

Lets belabor this point again :deadhorse1:

I sent for the power source in the above link and this is what I got

Drum roll please.....will this work????

 

[NirvanaFan]

Looks like it should.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Yep.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

If the fans are designed for a PC that can vary their speed do they use the third wire for that?

No, likely not. The third wire is probably an rpm signal to provide feedback to the mobo about the fan's speed. Speed control is implemented via analog control of the fan supply voltage or pwm'ing it digitally.

If anyone is interested in speed control for pc fans, it is pretty simple and a good first diy electronics project. $5 in parts from radio shack and the fan is controllable via dial or temperature probe.

 

[Capt_Cully]

It only has one wire. Snip the tip? Should be 2 wires inside right?