How Should I power computer cooling fans

[Harry_Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13181502#post13181502 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drewber
actully computer fans run on 5v.. at 15v id expect them to get wobbly/noisy pretty fast since your spinning them about 3x as fast as they should be going..

I'm not so sure about that

I've been a computer tech for over 20 years and the bulk of the fans are 12v

Some 24 v some 5 v but most just 12 v

 

[Frank AZ]

Most fans are 12v - the 5v ones are not as common.

 

[scaryperson27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13182007#post13182007 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cdness
scaryperson27 "I just want to wire it together and plug it into the outlet."

Then why not make your life easier and just use a walmart clip on fan for the sump. That wires right into a normal outlet...Work smarter not harder... You can always use the fans to cool the canopy (assuming you'll have one) with a transformer and a couple fans.

FYI - Walmart is clearancing their fans right now (at least they are in Fargo) so you may be able to get a good price on them...

That's not a bad idea, however, I bought these fans to mimic the profilex 4 fan setup. I ordered three extra in case i needed them for another application. It's going to be a fan/moonlight setup. I think it'll look pretty trick.

profilex 4 fan

So I want to wire them all together. I have all of the other parts except for the clamps handled. This tank i'm in the process of is strictly aesthetics when it comes to livestock and equipment.

 

[stugray]

This is a little beyond this thread, but I have built a timer that can control the speed of my fans and the brightness of my LED moon lights.

You can get a similar device from radio shack or any online PC "trick-out" site. They are used to control fans & have fancy displays.

Kind of like thie one ( $23 ):

http://www.xoxide.com/nzxt-sentry-1-fan-controller.html

The one I built can be controlled over ethernet but costs over $100 & you still need to buy a power supply ( wall wart )

Stu

 

[scaryperson27]

yeah, I looked into that. I thought this one was pretty sharp

 

[quikenuff]

For those interested in the results of fan based cooling power. Heres how it has been working out for me. I do not use a chiller and refuse to buy or run one.

2 fans on each side of canopy blowing into the tank: (I have holes in the top for the air to escape)

4X 80mm fans running requiring 0.16A each on a 300mA power supply. ( I didn't know any better)

House temp kept at constant 78 F
Tank temp prelight turn on 79-80
after 6 hrs of lighting 2x175w SE MH and 1 250w SE MH 82-83

I have the lights plugged into a Reefkeeper 2 that shuts all the lighting down if the tank hit 83 so i wasn't even getting my full 6 hrs.

after adding 6 additional fans pulling air out of the canopy and an appropriate power supply. 12V 2amp running a total of 10 fans @ 0.16A each.

House temp constant 78F
Tank temp before lighting turns on 78F
after 6 hrs lights on same as above 79.5 F max (never hits 80F)

Water evaporation before fans 5 gals every 3-4 days, now 5 gal every 2 days

With the reefkeeper the fans are set to turn off if the tank temp drops below 78F and turn on if the temp rises above 78.5 F the fans generally turn off a few hours after lights out due to tank temp drop saving elec and keeping a stable tank temp.

for what it's worth,
Quik

 

[psteeleb]

I bought a small AC- DC multi voltage converter from fry's. works great, cost was $10. watch for total amps, the one I got runs 3 no problem and probably could run 4 or more if dialed in at a lower voltage. (lower voltage dial acts as a speed control for the way I have it set up)

some pictures and discussion on it in my build log
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1320654&perpage=25&pagenumber=4

 

[Harry_Fish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13182345#post13182345 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scaryperson27
....... I bought these fans to mimic the profilex 4 fan setup. ......

profilex 4 fan

..........

I have a profilux controller but use this for my fan


http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=14701

(I use the 4 fan model)

 

[cpeisher]

quikenuff, could you maybe post a few pics of how you wired everything and connected all the fans from the different places in the canopy to the one power supply? Also, did you have any fans on your sump?

 

[quikenuff]

I'll try to post some tomorrow. I have some new moon lights coming in that need to be installed. I'll have to take off the canopy anyway.

 

[cpeisher]

great, i'm very encouraged by your post. I live in Georgia and my inability to cope with an overheating tank was the primary reason i left the reefing hobby several years ago....i didn't know about reef central then... so sad...


So glad i've found this thread..i can't wait to be able to show temp numbers like yours..you said above that you added 6 fans in the canopy, do you have any fans in the sump?

 

[scaryperson27]

So I got the fans in...

 

[scaryperson27]

Video of the fans working: (this video had not processed at the time of this posting.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg6sU0mN2e0

 

[electraglide999]

Impressive. I might consider something like that.

 

[scaryperson27]

I was thinking of a cooling factor plus lunar lighting

 

[cpeisher]

do you need to have your fans running at night?

I think the lunar light factor is a good idea. I just wouldn't want to be evaporating water i didn't have to be...

Where did you get those from and how much did they cost?

 

[scaryperson27]

http://directron.com/aled12025b2.html