How do I wire computer fans?

[jb61264]

I salvaged three computer fans from some old equipment and they have that white board connector that plugs into the motherboard....does anybody have a thread or a diagram/instructions that would show how to wire these so I could plug them into my powerstrip?

[bmkj02]

You need to get an ac/dc power adapter to make them work. Radio shacks got them. To to know how much these fans a drawing so you can get the correct adapter

[schatzi]

they are either 12v or 5v fans. probably 12. so you'll need to have an ac to dc converter to use them to connect to a standard power strip. If you have a wall wart that could handle the current to them, cut the wires, red's positive, blacks negative and then look on the wall wart for the polarity diagram and connect it up.

[jb61264]

Not sure right off hand what voltage they are but will check first thing when I get home tonight and then head to Radio Shack.

I have three of the smaller 3"(?) fans....and then I also have a larger 5"(?) fan that is already wired up to a plug that I can plug in, but it makes a lot of noise...hoping the smaller fans will be quieter.

I have 6-lamp TEK...they don't have fans so I'm wanting to rig one up somehow to blow across the top (lengthwise) of the fixture.

[artemus]

You will fry the motor in those fans if you plug it in to AC power source.

Use one of these

http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/quality,85/brand,zzounds/fit,400by400/AC309-c28a142a3c154dec12cdd13bbc6d8eeb.jpg

with at least as much amps as your fans will need. Plug the red in to one wire and the black in to the other. Can't go wrong because one way will spin the fan clockwise and the other will spin it counterclockwise.

[jb61264]

ok...the next question...can I "daisy chain" two or three fans together on one adaptor?

[schatzi]

ok...the next question...can I "daisy chain" two or three fans together on one adaptor?

Depends on what you mean by "daisy chain". You can hook up more than one fan if you do them all in parallel. Meaning all the fans are connected directly to the power supply, not as a "chain" from the supply. So the positive of each fan goes to the positive of the supply, same for negatives. Just make sure the current (amps) load ability of the supply is enough for all the fans. If not you'll overload the supply.

You can do as many fans as you want as long as ....

1) the voltage of the supply matches the fans. ie. 12vdc

and

2) the amperage draw of the fans does not total more than the supply can provide.

[mpc]

No daisy chains!!!

You have an adapter - AC to DC 12V and some ampere rating (for these small wall adapters it is usually below 1A). You can hook up those fans in parallel but within the current specification of the adapter. If you exceed the current rating you most likely (read: for sure) will fry the adapter.

There should be some current rating written on each fan (usually there are some sticker on rotor). It can be somewhere between 80mA to 350mA (0.08 - 0.35A) - these are typical ratings. So If you have 3 fans your total consumed current at full power will be 3xFan current rating (lets assume 3*0.35A=1.05A) - that is quite a lot of current (I must say this scenario most likely won't happen). And lets say your wall adapter is rated as 12V 800mA (0.8A) - in this case you will fry the adapter.

SO to sum this up
1) Fans must be connected in paralel to 12V DC adapter
2) Total consumed current of fans must not exceed current rating of the adapter

[OUCaptain]

No daisy chains!!!

You have an adapter - AC to DC 12V and some ampere rating (for these small wall adapters it is usually below 1A). You can hook up those fans in parallel but within the current specification of the adapter. If you exceed the current rating you most likely (read: for sure) will fry the adapter.

There should be some current rating written on each fan (usually there are some sticker on rotor). It can be somewhere between 80mA to 350mA (0.08 - 0.35A) - these are typical ratings. So If you have 3 fans your total consumed current at full power will be 3xFan current rating (lets assume 3*0.35A=1.05A) - that is quite a lot of current (I must say this scenario is most likely won't happen). And lets say your wall adapter is rated as 12V 800mA (0.8A) - in this case you will fry the adapter.

SO to sum this up
1) Fans must be connected in paralel to 12V DC adapter
2) Total consumed current of fans must not exceed current rating of the adapter

+1:thumbsup:

One more thing. Radio Shack and other similar stores also sell wall wort transformers with a variable output voltage. They are generally sold as "universal" transformers. You can throttle the voltage and hopefully find a nice balance between adequate air flow and low noise.

Okay, two more things. IMO, the bigger the fan the better. If you have room, I prefer 120mm fans and preferably the type with a built on speed control know (not actually on the fan itself, but on another set of wires leading into the motor). With these guys, you can turn them down almost silent (certainly quieter than your other equip) but still more air flow than smaller high speed fans.

[jb61264]

Fans are NMB brand...12V (.30A)

So I'm assuming as long as I find an adapater that can handle .90A at 12V then I am golden....I am sure they can provide me with extra "red" and "black" wire so I can make a longer extension to the adapter too?

[schatzi]

Fans are NMB brand...12V (.30A)

So I'm assuming as long as I find an adapater that can handle .90A at 12V then I am golden....I am sure they can provide me with extra "red" and "black" wire so I can make a longer extension to the adapter too?

Here's a link to Radio Shacks adapters http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2818335

Or get one from somewhere else. You might even have one from an old device you don't use anymore. And radio shack should have wire if you need some.

Just be sure to secure all connections safely. solder is preferred but you can just twist them together and of course cover with black tape.

[jb61264]

thanks for all the posts everyone...bought the things I needed at Radio Shack last night.

Now I'm wondering if anyone has a picture of how I could build some sort of "rack" that would hold the fans and look nice sitting on top of my TEK?

[NINEONEONE]

Good info I was thinking on trying to do a similar project .

[der_wille_zur_macht]

FWIW Radio Shack will charge you for convenience. The power adapters they sell for $15 - $20 can be had elsewhere for a fraction of the price, if you don't mind looking harder or paying for shipping.

[coyote97]

+1:thumbsup:

One more thing. Radio Shack and other similar stores also sell wall wort transformers with a variable output voltage. They are generally sold as "universal" transformers. You can throttle the voltage and hopefully find a nice balance between adequate air flow and low noise.

Okay, two more things. IMO, the bigger the fan the better. If you have room, I prefer 120mm fans and preferably the type with a built on speed control know (not actually on the fan itself, but on another set of wires leading into the motor). With these guys, you can turn them down almost silent (certainly quieter than your other equip) but still more air flow than smaller high speed fans.

+2^
I just finished putting 4 - 120mm fans on my 70 gallon. I used a power supply from coolerguys.com. All plug and play with nomex connectors. So simple anyone could do it. No cutting, no splicing. See my build thread starting on page 2. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1684130&page=2
Of course, if you've cut the ends off the wires already, you'll have splicing to do, but if not this is a real simple solution. and it works great!

[R@ck78]

You can throttle the voltage and hopefully find a nice balance between adequate air flow and low noise.

Okay, two more things. IMO, the bigger the fan the better. If you have room, I prefer 120mm fans and preferably the type with a built on speed control know (not actually on the fan itself, but on another set of wires leading into the motor). With these guys, you can turn them down almost silent (certainly quieter than your other equip) but still more air flow than smaller high speed fans.[/QUOTE]

Where do you get the fans that you can do this(speed control)?

[yerboy]

You can throttle the voltage and hopefully find a nice balance between adequate air flow and low noise.

Okay, two more things. IMO, the bigger the fan the better. If you have room, I prefer 120mm fans and preferably the type with a built on speed control know (not actually on the fan itself, but on another set of wires leading into the motor). With these guys, you can turn them down almost silent (certainly quieter than your other equip) but still more air flow than smaller high speed fans.

Where do you get the fans that you can do this(speed control)?[/QUOTE]

With fans that run on DC motors you can just lower/raise the voltage to speed up or slow down the fan.

[coyote97]

I purchased my Antec fans with the switches at Fry's Electronics, but I think you can get them cheaper online at places like newegg.com.

[OUCaptain]

Where do you get the fans that you can do this(speed control)?

Here's the main page for NewEgg's case fans. Use the options on the left to customize the search. There is even an option for noise level. I prefer 120mm with variable speed and the lowest noise. Different applications might need the higher cfm models. You can even get them with colored LEDs:beer:

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=573&name=Case-Fans

[SS21CA]

I replaced the fan on my Nano w/ a high performance fan I had bought for my PC a long time ago. Probably the best thing I've done for the tank in a long time.

I would suggest going through any old or unused power adapters and giving them a second life. Most computer fans are 12v, just figure out the mA and go from there. Or you can purchase an adapter just for PC fans and accessories as coyote97 pointed out.

If you're buying fans, some even come with speed selectors built in, might want to look into those.