are the fan headers on the motherbaord Plug n Play?

[LOUISSSSS]

or will that possibly short something out?

 

[nerp]

It might work but I wouldn't risk it. I managed to fry a motherboard when I accidentially removed a floppy power cable from a computer with the power running.

 

[DSF]

Are you trying to determine which fan is noisy? I've just used a cardboard tube and held it over each fan until I found the one. Worked well enough for me.

 

[Binky]

I wouldnt do that. To silence a fan temporarily, use your booger picker (i.e. your finger).

 

[LOUISSSSS]

no, i'm not i was just proposing the question of whether the 3/4 pin fan headers on the MB allow me to plug in a fan while the system is on, or remove a fan when the system is on

 

[DerwenArtos12]

I would say there is a fair chance of shorting something.

That being said I do it regularly with no ill effects thus far. Only board I've managed to fry, ever was my DFI NF2 rev.A and I didn't even fry the whole board, just kill the USB, firewire and fan header and the bottom of the motherboard when a screwdriver fell in and jumped all three of these things together. The rest of the board, including the USB on the rear I/O pannel still worked, luckily.

 

[jdkick]

I wouldn't pull fans while they're powered. To isolate noise I either use the paper tube or just lightly and briefly touch the fan hub to slow it's rotation.

 

[Brunnis]

It's risk free to connect and unplug the fans while the computer is running. There is really no way to mess it up. Others have said that there's a potential for short-circuits when doing this, but there's really no way of that happening.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Brunnis
It's risk free to connect and unplug the fans while the computer is running. There is really no way to mess it up. Others have said that there's a potential for short-circuits when doing this, but there's really no way of that happening.

I think what DerwenArtos meant, although I'm not going to put words in his mouth, is that there's the potential to accidentally short something else while you're working on a computer that's powered on. In his example, the short wasn't from unplugging the fan, but from dropping a screwdriver in the case.

 

[Brunnis]

Originally posted by: DSF
I think what DerwenArtos meant, although I'm not going to put words in his mouth, is that there's the potential to accidentally short something else while you're working on a computer that's powered on. In his example, the short wasn't from unplugging the fan, but from dropping a screwdriver in the case.

Yeah, using a screwdriver in a powered on computer is of course a terrible idea. On the other hand, one shouldn't need more than one's thumb and index finger when fiddling with the fan connections. 😉

 

[thegisguy]

I pull fans on running systems all the time. Never shorted out a board. Of course it goes without saying it's a very bad idea if the fan in question is on your CPU!

 

[panfist]

If you're comfortable with your hands in a computer that's running then it should be no problem like other people have said. After all you can install swtiches and knobs to control fans while the computer is powered on, the switch is probably the same as just plugging or unplugging it.

 

[mindless1]

The only realistic risk is that you'd get your hand or shirt sleeve caught in a fan and jolt backwards falling out the window to your death 10 stories below. Wear a parachute. 😀

 

[lopri]

I didn't know there was a chance of shorting. I do it all the time. I thought it's like plugging a power connector to a wall socket? What's the difference?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

what i had in mind was plugging in a Nexus 120mm fan into either my sunbeam rheobus OR my MB fan header.

i wanted to do that bc i was running p95 for the 8th hour and didn't want to stop just to connect a fan

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: lopri
I didn't know there was a chance of shorting. I do it all the time. I thought it's like plugging a power connector to a wall socket? What's the difference?

There is no chance of shorting just by plugging in the fan. The problem would be if you used some tool like steel forceps to hold the plug (which I often do) and it shorted against the header or elsewhere, or you had a metal watch on and it touched the video card circuitry, etc... something like that, an accident not just the plugging or unplugging of the fan itself.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

just plugged a fan into my Rheobus while PC was powered on and the fan went on fine!

rheobus knob was powered off though, pretty sure it wouldn't have made any difference otherwise

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: Brunnis

Originally posted by: DSF
I think what DerwenArtos meant, although I'm not going to put words in his mouth, is that there's the potential to accidentally short something else while you're working on a computer that's powered on. In his example, the short wasn't from unplugging the fan, but from dropping a screwdriver in the case.

Yeah, using a screwdriver in a powered on computer is of course a terrible idea. On the other hand, one shouldn't need more than one's thumb and index finger when fiddling with the fan connections. 😉

I wasn't actually using the screwdriver in the system with it powered on, that'd be just stupid. My case wasn't even laying on it's side. My desk got bumped into while my system was on and the side door was open and a screwdriver fell off the top of my CRT, into the case and spun into the motherboard. I was pissed. There is metal in the connector and there are some pretty sensitive components in the general vicinity of fan headers that could, possibly, though not plausibly be shorted by the connector if it goes flopping around. I know my case is pretty crowded around my rather large heatsink.

 

[mindless1]

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

There is metal in the connector and there are some pretty sensitive components in the general vicinity of fan headers that could, possibly, though not plausibly be shorted by the connector if it goes flopping around. I know my case is pretty crowded around my rather large heatsink.

I would go so far as to say it really is virtually impossible for the connector to go flopping around and short out anything unless we're talking about one chance in millions, less likely than a lightning strike or rogue kangaroo kicking it over.

 

[nerp]

Maybe with socks on, a bad ground, cold winter day, dry air and the moon in the right phase, you could cause a spark when you touched the fan connector, or, reached in towards the board holding the fan connector.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: mindless1

Originally posted by: DerwenArtos12

There is metal in the connector and there are some pretty sensitive components in the general vicinity of fan headers that could, possibly, though not plausibly be shorted by the connector if it goes flopping around. I know my case is pretty crowded around my rather large heatsink.

I would go so far as to say it really is virtually impossible for the connector to go flopping around and short out anything unless we're talking about one chance in millions, less likely than a lightning strike or rogue kangaroo kicking it over.

men are 4 times more likely to get struck by lightning than women so gender actually has a big effect on using that statistic.