fan control, 4pin psu molex only.

[gorobei]

my thermaltake element S system is all set up and running. It's a great case, but the whoosh of the fans is a little much(prefer a nice fffffft instead)

the problem is that all of the fans(120front,140rear,230top) have 4pin psu molex connectors only. I cant use a 5.25 bay fan controller because the front panel/bezel door wont close properly with the knobs sticking out. Also my m/b only has one 3pin fan header near the backpanel, so speedfan tweaking would only work on one.

is a 7volt molex mod the only option, or is there an adapter like the noctua ulna? Or can it just shunt a resistor in between the red wire and make my own? (how many ohms needed?) Or can i run them off a usb header?

[sorry if this seems a little noobish, i missed all the fan modding back in the early 2000's. didn't know i cared about noise till i actually used a quiet system.]

 

[bloodugly]

Not all fan controllers have knobs that stick out.

 

[Alienwho]

What's the easiest way to do the 7volt molex mod? I have two fans on my PC-K62 that I would like to volt down.

 

[gorobei]

Not all fan controllers have knobs that stick out.

yes, but those are the digital lcd type which usually run 45-50$. for that much money i could replace most of the fans with low speed versions that don't need a controller. a resistor cost a couple of cents. a 7volt mod is free. kind of a disparity between the options. Heck, i could even take apart my old antec trispeed 90mm and use the variable resistance switch on it.

 

[ehume]

Best option is around the back: fan controllers that go in your extension slots. This, for example; and you get a fine bb LED fan to go with it. Or you can pay the same and just buy a slot controller from Sunbeam. Or your can pay even less for the same controller. But then you're stuck with an 80mm fan that's way too good to throw away.

 

[Occ]

If your fans have 3 pin fan connectors that can go into the motherboard, not just 4 pin molex, this sounds like the easiest method. You also don't need any extra supplies. It's also kinda cool because it shows you how to do 5, 7, and 12 volt settings for a ghetto fan control system. I was thinking of doing this myself, actually.

 

[gorobei]

ehume: interesting, didn't know that rosewill even did fans. newegg shipping kinda kills it for me. Plus, I just found a standalone version of the pci slot controller for sale just like the one that comes with the rosewills over at svc. [sidenote: Good to know newegg has 230mm replacement fans]

occ: as i said, the fans are 4pinmolex only. the best bet may be to get a 4pin molex extender/splitter and rewire the 5 or 7 volt mod there.

I'm still pondering the tricool switch idea though.

 

[WoodButcher]

occ: as i said, the fans are 4pinmolex only. the best bet may be to get a 4pin molex extender/splitter and rewire the 5 or 7 volt mod there.

I'm still pondering the tricool switch idea though.

Provided you have enough plugs on the psu, why not simply move the pins around on the fan plug to get the voltage you need? no adaptors or extra wire needed.

 

[gorobei]

because a extender mod is non-destructive to both the psu and the fan. It also allows more options for when the weather changes. if i do a 5v mod on one fork of the splitter, and 7v on the other i can change between the 3 voltages versus having to tweak the psu cable each time.
Plus there's less chance of plugging the modded molex into a standard device and frying it.

 

[WoodButcher]

because a extender mod is non-destructive to both the psu and the fan. It also allows more options for when the weather changes. if i do a 5v mod on one fork of the splitter, and 7v on the other i can change between the 3 voltages versus having to tweak the psu cable each time.
Plus there's less chance of plugging the modded molex into a standard device and frying it.

Yep, makes sense, If you mod the molex on the fan you would have no worries about frying other devices but you couldn't swap around easy. If your going to buy extensions you may want to consider wiring a switch. I made a 5v / 12v switch with a DPDT switch before but in my research I found a diagram that included a 7v option too. I don't remember where though, sorry.