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Fan Control

I

imported_rod

Golden Member
I want a fan controller to mount in a 5 1/4 bay on the front of my case (case is black b.t.w.).

I was thinking of either buying one (like this) , or building one myself.

I've read about a few different ways to do this, including Variable Resistor (Rheostats), Voltage Regulation and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). PWM seems to be the best, as it uses little power, generates virtually no heat and maintains the torque of the fan but reduces it's speed and noise. I was just wondering if anyone here has done this before, and if so, how did it go?

RoD
 
I use a $3 rheostat from Radio Shack to control the front and back fans in both my home PCs. Just drilled a hole under the power supply in the back of the case to mount it, modded some spare power cable extenders, and hooked it up. I have never needed to readjust once I got the noise to where I wanted it, and the cheap fans I used still push a good amount of air even at reduced RPMs. KISS method is always best!
 
I use a power mosfet, rheostat and an extra 200ohms of resistors to quiet down my 120mm fan, works very well and doesn't over-tax the rheo, thing gets warm but nothing uber. I also have a 4ft lead for the rheo, so it sits on my desk out of the way.
 
What power rating do you need on your rheo? I figured that you'd need about .75W, which seems fairly high. They're also fairly big, which means i can only fit a few on my front panel.

RoD
 
I'll suggest this Enermax 4-channel fan controller. The LEDs on the knobs brighted or dim according to the fan speed, and it's got a LCD display, with an alarm if your fan fails or slows too much. You can also swap the face plate out with a black one to compliment a darker case.

It also has a temperature probe for each knob, so you can place it on vital parts to monitor your cooling needs.
 
Im guessing thats a software program for controlling fans...Maybe, but I'd prefer something I can control without changing windows or loading programs.

I'll look into SpeedFan anyway. Thanks.

RoD
 
Originally posted by: EULA
I'll suggest this Enermax 4-channel fan controller. The LEDs on the knobs brighted or dim according to the fan speed, and it's got a LCD display, with an alarm if your fan fails or slows too much. You can also swap the face plate out with a black one to compliment a darker case.

It also has a temperature probe for each knob, so you can place it on vital parts to monitor your cooling needs.
Click to expand...



how would u install that.. does that plug into the fans and mobo?
 
The ones i've looked at all just plug into the fans, and take a molex power connector from the PSU for the power.

I might get the enermax one if i didn't already have a temperature monitor. Thanks for the link EULA.

RoD
 
Dunno about DIY...how are you going to make it look consistent with your case?

svc.com sells a lot of cheap fan speed controllers...cheaper than that enermax from newegg at least. sometimes, during clearances, you can get a 4-speed controller for $7

or, you could go all fancy and get something like this


EDIT: didn't see that you are from australia...guess you're on your own then 😛
 
Yeah, getting mod gear in Australia is a bit hard. There's only about three stores that stock non-mainstream gear. The guty in the local computer store didn't even believe there was a company called thermalright until I showed him their website. And even then, he thought they were just a rip-off of thermaltake.

I've found one that I like, I might get that. Otherwise, I'm fiarly decent with electronics, I can make a controller easily enough.

RoD
 
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