Hard drive no long works with my fans plugged in. Please help.

[Metalloid]

Ok I installed my new maxtor 60 gig 7200rpm hard drive 3 days ago. Everything worked fine until a few minutes ago. This after noon I did some case cleaning, and tied cables together to get better airflow. I booted the computer and the thing would no longer detect my hard drive. After making sure the cables were tight, switching IDE cables and power cables to see if that was the problem, I finally decided to unplug my 2 Sunon 120mm fans. All of a sudden it worked. I plugged the fans back in, and it wouldnt detect the hd. Unplugged them and it works again. Any reason why I had enough power to make everything run yesterday, but now I can't have all of my stuff running? I have an Antec TRU430w power supply. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Tired of the Bull]

Your power supply should be more than enough for your setup.

Did you change where the fans plugged in while you where cleaning and arranging cables?

Could you have shorted something while arranging the cables?

Have you tried plugging the fans in seperately?

Have you tried plugging them on a different connector in your computer?

Do you have access to another computer where you could plug in the fans?

 

[Lord Evermore]

The TruPower line has separate power cables for fans and other devices. The "Fan Only" power connectors are passed through a voltage control in the PSU that reduces the power to the fans if the temperature is low. Make sure the hard drive isn't on that connector line.

 

[Metalloid]

Yeah I put that line in with my cable group that I intend to never use. If I'm going to run fans, they are running full power.

I probably changed the connectors where the fans are plugged in, because I rearranged my entire system of cables. I have not tried the fans on different conncectors, and I will try that. It would be very difficult to put these fans in another system, seeing as they are 120mm's. I have had the fans for over 6 months, and never had anything like this happen before. It just seems so strange to have it all of a sudden break like that.

 

[Metalloid]

Anyone?

 

[Tbirdkid]

Just a suggestion... maybe one of the fans have a small short in them pulling more power than before.... making it drain power out of the psu thus giving the hard drive less power. Here is what you do... Unplug one fan and leave the other one plugged in. If it works then great... if it doesnt unplug that one and plug in the other. If it works then you know it is the other fan that has a drain somewhere. One of the fans has a small short on it probably pulling down the psu. Just my thoughts... Check it with a meter too. See how much resistance is on each fan including the wiring. If they are the same fan and one has more resistance then the one with the most resistance is probably shorted for some reason. Just a suggestion....

 

[Metalloid]

Well I ran with just the intake fan plugged in and the hard drive worked fine. With the exhaust fan though, the hard drive had no power, which makes since, because the hard drive and exhaust fan are on the same power line. I switched the exhaust fan to another line, and everything works fine. But this worries me. Was it just some fluke that the hard drive couldnt exist on the line with that fan, or is my other line (radeon 9700 and hard drive fan) going to suffer? Can power cables be destroyed by bending and tying them together to keep them out of the way?

 

[Tbirdkid]

I would look for a cut in the wire or something like that. I dont know the whole setup like how much power and such each item would take and what the resistance drop is supposed to be and what the actual is. You can figure it out by using ohms law. It is basic mathematics and that should tell you what is wrong with it.