Is there an easy way to "turn out the light" on an LED case fan if there is no switch involved? I'm looking at a case with a front LED and while I might end up deciding it isn't too gaudy, just in case I'm wondering how to make it into a normal fan. I'd prefer not to have to buy a new 120mm fan to replace it. Is it a matter of just snipping a wire to the LED somewhere?
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Killing an LED fan's light
- Thread starter Hogan773
- Start date
Sunny129
Diamond Member
FWIW i just built a new system using CoolerMaster Gladiator 600 case, which has a 120mm blue LED intake fan at the front of the case. i went ahead and purchased some higher-quality replacement fans ahead of time, not knowing that i didn't necessarily have to. when i got my case, i noticed right away that the front fan had two 3-pin headers coming from it - one to power the fan, and the other to power the LED. it was as simple as unplugging one of the 3-pin connectors to turn the LED off. of course i didn't know this when i bought it...but even if i had known, knowing me i probably would have gotten better replacement fans anyways...so it worked out in the end.
...of course i have no idea if the case you're looking at will have a separate connector for the fan LED like my case did. but its a possibility...
BoomerD
No Lifer
How about modding an on/off switch instead?
The new HAF 932 case I got also has lighted fans...and I'd like to just turn them all off. (the front fan is so equipped)
Othewise...how about using a black magic marker/sharpie on the LED to darken it? 😛
edit...the 932 doesn't have the fan light switch...it's the HAF X...my bad.
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Rubycon
Madame President
You can paint the LED with black nail polish but it's kind of a PITA. It would be easier to cut lead and put a small push-on push-off single pole single throw switch in series. You could get crafty and use a solid state relay connected the the motherboard HDD activity header so the fan flashes on and off with disk activity. :biggrin:
BoomerD
No Lifer
I guess I'll have to wait to get my case and see how the fan is actually built. I imagined that the LED was molded inside the fan hub so not possible to paint or Sharpie it, but maybe its just stuck on the back.
Modding a switch is a good idea.....I'll come back to you guys to get details of what kind of switch I'd need to buy at Radio Shack.
Rubycon
Madame President
It should not be THAT bad.
I remember many years ago walking into a "server room" with racks and racks of equipment and all the flashing lights looked like something out of a scifi movie.
With blue LEDs gaining popularity right after the turn of the century everyone and everything is using them and it's quite disturbing. The reddish color of the front fan firing with disk activity would not be seizure inducing at all.
I have videos of my stacker 830 a few years ago that had a very bright red LED for each HDD - all nine of them! That was kind of nuts. Those LEDs were Stanley 10 candela LEDs at 630 nanometers. Basically like a 5mw laser pointer times 8 (the storage HDD had a green LED). Looking at that thing was painful.
BoomerD
No Lifer
I have enough damned LED's in the room as it is...two printers, phone, charger for this, charger for that, wireless router...plus the computer fans.
How about you putting your marvelous mind to work on a (relatively) simple on/off switch solution for us?
I don't mind cutting the wires...but would rather have them hooked up to a switch for times when I want the lights on...I have dikes and "liquid electrical tape." What more could I need? 😛
Common cooling fans will have either two, three, or four pins on the connector.
* Two-pin fans operate either as an on/off fan, or can be controlled by varying the voltage.
* Three-pin fans add a tachometer reporting wire so the controlling system can measure the actual speed.
* Four-pin fans add a fourth wire to control fan speed using PWM (Pulse-width modulation.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_control
The best way is to squeeze a glob of stick caulk onto the LED if it is exposed. In this way, if you ever want the LED light again then just remove the caulk.
* Two-pin fans operate either as an on/off fan, or can be controlled by varying the voltage.
* Three-pin fans add a tachometer reporting wire so the controlling system can measure the actual speed.
* Four-pin fans add a fourth wire to control fan speed using PWM (Pulse-width modulation.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_control
The best way is to squeeze a glob of stick caulk onto the LED if it is exposed. In this way, if you ever want the LED light again then just remove the caulk.
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which wire gets cut, or will it be obvious when I see it that 1 wire goes straight to the LED and nowhere else?
Rubycon
Madame President
Depends on the fan. Some are clear and easier to see. Some may use discrete wires whereas others may use a flexible sheet with conductors embedded in them. It should be easy to spot, however.
Resurrecting my old discussion now that I've got the case up and running.
The Rosewill LED fan actually has FOUR little wires coming from the center hub, one out each spoke to each of 4 LEDS. So I can try to snip each of 4 wires. Adding a switch would seem to be a pain in this case.
I tried doing a black sharpie on the actual LEDs and the damn things shine right through it!
Perhaps I am an old man now, but I feel the LED fan in front is kinda ghetto.....I just see this 4 pronged blue "mouth" at the bottom of my PC everytime I walk into the home office. So I'll probably kill the LED.
BUT THEN MY PROBLEM is that the Rosewill case has no illuminated power button or anything but the single red HDD light. Would be nice if there was some subtle illumination on the front panel that could show that the PC was powered on, besides that ugly blue fan. My guess is that swapping out the Rosewill's Power button is probably too much of a pain. I guess worst case I can just have a black case and the only way to tell if its on is to watch the HDD blink here and there.
Any other suggestions?
The Rosewill LED fan actually has FOUR little wires coming from the center hub, one out each spoke to each of 4 LEDS. So I can try to snip each of 4 wires. Adding a switch would seem to be a pain in this case.
I tried doing a black sharpie on the actual LEDs and the damn things shine right through it!
Perhaps I am an old man now, but I feel the LED fan in front is kinda ghetto.....I just see this 4 pronged blue "mouth" at the bottom of my PC everytime I walk into the home office. So I'll probably kill the LED.
BUT THEN MY PROBLEM is that the Rosewill case has no illuminated power button or anything but the single red HDD light. Would be nice if there was some subtle illumination on the front panel that could show that the PC was powered on, besides that ugly blue fan. My guess is that swapping out the Rosewill's Power button is probably too much of a pain. I guess worst case I can just have a black case and the only way to tell if its on is to watch the HDD blink here and there.
Any other suggestions?
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