UPDATE: Connecting 60mm fan to regular outlet (not to computer/motherboard)

[Kanalua]

*-*-*__Update__*-*-*

Installed my cooling system. One 80mm blower and one 60mm exhaust fan.

Pics:
Installed 80mm fan
More 80mm
Close-up of 80mm

Open Hood
Better open hood pic

60mm exhaust
closer 60mm exhaust pic
another 60mm pic

_____________________________________________________________________________


My saltwater aquarium is having heating issues, raising the temp of the water over 82-84 degrees. The heating is partially to do with the lighting on the aquarium. Space is limited (Eclipse hood) so I can't really use 80mm fans. ANyway, I wanted to use some extra 60mm fans I have to help cool the aquarium down. I want to be able to hook the 60mm fans to the regular outlet, not through a motherboard/computer.

So how do I do this. I know I need a ac/dc adapter (from radioshack), what else for the wiring? I don't want to purchase AC fans.

Anyway, how do you wire them up so that this can plug into this?

ps - ebay has the 80mm version for sale, which I will probably get for my sump/refugium. I see it has a modification for the 12 volt adapter. That's what I would like to do (doesn't have to be detachable).

Thanks in advance,

fish tank pics

 

[bmacd]

You can just find a transformer that pumps out +5v and splice into it.

-=bmacd=-

 

[Fiat1]

All you need is an old 12Volt power supply. Old router modem. MAybe at a garage sale

 

[cavemanmoron]

unplug the heater?

Why would a 60mm fan cool water???????

have you thought to just add some cooler water, like maybe
remove a gallon, of warm water and add a gallon of cool water??

Don't do too drastic a temp change, or you could need new fish.

 

[Kanalua]

All you need is an old 12Volt power supply. Old router modem. MAybe at a garage sale

ahhh...like any old electrical equipment that uses 12v. Just splice in?

You can just find a transformer that pumps out +5v and splice into it.

Are you talking the same as above? splice into 5+V power supply?

unplug the heater?

Why would a 60mm fan cool water???????

have you thought to just add some cooler water, like maybe
remove a gallon, of warm water and add a gallon of cool water??

Don't do too drastic a temp change, or you could need new fish.

no heater in the tank (it's Hawaii, ambient temp doesn't change more than 10 degrees in the 70s-80s all year). Changing outwater on a saltwater tank is going to be expensive, and not very practical for cooling lights. 60mm fans would cool the lights, not the water, cooling the water will come from another system on my sump/refugium...

thanks for the replies...

 

[BoomerD]

Kanalua, aloha. the small computer fans you are talking about won't work well, but will be better than nothing to exhaust the heat from the lights. Modding them for your use is pretty easy, and is done all the time in the hobby. You just have to make sure the connections are sealed against getting splashed by saltwater. Come on over to http://www.reefsanctuary.com and ask all the reef aquarium questions you have...GREAT bunch of people...none of the flaming that happen on some of the sites...

 

[Torghn]

I use 2 80mm fans to cool my 90g aquairum, it actualy works quite well. I just used an old 12v AC/DC adaptor and wired it into the fans.

 

[JohnCU]

just use an old computer power supply and short the green wire to a ground wire and wah-lah it'll turn on.

 

[Torghn]

Originally posted by: JohnCU
just use an old computer power supply and short the green wire to a ground wire and wah-lah it'll turn on.

But then you have a huge power supply you've got to hide somewhere. Small daptor works beter, uses less power, and you don't have to work so hard to hid it.

 

[Fiat1]

Something like this

 

[cavemanmoron]

Originally posted by: Kanalua

All you need is an old 12Volt power supply. Old router modem. MAybe at a garage sale

ahhh...like any old electrical equipment that uses 12v. Just splice in?

You can just find a transformer that pumps out +5v and splice into it.

Are you talking the same as above? splice into 5+V power supply?

unplug the heater?

Why would a 60mm fan cool water???????

have you thought to just add some cooler water, like maybe
remove a gallon, of warm water and add a gallon of cool water??

Don't do too drastic a temp change, or you could need new fish.

no heater in the tank (it's Hawaii, ambient temp doesn't change more than 10 degrees in the 70s-80s all year). Changing outwater on a saltwater tank is going to be expensive, and not very practical for cooling lights. 60mm fans would cool the lights, not the water, cooling the water will come from another system on my sump/refugium...

thanks for the replies...

it's Hawaii, ambient temp doesn't change more than 10 degrees in the 70s-80s all year)

:brokenheart:

35f here at 5:30am this morning,
about 65f now.,Nope 61f. 4:30 pm eastern time.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapCli...e=aly&CiTemplate=1&map.x=198&map.y=158

 

[Kanalua]

Sweet...thanks guys, this is exactly the info I needed!

Scott/kanalua

 

[SophalotJack]

Originally posted by: Fiat1
Something like this

so if I wanted to use a bunch of my 60mm fans for whatever purpose outside of the computer.... I just need one of those suckers?

How many can that adapter handle? Do I hook them up in parallel or serial?

 

[flot]

Originally posted by: SophalotJack
so if I wanted to use a bunch of my 60mm fans for whatever purpose outside of the computer.... I just need one of those suckers?

How many can that adapter handle? Do I hook them up in parallel or serial?

Your fans will have a current draw rating - probably something like 0.2 amps. Your power supply will have the same. Hook them all up in parallel, and add the amp ratings together. IE two fans each rated at 0.2 amps will require a power supply that can handle at least 0.4 amps.

Just as a rule of thumb you should try to stay in the same ballpark as the rating of the power supply. IE it is fine to use 0.4 amps on a 1 amp power supply, but probably not a good idea to use 0.2 amps on a 20 amp power supply.

But for the op, this isn't rocket science, find any old power supply, cut the wires, and hook them up to your fan. I use 4 120mm fans to cool my 55 gal aquarium, but I run the 12v fans off a 9v power supply. That spins them about 50% slower than normal so they are much quieter.

 

[SophalotJack]

Originally posted by: flot

Originally posted by: SophalotJack
so if I wanted to use a bunch of my 60mm fans for whatever purpose outside of the computer.... I just need one of those suckers?

How many can that adapter handle? Do I hook them up in parallel or serial?

Your fans will have a current draw rating - probably something like 0.2 amps. Your power supply will have the same. Hook them all up in parallel, and add the amp ratings together. IE two fans each rated at 0.2 amps will require a power supply that can handle at least 0.4 amps.

Just as a rule of thumb you should try to stay in the same ballpark as the rating of the power supply. IE it is fine to use 0.4 amps on a 1 amp power supply, but probably not a good idea to use 0.2 amps on a 20 amp power supply.

But for the op, this isn't rocket science, find any old power supply, cut the wires, and hook them up to your fan. I use 4 120mm fans to cool my 55 gal aquarium, but I run the 12v fans off a 9v power supply. That spins them about 50% slower than normal so they are much quieter.

cool thanks.

I was just concerned about safety issues arising while I am not around to monitor the fans.

I want to setup a system that vents out the air from my PC directly out of my apt. Gets pretty hot in my room with this beast.

I also want to use that for when I smoke in my room. Would make it much less smelly.

 

[Kanalua]

Originally posted by: flot

But for the op, this isn't rocket science, find any old power supply, cut the wires, and hook them up to your fan. I use 4 120mm fans to cool my 55 gal aquarium, but I run the 12v fans off a 9v power supply. That spins them about 50% slower than normal so they are much quieter.

Nice. That is exactly what I'm going to do (except, probably go with 60-80mm fans).

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Kanalua, aloha. the small computer fans you are talking about won't work well, but will be better than nothing to exhaust the heat from the lights. Modding them for your use is pretty easy, and is done all the time in the hobby. You just have to make sure the connections are sealed against getting splashed by saltwater. Come on over to http://www.reefsanctuary.com and ask all the reef aquarium questions you have...GREAT bunch of people...none of the flaming that happen on some of the sites...

Mahalo, I'll have to check that site out. You can't get enough info when doing a saltwater aquarium!

 

[Kanalua]

Originally posted by: Kanalua
*-*-*__Update__*-*-*

Installed my cooling system. One 80mm blower and one 60mm exhaust fan.

Pics:
Installed 80mm fan
More 80mm
Close-up of 80mm

Open Hood
Better open hood pic

60mm exhaust
closer 60mm exhaust pic
another 60mm pic

...Update...

 

[Rubycon]

The salt will kill those fans in no time.