Cooling Fans

[zacdl]

What kind should I get, and would a regular poweroutlet overload the fans or something?

 

[MadManMac]

I have never seen a direct power cord that did have a transformer on it unless it is a household type fan. If you are going to use computer type fans, be careful about the size, 120mm can be really loud, but 80mm can be really weak so you need to balance the number of fans withthe need to move air and the tolerance of noise.

 

[zacdl]

I was thinking 2 fans, maybe 80mm.

Then wiring both into a power cord.


Can this be done?

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

If you are going to wire them to a cord it has to be a 12 volt adapter. Make sure the milliamps are equal or more than both the fans or they won't run properly. You can use an adapter that is less than 12 volts if you want the fans to be a little quieter. I have one fan running on a 9 volt adapter and it works great and is virtually silent.

 

[ellisz]

Panaflo L1s. Awesome and quiet fan. Not real expensive either.

 

[zacdl]

AC Fans are $25/each.

Adapters are about $15/each plus another $10 for the DC fan.


So cost-wise its all the same. DC or AC?

 

[RLG2182]

Go with DC fans. I mean... check this out:

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=50016721&pfp=SEARCH

$2.35 each! Can't really beat that. You would just need a 12V AC to DC power adaptor since the fans are DC. You want a DC fan... if you power a DC fan with AC power, it'll most likely fry. 8O

This weekend I'm going to put 4 of these into my canopy and I will document how I did it. Hopefully it'll help ya out!

 

[zacdl]

Yea but plus $5 for shipping...

That takes away the cheap part of it

I was thinking of this AC fan:
http://www.altex.com/product_info.php?cPath=25_324&products_id=3724

Someone suggested to me I hook this into the light's ballast, and hook everything into a timer, so the fan/light shuts off at the same time.

 

[RLG2182]

I would NOT recommend you hook anything to the light's ballast. The ballast was designed to run the lights, not extra equipment. Think about it... would they spend extra money to put a ballast on there that would overpower the lights enough with power to spare for a rainy day? Nah. Even though these 80mm fans are small, they still take a lot of power to run them... especially if you get 2, 3, 4, or more.

Plus, if a fan blows out, you don't want to risk short circuiting your lights. I had a PC fan hooked up to the same outlet as one of my 6 hard drives, when the fan blew, so did the hard drive. Same concept. The smart way is to get an AC adaptor 12V DC output and wire it separately. Less chance of something going wrong.

Secondly, that fan will only push 24 CFM which IMO is next to nothing. Go with at least 30+. Plus... these things are $18.95 each? My total cost from CompUsa was $12.60 for 3 fans, and shipping. 8)

 

[zacdl]

I am glad I didnt mention that guys Screen Name that told me that then


Looking at these AC-DC Converters, it looks like the DC converters all have a round end on the end of them. These have 3 and 4 proged ends on them.

How on earth would that work?

 

[RLG2182]

The fans work the same way a plug does for a house fan. A "hot", and a common wire. The converters have a round plug. Usually the side with ribbed edges is the positive... but that varies. You would have to snip off the end of the adaptor, separate the two wires, and wire that to the fan. Fans that have a molex plug (4 prong) are still the same thing... only two wires are used. The yellow can be used to alter the speed of the fan if you have a controller, but again, it's not needed. Fuses are optional, but I would recommend them as well.

 

[zacdl]

Well I have a friend that is sending me 2 computer fans DC.

He says they are 26 DB (Quiet) and 38 CFM, which I figure thats pretty good.


I just need to pick up a converter (I may need to lengthen the cord on it though)

He says its a molex connector on both of them.

So, can I hook both fans onto this one 12V converter then?

 

[RLG2182]

Check to see how many mA the 12V DC output is, and how many Amps the fan is. Depending on the fan, it should or shouldn't be able to run it. If each of the two fans are .14 Amps, and the output of the 12V adaptor is around 500 mA, you will be fine. 1000 mA = 1 A.

My 12V DC output is 1500 mA (or 1.5A). Each one of my fans are .14A (or 140mA). So, do the math... 140 mA + 140 + 140 + 140 = 560. My power adaptor should be just fine! I could wire 120mm fans on there too, but I'll wait to see how efficient these are, and how loud they get. All of the (+) to (+) and (-) to (-) for wiring.

 

[zacdl]

Well he signed off before I could ask about the amps.

http://www.spirecoolers.com/products-fans.asp?size=80

He told me it was 26.5dBA, 37.87cfm, and 80 mm


Take a look at that link. Do you suppose it is the ampage listed there? So 500ma converter will be plenty?