-- Fan
Engine Blower Guide
-- 7.07.2001
-- By: Andrew
-- Page: 1
I have noticed one thing about case modding, it is a
disease, not just a hobby. As soon as my friend installed high
wattage server fans on his case, it became my mission to beat him in
the world of air-cooling. This seems to be very popular with LAN
Party and OC'ers. After finishing my project I wanted to share the
know-how with the rest of the nut-bar people so they can build one
themselves.
This is my gaming rig. I got a new
burner the same time my floppy drive blew up so I have not had time
to paint them. Yeah, I know it looks stupid but this will be my next
project. My goal was to build something that was a little more
powerful than your typical 120mm case fan. So I built a fan system
using one of those 9-18 Volt copper coil engines you can buy at any
hobby store. I used two engine props instead of a fan blade because
I simply could not find one small enough that could take the high
speeds! The outer casing was fashioned from building ductwork that
you can find at any hardware store. After finishing it I realized,
(And so did my wife!!!) that it was a little bit of an overkill!
(Air flow measured at 60.445 CFM!) So, I needed some sort of
circuitry so I can regulate the speed at which this thing blows!
This is also important because the engine will pull 32 Watts at full
speed. So make sure your power supply can take it.
What you will need is one 1k or 5k Ohm
Potentiometer, one TIP31 Power Transistor in a TO220 casing, an
indictor LED so you know power is going though the transistor, some
sort of switch, and some wire. The purpose of the transistor is
because I could not find a Potentiometer that could take 32Watts. I
found this out the hard way! The incoming 12 volts should connect to
the collector of the transistor and the right most connector ring on
the potentiometer (look at it from behind, control knob pointed away
from you.) The middle ring of the potentiometer connects to the Base
of the transistor. The Emitter should be the power to your fan
motor. The left most connector on the potentiometer, the ground from
the motor, and the ground from your LED should all be connected to
the -12 Volt lead (Negative or ground black wire). If you have a
spare 12 volt case fan jumper on your motherboard, you can use that
as your main source of ground and power.
Click to Enlarge
Just follow the diagram I have attached
and wire everything CORRECTLY and you should be fine. If you screw
up you will notice a little smoke from your circuit! LOL Don't
worry, the only way to hurt your motherboard or power supply is if
you shorted +12 volt directly to ground. That would be bad! Make
sure you connect your LED in parallel with your circuit, not serial
or your LED will act like a resistor and your fan will not blow at
all!
This is a pic of my circuit. I have
been told that a 5 year old can solder better than I can! My Uncle
and I have tested this circuit so it should work correctly.
Please keep in mind if something screws up, it is not my fault!
hehehe
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