All you guys are swapping fans in your PSUs like crazy. Have any of you come up with a decent connector solution?
Mostly, the fans are soldered directly to the pc board. So I cut the wires roughly half-way along the length, then insert some kind of connector, but ... the best I can do is a clunky 'spade' type from radio shack. Sometimes I want to experiment, using resistors; sometimes using a zalman fanmate. Using the generic connector type used by zalman fanmate, and mounted on all motherboards, would be great - but I can't find a source.
I know it's not hard to solder, and a solder connection is more reliable than a connector; but ... making it 'safe' is not trivial. I used to wrap solder joints in electrical tape, but found that, after 6 months in the hot PSU, the tape would 'uncurl' and fall off! I just recently started using heat-shrink tubing from radio shack; not bad but pretty hard to shrink without proper tools (I used an old-fashioned cigarette lighter!). Sometimes I end up melting the stuff; other times, I don't shrink it enough and the tubing is still loose (and thus could move, revealing the bare wire below).
Any suggestions out there? Thanks!
connector solution
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ez2remember
- Friend of SPCR
- Posts: 809
- Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2002 5:07 pm
- Location: London, UK
This is how to do it.
1. Get molex connector from a old fan (one that is noisy and you don't need anymore), simply just cutting it off at the fan end, so you have the two wires left on it.
2. Rewire the pins by using a flat screwdriver and nudging the notches in from the opposite side and pulling it out and then re-inserting them to the appropriate position to achieve 5v or 7v.
3. Leave PSU off for 2 hours, and open it up. Cut off the the wire connected to the old fan and seal with some insulation tape. Throw away that noisy PSU fan!!
4. Use a quiet fan such as the Panaflo 80mm L1A fan, my one had no tails so perfect for the job. But you can simply cut off the header if it has one.
5. I routed the wire through the PSU vents, and joined these ends to the molex connector I had earlier. Twisting the open ends together, then fold and apply some electric or PVC insulation tape.
6. Now simply plug in the molex connector and your done.
(Note. Steps 1 & 2 method may make the pins a little lose, so make sure once you plug the molex connector in, push the wire from the back so it is secure)
That's the way I did it..
This is my no fuss method, you don't even need a soldering iron. I aint got one anyway..
1. Get molex connector from a old fan (one that is noisy and you don't need anymore), simply just cutting it off at the fan end, so you have the two wires left on it.
2. Rewire the pins by using a flat screwdriver and nudging the notches in from the opposite side and pulling it out and then re-inserting them to the appropriate position to achieve 5v or 7v.
3. Leave PSU off for 2 hours, and open it up. Cut off the the wire connected to the old fan and seal with some insulation tape. Throw away that noisy PSU fan!!
4. Use a quiet fan such as the Panaflo 80mm L1A fan, my one had no tails so perfect for the job. But you can simply cut off the header if it has one.
5. I routed the wire through the PSU vents, and joined these ends to the molex connector I had earlier. Twisting the open ends together, then fold and apply some electric or PVC insulation tape.
6. Now simply plug in the molex connector and your done.
(Note. Steps 1 & 2 method may make the pins a little lose, so make sure once you plug the molex connector in, push the wire from the back so it is secure)
That's the way I did it..
This is my no fuss method, you don't even need a soldering iron. I aint got one anyway..
Problem with this method
Obviously, different brands of PVC ins. tape will perform differently, but I've bought stuff from home depot, radio shack, etc and it all fails in this manner after a while.
Further, I want to test/experiment - different fans, different resistor values, peformance over time (and fully installed in the case, etc, 'final configuration'). For this I need a plug/unplug solution.
is, as I mentioned in my original post, the PVC insulation tape 'glue' deteriorates over time and falls off. This has happened to me several times - open up the PSU only to find the tape on the 'floor', and twisted or soldered wire bare!Twisting the open ends together, then fold and apply some electric or PVC insulation tape.
Obviously, different brands of PVC ins. tape will perform differently, but I've bought stuff from home depot, radio shack, etc and it all fails in this manner after a while.
Further, I want to test/experiment - different fans, different resistor values, peformance over time (and fully installed in the case, etc, 'final configuration'). For this I need a plug/unplug solution.
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ez2remember
- Friend of SPCR
- Posts: 809
- Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2002 5:07 pm
- Location: London, UK
This is not inside a hot PSU, instead this is inside the case which should be a lot cooler.
You could always get some wire crimps, when heated @120C+this thing will shrink to give a tight wrap around the wires. The good thing it is resistant to high temps of upto 110C so I don't see this being a issue over time.
A electronics store should sell this stuff. Here in the UK you can get it in Maplin.
You could always get some wire crimps, when heated @120C+this thing will shrink to give a tight wrap around the wires. The good thing it is resistant to high temps of upto 110C so I don't see this being a issue over time.
A electronics store should sell this stuff. Here in the UK you can get it in Maplin.
the way i have done it is to take the wire for the fans out of the psu back (the grill oposite the rear fan) and then put a standard three pin connector on it. i have put it onto a mobo header, with a 100k pot inline, this way i have speed controll and can monitor the fans rpms so as to shutdown if the fan stops.
the fan headers inside the psu just have nothing connected.
as ez2remember said your best bet is to use wire shrink wrap, you just pt it over the exposed wire and 'brush' with a soldering iron, it shrinks on and shuldn't come off accidentally.
the fan headers inside the psu just have nothing connected.
as ez2remember said your best bet is to use wire shrink wrap, you just pt it over the exposed wire and 'brush' with a soldering iron, it shrinks on and shuldn't come off accidentally.