Looking for a good 8cm fan, operating at 5v...

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johnk
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Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 2:56 pm
Location: UK

Looking for a good 8cm fan, operating at 5v...

Post by johnk » Sat Jul 27, 2013 3:12 pm

An unusual query perhaps: I have started using an Akasa Aries laptop cooler -- a simple aluminium laptop stand with an 8cm fan attached, powered by USB.

The stand is fine, and the simple mechanism of a slab of aluminium and space under the laptop does aid cooling. But the problem is that the stock fan is noisy. So I'm looking for advice on a replacement. The main issue is that it has to be happy and effective working at 5v (online tutorials suggest that adapting a 3-pin case fan to USB is a straightforward task).

The existing fan is 15mm deep, which is also fairly limiting. It's possible I could vary the depth (and even have a fan larger than 8cm?), if I'm willing to forego the "safety" element of the enclosure which surrounds the fan (the main risk would be getting my trousers entangled in the fan if it's on my lap -- as the pictures on the link illustrate, there is no cover on the underside of the cooler, just an enclosure for the fan).

So to summarize, I am ideally looking for a silent but powerful 80x80x15 fan that's effective working on 5v. Any suggestions welcome.

EDIT: I've just done a closer analysis of the unit, and I won't be able to use a bigger or deeper fan -- I'm stuck with 80x80x15mm.

NeilBlanchard
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Re: Looking for a good 8cm fan, operating at 5v...

Post by NeilBlanchard » Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:03 am

Boy, that "grill" looks to be very constrictive - and it has to be creating noise, too.

It has been so long since I have used an 80mm fan - I'd probably try the Enermax unit with the magnetic 'Enlobal' bearing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811999199

Newegg does sell one 80mm fan that has a USB power plug, and it is adjustable RPM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811999130

johnk
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 2:56 pm
Location: UK

Re: Looking for a good 8cm fan, operating at 5v...

Post by johnk » Sun Jul 28, 2013 10:42 am

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, both of those fans are 25mm deep -- the 15mm depth is a serious limitation. So far I've only found one low-noise 80x15mm fan that claims to operate down to 5v (although it needs a starting voltage of 6v): Noiseblocker-NB-BlacksilentPRO-PCP.

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