View Full Version : How do you wire your fans on a triple rad?
akajay
08-01-2007, 06:07 PM
i just ordered a thermochill pa120.3 and i will be mounting it on top of my case.
i was wondering how do you guys wire the fans?
i was think of getting 2 3pin Y spitters and a extension to 1 port of my fan controller, would that work?
my fan controller is this http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-BLACK-pr-2530.html and each channel is rated at 20watts would 3 high yates be too much for it? or should i just run the line to my psu.
Section8
08-01-2007, 06:11 PM
I have mine hooked to the fan controller of my Vapochill unit and just use software to control them. Each 120mm fan should draw about 6 watts each at full load so with your controller being able to handle 20 watts you should be OK.
Sparky
08-01-2007, 06:39 PM
3 high yates on one channel of the sunbeam is fine. Unless the fans connected go over 1.6A total you are good to go.
I rewired my fans so they all link together neatly into 1 single 3pin connector for power and then I have the RPM signal wire from one of the fans on another connector to the mobo so I can monitor the rad fans.
This is how I have mine:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v603/MrMage/P7061786.jpg
akajay
08-01-2007, 07:00 PM
ah i was thinking about cutting the wires and resoldering them so they are shorter and less cluttered.
what kind of solder did you use vice? i ran out of solder my friend gave me and it was great for wires but wasnt sure what kind it was.
thanks for the help!
I'm currently using the solder from my old ColdHeat pos soldering iron, but I believe any electrical solder you find in home depot or lowes will do just fine.
Section8
08-01-2007, 07:25 PM
3 high yates on one channel of the sunbeam is fine. Unless the fans connected go over 1.6A total you are good to go.
I rewired my fans so they all link together neatly into 1 single 3pin connector for power and then I have the RPM signal wire from one of the fans on another connector to the mobo so I can monitor the rad fans.
So you snipped the RPM wire on 2 of the fans then connected all the power/ground wires together leaving one fan with the RPM wire still attached?
sergers
08-01-2007, 07:31 PM
i have 6 fans mounted per rad... 3 in push, 3 in pull.
each 3 fan set is then connected to a 3pin 3-way splitter I made(I could only find a 2-way splitter).
Initially I had them connected to a fan controller... but now they are just connected to switches...
there is minor cooling gains with having push/pull... but I like my setup... so flip 2 switches for all 6 fans to go in push pull... then switch 1 off, and now I only got pull... etc.
what I had done was snipped the rpm wire from 2 of the 3 fans, and then connected that to my 3-pin male connector at the end of the 3-way. (so I could read the rpm of the middle fan when I used a fan controller... but I didnt like using a fan controller too much... It is quiet enough with only 3- YL DS12-SL fans running if I choose to)
Aldy402
08-01-2007, 10:03 PM
can anybody do a quick write up on soldering 3 fans to just 1x 3-pin fan connector?
Post back if anything needs clarifying.
For the rad, you take the 3 cables from each fan, and line them up at the bottom of the rad, so they all meet. Then, splice them all, but leave 2, out of the 3 yellow wires unspliced. You will not be using those. When they all meet, sleeve the group of wires from each fan individually, adding heatshrink at the beginning and end of each. Then you are going to solder the red wires to the red wires, and the blacks to black. Leave the one yellow wire for now. Then grab some spare wire (18-24gauge is nice) and hook one wire to the red, one to the black, and one to the yellow. Then resolder on a 3 pin connector. Sleeve it all up, and you're good to go. Just make sure what ever you plug it into can support all those fans.
Jedda
08-02-2007, 12:22 AM
It was just done with pics in the blue MM build but I've forgotten the builder's name.
Edit Found it Here. (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=144315&page=2&highlight=black)
LogAn'sRun
08-02-2007, 12:41 AM
interested to see pics too, if someone remembers link. . .
Jedda
08-02-2007, 12:44 AM
interested to see pics too, if someone remembers link. . .
I edited my post to include the link.
You'll see why I couldn't remember his name. lol
kinghong1970
08-02-2007, 04:56 AM
So from reading the linkies and such... this works?
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
Sparky
08-02-2007, 06:52 AM
So you snipped the RPM wire on 2 of the fans then connected all the power/ground wires together leaving one fan with the RPM wire still attached?
Correct.
Sparky
08-02-2007, 06:55 AM
So from reading the linkies and such... this works?
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
Yes that works. I put the yellow wire on a connector all to its own so then I could monitor the RPMs on my mobo and had the power/ground wires on the other connector going to my rheobus.
Jedda
08-02-2007, 06:57 AM
So from reading the linkies and such... this works?
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
http://s44.photobucket.com/albums/f9/kinghong1970/?action=view¤t=3FanWiring.jpg
Yep, the yellow is the rpm wire so you only want one of them or the mobo would think the fan is running three times as fast.
Yep, the yellow is the rpm wire so you only want one of them or the mobo would think the fan is running three times as fast.
Nowt wrong with that! Just will see uber high RPM's i guess! Though the RPM is only a phase sample rate so not sure if it would overload the mobo header or mobo.
kinghong1970
08-02-2007, 07:05 AM
Yep, the yellow is the rpm wire so you only want one of them or the mobo would think the fan is running three times as fast.
:rofl: :ROTF:
dumb me, i first connected all 3 yellow wires to my fan control device... the numbers were all over the place... i was very close to RMAing that thing...
:D
funny how i learn things...
LogAn'sRun
08-02-2007, 01:44 PM
thought ppl may like this as Jedda's link within the link contained a 404. .
I found something that helped explain a portion of what he talked about
here (http://www.teamnovak.com/tech_info/how_to/solder/index.html#Anchor-TINNING-23240)
Jedda
08-02-2007, 06:34 PM
thought ppl may like this as Jedda's link within the link contained a 404. .
I found something that helped explain a portion of what he talked about
here (http://www.teamnovak.com/tech_info/how_to/solder/index.html#Anchor-TINNING-23240)
That's a good piece on soldering in general but I like the splicing tip most. Much stronger joint that way.