Water cooling and Vista standby mode

[Statts]

Hi all. Not sure if I am posting this in the ENTIRELY correct sub-forum, but I think parts of the problem relate very highly to it, so we'll see how we go :up:

Anyway. It has recently become the case that I will need to leave my computer on standby mode for quick access. Now the way Vista does this is it turns all the fans off and puts the CPU in Suspend State (output 4w). This only works with fans plugged into the motherboard, of course, and on air cooled systems, the heatsink (without fan running) is enough to dissipate the 4w output of the CPU.

Now what I was thinking of doing is this... run all 6 120mm fans and 1 CCFL tube off a relay and connect to a (or more than one if required) motherboard fan header. Obviously I will keep the pump running off molex, so essentially, while in standby mode, I will be running a passive system.

My questions are....

Is there anything I am failing to consider here?
What are your thoughts on this idea?
Will the multiple fans off one MB header idea work?

Thanks for your time!

[_Slim_Shady_]

So is there a problem with leaving a watercooled system in sleep mode for an extended period of time? I want to make sure I don't hose things up, because I put my system into sleep mode all the time. I do shut it off occasionally.

[Statts]

Well the only prob for me is the noise etc of leaving fans running. I want to shut the fans off and this means running ALL of them off the motherboard headers, not molex

[SoulsCollective]

My questions are....

Is there anything I am failing to consider here?
Think you've covered everything.

What are your thoughts on this idea?Won't work as intended. See below.

Will the multiple fans off one MB header idea work?No. MB headers can only handle a pretty small amount of current - you'd be massively overloading a single header to try and power six fans and a CCFL kit from one.

Good idea, but I'd replace the mobo header in your idea with a fan controller - something like the famous Sunbeam (http://www.sunbeamtech.com/PRODUCTS/Rheobus/Rheobus.htm). At 20W per channel with four channels, that should be more than able to handle the power draw. The only downside is that you'd have to reduce/increase fan speed manually, but personally I prefer being able to do this myself rather than leaving it to an algorithm.

[Statts]

Think you've covered everything.
Won't work as intended. See below.
No. MB headers can only handle a pretty small amount of current - you'd be massively overloading a single header to try and power six fans and a CCFL kit from one.

Good idea, but I'd replace the mobo header in your idea with a fan controller - something like the famous Sunbeam (http://www.sunbeamtech.com/PRODUCTS/Rheobus/Rheobus.htm). At 20W per channel with four channels, that should be more than able to handle the power draw. The only downside is that you'd have to reduce/increase fan speed manually, but personally I prefer being able to do this myself rather than leaving it to an algorithm.

Damn, I thought running a relay would take care of the current problem?

[SoulsCollective]

Damn, I thought running a relay would take care of the current problem?
Well, what exactly do you mean by a relay? Splitting the positive and ground between the seven devices you want to power, or somehow sensing the voltage across the two rails and using that input to modulate the output of an independent power source? The second should work but will get bloody complicated. The first, as I said above, is going to put too much draw on that one header, as all the power is still going to be coming from the header.

[Statts]

run a standard 12v automotive relay with 12v coming from the psu, switch into relay coming from the mobo header, output going to the fans.

This SHOULD place next to no load on the mobo header

[SoulsCollective]

Ah, ok. Yeah, that should work - although I'd try and find some way of measuring the draw from the switch input before I test it on your mobo.

[Statts]

Yeah I will do that. I was pretty sure it would work.

Surely I will have no problems with the 4w and passive rad?

[SoulsCollective]

Nope. At that heat output you should be fine running passive.

[biggles1]

I am using a mCubed BigNG to control all my fans. It turns the fans off as soon as i enter standby in Vista.

[headala]

1- you could use a fan amp to control all your fans off the mobo, no matter what wattage.

2- the heat dump from most pumps will preclude you being able to run passive.