Linking Fans for Radiator...

[-=Cobra=-]

Hi is there a way to link 3 yate loon fans together so that they can be powered by a single 3 pin connector..? The YL fans i have are the ones with both the 4pin molex connector and the 3pin fan connector...i'll be connecting it to a Zalman Multi fan controller (ZM-MFC1 Plus)...I know i'll need to get rid of the 4 pin connectors, thats not a problem, i don't need em...

[YugenM]

Hook them up in parallel, shouldn't be hard at all if you've got a soldering iron and a wire stripper.

[-=Cobra=-]

hook them up in parallel as in using the 4pin or taking apart the entire wiring and just link them by joining the wires and closing it with a 3pin connector..? You can prob tell i've never done this before...thanks for your fast reply..

[Jedda]

You join the black and red wires up in parallel from all three fans but not the yellow rpm wire. The yellow from one fan only is joined to the plug.

[YugenM]

Poopcakes, forgot about how the damn fan is wired.

Hook them up with the 4-pin pass-through that's on the fan cable, then buy a 3-pin fan connector (I think female) to stick to the MFC-1 side, 4-pin female (I think) to stick to the fan side, and join the whole shebang together with wires.

At this point, I'd usually do a quick MS Paint sketch, but my mom won't STFU so I'll do it when she's gone tomorrow.

[Jedda]

I'm soldering up three fans now. I'll put a pic up shortly.

Edit
Here's how I did these with the three pin plug. I can still rejoin the molex wiring if wanted in the future.

[Jedda]

Or make an extension piece like this.

[kinghong1970]

hope it helps.

[shazza]

Getting ready to give this a try ... a silly question, perhaps - when I snip off the yellow wire on fans 1 and 2 (and the 4-pin connectors on all of the fans), do I need to do anything special to the ends of the wires (the ones that are no longer being used)?

[echn111]

If you've got the same fans as me, each fan comes with two 4 pin connectors and one 3 pin connector, so you don't have to do anything.

Just connect all the fans together using the 4 pins. Then pick (at random) any of the 3 pins connectors and plug it into your fan controller. Easy.

[shazza]

I understand how to hook up the fans ... but I want to sleeve them and eliminate the excess connectors, while also using only one point on the fan controller for 3 fans.

[dr4gon]

hope it helps.

That's a nice little guide

I understand how to hook up the fans ... but I want to sleeve them and eliminate the excess connectors, while also using only one point on the fan controller for 3 fans.

Follow king's diagram. Get some sleeving and sleeve up the parts with heatshink at the ends. Where it splits into a Y, you might need to do those separately.

Then just plug it into your fan controller. Another way would be Jedda's suggestion which is easier where you can just connect them all via molex adapters and daisy chain them into one leading into your fan controller.

[kohlersc]

I am with shazza and the question I think is still open.

Once the yellow wires have been clipped and the other wires from the 4pin connectors are removed...since you can't remove them completely...what if anything special needs to be done to the ends of the wires. can they just be free floating? do they need to be capped? other?

[shazza]

Yep, kohlersc - that's my question. I'm probably just making it too complicated, but I've read several guides and looked at other pics ... just not found any that show what happens to the "extras."

I did just manage to hook two fans up and get them working okay, altho my sleeving/heatshrink skills need some serious improvement

[shazza]

Google is my friend. A bit of searching brought up this brilliant guide by Patriote: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/guide...k-warning.html

(I hope it's okay to post a link to another forum).

I know this stuff is second hand to many of you, but to some of us just starting out at trying to do more than "plug and play," it's not that simple!

[dr4gon]

Heh that's a pretty good guide (especially the pictures) for sleeving.

[Jedda]

I am with shazza and the question I think is still open.

Once the yellow wires have been clipped and the other wires from the 4pin connectors are removed...since you can't remove them completely...what if anything special needs to be done to the ends of the wires. can they just be free floating? do they need to be capped? other?

I always leave a stub of the yellow wire, so it can be resoldered to if wanted in the future. I don't bother but you could put a short heat shrink on the end.
I bought a supply of 3-pin black plugs and the metal fittings, so can just put them on, but if you dont have those and the clamp pliers, just solder together. Cut the 3-pin off with an inch or so, put all the sleeving and heat shrink onto the wires, holding them back with a peg or clamp. Then solder the 3-pin wire stubs on to your fan wires.

I

[shazza]

Thanks, Jedda - that helps.

Well ... I did it! Here's my first attempt:




Didn't heatshrink the long piece yet, as I have to hook in the RPM wire. But, I wanted to see if it would work. Ta Da ...




I think the next one will go faster and look better. I used the green sleeve because I couldn't get the black stuff I had over the wires. My connections are soldered. It helps to have a husband who is a model train making guru who has all the tools I needed!