Power Switch on Fan...

G

Guest

Guest
Is it safe to put a power switch on a fan?
My temps are usually O.K but when playing games my enviromental temperature goes up due to the video card and HD. So I cut out a hole on the side of my PC and stuck a huge fan in. The problem is that it is really noisy. Considering that 70% of the time I just work in windows and my temps are good, the fan isn't really required most of the time. I don't want to shut down, and unplug it just to have my PC quitter. So, I was thinking of putting in a switch besides my fan. So when the fan is required I would just switch on the power for the fan on the side of my PC. The thing is, I don't know if that is safe to do while the PC is running. There are two internal power cables. 1 power cable goes to my CDRW and my HD and the 2nd one is just for the fan. Well the fan has its own power cable just to itself, but both cables eventually connect in the power supply so I'm worried that if could lead to interfearence.
So, what do you guys think? Is it safe to stick on a power switch to my fan and turn it on when I want to while the computer is running?
 
G

Guest

Guest
I have never had to turn off my PC to unplug, or plug in a fan. But to answer your question, yes you could use a switch. I would recommend a relay as well with the switch, this way the power flows through the relay and not the switch, the switch just sends a small amount of current to the relay to close the circuit and turn the fan on. Most switches are low current, and if the fan you are using pulls more than the switch is rated it can burn the switch up.