How to trick the control board about fan's RPM without a fan?

[6_6_6]

Hello Folks,

I would like to stop the fan spinning on my Zalman Reserator XT (temperatures no problem).

The fan has a 3-pin header (Y-R-B) going into the control board. If the fan does not spin, alarms sound off. Yellow carries signal/sense/rpm to the control board as far as i can see.

What can i do to relay a fan speed to the control board without running a fan?

Thank you in advance for your time.

Maria

 

[ewor]

Why not do something simpler, disconnect the wires on the alarm speaker, no more alarm sounding

 

[6_6_6]

I want the alarm working. It gives indication of coolant temperature and flow.

 

[boner]

wel... then i dont know lol... search in google =] that might help because some people in this forum dont really care for what i've seen

 

[Sengoku]

This is not my area of expertise, but what I know of that, it's measuring RPMs.

I only know of one guy who's tricked the control board, and he did it by attaching a scope to a running fan circuit, and then setting up a programmable logic controller to constantly output that.

Not a reasonable solution, but it worked.

 

[6_6_6]

This is not my area of expertise, but what I know of that, it's measuring RPMs.

I only know of one guy who's tricked the control board, and he did it by attaching a scope to a running fan circuit, and then setting up a programmable logic controller to constantly output that.

Not a reasonable solution, but it worked.

Hello Sengoku,

Yes the idea is exactly that. Isn't there a simpler solution like attaching a resistor or something? Or how to do what this guy did? Is there some place i can read what he did?

Thanks!

Maria

 

[johnnyq1233]

Why do you want the fan to stop in the first place?
Is it too noisy? If it is it might be faulty...replace it!

It sounds like you're o/cing the card anyways, so push it a little harder to use the benfit of liquid cooling...
or better yet, if this controller has a speed control turn it down to the slowest you can... fans are important and if your system were to have a sudden increase in temp you might damage the card before you could shut it down.

As an electronics tech. I know that devices do not cool down immediatly after power is removed. They actually heat slightly due to the transfer delay from die to casing to heatsink!

Hope this helps!

 

[6_6_6]

What i am asking what you are saying!!!

I came here with a specific problem, and I have done all the thermal testing that needs to be done. I have 58C on Q6600 at 3.6 GHz after 1 hour of torture tests (speedstep disabled)

If possible delete your post.

 

[6_6_6]

Please people, do not insult the intelligence of the poster and clutter the area with your own supposed solutions.

Why not disable the alarm, why not run the fan at its lowest speed, why disable the fan, why not use liquid cooling? What the heck are you saying? I came here with a specific problem, please state your opinion if it is related to what i am asking. All other options have been thought out to save you the trouble of typing.

So far only Sengoku posted pertinent information. Thank you for that Sengoku.

 

[johnnyq1233]

Please don't be an disresectful to someone trying to help! I don't know why anyone would want to kill a fan that's designed to protect your VALUABLE hardware!
You have not stated WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want the fan by-passed!

As for that signal it is PWM..(Pulse Width Modulated) the only way to fool the controller is to give it a signal that matches the reference frequency of the controller!

But, if you really want to stop the zalman while not trigerring an alarm... just get a case fan with 3 wire connector, install/replace one of your other case fans nearest the controller and plug it into the controller.
This will give the signal the controller wants and you will have acheived your goal!

 

[6_6_6]

Please don't be an disresectful to someone trying to help! I don't know why anyone would want to kill a fan that's designed to protect your VALUABLE hardware!
You have not stated WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want the fan by-passed!

I am not going to explain my life story here. I have been straight to the point in order to avoid irrelevant discussions -- to stop wasting my time and your time. I haven't asked you if you advise me to stop my fan or not. If I asked that you could have advised me not to stop it. Please reread my post.

I just want to disable the fan. End of the story (in order to avoid more discussions about sound levels).

As for that signal it is PWM..(Pulse Width Modulated) the only way to fool the controller is to give it a signal that matches the reference frequency of the controller!

I don't think it is PWM -- isn't pwm with 4 pins?

But, if you really want to stop the zalman while not trigerring an alarm... just get a case fan with 3 wire connector, install/replace one of your other case fans nearest the controller and plug it into the controller.
This will give the signal the controller wants and you will have acheived your goal!

No, i didn't achieve the goal. What is the point of disabling a fan only to add another fan? I don't have any case fans.

Thank you for your input.

 

[6_6_6]

What happens if I jumper the pins YELLOW (signal) and RED (power)? Could that trick the controllor board thinking the fan is always on and spinning?

 

[nukemaster]

What happens if I jumper the pins YELLOW (signal) and RED (power)? Could that trick the controllor board thinking the fan is always on and spinning?

NO!!!!!!

 

[johnnyq1233]

Go ahead and do it if it works good! If not then don't ask stupid questions...!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for asking ridiculus questions...


OH! here's one ................ Don't turn on the computer it will stop the fan and you won't get any alarms and we won't have to try to answer any stupid questions!

 

[valis]

you people are all thinking too complicted...
SIMPLIFY MAN!!!

if you are sure that you will not need that fan, or maybe if you can just fit another fan cable into it's place, try this.

get a cheapie fan. (or use the one you have if you dont mind it being destroyed) and using a dremel or some other suitable tool, remove the fan blades.

put it back in. HOPEFULLY (i'm not sure if the motor itself wont cause a bit of "whine" noise) the removal of the blades will also remove the noise. the fan will technically be "spinning", appeasing the mobo and the alarm, but wont be pushing any air.

Valis

 

[6_6_6]

OH! here's one ................ Don't turn on the computer it will stop the fan and you won't get any alarms and we won't have to try to answer any stupid questions!

Please stay out of my thread. I have low tolerance for imbecility. I haven't asked your opinion. If you have an answer to my problem, just state it and I will be grateful. Otherwise, stop wasting your time and mine with irrelevant answers that has no bearing to my specific issue.

 

[6_6_6]

you people are all thinking too complicted...
SIMPLIFY MAN!!!

if you are sure that you will not need that fan, or maybe if you can just fit another fan cable into it's place, try this.

get a cheapie fan. (or use the one you have if you dont mind it being destroyed) and using a dremel or some other suitable tool, remove the fan blades.

put it back in. HOPEFULLY (i'm not sure if the motor itself wont cause a bit of "whine" noise) the removal of the blades will also remove the noise. the fan will technically be "spinning", appeasing the mobo and the alarm, but wont be pushing any air.

Valis

Valis, we thought about this. Motor whine is the issue.

 

[johnnyq1233]

Sorry for the posts, but I really can't grasp why a singe (quiet) motor is so annoying that you can't eliminate with some simple sound dmpening material!

My clock (wind-up) makes more noise than my 2 systems running in the same room!

So, sorry for any missgivings...John

 

[RetiredChief]

This might work - Using the 3 pin wire and connector form a fan.

Take a 100 Kohm and a 1 Kohm (1/4 Watt) resistors and connect them in series. Connect the 100 Kohm resistor to the Red (+12V), connect the end of the 1 Kohm to the Blk (Gnd/Rtn). Connect the Junction of the Resistors to the Yellow.

This should provide approx 0.12 volt DC Feedback to the Yellow.

If this doesn't work, then you will need to use the red/blck leads to provide a voltage to a frequency generator (IC) (ie NE555) and apply this output to the Yellow, using a 100 Kohm series resistor.

For what it's worth. The PWM (Pulse width Modulation) controls the fan RPM's by varing the duty cycle to the run windings vs analog control of the +12 V - More eff.

 

[nukemaster]

Funny you mention PWM.... when my cpu is cool and at idle my fan just pulses(every 2 seconds or so does not move much at all, its not turning...lets say that)at least its not sitting there with 2 volts overheating the coils....

 

[Cabletwitch]

Right, a solution you ask? Well, it'll take come circuitry design (Which I dont have currently, but I can find out)...

What you need is a simple circuit to provide a pulse on the yellow (sensor) wire to fool the monitor into thining there is a fan attached and is spinning normally. The alarm will sound when the RPM monitoring reports a value under a certain threshold. It should be easy enough to construct a pulsed circuit like this, and I'll ask my electonics engineer friend when he's online again. Other than that, no, I dont know of any other way to do this, short of the suggestions already posted.

Finally, with all due respect, being short and brusqe with people who are offering advice is not a way to gain a good reputation, should you need more help in the future. Be a little more tolerant of anyone trying to help you, and you'll do fine XD

 

[johnnyq1233]

I was really upset at 666's reply for trying to help her.
I did mention the PWM before and she slagged me for it!
I'm an electronics tech.....that means I know stuff!...........
If I didn't I wouldn't have responded to this thread (thinking I could help someone.)

Is there anyone else out there that runs a system with...ABSOLUTELY NO FANS IN THERE SYSTEM ?
I really would like to know!

 

[Cabletwitch]

Bah, due to the forums not allowing me to edit my own bloody reply, here is another possible solution. Run another flowmeter in the coolant loop and use the output from that to fool the monitor. This will only work if the flow rate is high enough to provide a signal that would be at least as fast as the slowest acceptable fan speed, but its another solution worth considering, as well as a backup for the existing flow meter.

 

[nukemaster]

Now thats thinking outside the box....flow meter.....perfect...

 

[6_6_6]

I was really upset at 666's reply for trying to help her.
I did mention the PWM before and she slagged me for it!
I'm an electronics tech.....that means I know stuff!...........
If I didn't I wouldn't have responded to this thread (thinking I could help someone.)

Is there anyone else out there that runs a system with...ABSOLUTELY NO FANS IN THERE SYSTEM ?
I really would like to know!

That will be me. Silentmaxx 500W water cooled psu.

Gigabyte X38-DQ6
Q6600
8600 GT

Only frigging zalman fan is remaining. My temps are good even when i disable zalman fan (by connecting a sensor from another psu powered nearby).