Need help making a fan speed controller

xxcysxx

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Mar 1, 2007
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hello folks,
i have eight yate loons fan on my radiator and they are all connected in parallel. currently i'm running all the fans on 12 volt off the psu, and it is loud. i don't think i can get a fan controller that will allow me to control my fan speed in this configuration as most fan controller have a limited current loading per channel and they will likely get hot or burn up.

the fan specification said it is rated at .3 amp per fan. so that would be like 2.4 amp for the eight fans connected in parallels. but the last time i check the current with the multimeter driving the fans at 5 volt it is drawing in the excess of 3.5 amp or slightly more. perhaps the higher current was because of the lower voltage i used from a power supply box you see in the picture.

now, i have heard of an LM317T regulator. but i also heard that it can only handle up to 1.5 amp. so there's the problem.

does anyone here knowledgable about electronics who can advise me on how to hook up some LM317T regulators to handle higher currents.

below are some pictures of the setup of my description.

thanks for any help folks

GameBox-12.JPG
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Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
or you could go for a pair of fan controllers. I'm not knowledgeable in circuitry. Perhaps someone will catch up to this thread.

i don't think i can get a fan controller that will allow me to control my fan speed in this configuration as most fan controller have a limited current loading per channel and they will likely get hot or burn up.
here's how it works. Imagine a game where a car is coming at you at 150mph. You're allowed to only stop the car by any means possible. The brakes are shot so what dya do? Put a wall between you and the car.

all fan controllers are made of resistors and they will get hot since their reducing the impact by absorbing some of its energy. (energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted - physics 101)

or you could pick this up
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14172/bus-284/Lamptron_50W_-_4_Channel_Aluminum_Throttle_Style_Fan_Controller_w_Multi_Color_Backlit_LEDs_-_Black_FC-9.html?tl=g47c17s286

You decided on the raystorm/heatkiller?

 
This fan controller has a rating of 30w per channel and has 8 channels.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=32979

If your into a little rewireing then with the fan controller and these distrabution p0cbs you can control the speed of the fans.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=32844

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=32848

Another idea that yo can do if your interested and it's what I have for a setup currently. Because I have twoloops and there are a lot of fans and two pumps with multiple video cards , I decided to have two power supplies connected and one psu runs the water cooling and the other one runs the rest of the Pc. I have7 Feser low air flow fane that draw a lot of power along with the case fans and two pumps and some lights which are run from the second psu inside the desk and the fans are then controlled by a seperate controller along with a fan controller for the case fans. There are also other fans which ciculte air through the desk and help cool the psu.
What I'm trying to say is that you can setup any kind of configuration that you want to it just takes a little imagination.
 

xxcysxx

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Mar 1, 2007
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18,630
oh hi, i remember you from the other thread. yes, i have decided on the heatkiller block. thank you for helping over there. i'm still studying ways to parallel those LM317T regulators or perhaps i will try to find other ways to do it.

i'll be back with what i find.