Need help re-wiring fans

[wp442]

I'm finishing up the build of my new rig, which consists of a Sabertooth P67 motherboard, which has provisions for a mobo-mounted 50mm assist fan. Since I'm installing all LED fans in my case, I was wanting to find a matching 50mm LED assist fan to use, but I had no luck finding one. However, I did run across something that might work.

I got this laptop cooler with two 50mm LED fans:

Considering it was only $9, I figured I'd give it a try and see if I could make the fans work. The laptop cooler arrived in the mail today, and here are a few pics I took (click to enlarge):



(First of all....PINK??? LOL) Anyway, as you can see, the fans are a two-wire version, whereas the motherboard port for this assist fan is a 3-pin, so that it can be monitored and regulated. I realize that hooking it up as a two-wire means it'll be running full blast at all times and I won't be able to monitor it's RPM, but I'm fine with that, as these fans are pretty quiet. So...the question is, can I simply snip the USB connection off the fans on this cooler and wire in a three-pin connector (where one pin socket would be unused)? These fans each have a red and a white wire, whereas the assist fan I'm currently using has red, yellow and black. So which two wires from the three-pin mobo connector do I connect to which wires on this fan?

Thanks for the help!

 

[rolli59]

Beware a USB voltage is 5volts versus normal case fan is 12volts!

 

[Paperdoc]

As rolli59 said, these fans are designed to operate on 5VDC for max speed, whereas a normal fan supply pinout on a mobo supplies from 0 to 12 VDC (to vary the fan speed) from pins 1 and 2. Pin 3 is the fan speed signal line which your fans don't have, and they can work without that signal. BUT if you hook these4 fans up to you mobo pinout, they will burn out quickly when they get 12 VDC.

 

[wp442]

Thanks for the heads-up, guys....guess I'll just stick with the black fan I'm already using, since I've looked long and hard for a suitable fan, with zero results. I've even checked into maybe using an adapter to mount a larger fan in it's place, but nobody makes a 50mm-to-anything adapter.

I guess I could always look into modding my existing black fan, by installing some LEDs and painting the blades. Don't know if it's worth it though.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Or you could link the 50mm fans to a 5V (Red) and ground (Black) from a molex line,
maybe even on a variable resistor to adjust speed if you wished
and if no-one makes a 50mm-anything adaptor, be the first, make one yourself
Moto