Cooling Fans

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zig

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I just thought i would start a new topic on this as the overheating of the Interpet power compacts is obviously an issue for a good few of us and i just wanted to get the ideas into one thread.

I just want to see what peoples ideas are on the matter of cooling fans and what i would like to achieve in the thread is some sort of consensus as to the best method of their employment so under a few headers i have some questions.

1. What is the best way to use fans? and what would be the optimum position to place a fan? is it to draw the air in and use a vent, or draw the air out and use a vent, or as a new member ali68 suggested in the origional thread to use two fans one to draw air in and the other to draw air out again, i know Simonbrown403 said this would be an issue as regards surface agitation if you used 2 fans but for me this wouldnt be a problem as i use glass covers (but the glass covers probably dont help the overheating) so what are peoples ideas regards this fundemental aspect of the use of fans.

2. Noise......how noisey are they to run? are their particular types one should look out for, are their low db fans and how good are they or does the voltage regulator look after the noise as well as the speed of the fans.

3. Good cheap sources of getting them, any links where they can be bought online, i know ebuyer is really cheap if you live in the UK the fans are also dirt cheap as well, if you know any other sources maybe you could post a link particularily if you have used a certain type that you have found pretty good.

4. How do i wire them up, if anyone has any photos on how to wire them i would appreciate it, and the best voltage adaptor as well or is it just the standard variable 12v.

Thats it really, just thought it would be better to keep the info in one thread, so if there is anything i have missed or any other tips you would like to add or just your general experiences running them all the info is welcome.

Thanks guys
 
Hi Zig!

1.IMO the best way to use fan would be blowing in (if you would only use 1 fan) and in and out for 2 fans ) A good thing to do is raise the lighting to allow air to freely flow under the lighting, and since you have a glass cover that would be easier :p

2.CPU's fans IMO are the way to go, You dont have to buy online IMO, your nearest computer shop should have some in stock if you want to go DIY, go for those CASE mod fans that DONT! (I REPEAT DO NOT) have LED's built in. The sound of the fan depends on the speed the fan , some fans are rated at lower decibels but will cost more.

3.ummm ^^^^, O ya i got my fans that i used before (for case mods) from a surplus shop, sometimes people making computers have too many overrun fans because cases from china, taiwan etc always come with a stock Case fan that usually gets replaced...

4.Wiring a single fan would be easy, If your going to use an adapter simply connect the correct colored wires to the Adapter, make sure that the voltage is correct for the fan, +2 -2 volts is okay i guess(+2 volts means the fan will spin faster but break down a bit quicker, -2 means the fan will operate slower, anything more then that is unsafe IMO), wiring more then 1 fan to a single adapter requires calculations that I already forgot :(

*note I am not an electrical engineer so somobody has got to correct me about the +2 -2 thing :D
 
Thanks Kenneth

Yeah i have seen the fans with the leds, some of them look crazy, the ones with UV lights on them can look cool but not suitable for a fishtank they would look silly against my nature setup in the tank, like a little alien ship has landed or something. Thanks for the info.
 
I remember posting a similar question in the DIY section... im not sure if it is this forums... I asked about wiring more then 1 fan to a single adapter....... cant find it now...


*edit

aha found it! here it is\
 
i have 2 80mm computer fans attached to this controller

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/in...oduct_uid=52816

so you can control them independently and dont have to have them going at full board which would be quite noisey. The most efficiant way would be one sucking(out tank) and one blowing(in tank) but as mentioned you would get surface movement on the blowing fan. with glass above the water this is the way to go! i have 2 sucking with vent and works ok. i would go for 80mm fans as they are quieter than 60mm. They are easy to wire just connect 12v to controller and plug fans into controller although i extended the fan leads. my 2 fans cost about £8

Just found the fans this is where i got them and would recommend them http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/in...oduct_uid=79904

mmm out of stock i will leave link in
 
Thanks hunterm8 thats V useful info, how do you find them for noise in general?
 
Thanks hunterm8 thats V useful info, how do you find them for noise in general?

the speed i have mine is not a problem, only have them on probably 1/4 of there top speed and you can barely hear them even up close. full board just listen to your pc and it will be around that level. Bare in mind some makes of fan are noisier than others thats why i like to read the reviews at ebuyer, it give you an idea if they are ok...
 
My tank is a juwel record 96, so i was limited on where i could put them.
I had to make a box to fit in to one of the feeding flaps.

cooling_fans_mod.JPG

cooling_fan_mod_2.JPG
 

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