Need help wiring cooling fans to thermo switch.

[Radioflyer97 10+ year member]

I'm attempting to wire my Amp rack's cooling fans to a thermo-switch. They are currently using the 12v signal wires for the amps as power wires.

These are the fans i have (there are 4 in the rack 2 pusher/2 puller)

http://www.xoxide.com/ther60casfan.html

This is the controller i bought:

http://www.xoxide.com/copyiithfanc.html

I'm using this radioshack voltage regulator to step down the 12v source to the required 5v for the thermo switch

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062599&cp=&sr=1&origkw=voltage+regulator&kw=voltage+regulator&parentPage=search

The thermo switch was originally designed for a computer. From the controller there are two sets of wires

set1: red, black, black, yellow (which I assume to be 12v+; ground for fans, Ground for controller, 5v+)

Set2: yellow, black (which I assume to be fan + and fan - )

Does this sound right?

thanks in advance

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[CrazedCat 10+ year member]

I think set 2 is wiring that is intended to connect to a computers CPU to control the speed of the fans.

 

[Radioflyer97 10+ year member]

is there a way to directly hook it up to the fans?

 

[kross 10+ year member]

is there a way to directly hook it up to the fans?

Probably, but we need to know exactly what the wires are for. Did it come with directions?

 

[Radioflyer97 10+ year member]

unfortionatly, the directions didn't say any more than the online description.... highly annoying.

 

[kross 10+ year member]

Are they bare wires? Or do they have connectors on the end of them? What do they look like? Does the 4-wire connector look like the standard power connectors in PCs? And does the 2-wire look like a standard fan connector? If so, we should be able to figure something out...

 

[Radioflyer97 10+ year member]

Are they bare wires? Or do they have connectors on the end of them? What do they look like? Does the 4-wire connector look like the standard power connectors in PCs? And does the 2-wire look like a standard fan connector? If so, we should be able to figure something out...

I wish i could say, however there hasn't been a desktop computer in the house for several years. Here's a pic of the connections after being removed from the unit:

 

[kross 10+ year member]

Okay cool. The connector on the right is the standard PC power connector. You can see the pinout here:

http://pinouts.ru/Power/BigPower_pinout.shtml

The one on the left will be the output for the fans.

The only thing I'm unsure about, is whether or not the controller actually needs 12 and 5 volt power, or if it will work with just 12 volt. It would simplify things if it would work with just 12 volt, but that 7805 voltage regulator you have will work if it does need 5 volts as well.

 

[Radioflyer97 10+ year member]

Okay cool. The connector on the right is the standard PC power connector. You can see the pinout here:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/BigPower_pinout.shtml

The one on the left will be the output for the fans.

The only thing I'm unsure about, is whether or not the controller actually needs 12 and 5 volt power, or if it will work with just 12 volt. It would simplify things if it would work with just 12 volt, but that 7805 voltage regulator you have will work if it does need 5 volts as well.

excellent, I was using the yellow as the 5v and the red as the 12v. I will test this connection and see if it works. Thanks for your help.

 

[wong05tsx 10+ year member]

I have a fan controller that came with my computer and I was just gonna use that, but any idea how to get power to this switch: (the bigger one)

the pinouts: http://pinouts.ru/Power/BigPower_pinout.shtml

but i'm not sure where to get a 12v from and a 5v. If I can someone get power to that switch, that's all I need to connect it to the fan controller, and I can hook fans directly to the controller.

thanks