Fans Fans Fans

[Woo Wooooo]

Is any one running 120 mm computer DC fans with a PC power supply?
If so which ones are you using? I'm using 120 mm AC fans that are LOUD :E as :evil:. I've been thinking about switching over to the DC fans cause some have temp control and speed control..... But I need it to move some air with out sounding like a F16 is taking off......

Anyone's thoughts???? :T

[thyname]

I have noticed my RB 1080 gets very hot on top, on both sides after about 30 min from use. I use it to drive my Axiom M60ti speakers rated 250 Watts at 8 ohms. Other than heat, no other problems noticed with 1080, it has never shut down or malfunctioned, however, I am worried something can happen after extended hours of play. The stand where everything is placed is very spacious, with component in a fairly distance from each other.

Do I need to buy a cooling fan?

[Andrew Pratt]

If things aren't shutting down there's likely nothing to worry about with amps. Still having a small fan blowing over them wouldn't hurt any. I've used small fans connected to a wall adapter that has an adjustable voltage switch built in. That way I could adjust the speed and keep the noise down.

[thyname]

Thank you for your reply Andrew! Any idea on where I could purchase such fans here in the States?

[Kevin P]

Any store that carries computer parts should have small 12 volt fans. I think RadioShack carries a few too. Hook a couple up to a RadioShack AC adapter with the voltage switch and then you can control the speed.

[GosonFletchy]

You should check with your dealer about the new Rotel Fan unit. I heard it was going to be available this month. It sounds like it is going to be pretty cool and it will match with the rest of your Rotel equipment. I think it is the RFK 100 or maybe RKF 100, something like that.

G.

:assimilate:

[RickF]

I have noticed my RB 1080 gets very hot on top, on both sides after about 30 min from use. I use it to drive my Axiom M60ti speakers rated 250 Watts at 8 ohms. Other than heat, no other problems noticed with 1080, it has never shut down or malfunctioned, however, I am worried something can happen after extended hours of play. The stand where everything is placed is very spacious, with component in a fairly distance from each other.

Do I need to buy a cooling fan?

Thyname, as you know I'm running an RB 1080 with the 4 ohm Axiom M80 speakers and other than the left side always running warmer than the right side I thought overall it runs pretty cool, this is in comparison to my HK 635 running a pair of the M60 speakers.

On a side note, I'm quite surprised just how warm my 37" plasma TV gets.

[thyname]

I'll definitelly check those Rotel fans, however I have never seen one at my dealer's during my previous visits, nor have heard of one before your post.

RickF, my 1080 is really hot when I touch it, much hotter than RX-1052 I used to have prior to getting separates. I could actually dedect only a little bit of "warmth" in my rx-1052, a little over room temperature.

Both channels on my 1080 are hot.

[PewterTA]

This is all I would use if I was doing it. I use 80mm fans (same models, with the thermal sensor on them and my units (1080 and 1095) barely get warm with them running on their lowest speed. Since they are built for computers, the thermal part is set for little bit higher temps, but pushing the amps have gotten the fans to speed up slightly. All in all, my amps are barely warm to the touch after being on and watching movies for 6 hours. That's all with just a little over 2"s of space above them.

120mm:

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/th12blledsmf.html

80mm:

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/th80blledsmf.html

Honorable mention goes to the Panaflow 80mm Ultra Quiet fan for $6.95:

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/pa80br.html

I like the thermaltake because I can use both the thermal sensor and manual speed control on all the fans. The nice/annoying (depending on your point of view) is the LEDs, but they can be removed (just disconnect the LEDs, takes a little bit of work)...

-Dan

[thyname]

Hey Dan, great looking coolers, especially the thermaltakes. And the price is great, cheaper than those of RAdioShack (19.99 there). Before I order one, I was wondering if you sugges the 120 mm or 80 mm for my RB-1080. Also, do you place them on top of the amplifier? I would assume that they have instructions on how to use with power amps.

Thanks a lot for your links and advice!!!

[ILuvDefTech]

Kevin P,
How do you "Hook a couple up to a RadioShack AC adapter with the voltage switch and then you can control the speed."? Can someone post step by step instructions for doing this? I'm sure lots of people would find that helpful. I have 2 small fans in my rack, but they are just a little louder than I like. They are just normal house fans.

[Toolman]

I purchased the cool vent II fan from this link (in the States) to keep my 1067 cool in an enterntainment unit. It's not cheap but it is quiet. It has 2 speeds which are automatically controlled by a heat sensor attached to the top of my receiver. They have many different models available, depending on your application.

http://www.activethermal.com/Cool-Vent.htm

[Stoney]

I have a 4" AC Fan and control the speed with a light dimmer switch. I stuck 4 rubber feet on the fan and it sits on top of my receiver just above the heat sinks and blows up, drawing air through the receiver. Surprisingly, I get no noise or interferance other than the fan noise itself, and with the rack doors closed, I don't hear that either. The front of my rack has a limo black tinted glass door so luckily you can't see it either.

[rnoble]

Guys checkout this laptop fan. If you are anywhere near USB supply they might be the ticket. Sit it on top of your amp and it'll suck all the hot air up and out the back or side. Pretty nifty IMO!

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/42ab7f8900f841722740c0a87f9c0750/Product/View/XH6287

[thyname]

I realized that in order to use Thermaltake 120mm Blue LED Smart Fan DC fan as suggested by PewterTA, I'd need a 12V power source and ground, which I don't have. Any suggestion on what to purchase (plug/adapter) to make this cooling fan work? I really like them.

Edit!! Would I be able to use a 12V trigger cable coming out of my RB1080 to power them?

[ILuvDefTech]

Like Thyname is asking, can someone please give us suggestions? I would like to use computer fans as well, but I don't want to use an ATX computer power supply for it. Ideas???

[PewterTA]

The 12volt trigger coming off the Rotels is not enough to power the fans (tried it). You need a dedicated power supply.

I used an old power supply I had lying around. It's a quiet fan one, so the fan runs at 1300 rpm and is silent (though a silent PSU (fanless) would work as well). This way too I can add LED strips to the glass shelving in my (eventual) system and power everything with the computer PSU since 250 watts is plenty of juice.

80mm fans will flow less air, but be a slight bit more silent.
120mm fans will flow more air and be slight bit less silent. Though at the low speeds it will probably flow more air and be just as silent.

Here's what I did step by step with pictures...

[PewterTA]

First Picture:
Got me a powersupply :T

Second Picture:
I bought a 12VDC/10A Relay from Radioshack (http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=275%2D218). I wired this into the power supply (internally), connecting the wire (everything but he ground wire of the power cable) through the relay. Soldered up the connections and wrapped them in electrical tape.

Third Picture:
I then bought Panel Mount 1/8" plug to sit flush on the power supply. http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=274%2D246

This idea would have worked, but with sitting it on the metal of the casing of the powersupply I caused myself a ground loop hum/buzz. I would have had to get a rubber grommet to go in the hole to stop this. Instead I just left it outside of the unit so I can plug/unplug a 1/8 cable from the Rotel units into the powersupply (without having to strip a cable and solder it directly to the relay. You don't see the unit, so as of yet, I didn't make it pretty.

Fourth Picture:
I jumpered the Power On Pin and a Ground pin with a wire and taped up the connector. I also have rubber boots on the 4 pin power connectors (not shown).

Fifth Picture:
All the Thermaltake fans I got for cooling. I chose the 80mm fans since they are smaller and often times a little bit more quiet. ...and heck, cheaper as well.

[PewterTA]

Sixth Picture:
Thermaltake uses thermal sensor to monitor the speed of the fan (along with allowing to be manually controlled. I chose to skip the manual controls for now since they will run at their lowest speed until about 20C (68F) and vary from there up. I've never seen the fans go above maybe 1800RPM and are completely silent (this is even after 6 hours of loud movie watching). :T You will see the thermal sensor wire in the middle, the black/greenish thin wire. All I did was force this down into the heatsinks on my 1095, 1080, and 1098.

Seventh Picture:
Got some 3M Rubber/foam pads and cut them into little sections to sit on the corners of the fans. This allows for no movement of the fans due to vibration and also makes them sit on the units and be completely silent.

Remember Fans should be set to pull air up through the unit, not to blow down in.

Eighth Picture:
Pads on two of the Fans.

After that just run your wires, set your fans on the units and go. I ran the units without the fans for roughly an hour to find the hottest spots and put the fans (and sensors) in those spots.

That's all there is too it.

[thyname]

Sixth Picture:

After that just run your wires, set your fans on the units and go.
That's all there is too it.

Is that all?!! WOW PewterTA, you have done a lot, I wonder if I would ever be able to do the above.

Thanks a lot for the detailed answer and pictures, really appreciated!!!

[ILuvDefTech]

Yes, exactly what I was looking for as well. Thanks. I do have a few questions. Forgive me, I'm electrically dumb.

1. Why did you have to jumper the "Power On Pin and a Ground pin"?
2. Are you turning on the power supply with the 12v trigger? If I wanted, could I just plug the power supply into a switched outlet(monster hts5100) and turn it on that way?

This is what I was thinking.
1. Purchase the power supply. No modifications.
2. Plug it into the switched after delay outlet of my hts5100.
3. Hook the fans up and place them appropriately.

Could it be that easy?

[PewterTA]

Thyname...

You know what, I didn't know if I could do the above either...but with the help of SoundHound (SoundHound, YOU THE MAN!!!) to help me figure out which relay I needed, the splicing of the wires and soldering is really pretty easy. Then I got the brilliant idea to use the Panel Mount 1/8" for easy plug in of the 12v trigger (I still might build a box to put the power supply in and mount the 1/8" on it instead. If you want a wiring diagram I can make one real quick and put it up, it's pretty simple.

I LuvDefTech,
1) You have to jumper the Power on Pin and Ground Pin so that the power supply will turn on (this is the same effect as hitting the power switch on your PC). Without jumpering it you can have the powersupply plugged in all you want and it won't turn on...as soon as you jump it, it supplies the power to the 12v rails.
2) Yes I'm using the 12v trigger, which is why I needed the relay and 1/8" panel mount parts. The HTS5100 does have the 12v adapter to it so it will switch on those. So you DO NOT need the relay/panel mount. Just plug the power supply into one of those switched outlets and jumper the two pins. You're all set.

1, 2, 3) Do you have an old PC laying around, or something at work, talk to your IT guys and see if they can give you an old PSU, then you don't have to buy on!

Yes, it really is THAT easy for the way you want to do it ILuvDefTech.

I wanted my power supply to turn on and off with my equipment, not stay on all the time, my HTS 2500 does not have switched plugs (well with use of a 12v trigger and I'm too lazy to get up and hit the button on it everytime! ha ha).

Anyone that wants help with doing something like this, feel free to contact me and I'll help where I can!

Now to just get the glass shelves and super bright blue 12v LED strips...and it's all powered by that 250watt power supply. Good stuff!

[rnoble]

Guys I don't know why you are bothering with all that when you can just buy one of thems sit it on top of your amp which will suck all the air off the top and blow it out the back - they have adjustable speed and are powered by USB.

[PewterTA]

Two things Rnoble....

One, not everyone has a USB connection right by their equipment.

Second, those fans aren't in a good stop to pull the air through the heatsinks to cool the unit.

Plus how much is that? I spent a matter of $10 total (because I had the fans already, but fans add another $30 - $50). So for roughly 60 (if you have a powersupply) you can have an adjustable fan solution, plus be able to power anything else you want to that is 12VDC (like the LED strips for lit shelving).

[ILuvDefTech]

Thanks for all the good info, PewterTA. I have a power supply exactly like yours, but it's 150 watts. I'm going to pick up a fan this weekend.

[Stevebez]

rnoble.... where do I get three ???!!!!!! ;x(

Rgds Steve

[Dallasdave]

Moble

I have two unused USB ports on my SAT box; what are you using the fan to cool?

What is the noise factor?

At $40 it does seem like that bad of a deal.

[thyname]

Guys, can you please elaborate more on USB port use for cooling fans? I don't think I'd be able to do all the awesome work of PewterTA with 12 V DC.

[Dallasdave]

A USB port is found typically on a PC. You can connect printers, scanners, external harddrives, etc. to your PC via a USB port. Some SAT boxes have USB ports to enable devices to connect to the SAT box, like if you were recording directly to a PC hard drive.

I did a search on the web and found several AC powered laptop cooling fans if you don't have access to a USB port and don't feel like DIY fans.

I think PewterTA DIY project would provide the best cooling effect on the equipment.

Here's a link, don't know anything about company just for information only:
http://www.hardwarecooling.com/produ...roducts_id/534

[thyname]

Thanks Dave for the info. Unfortunately I found that my Dish Network 811 HDTV receiver does not have a USB port, neither any of the components in my A/V shelf, and my desktop PC is sitting in a different location. Also, I don't have a DC power source. Any idea on where can I buy an inexpensive one?

[Dallasdave]

It's really an AC power source according to the specs, so you should be able to pulg direcly into the wall. I made an edit to my post, that site had several laptop coolers that had an option of an AC power adapter.

[Stevebez]

Rotel RKF-100

Pretty versatile fitting and use although looks pretty large. No size specs in owner maual attached.

Have pdf file but 500kb and cannot upload. email me and I will fwd on if interested.

Rgds Steve.

EDIT1: $400 is price I hear so ... probably not an option then.!

[bigburner]

thyname, I have an RB-1080 which I drive hard for extended periods, and it never gets more than mildly warm.

A while ago I installed a small Dick Smith 230 volt AC fan in my amp cabinet because my last amp got quite hot and I didn't want the embarrassment of a 30 minute 'rest' while everyone was up dancing. It's acceptably quiet and moves a lot of air. However I've never had to use it since installing the RB-1080 because there's no need.

I'm amazed that your RB-1080 gets so hot. Anyone got any ideas why the same amps should behave so differently?

[soundhound]

The load, different speaks.

[thyname]

thyname, I have an RB-1080 which I drive hard for extended periods, and it never gets more than mildly warm.

A while ago I installed a small Dick Smith 230 volt AC fan in my amp cabinet because my last amp got quite hot and I didn't want the embarrassment of a 30 minute 'rest' while everyone was up dancing. It's acceptably quiet and moves a lot of air. However I've never had to use it since installing the RB-1080 because there's no need.

I'm amazed that your RB-1080 gets so hot. Anyone got any ideas why the same amps should behave so differently?

It really gets hot, I thought it may be the speakers, but they are rated 8 Ohms, so it should not be a problem driving them. Do you think it has something to do with pluging it into Belking PureAV PF60 power console I just purchase? I've pluged it at high power socket though...

[Woo Wooooo]

Well i decided to buy a AC/DC converter cut the end off and wire 3 Antec Smartcool 120mm Fans that have a thermal sensor. http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75012

I will let you guys know how it goes.......

[jim777]

How about the noise? does it blow too much air for nothing? (could it go less fast to make less noise?).. well we will have to wait that you get it first to know

[Woo Wooooo]

from what I have researched you need to look at the RPM's the 120 mm spin slower than the 80mm's you also need to look at the CFM's which is how much air is pushed of course the higher the better....

The 3 AC fans I have running right now in my rack are extreamly loud. I put a SPL meter in the rack and i was pushing around 79-83db WAY TO LOUD....
they ran 2900RPM's and was 41db

Tha Antec will do 60 CFM's@ 1720 RPM but at 32db at it's highest RPMS

http://www.antec.com/pdf/120mm_smartcool.pdf

I will report back how it comes out.......

[rnoble]

The larger the fan the slower you have to run it to get the same amount of air flow. So they have a better noise to cooling ratio.

[ILuvDefTech]

PewterTA, you have a PM.

[Dallasdave]

Don't have a USB port and want one to drive laptop cooler; here's the solution.

http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=2101&sku=22328

[Woo Wooooo]

This is my results.... The fans are QUITE :T they do not push as much air as the AC fans did but the sensor on the fans vary the speed of the fans. the one i'm using pushing the air out I may have to change because the sensor is on the outside of the case, which means that it is not running at it's fastest speed..... here are some pictures of the whole process...
hope this help you guys.... :B
also here are some pics of the whole room....

[Woo Wooooo]

here are the rest..........

thanks guys for all the post on this topic.....

any advice or feedback would be great.....

[jim777]

What tool did you use to make those fan holes so right?

Advice? Well your surrounds are a probably too high and your CM-6 could be on spikes but I guess there is nothing you can do about it.

Very nice setup! (the whole room)

[thyname]

Great looking setup Woo Woo!! Thanks for sharing the pics!