Add Cooling Fan to A/V Cabinet - Page 18

DC for sure. Your AC adapter puts out DC.

that makes sense. thinking back to my cathode tube lights i ran those through the adaptor, and the cathode tube lights were pc case modding lights. kind of obvious when you think about it. feeling a bit thick now. thanks

any time

Hello all. I haven't read the entire thread but thought I would offer a $2 4 component automatic fan controller that a mate and I put together for quietly cooling pc cases. It's designed to run 12v fans and hit peak speed at about 40 degrees from memory.

I am thinking of putting one in my AV cupboard to replace the 'desk' fan that I currently have blowing cool air into it.

I'll try dig it up and link it if anyone wants it. I couldn't find anything for sale that did the job as well as this little thing.

For sure, post it up! I posted a write-up earlier in the thread about using an old thermostat to do the job, but that cost more than $2 for sure.

Have fun! Be careful with the heatsink though - it floats at the + voltage. Not good in pc case.

 

Auto Fan Controller.pdf 7.751953125k . file

 

Auto Fan Controller.zip 45.1220703125k . file

Looks cool, I'll let it slide that it was almost 7x your initial cost estimate I will surely have to try that out. Does this circuit speed up the fan with temperature, and is there a point where the fans are always off?

That zip file seems to be corrupt btw.

Yeah, it was more expensive than I remembered. That's NZ$ so halve it for USD :P

Couldn't get the xls to upload...file not allowed etc. Dunno why zip broke. Open with winrar?

Fan speed is auto variable depending on temps. 4ishV at 20 degrees 10ishV at 35 degrees. All in calcium. (wow, I mean Celsius) Details should be there somewhere.

winrar ftw

Multi-function temp/fan controller DIY (using some commercial components).


Parts List

Power Relay 72J4442 1 6.64 Series:782; Coil Voltage VDC Nom:12V; Coil Resistance:160ohm; No. of Poles:4; Contacts:4PDT; Relay Mounting:Plug In; Carry Current:10A; Features:Plain Cover w/Flag; Relay Terminals:Quick Connect; Coil Voltage DC Max:12V ;RoHS Compliant: Yes 782XDX2C-12D MAGNECRAFT
https://www.newark.com/jsp/search/pr...sp?SKU=72J4442

Relay Socket 69K5576 1 3.50 Socket MountingIN Rail/Panel; Current Rating:10A; Socket Terminals:Screw; No. of Pins:14 ;RoHS Compliant: Yes 70-782D14-1 MAGNECRAFT
https://www.newark.com/jsp/search/pr...sp?SKU=69K5576

Relay Retaining Clip 64J8914 1 0.73 For Use With:Chassis/Panel and Printed Circuit Sockets ;RoHS Compliant: Yes 16-1342 MAGNECRAFT
https://www.newark.com/jsp/search/pr...sp?SKU=64J8914

EXT ENCLO SABRENT|EC-525K R N82E16817366013 1 26.54
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817366013

CONTROLLER ZALMAN| ZM-MFC3 R N82E16811999197 1 69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999197

Coolerguys Thermal Fan 840556086611 1 13.95 Temp Control = On 87F / OFF 80F Controller
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556086611.html

Internal Drive 4Pin Power 840556000662 1 2.25 Splitter Cable # CC2125Y
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556000662.html

4 Pin Molex Power Cord 840556069683 2 1.95 Length = 36 inch Extension Cable 12 18 24 and 36"
http://www.coolerguys.com/powerext.html

3-Pin Extension Cable / 840556069393 1 1.89 Inches = 36 Adapters for 3 Wire Devices, 12, 18, 24 , 36 or 48 Inches
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556000013.html

SPDT Submini Toggle Switch 275-0613 1 3.79
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062498

NOTES :

I left off the fans as they are not specific to the project. We used 2 of the Feser Triebwerk 120mm x 55mm fans and are more or less happy with them.
The Zalman fan controller was overkill. I had ordered it for something else and just ended up using it in tis project. There are much cheaper alternatives that would suffice.
I am not 100% happy w/ the Sabrent case I chose. It lacks a pedestal to stand it on it's side, and has rounded sides, which are nice to look at but becuase of that it has to lay flat.
I had to buy a power supply anyways, and for a few $$ more I got a case to go along with it to hold (and hide) everything. It also gave me someplace to mount the fan controller I wanted to use, since most (but not all) are made for mounting in a PC case.

Motivation/Purpose :

The reason for building this was that I wanted to cool our entertainment center with the following requirements :

Cooling be automatic (only come on when needed)
Fan speed control (either automatic or at least manual, to control the noise level as needed)
Temperature monitoring (to see how well the fans were doing and if I needed to increase the speed)


There are several controllers out there that will control the fan speed based on temperature, but they had several drawbacks.

- The fans were always on, even when not needed (just running at their slowest speed -- at least the controllers I tested)
- The controller display was always on, even when not needed (at night it was distracting)

So I set about building a solution. I originally just wanted a device to piggyback off of one of the temp controllers like the Collerguys ones. But they only passed 12v, and most fan controllers required the 5v feed for their functionality. I couldn't find any that passed both the 5v and 12v. The answer for me was to put in a 12v 4 pole relay

Steps :

I took apart the Sabrent case and took off the back power/control board (two screws hold it down), unscrewed and removed the fan audio connector (for CD-ROMs) completely from the case (to reuse the hole for the switch, more about that later) and snapped out a rectangle shaped cut-out in the back of the case right next to the power switch. I removed all non-essential cables, like the drive cable and unplugged the fan power connector (but left the fan in case I needed it to keep the case cool, more about that later too).

Then I routed the fan connectors and temperature probes through the cut-out and put the power/controlled board back on. The wires need to be passed through the holes before the power board goes back on since the cut-out is an extension of the box hole for the power plug and the extra opening is needed to get the larger fan connector ends through. Then I held the wires out of the way (keeping them in the cut-out) and put the power board back in.

I cut the Molex extension in half and cut the male end off of the 3 pin extension. I also cut 2 pieces of scrap wire (can use two of the wires from the 3 pin ext since only 1 is needed). then I soldered 3 wires to the SPDT switch, two loose and one coming from the ground on the 3 pin (the black wire). The black wire goes to one of the side post and the other two loose ones go to the center and other side posts.

Then I installed the switch into the hole that used to hold the audio plug in the back of the case.

Next I setup the relay. I took the female end and connected the 4 wires to the center posts of the relays 4 poles. This would be the line side. Then I took the male end and conencted the 4 wires to the corresponding posts of the 4 poles on the NO (normally open) side*. I then put a wire from the 12v+ (yellow wire) contact on the line side and connected the other end to the relay coil terminal. I put the wire from the center post of the switch that I installed and connected it to the other side of the relay coil. Then I took the other loose wire from the side post of the switch and connected it to the terminal that had the ground on the line side (the black wire next to the yellow one). All of the wiring is now done, aside from plugging in the molex power plugs.


* If you use a single throw relay. I goofed and ordered a double throw instead of a single throw relay (4PDT vs. 4PST). I could have maybe saved a dollar on a single throw, but it isn't a big deal.


I then installed the Zalman fan controller and mounted the relay and Coolerguys temperature controller (used double-sided tape for now). I plugged in the molex splitter into the power supply at the back and plugged one of the connectors into the temp controller and the other into the female connector (on the line side of the relay). Then the male molex on the load side of the relay got plugged into the Zalman. I then plugged all of the fan and temperature probes into the Zalman and Coolerguys controllers and the female 3 pin connector (attached to the switch in the back) got plugged into one of the fan connectors on the Coolerguys controller.

Everything is now ready to go. The purpose of the switch is to provide a manual/automatic selection. Not needed if you want to just run it always in automatic.

I installed the switch in mine vertically, so in the up position it is in manual mode (IE: Just "on"), in the down position it is in automatic (only comes on when the temperature controller is triggered, which w/ the Coolerguys one it is fixed at 87f on, 80f off, IIRC). I also left one of the fan controller temp probes in the case to allow me to monitor the temp in there when it is running, so see if I needed to connect the small case fan to one of the 12v power sources to keep it cool inside. I suspect not, but that option is there along with a way to monitor and determine if it is needed.

I tested by putting it in manual and making sure everything comes on, then putting it into auto and holding the temp probe to heat it up and making sure it powered up the fan controller. I then closed everything up, put it into our Ent Center and plugged all of the fans and what not into it. I set it in manual mode to adjust the fan speeds to a level that isn't bothersome or too audible from our viewing/sitting location. I then placed the temp probe from the temp controller in the hottest spot in our Ent Center (right above our receiver/amp) and put the temp probes from the fan controller into different places to monitor the temp (monitoring only available when the fans come on). I only plan to use the temp monitoring (IE: pay attention to it) in the hotter summer months to ensure that the fans are doing their job(s) .


Things I would do differently/still left to do :

Add a longer temp probe from Coolerguys to the temp controller (and possibly an ext so that the connection is outside of the case so I can unplug it to remove the case from the Ent Center, w/o having to re-route the main temp probe each time)
put grommet around the cut-out to avoid problems w/ any sharp/rough edges
wrap all of the cables coming out of the case into 1 bundle that fans out jsut a few inches from the end.
figure out a stand for the Sabrent case (or change to a case w/ a stand)
add an "all in one" connector between the wires coming out of the unit and the fans/temp probes/etc. It all depends on how often I find myself taking it out or moving it around (which I don't expect to be that often, once I get it settled in).
Maybe add another "zone" to the unit (by adding another temp controller to monitor/react to a different area of our Ent Center). Wouldn't be too hard and would only cost about $15 or so to do, but I would need to test running two temp controllers in parallel.


I would definitely use a much cheaper fan controller but this one was available and unused, so I went with it. Total cost (w/o the fan controller or fans) was just over $60. I leave off the fan controller and fans because there is alot of possible variation there and really comes down to personal preferrence. And the choice has no bearing on the "project", any one would work, so long as they are a 5.25" PC fan controller and compatible fans (compatible with the PC fan controller). For that same reason I didn't bother with any pictures of the fan installation or components in our setup. They are irrelevant to the controller build .


Except that I am a control freak, this all could have been done more simply and cheaper, but what fun would that have been ? This project falls into the category of the journey being as important as the destination. Plus it looks really cool (points for geek factor ).

The pictures leave much to be desired (I used an older camera to snap them really quick while I was building it). It is already tucked into our Ent Center, but I will need to take it out, and apart, again when the longer temp probe gets here and I will take better pitures then, if anyone is interested.

I will also try to put together a wiring diagram later on today, but wanted to share this just in case anyone else was as bored as I was and wanted to build something similar


First picture is of everything installed, but I unplugged a couple of the power cables to move them out of the way to better show the other components. Unfortunately I had already built it when I thought to start taking pictures to share, so I don't have a step by step photo documentary



The next one is of everything plugged in and the spare cables just curled up (or shoved in) the case.



This one is a shot of the back of the case, with the manual/auto toggle switch to the right of the on/off power switch.



Here is a horribly unfocused shot of the unit fully assembled. (to be retaken later this week, as time permits)



Here is what the Zalman looks like powered up.

aside from the "geek factor", the other advantage is the ability to support more fans then the Coolerguys temperature controller can, which has a combined power draw capacity of 1000ma (1.0A). Which our two larger fans already would have maxed that out. If fan control isn't needed, just the ability to control more than 1a worth of fans, then only the temp controller and relay setup would be needed (along w/ a case, or at least a power supply). Then the only restriction would be the fan controller and/or power supply limitations.

Not an electronic guru, just a guy who fried his Sony AVR, spent $500 on a new one and decided to get on forums such as this and learn something, which I have--thank you. I have a small component cabinet (just under 14 cu. ft.) and just ordered a single fan setup from CoolGuys. You may have to leave a message or send email but they will get back with you if you need to talk to them and they offer useful, good advice. One short narrative I read on another website (the "Additional Considerations" section) was interesting to me and gave something to think about so thought I would post it:
coolcomponents.com/Cabinet-Venting_c_8.html

Sparkss,

Thanks for posting your project. On a scale of difficulty how would you rate this project for someone is isn't a spark jumper?

I am far from a soldering expert. I would rate it a 5 on a scale of 1 - 10.

Great info here, thank you all for your contributions.

I have an enclosed wood cabinet with glass doors I bought from Costco in January. It is fully enclosed, with slits in the rear panels for wires to pass through.

After much reading here and research on the web, I ordered 4 SilenX iXtreme Pro 92mm case fans and the SilenX 4-channel external controller (I like the idea of being able to control each fans speed individually). My cabinet has a large left and right compartment, with each side split (top and bottom) by a single shelf - so 4 compartments cooled by one fan each. Each compartment has a narrow (3" X 12") slit in back for wires to pass through.

I'm wondering about what to do about the rear slits though. I'm thinking about buying a yard of black felt and stapling it over the rear slits so that the fans won't draw air in from the rear. My hope is that the felt will sufficiently block the rear slits so the fans will draw air from the gaps around the front doors, thus pulling air front-to-rear across my components. Does this sound like a reasonable expectation?

I'm looking forward to installing this setup. My AVR runs pretty cool (Pioneer Elite w/Class D amps), but it still gets warm in the cabinet. I also ordered a "Smartstrip" that will turn the fans on/off whenever the AVR powers up/down. The fans I ordered are rated at 9dB at 1100 RPM and 11 dB at 1300 RPM. I hope they are as quiet as advertised.

here are some photos from an install I completed today. I'm not the most handy person, it seems to do the job tho. The system is a little noisier than I would like, probably because of the hatchet job I did. The exhaust holes are complete tho. I have 2 120mm SilenX fans as exhaust with air coming through the intake vent holes in each section. I lost in a battle with the hole saw so drilled intake ventilation holes with a regular drill bit. There's no way for me to get air flowing in from the front other than opening the door. I could probably stick a door bumper on to prop it open a little bit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4920981...7623711443893/

Are those ventilation holes? If so, I think they're way too small in diameter to be very affective.

Dan

Yeah I will have to redo that and cut a larger opening.

Combining your D-Link, Netgear, and Linksys boxes into one unit that does everything would help immensely!

Great suggestion!

Tho I want to avoid having to do it with a hole saw if possible. Those things are scary! (to me at least). Maybe I'll just drill bigger 1" holes with a spade. Hole Saws Are Surprisingly Hazardous that's what Readers digest says anyway

oh and keeping the fans on the lowest setting keeps the noise to an acceptable setting while still providing adequate cooling - tho still want to enlarge those intake holes

At work, but I'll post a pic later if it helps. Anyways, I made a stand-alone amp stand to support my 115 lb Sherbourn 7 channel and and my 35lb 12 channel Niles amp.

Turned out nice, now I'm just looking for a fan to keep them as cool as possible and perhaps throw a few years of life onto them.

Any suggestions?

Essentially, this would just sit behind them and blast away, but, seeing they're "cabinet-less", sound is a bit of a priority.

thanks gang,

James

what and how can you combine the routers with? My son has 3 x-boxes, we have 2 desktop comp. and 3 laptop comp. all using cablevision cable modem service, and a cisco linksys modem. We have problems with laptops interfering with the other units sometimes.

Chester

Most people just have a cable modem connected to a wireless router that has 4 wired ports on it. If you need more wired ports then just buy a simple witch ($20-50). There's really no need to have multiple routers unless you're able to use them as wireless bridges in areas that need to be wired but you can't run a wire.

thank you, I found my problem I was connecting to my company's server and that was making my home system work to hard.

chester

Please offer any assistance or direction, it will be much appreciated.

I recently purchased the Onkyo 9100 Home Theater system and want to use an AV cooling fan to keep my receiver cool. I am new to this process, and have looked at several fans on different sites. They all seem to have different power sources, and different features.

What I'm looking for is a fan that will turn on with my receiver or when temperature requires it. My receiver does not have a plug on the back or a USB, so I will (I'm assuming) need a fan that will require me to remove the metal covering to my receiver and plug the fan into a power supply in my receiver. Is this recommended? Will most power supplies on fans be compatible and not be overtaxing on my receiver's hardware? Is there a fan that could be plugged into a standard outlet, but only be triggered to activate by temperature? I feel that would be ideal, but again, I am a novice to this. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you!

I know there are power strips (smart strips) that will switch on a device when another plugged-in device is turned on. You just plug both the receiver and the fan into the special plugs on the smart strip.

Thank you for the reply! I just checked some out. I suppose I would purchase this and then plug this into my larger home theater surge protector and then only plug the receiver and fan into the smart power strip so I don't cause too much stress by "daisy chaining" from my larger surge protector. I just don't want every component of my home theater dependant on my AV receiver, but the fan I want synched with it.

Any other good comments out there on cooling fans for A/V receivers that can be automatically turned on and off?

I did a write-up on a thermostat-controlled fan for an A/V cabinet that you could check out. I don't remember what the post number is but it's a while back.

.
You may find some of the info and links* Here useful.


* The "... second one is pretty long..." link might look familiar.