[flem]

I've got a dual drive upgraded 3030 showstopper with an added fan installed inside the case. The machine is now set up in my bedroom with the fan on 24/7 and its starting to bug me. I've considered adding a rheostat type switch or an on/off switch to turn fan off at night. But I think it would make more sense to have the fan come on only when the HDs are spinning. Has anyone attempted this yet? Any ideas best ways to do this or if this is a stupid idea. Is it as simple as splicing the fan wires in series with the power supply wires of the HD. Would that alter the voltage to the HD and possible damage them?


Help appreciated

 

[rkramer]

First, I think the hard drive spins all the time anyway. At least I've never heard mine spin down...


next, you COULD splice into those lines, but hard drives are never shut down by the power lines, it is an IDE command to spin down the drive, so if you did that the fan would continue to spin away anyway...


One trick I've used for computer supply fans is to run the fan (-) to the +5 (red) line on the hd, and run the (+) to the +12v (yellow) hd line. In effect giving you 7 volts; most fans become almost entirely silent at that speed without reducing the output much. (IIRC, noise increments at a fairly quick rate, much faster than a nice linear function, the output isn't hurt much since at higher speeds you also generate more turbulence, so less efficiency at moving air and more noise...)