YS-Tech 120mm 131cfm fan

ruquick · 08-26-2001, 05:02 PM

Is there a rheostat that can handle the load these loud things require? I orderd my water cooling stuff the other day because I am loosing my hearing from all the fans it takes to keep my rig cool. I would like to use a couple of rheostats to slow down the two 120mm YS-Tech fans in my case. I plan on using them on the radiator when I get my stuff in. All I have heen able to find is rheostats rated up to 5w and the fans are like 7.9w each. If I can use a 5w without burning it up I will, but I dont want to take a chance unless I have too. I need some help with this!!

vfrjim · 08-26-2001, 06:07 PM

I bought a reostat from Radio Shack and it worked fine on that Fan, damm loud by the way without the reostat

Jim

ruquick · 08-26-2001, 07:23 PM

Thanks!! That is where I was going to buy them at (Radio Shack).

Mumrik · 08-26-2001, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim:
(...) damm loud by the way without the reostat
Jim

Yup, but they are great fun

It's kinda funny to put one on the table or floor standing and watch it move around....
ok, I'm nuts, I know

redleader · 08-27-2001, 11:17 PM

Quote:

If I can use a 5w without burning it up I will, but I dont want to take a chance unless I have too. I need some help with this!!

Divide the voltage of the fan by the current it uses (.65amps). That gives you resistance of your fan (18.5ohms). Then divide the max resistance of your rheostat by itself plus the reistance of the fan (rheo/rheo+fan). Finally times that by the total power use of the fan (7.9w). That gives your power dissapation of the rheostat. For safety's sake, try and be a little bit above that number. Or put a sink on it like I did

For example a 100ohm rheostat will need to be rated at least 7w, because it uses 6.66w at 100 ohms. A 5w 25ohm rheostat would be Ok in this case (it would use 4.5w), though it will get a bit warm.

ruquick · 08-28-2001, 05:05 AM

Has anyone ever tried to put a fuse on one so if it does burn out it will blow the fuse before it catches on fire or waste the psu? Just curious!

redleader · 08-29-2001, 06:46 PM

If you did burn out a rheostat it would do one of two things:

1) Disconnect the fan
2) Stop resisting at all and push the fan to normal speed again.

2) isn't a problem, it just gets a bit louder. 1) is, so when you wire a rheostat some people hook up the third lead to the the same wire as the 2nd. Sorry I can't explain it better, I have to goto work, but basically that way if the varable part of the resistor fails current can still flow through the fixed amount (not much, but on smaller units enough to move the fan).

It can't short because it has only positive or negative, but not both.

ruquick · 08-29-2001, 08:26 PM

Thanks for the info. I got the rheostats in the mail today so I will give it a try. I guess I will just use the shutdown program with motherboard monitor so I dont have to worry about it if the rheostat fails and shuts the fan down. Thanks again!!

08-26-2001, 05:02 PM	#1
ruquick Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Houston, Texas USA Posts: 7	YS-Tech 120mm 131cfm fan Is there a rheostat that can handle the load these loud things require? I orderd my water cooling stuff the other day because I am loosing my hearing from all the fans it takes to keep my rig cool. I would like to use a couple of rheostats to slow down the two 120mm YS-Tech fans in my case. I plan on using them on the radiator when I get my stuff in. All I have heen able to find is rheostats rated up to 5w and the fans are like 7.9w each. If I can use a 5w without burning it up I will, but I dont want to take a chance unless I have too. I need some help with this!!

08-26-2001, 06:07 PM	#2
vfrjim Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 77	I bought a reostat from Radio Shack and it worked fine on that Fan, damm loud by the way without the reostat Jim

08-26-2001, 07:23 PM	#3
ruquick Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Houston, Texas USA Posts: 7	Thanks!! That is where I was going to buy them at (Radio Shack).

08-28-2001, 05:05 AM	#6
ruquick Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Houston, Texas USA Posts: 7	Has anyone ever tried to put a fuse on one so if it does burn out it will blow the fuse before it catches on fire or waste the psu? Just curious!

08-29-2001, 06:46 PM	#7
redleader Thermophile Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: The deserts of Tucson, Az Posts: 1,264	If you did burn out a rheostat it would do one of two things: 1) Disconnect the fan 2) Stop resisting at all and push the fan to normal speed again. 2) isn't a problem, it just gets a bit louder. 1) is, so when you wire a rheostat some people hook up the third lead to the the same wire as the 2nd. Sorry I can't explain it better, I have to goto work, but basically that way if the varable part of the resistor fails current can still flow through the fixed amount (not much, but on smaller units enough to move the fan). It can't short because it has only positive or negative, but not both.

08-29-2001, 08:26 PM	#8
ruquick Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Houston, Texas USA Posts: 7	Thanks for the info. I got the rheostats in the mail today so I will give it a try. I guess I will just use the shutdown program with motherboard monitor so I dont have to worry about it if the rheostat fails and shuts the fan down. Thanks again!!

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