PC Wiring Help...Plz

Hello all,
I'm a long time reader & soon to be first time grower. Although I've read several threads on PC wiring, I've ordered a fan that's a little beyond me & I'm hoping the more experienced members can give me a hand.

The fan has 3 wires coming out of it, instead of 2. One blue, one red, and one black. So, first question, do I ignore the blue wire and only use the black and red one? Or do I need a diff kind of power cord/adapter now?

The fan also is labeled as 1.6A, which I didn't notice before purchase. This appears to be alot more than most PC fans I saw when reading. I read somewhere that power cord/adapters should be rated at least the Amps of ur fan + 20%. Does this mean I need a power cord/adapter rated nearly 2A?

Thanks for reading through. Can't wait to here your comments & get started growing & finally get a grow journal going myself

I believe you need to attach that one to this.


I've seen fans like those in custom pc builds before so I know it should work with a PSU. Just use the black and red.

just use the red and black wires, the blue one is for a speed sensor which you will most likely not be using.

I had the same question when I pulled a fan like that out of my PC, but I just hooked up the red and black and it worked fine.

Look bro, just get any 12v DC adapter and strip the wires and use that. That is what I have done, but have it wired in parallel with two five inch fans, and it works perfect! Disregard the blue fan speed wire.

man, i don't know why people don't just go to radio shack, they have the fans that don't require an adapter, all you do is twist the wires into the plug and away you go.

Y dont they just buy a proper fan for the job?

I guess another question is what will this fan be used for ? Equipment cooling or venting a grow box or a light??

If it's the for venting I would (imho) seriously reconsider and look into a real fan solution. If its for venting get a real fan, brushed type (ie vortex) and and a fan rheostat for your grow box... you will be so much happier with that set up.

Computer fans do not do well under push/pull loads, they weren't designed for that to begin with. Nothing like having an overheat situation (fried plants) cause your fan kaked in the middle of the night.

Good Luck

Kayuman

Thanks for all the input everyone,
so if I've gathered it all correctly, if I'm going to use my current fan I'd be okay by just stripping the red/black and wiring it to a 12V adapter. However, it would be more preferred to use an inline duct fan, such as the vortex.

I've seen a number of grows work seeming well with a PC fan, so I think I'm going to give it a try first. If it doesn't turn out as planned though, I know the next step to take from there.

Thanks again

TokemonGo said:

Thanks for all the input everyone,
so if I've gathered it all correctly, if I'm going to use my current fan I'd be okay by just stripping the red/black and wiring it to a 12V adapter. However, it would be more preferred to use an inline duct fan, such as the vortex.

I've seen a number of grows work seeming well with a PC fan, so I think I'm going to give it a try first. If it doesn't turn out as planned though, I know the next step to take from there.

Thanks again

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i wanna see a grow with a single computer fan hooked up..............that might work for veg but will not work for a flower (maybe a 2 joint crop but thats about it) and i am NOT tryin to be a dick, thats just my opinion

TokemonGo said:

The fan also is labeled as 1.6A, which I didn't notice before purchase. This appears to be alot more than most PC fans I saw when reading. I read somewhere that power cord/adapters should be rated at least the Amps of ur fan + 20%. Does this mean I need a power cord/adapter rated nearly 2A?

Click to expand...

yes if the label is correct .but that sounds like a very powerful fan(for a PC) could the label be misprinted & draw .16 amps?
you could try a much smaller transformer while you are present and see if it overheats. a 500 milliamp transformer will get to hot to hold after a few minutes if the fan is trying to draw 1.6 amps.
be careful when you do this as a transformer can start a fire.

mrmadcow said:

yes if the label is correct .but that sounds like a very powerful fan(for a PC) could the label be misprinted & draw .16 amps?
you could try a much smaller transformer while you are present and see if it overheats. a 500 milliamp transformer will get to hot to hold after a few minutes if the fan is trying to draw 1.6 amps.
be careful when you do this as a transformer can start a fire.

Click to expand...

Yeah go ahead and get an adapter and try it out. Be sure to check heat levels on the unit though like mrmadcow said.

sqhschief said:

Yeah go ahead and get an adapter and try it out. Be sure to check heat levels on the unit though like mrmadcow said.

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just look for the gray wire from main plug for the mother board .cut the gray and any black wire and hook them together and you can use as many fans as you want.....thats how i got mine and works great.........

mrmadcow said:

yes if the label is correct .but that sounds like a very powerful fan(for a PC) could the label be misprinted & draw .16 amps?
you could try a much smaller transformer while you are present and see if it overheats. a 500 milliamp transformer will get to hot to hold after a few minutes if the fan is trying to draw 1.6 amps.
be careful when you do this as a transformer can start a fire.

Click to expand...

I looked up the fan on the manufacturer's site and you were right. It was a misprint. The fan actually draws 1.25A.
If you wanna check it out just because, here's the site: http://www.delta.com.tw/product/cp/dcfans/download/pdf/AFB/AFB120x120x38mm.pdf
I have the "AFB1212SHE-CF00" model.

wyteboi said:

i wanna see a grow with a single computer fan hooked up..............that might work for veg but will not work for a flower (maybe a 2 joint crop but thats about it) and i am NOT tryin to be a dick, thats just my opinion

Click to expand...

I just harvest my first crop. Got 1.25 oz off my plant with the single fan...