Question about installing case fans?

Question

I know how to install case fans, but this is the first time I've had to install a case fan into a fan controller. I know that fans can power themselves through the fan headers on the motherboard. However, in the fan controller, the case plug has two of the three pins, but still has room for the third to go in.

So my question is, if I use a fan controller, do I also have to use molex cables to power the fans?

Thanks.

Treloar · Accepted Answer

Okay, the pin-outs for fans is simply thus:

1. The two pin variety have positive and negative pins, supplying power to the fan.

2. The three pin variety is as above plus the 3rd pin which is for the sensor to read the fan speed.

3. The four pin variety you see being used is PWM, the first two pins are power, the 3rd pin is the sensor and the forth the PWM to control the fan speed depending on the heat being produced by the system.

Your fan controller, if it only has 2 pins for the fan must be regulating the voltage being supplied to the fan to slow it down or speed it up depending on what setting you set the controller to.  A variable resistor called a potentiometer is used to limit or allow how much voltage is supplied to your fan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

Chances are you will plug from a molex on your PSU and connect on through to the fan, some of these setups may have a single wire coming off to a standard motherboard connector so your fan registers its speed in the BIOS or a program install to your PC such as HWMonitor from CPUID - http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

? · Answer

of direction ! so why the situations with followers are extra costly than others with out fan? a fan fastened on decrease back and a fan fastened above the CPU could cool it down for no less than 5 stages.(Exhaust fan)

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Question about installing case fans?

2 Answers