[Wet Thumb Forum]-Fan for DIY hood - DIY Aquarium Projects

Wunderkind · 03-28-2005, 09:12 PM

I was going to use PC case fans to cool my canopy, but I don't want to buy a full-size computer power supply.

Does anyone know of a better option to power these, or am I doing it the best way possible. It is a 55 gallon tank, so I was thinking about putting 4 fans at the back pulling air out, and one or two on the top front to pull cool air in.

TWood · 03-29-2005, 09:09 AM

Most PC fans are DC, and probably 12 volt. Get a wallwart that is rated for more than the total load. A wallwart is a plug/transformer. You can buy them at Radio Shack, or you might already have one lying around that will work. I have one that is driving a PC fan and a LED moonlight.

TW

Hawkeye · 03-29-2005, 01:48 PM

radio shack has some 110v fans I put some in my old over clocked PC to get the heat out. You should be able to get an old PC and gut it. I just tossed a few old PC with good power supplies and fans. Sorry!

Hawk

Wunderkind · 03-29-2005, 04:18 PM

Ya, I was thinking about old pc parts, the only thing I'm not sure about is how hot the power supply will get. And, where to mount it.

MikeCZE · 03-29-2005, 05:30 PM

I'll save you a trip to Radio Shack here. I did a DIY hood refit la few months ago and took my eclipse hood up to 72 watts (courtesy of AH Supply). I had the same concerns about cooling and turned to the garage sale that is ebay. Type in "aquarium cooling fan" and you will find at least a half dozen prebuilt set-ups using PC fans connected to a 12v transformer. The one I got has multiple voltage settings so I brought down the fan speed. If you don't like the size of the fans in the kit you can always get smaller ones and swap them out. This option will probably cost a little more than building them yourself, but it will be easier and may save you an electricity mishap.

JamesHoftiezer · 03-30-2005, 04:47 PM

A 12vdc power supply can be gotten from radio shack for $10-20. They're safe, small and easy to rewire. While you can do 120VAC (I even have a couple, I find the 80mm computer fans cheap easy and quiet.

Rider · 04-06-2005, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TWood:
I have one that is driving a PC fan and a LED moonlight.
TW

I'm more interested in the LED! Got any information or pics of that?

Cheers

A

TWood · 04-06-2005, 03:07 AM

Moonlights

I used one of the triple LED lights in white over my 90 and my 70 gallon. They also sell wallwarts.

TW

Nillo · 06-03-2005, 05:48 AM

You can order PC fans and wallwarts cheap from
http://www.allelectronics.com. I go to the store in Van Nuys, so I don't know what it is like to order from them. The PC fans come in a variety of sizes.

I did notice one problem with your proposed setup. You have fans blowing both in and out. You should only have the fans going in one direction, either all in or all out. I remember reading somewhere about PC cooling (Yes I am a computer geek as well as a plant geek) that fans blowing in or out only are more efficient than in AND out. This was attributed to the turbulence created by the competing fans.

The second snag I can see you running into is volume. It sounds like you are going to have a lot of fans running. If they are all the same size and speed this could create a very loud canopy. One recommendation I will make is to either buy variable fans or install potentiometers on each of the fans to control the voltage. This will allow you to "tune" the fans by having each one at slightly different speeds. If they are all at the same speed the soundwaves will amplify. Whereas if you are able to tune them you will be able to achieve SOME cancelation and create a tone that is more pleasing. Plus potentionmeters are preaty cheap.

Hope that helps.