Can not tell which is which ( pc fan )

[420tyme]

I got this pc fan for exhaust and wired it up and tried it out , but i can not feel the air ,

I do not know which way to put it in my cab because i can not tell which way it is blowing

i know that their are alot of you on here that uses pc fans for exhaust and intake , so im hoping you can tell me which way to put .

also their was a white wire along with the red and black one

i only wired the red and black , not the white

the fan works , but should i also connect the white one ?
if so what do i connect it to ?

 

[Panama Red]

Decent muffin fans have an arrow stamped on the edge of the housing indicating airflow.

Are you sure it's actually running?

If you can't feel the airflow when it's running, you'd be better off trying to vent your cab by sucking out the air with a straw.

 

[chappie]

you will need to connect both wires, one to the positive of your transformer's output and one to the negative. You can just switch them back and forth until it works, it probably won't work in the other configuration. And yeah, if you can't feel the air obviously going in one direction or the other, use a different fan.

 

[Esrar]

pack a pipe, smoke, blow smoke to fan and see which way the smoke goes

 

[420tyme]

yes it works , i just cant feel it , maybe not enough power idk

im using a cell phone charger to power it

ill look for that arrow and ill try what Esrar said also .

thanks guys ,

 

[420tyme]

Found arrows ( 2 )

positioned like this ^ >


so does the arrow that is positioned like this > means that is the side the air flows ?

 

[Panama Red]

One indicates the direction the blades turn when connected correctly, the other indicates air movement.

 

[420tyme]

i got it now , i can feel it some now

i do not think it was rotating fast enough at first , as if the fan has not been used in a long time and was stiff

when i plugged it back in it was barely moving i had to give it a nug to get it going .

but it finally stayed turning once it got going

 

[Panama Red]

Those little Datech fans don't move a lot of air.

You probably got it out of a Dell.

If you're only using it for venting a small amount of heat you might get away with it.

You certainly couldn't use it with a filter/scrubber.

 

[420tyme]

Those little Datech fans don't move a lot of air.

You probably got it out of a Dell.

If you're only using it for venting a small amount of heat you might get away with it.

You certainly couldn't use it with a filter/scrubber.

yes it came from a dell the logo is on the back

i got it from this little used junk store , their was alot of old used fans in their

but i did not know which one to get , iv never used a pc fan before

and my cab is small ,

i was planing on using that fan for exhaust and getting 2 more for intake



its 18" deep

22" wide

and 13" to light

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

Hi 420tyme:
Another thing that can affect your fans performance is if the leading edge of the blades have any dust buildup on them.... You would be amazed at how much of a difference it makes in fan output. However like others have stated... most of the low output may be the fan itself not being powerful enough.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Is the fan's voltage matched by the chargers? If you've got a 12V fan and a 1.5V charger that would explain a great deal.

 

[420tyme]

Is the fan's voltage matched by the chargers? If you've got a 12V fan and a 1.5V charger that would explain a great deal.

i just checked and the cell phone charger im using to power it says 5.0 v

and the fan is 12 .

so i guess it is the cell charger not being strong enough

do they make power cords for these fans ?

 

[FreezerBoy]

If it's a 12V fan, it's DC and needs a DC/AC converter. Simply attaching a powercord will fry the fan when you plug it into a 120V outlet.

 

[420tyme]

If it's a 12V fan, it's DC and needs a DC/AC converter. Simply attaching a powercord will fry the fan when you plug it into a 120V outlet.

ok thanks my man ,

ill go to amazon or somewhere and get one

maybe i can find a used one somewhere ..


EDIT ,

all these converters plug in to cigarette lighter outlets ,like whats in your car

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=DC%2FAC+converter&x=17&y=21

do they not make a converter box that has the 120v cord on it so you can plug it into your wall receptacle ?

i might just be better off getting the ac fans instead of the dc .

 

[FreezerBoy]

Those convert 12V DC to 120V AC. You want one that converts 120V AC to 12V DC.

Took a little digging but, here's the place to start: The ultimate beginner's guide to PC FANS

 

[420tyme]

Those convert 12V DC to 120V AC. You want one that converts 120V AC to 12V DC.

Took a little digging but, here's the place to start: The ultimate beginner's guide to PC FANS

oh , ( silly me , duhhhh )

thanks for the great info my man

 

[Eatatjoes]

Look at the second hand store you got the fan at, there should be a box of power supplies like those used for cordless phones (not cell phones) and cheap small radios. Try and match the output of the power supply to the fans input power and you'll be set. Then make sure you've got the wires hooked up correctly because if the fan is spinning in reverse you won't get much airflow due to the blade design.

 

[Panama Red]

^Good thing to remember about the polarity being correct on DC fans^

Also, you should skip the 2 intake/1 exhaust plan as that will cause positive pressure in the cab.

Better off using a 2nd or even a 3rd one of those for exhaust and sticking with passive intake and creating a slight negative pressure system in your cab.

Before buying anything else though, read The link FreezerBoy tagged for you.

Understanding what you need first might steer you to investing in a single more efficient fan that will give you enough airflow for your size cab and be powerful enough to pull through a scrubber to eliminate the inevitable smells.

What's the model # on that fan?

 

[FreezerBoy]

Also, you should skip the 2 intake/1 exhaust plan as that will cause positive pressure in the cab.

2X intakes will not cause positive pressure. They simply allow the exhaust fan to operate more efficiently. Many use 3X and even 4X. Positive pressure comes from intake fans.