Fan controls

[Maverike-prime]

hey all, anyone know a way to wire in a control switch to an ANTEC LED-Tricool 80mm fan? Basically, what I want to do is be able to turn off the blue LEDs with out turning off the fan itself. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[AJ@PR]

Well, ... I'm unsure....

If you don't care much for the fan, just yank-out the LEDs.

If you do such a thing, please snap before/after pics, and post them here.

I think the LEDs are wired into the fan input lines... think...

[dgrmkrp]

i don't have a tri-cool led fan to play with now, but if they are like normal led fans, you just have to trace the + input of the leds and put a switch in series there.. this way, you can turn them off put some pics up so we can see what u do

[Maverike-prime]

Well, ... I'm unsure....

If you don't care much for the fan, just yank-out the LEDs.

If you do such a thing, please snap before/after pics, and post them here.

I think the LEDs are wired into the fan input lines... think...

We'll here's the situation, I think a jet black case would look with a blue glow from from it. However, since said case will be residing in my parents living room, I need to make a compromise. Hence the desire for a switch.

[SgtM]

i don't have a tri-cool led fan to play with now, but if they are like normal led fans, you just have to trace the + input of the leds and put a switch in series there.. this way, you can turn them off put some pics up so we can see what u do

He's right. Since the LED's get thier power from the fan leads, you will have to essentially intersect the positive leads with your swith. Maybe getting CCFL's or that neon wire would be easier. CCFL's/neon wire = simple solution. Modding fans = time consuming, but what we're all about here.

[Maverike-prime]

Okay, now I'm stumped. I took the fan and one by one cut the wires trying to determine which would cut out of the LEDs but not stop the fan. Here's what I found:
Wire 1: No effect
wire 2: Fan Stops, LEDs stop
Wire 3: Fan Stops, LEDs stop

any insight anyone?

[AJ@PR]

Okay, now I'm stumped. I took the fan and one by one cut the wires trying to determine which would cut out of the LEDs but not stop the fan. Here's what I found:
Wire 1: No effect
wire 2: Fan Stops, LEDs stop
Wire 3: Fan Stops, LEDs stop

any insight anyone?

I think you're cutting the 'fan' wires...

Can you cut the LED's wires?
I mean, look at the LED straight in the face...
Tell him You're going down h0m3z!...
Trace the wires that give him power...
Cut those suckers out...
Watch him go night-night...
Say Hasta la vista, Baby...

[Maverike-prime]

Those three wires are all there are. Well those and the three leading to the fan speed control, but I tried those as well and they have no effect on weather the fan or LEDs is on.

[dgrmkrp]

well... actually.. those the fan wires.. but you have to think in terms of electronics.. inside, the fan has several coils, circuits and the leds who need power.. basically, the leds are not affected by the fan speed control with this design because they are separated from the fan motor.. not important in this case, but nice what u need to do is look at the fan from it's side.. or from it's bottom.. different manufacturers use different techniques.. that said, look where the leds are.. they should have 2 tiny legs and wires/traces going somewhere from there one is the +, the other is ground.. the + is the one u wanna intersect and it usually has 2 things to make it obvious it's the +: it has a resistance in series to limit the current the led "sees" or you look at the led and the smaller horse-head/tower-shaped "thingy" inside the led is the "plus-thingy"... that is the wire you wanna intercept... and, of course, if u wish to switch the leds one by one.. you can stop here.. or you can trace the wire down to the source.. which is somewhere on the back of the motor, on a pcb
hope i helped,
happy modding

[slytherock]

If it's the kind of fan I'm thinking of, it may be difficult to do (doable but difficult). Those leds seems to be powered, not by the PSU, but by the fan itself. When fan spin, it work like a dynamo, wich mean that the only way you can accomplish this is to open the fan, find a way to plug a switch between the dynamo and the leds...

My bad, I just checked teh fan in question, and it can be done with only 2 little soldering. Ok, what you have to do is:
1- there is a (probably green) wire going all around the fan. Find the ends of it, it's probably connected to the actual wires.
2- unsolder ONE of them, it can be the black or the red one, it doesnt matter.
3- connect you switch (or the wires leading to the switch) to it
4- Et voila!!!

Have fun