Stupid fan wiring...

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

I soldered mine directly as long as you can figure out witch end is your - and + as the 3rd wire from the fan is really not needed

[Myka]

Originally Posted by eli@fijireefrock.com

why not get a cheap converter and have it wired directly to your - and + ends of the fan,..voila.

Ya, but I don't know what to do with the third wire. I was just hoping I could find something plug and play.

Originally Posted by eli@fijireefrock.com

I soldered mine directly as long as you can figure out witch end is your - and + as the 3rd wire from the fan is really not needed

Isn't the third wire the LEDs? Or is the third wire for speed control?

[eli@fijireefrock.com]

3rd wire is speed control..in my case I simply cut it out as not using it at all.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by eli@fijireefrock.com

3rd wire is speed control..in my case I simply cut it out as not using it at all.

Ok, I'll pick up a 12V 1400 mA ac adapter and wire it in. Hopefully the LEDs light up. It's not plug and play, but it's easier than I thought it would be.

[mike31154]

Photo would certainly help sort things out. What colours are the 3 wires on the fan? There is a standard colour coding for DC circuits, but you never know these days. It's 12VDC so to run the fan you really only need 2 wires, + & -. The 3rd wire is, as already mentioned, either speed control (requiring additional external circuitry) or for the LEDs.

If you have a 9 volt battery kicking around, it should be easy to find out which are your +- leads. You'll need to cut off the molex connector & strip the wires, or remove the pins. With a jewellers screwdriver, you can generally push the pin out of a molex connector. They have a metal tab that locks the pin in place. Touch the wires to the 9V battery terminals & see in which configuration the fan spins up. Might even light up the LED lights. The fan should run with 9 volts, or at least try to once you get the polarity right. It may even run in either direction if it's reversible. To replace the molex & have a simple interface rather than soldering etc, an adapter as shown in the link below will come in handy in the future. Allows you to adapt your fan wiring to most any wall wart with the standard DC pin connector. Your local electronic supplier may have some of these in stock.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DC12V-Power-P...item259ceb4652

I have a bunch of them to adapt my DIY LED strips.

With respect to the LEDs being waterproof, I doubt your fan itself is waterproof either, being designed for a computer (dry environment). The solder connections will all be relatively exposed unless the fan is rated as being water proof or water resistant. Best to keep it all away from a humid environment. Not a big deal with regard to personal safety with 12VDC, but over the long term, exposed to moisture or excess humidity, the various solder connections will corrode. Having said that, I've used standard 12 volt fans in DIY lights over my tank for years without issue.

[Myka]

Thanks for the help Mike, I'll test with a 9V battery. Good idea! At least then I should be able to figure out if the LEDs are on the third wire or not. The wires don't have color coding - they are wrapped in clear wire coating and I can see the bare wires through the clear coating. The fan is not rated for moist environments, and I don't expect it to last forever, but for $7 I can replace it once a year if I need to. It's going in the back wall of my stand to help move moisture out of the stand.

[babnika]

I am currently running 5 120 mm fans off one of these power supplies.these were purposefully built with the molex connector already built on. your fan should have come with an adapter they also carry them there plug & play

[Myka]

Originally Posted by babnika

I am currently running 5 120 mm fans off one of these power supplies.these were purposefully built with the molex connector already built on. your fan should have come with an adapter they also carry them there plug & play

It might not work because only 2 of the 3 wires go into the Molex. If I use the Molex, the third wire is still to be accounted for. If the third wire is indeed for speed control, and not the LEDs, then I'm golden. I'm going to do the test Mike mentioned with the 9V battery, then take a trip to my electronic shop and see what I can fabricate.