Jump to content

[WORKS] Controlling 3pin fans with PWM

hihihi8
By hihihi8
in Cooling
 Share
Posted

Hi peeps. I've got a new experiment I'm preparing to test. As the title suggests, it's got to do with controlling non-PWM fans using PWM.

 

The basic logic goes: I have a PWM-controlled power amplifier module, which is basically a relay switched on and off using a pwm signal. the switch turns on/off the main 12V rail, which is fed to a fan. this essentially adds a PWM circuit to a motor (which is the fan in this case).

IMG_20180415_194647.thumb.jpg.2d630f1d8089dc073c27fada08b348a5.jpg

IMG_20180415_194650.thumb.jpg.cadaa5ead514e7a580a7b6116d21719e.jpg

Thoughts and opinions guys? 

PC 0: Pinky 2.0

Ryzen 9 5950x — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 5 @3600Mhz CL14-13-13-28-288 — ROG Crosshair 8 Dark Hero — RX 6900 XT — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2TB — Samsung PM961 1TB — WD Blue 4TB HDD — Corsair AX1500i — Thermaltake Core P5 

 

PC 1: Pinky (Yes that is her name) Here's the build

Xeon E5-1680V3 — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Samsung 950Pro 512GB — Seagate 2TB HDD — Corsair RM1000 — Thermaltake Core P5

 

PC 1.1: Pinky (Mom Edition) Here's the build

i7-5960X — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 3 1TB — Samsung Q 870 Evo 4TB — Corsair HX850i — InWin S-Frame #190

 

PC 2: Red Box/Scarlet Overkill (Dual Xeon)

Xeon E5-2687W x2 — 96GB Kingston DDR3 ECC REG @1333Mhz — EVGA Classified SR-X Dual CPU — GTX 1070 SLI (2-WAY) —Hardline Loop — Samsung 750 EVO 256GB — Seagate 2TB 2.5" HDD x3 — Self-Built Case

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I've been looking for something like that for ages I have so many 3 pin fans I don't know what to do with them 

 

Definitely interested to see how it goes!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
1 hour ago, light-v said:

I've been looking for something like that for ages I have so many 3 pin fans I don't know what to do with them 

 

Definitely interested to see how it goes!

It works alright! Just tested it. I wonder why nobody has commercialized this solution yet... This thing literally cost me 3.75 dollars to make lol :D

PC 0: Pinky 2.0

Ryzen 9 5950x — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 5 @3600Mhz CL14-13-13-28-288 — ROG Crosshair 8 Dark Hero — RX 6900 XT — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2TB — Samsung PM961 1TB — WD Blue 4TB HDD — Corsair AX1500i — Thermaltake Core P5 

 

PC 1: Pinky (Yes that is her name) Here's the build

Xeon E5-1680V3 — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Samsung 950Pro 512GB — Seagate 2TB HDD — Corsair RM1000 — Thermaltake Core P5

 

PC 1.1: Pinky (Mom Edition) Here's the build

i7-5960X — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 3 1TB — Samsung Q 870 Evo 4TB — Corsair HX850i — InWin S-Frame #190

 

PC 2: Red Box/Scarlet Overkill (Dual Xeon)

Xeon E5-2687W x2 — 96GB Kingston DDR3 ECC REG @1333Mhz — EVGA Classified SR-X Dual CPU — GTX 1070 SLI (2-WAY) —Hardline Loop — Samsung 750 EVO 256GB — Seagate 2TB 2.5" HDD x3 — Self-Built Case

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
5 hours ago, hihihi8 said:

It works alright! Just tested it. I wonder why nobody has commercialized this solution yet... This thing literally cost me 3.75 dollars to make lol :D

By saying it works, you mean that fan receives power and goes to full speed every time it reveices power? Can you show some rpm graphs so we can actually validate that this would be effective and safe way to control fans? Which would have some advantage over normal voltage based controlling like smoother curves and sub-40% starting rpm?

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author
10 hours ago, LoGiCalDrm said:

By saying it works, you mean that fan receives power and goes to full speed every time it reveices power? Can you show some rpm graphs so we can actually validate that this would be effective and safe way to control fans? Which would have some advantage over normal voltage based controlling like smoother curves and sub-40% starting rpm?

I was only able to try it briefly using my motherboard's pwm header and messing with the curves (which was able to change the RPM of the pans in real time). However that wasn't a very scientific testing method. I've tried my Aquaero, though for some reason it seems to be using voltage instead of PWM even on the PWM headers. 

 

What I've done now is I've just bought a PWM signal generator. When that arrives, I'll try to plot a PWM%-to-RPM curve. Basically, I will connect the RPM wire to the motherboard, use the PWM generator to send the pulses, then gradually adjust the PWM % ratio while measuring the RPM.

PC 0: Pinky 2.0

Ryzen 9 5950x — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 5 @3600Mhz CL14-13-13-28-288 — ROG Crosshair 8 Dark Hero — RX 6900 XT — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2TB — Samsung PM961 1TB — WD Blue 4TB HDD — Corsair AX1500i — Thermaltake Core P5 

 

PC 1: Pinky (Yes that is her name) Here's the build

Xeon E5-1680V3 — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Samsung 950Pro 512GB — Seagate 2TB HDD — Corsair RM1000 — Thermaltake Core P5

 

PC 1.1: Pinky (Mom Edition) Here's the build

i7-5960X — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 3 1TB — Samsung Q 870 Evo 4TB — Corsair HX850i — InWin S-Frame #190

 

PC 2: Red Box/Scarlet Overkill (Dual Xeon)

Xeon E5-2687W x2 — 96GB Kingston DDR3 ECC REG @1333Mhz — EVGA Classified SR-X Dual CPU — GTX 1070 SLI (2-WAY) —Hardline Loop — Samsung 750 EVO 256GB — Seagate 2TB 2.5" HDD x3 — Self-Built Case

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted
  • Author

UPDATE: I've been able to test it briefly with a few crappy DeepCool fan I had lying around. No graphs or anything fancy yet. It seems the controller I made is quite sensitive to the model of fan used. On average, I was able to get the fans' RPM down to levels below what is detectable by my motherboard header, so around ~400-450 RPM (at a PWM cycle of 8-9%). From then on, the climb to max RPM is quite steady. I found that the regular fan actually maxes out its RPM at around a 35% PWM cycle, instead of the ~80% I was expecting. While not pretty for people like me with OCD, it is definitely still usable.

 

I'll be posting a follow up when I have more time and fans to test.

 

I'm also planning on testing a PWM-controlled-Voltage version of this module, since that might give better control due to 3pin fans being designed for voltage-control.

PC 0: Pinky 2.0

Ryzen 9 5950x — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 5 @3600Mhz CL14-13-13-28-288 — ROG Crosshair 8 Dark Hero — RX 6900 XT — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2TB — Samsung PM961 1TB — WD Blue 4TB HDD — Corsair AX1500i — Thermaltake Core P5 

 

PC 1: Pinky (Yes that is her name) Here's the build

Xeon E5-1680V3 — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Samsung 950Pro 512GB — Seagate 2TB HDD — Corsair RM1000 — Thermaltake Core P5

 

PC 1.1: Pinky (Mom Edition) Here's the build

i7-5960X — 64GB G.Skill Ripjaws 4 @2400Mhz — MSi X99A Godlike Gaming — GTX 980Ti SLI (2-WAY) — Hardline Loop — Sabrent Rocket 3 1TB — Samsung Q 870 Evo 4TB — Corsair HX850i — InWin S-Frame #190

 

PC 2: Red Box/Scarlet Overkill (Dual Xeon)

Xeon E5-2687W x2 — 96GB Kingston DDR3 ECC REG @1333Mhz — EVGA Classified SR-X Dual CPU — GTX 1070 SLI (2-WAY) —Hardline Loop — Samsung 750 EVO 256GB — Seagate 2TB 2.5" HDD x3 — Self-Built Case

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Cooling

×