PC Case fan

[JIP]

Hi

Have an ageing PC to work on ( a bespoke unit built by a local shop). Some years old, XP based, Athlon X2.

The case fan that sucks air out has packed in. Need advice on replacing it.

It is 8cm square, 2.5 cm thick.

A twin cable leads from it - one red wire, one black/red.

That goes to a white plastic comnnector, the red wire linking to the yellow cable in the connector, and the red/black wire linking to the first of two black cables in the connector. That connector is then linked to a matching connector that has braqnched off from the power supply from the PSU to the DVD drive.

There are no labels or anything on the defunct fan.

So, how do I identify a fan to replace the dead one?

Cheers

[Andy Burns]

They're pretty standard, you just need an 80mm 12V fan, you choice of sleeve or ball bearing, you might be luckY and get the type of connector you need, or unlucky and have to do some soldering

it a standard Molex connector as used on 3.5" disc drives? If so you should be lucky ...

[Andy Burns]

e.g. specifically

[Owain]

Yellow and black on a disc drive connector strongly suggests 12V. (the red on the disc drive connector is 5V)

A google for '8 cm case fan' produces lots. They're probably fairly standard.

Owain

[Nick Odell]

I've picked up fans like this:

the termination is in a through-connector for standard drives. It doesn't matter whether the fan is 5v or 12v: it will be wired onto the correct pins for the connector anyway.

Nick

[John Rumm]

Sounds like a bog standard 12V fan. Try and fine a ball bearing version to replace it with. Most modern ones will come with three wires. It will still run from the adaptor lead you have however. (you may even find you have a chasis fan output on the motherboard, which would be better still.

[Alan]

In message , JIP wrote

It will be a 12V fan of approximately 1 to 2W. 80mm x 25mm is a standard size.

The white connector is known as a MOLEX connector.

Search Ebay for "80mm fan MOLEX", "80mm Fan" or "MOLEX fan Adapeter". Guide price - well under a fiver for the fan.

For instance this may fit

Or this

Or get a 80mm fan with 3pins and a MOLEX adapter

In your case the 3rd pin is unused/ not connected.

The Ebay links are just for reference for price/and an indication of what's available

[Alan]

In message , Alan wrote

[edit] Second hand fans not recommended but there will be other examples of similar new items on Ebay [/edit]

[JIP]

£3 including postage it's worth a gamble.

[Theo Markettos]

Fans can have two, three or four wires.

Two wire fans are just power and ground. Ground is black, anything else is power (eg 12V if a 12V fan).

Three wire fans are power, ground and tach. Tach can be yellow, power is red (even if it's 12V), or power is yellow and tach is green.

Four wire fans are power, ground, tach and control (PWM) - being black, yellow, green and blue respectively, or alternatively black/red/yellow/blue.

Three wire fans will fit onto sockets for 4 wires, missing out the right pin.

So looks like you have a two wire fan taking 12V, red/black being ground and red being 12V.

Theo