Running 5 PWM fans of one MB header

Exsurgo

Exsurgo

Exsurgo

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So basically I have one akasa pwm to 3 fan splitter.

I have 5 pwm fans arriving, 3 which run at 1300rpm and 2 at 1600rpm.

I preferably need to run all the fans off one header in PWM, and let them peak in rpm at about 1100, and idle at ~600.

My motherboard only has 1x 4pin(PWM) header.

Can anyone think of an easier way to do this rather than buying a second akasa splitter and soldering it together with the original one?

(My soldering iron is cheap and horrible)

Bit of a mind twister I know :P
 
You wouldnt need to solder the two splitters. Connect one splitters mobo header to a fan connection on the other splitter cable, this will leave one mobo connector for the board and give you 5 fan mounting points.
 
So I would connect the first splitters MB header to any of the 4pin fan headers on the 2nd splitter. I was hoping that would work, but your clarification puts my mind at ease.

cjgardens said:
Fan controller....?
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The problem is my fan controller will already have 7 or so case fans connected to it, and I would prefer more accurate dynamic fan control from the MB.
 
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Hi, you can't use different fan speeds on a Aska PWM Splitter, the fans must be all of the same speed, IE: x5 Vipers, l found this out when l tried it with a Apache + Viper, l had to put the Apache on a different header.
 
I have different speed and size fans running off the PWM signal of my graphics card and they work just fine. The faster fans just run a bit faster than the slow fans for a certain percentage that's all. In theory, provided you get clean power to each fan and feed them the PWM signal you should be able to control loads if fans, or at least until the PWM wave deteriorates. I just soldered extra wires to the PWM wire and linked them into the correct wire on the fan connector.

I could have used my Akasa PWM solitude but made my own cable assembly because it's more fun.
 
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The fans only have a 300rpm difference at full speed, as opposed to the 600rpm difference between apaches and vipers, so heres to hopeing it will all work out.

If it dosn't I can always use the MB 3 pin headers or the Fan controller.

Did any of the fans not work at all Oldphart?
 
Have you considered that the fan header on your motherboard is probably not designed to provide enough electric current for 5 fans.

They'll either run slowly (not enough current each) or you may burn out the header if the fans try to draw too much current.
 
Surveyor said:
Have you considered that the fan header on your motherboard is probably not designed to provide enough electric current for 5 fans.

They'll either run slowly (not enough current each) or you may burn out the header if the fans try to draw too much current.
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most extender blocks come with additional Molex connector ;)
 
I have 5 Apache fans running PWM from my CPU header on the motherboard.
Use 2 Akasa Splitter cables, one plugged into the other, with power supplied by the molex cable that comes with the splitter.
Works very well.
 
LePhuronn said:
Or I'd get more efficient fans so I wouldn't need 12 of them in a single system :p
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Installing a WC loop over the next few weeks, with 2 x Thermochill PA120.3s, so need a fair few fans :)

I have always found running more fans at lower RPMs is better than a few high speed fans.
 
Exsurgo said:
Installing a WC loop over the next few weeks, with 2 x Thermochill PA120.3s, so need a fair few fans :)
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I gathered as much just after I posted my (supposedly) flippant comment lol

In seriousness however, do you really want to control the fans on your rad? I would've thought it would be best to leave them alone.
 
My PC sounds like a jet atm :D Most of the fans I have ordered are PWM, and a lot of them have a max rpm of ~1600, which would probably be too loud for my tastes.

My Dream is to have a great cooled PC where the fans stay around 600rpm (inaudible) when idle (I do a lot of programming, and the fan noise drives me a bit mad for hours on end :S)

Basically If they run at ~600 idle and ~1000 on load and the system temps stay cool (I want 4.4Ghz from my i7 to at-least partially justify this expensive upgrade path :P)

It has turned into a complicated overkill project with the two rads etc so I might aswell see it through with some crazy fan setup :)
 
Buy a decent fan controller like the Lamptron FC5 that can handle a decent amount of amps per channel (FC5 can take 2.5amps per channel), then daisy chain your fans together.

I have an FC5 with 4 fans from my PA120.4 connected to the first channel, two fans from my dual rad, two case intake fans and two exhaust fans connected to the other channels.. I could have a lot more connected, but that's all the fans that are inside my case.
 
I have been looking at that fan controller to supplement/repalce my current one, but my budget is already completly overstretched atm.

Gonna see first if the 2nd £3.70 akasa splitter works properly with the first one.
 
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