What's the best way to add fans to a cab?

[shateredsoul]

I'd like to add vents and fans to the cabinet itself (maybe in the back?) to help keep my pc cool and avoid overheating.

How do people typically create vents? I was hoping to use a usb powered fan

[Blanka]

Don't! Just pick a good cool PC (not with a NvidiATI GTX93048200Radeon 1Kw videocard) and make the cab function as a chimney. And if you pick Intel, in the worst case it just stops, and there is no risk for a situation like seen on many AMD Youtube melting accident videos.

[juksu]

I think it is better to make some wents so that the heat dosn't build up in the cab. Heat rises up so I would make couple of holes somewhere top/back of the cabin and couple holes bottom of the cab where the fresh air flows in. The warm / cold air flows slowly from bottom to top so I don't know if you need fans, but if you use, get 120cm silent fans that dosn't run much over 1000rpm. USB has only 5v and fans usualy use 12V so you have to take the power inside of your computer or use a external 12v powersupply.

[shateredsoul]

what about this? I think this is designed to work off of usb... I do have Intel, Hmm so Maybe it won't be an issue.  But if I'm going to build a vent i'd rather do it now while I'm still in the early stages.

By the way, my pc is an HP... which is why I'm worried.  I heard they don't have much breathing room as it is. Intel i7, ati radeon hd 4850, 2 internal harddrives and one external, but the external plugs in directly into the tower so it's practically inside. Most of my collection is on the internal hdd I installed and the external hdd.  I have newer systems that are space hogs..... gamecube, ps2, wii, dreamcast, psx, and saturn

[zafdor]

I think it is better to make some wents so that the heat dosn't build up in the cab. Heat rises up so I would make couple of holes somewhere top/back of the cabin and couple holes bottom of the cab where the fresh air flows in. The warm / cold air flows slowly from bottom to top so I don't know if you need fans, but if you use, get 120cm silent fans that dosn't run much over 1000rpm. USB has only 5v and fans usualy use 12V so you have to take the power inside of your computer or use a external 12v powersupply.

Yes, spot on.  I've been putting the upper vent hidden in the back as a hand hold for moving the cab and the lower vent on the bottom of the cab.  There is not a lot of power available on USB, so I am no so sure you will be able to move much air this way.   The only way to know if you need one is to MEASURE the temp of the cab.  Get an el cheapo indoor/outdoor thermometer and if the temp stays below 100F around any of the electronics you're good to go.

If you're worried about acoustics, bury the fan in the cab away from inlets and outlets.  A series resistor in the power lead can be used to slow the fan, but there is the potential for a lot of power to be dissipated in it, so you may want to shy away from this.  You may find hooking a 12V fan to 5V gives you enough flow and is bearly audible.  If you do put a fan in, the basic rule is to assure the fan is sucking cool air from outside, into the area you want cooled and is then exhausted to the outside (preferable away from where you suck the air in).  I teach a class in data center cooling and there have been studies showing on average 70% of cooling air is misdirected, the rules are simple, but you need to apply them!

[shateredsoul]

Oh? Good to know, I was going to set up the fan blowing out (to get hot air out)

so if I have a fan near the computer (on the back of the cab near the bottom) blowing air in, and a hole near the top, this should be fine.. right?  It's hard to test it out since I'd like to have the holes cuts before the cab is assembled.

[Ed_McCarron]

Oh? Good to know, I was going to set up the fan blowing out (to get hot air out)

Dunno if theres any actual science to it, but I try to keep positive pressure in my cabinets (arcade and otherwise) so that every little crack doesn't attract dust.

[gryhnd]

My upright uses two fans blowing IN from the sides (two b/c they are a design element) to the PC compartment, and one at the very top of the cab blowing OUT. To maintain air flow bottom to top,  I put vent holes in the monitor shelf b/w the PC compartment and the monitor compartment. Works well for me.

My cocktail, where the PC lives just under the table surface, has two passive vents in the bottom of the cocktail carcass, and two fans exhausting OUT that pull hot air right off the top of the PC's M.B. In this case I used two fans to get good airflow because the M.B. and the monitor coexist in a very compact space.

All of them run off external power supplies. A spare AT PSU in the upright, a spare 12V wall wart in the cocktail.

[shateredsoul]

My upright uses two fans blowing IN from the sides (two b/c they are a design element) to the PC compartment, and one at the very top of the cab blowing OUT. To maintain air flow bottom to top,  I put vent holes in the monitor shelf b/w the PC compartment and the monitor compartment. Works well for me.

My cocktail, where the PC lives just under the table surface, has two passive vents in the bottom of the cocktail carcass, and two fans exhausting OUT that pull hot air right off the top of the PC's M.B. In this case I used two fans to get good airflow because the M.B. and the monitor coexist in a very compact space.

All of them run off external power supplies. A spare AT PSU in the upright, a spare 12V wall wart in the cocktail.

How did you get the fans to run off of external power? Does anyone sell pc fans that are specifically made to run off a traditional outlet?

[HaRuMaN]

All you have to do to get a PC fan to run is apply DC voltage.  There is a red wire and black wire.  Use a 12V wall wart like gryhnd.

[apfelanni]

blowing cool air in isnt as efficient as sucking the hot air out . best place is top or rear side top . use low rpm high quality pc fans ( modern mainboards do have a few connector for speed controlled fans ) . if ur cab isnt pc based u can get a good 110 or 220 volt one. small ( < 80 or 92 mm ) and high rpm fans usually tend to get annoying . today its been 30-35 deg celcius here in town . with a pc in a wooden cab without fans and vent holes it could reach 50-60 deg inside the cab , so failing of the components could be a matter of minutes.

[shateredsoul]

hhmm I usually buy from newegg.com and they don't list the voltage of the fans, would this fan fall between 110 and 220?


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998101

I was also wondering how usually people install them, do I just drill a bunch of whole and drill the fann directly into the wood.. or do people use vents like these

[HaRuMaN]

That's a case fan.  It's DC 12 V.

[dawolv]

I just ordered one of these 250MM Fans from Xoxide over the week-end...shipping is going to take almost 2 weeks from FedEx! 
I was hoping to complete the entire back over the three day week-end 



I will add a toggle switch to turn it on and off so I can control the fan operation for the bottom flow, and use passive venting at the top. Come to think of it I do have some old 120MMs laying around that I can put at the top for extra whooshness 

As far as power goes I also have this PCI Power Bracket on order.


Hope it helps!

[BobA]

PC fans typically run off 12V or 5V.   They are very easy to control with inexpensive fan controllers.   Do not use a mains powered equipment fan.  They are usually very high volume and make alot of noise.  They are also not as easy to control as PC fans.  There has be alot of work done to make PC fans quieter so buy one that gives you good noise specs (low) and the bigger the better.   Bigger PC fans push more air at lower speeds and are made to be quiet.

My preferred arrangement is vents at the bottom or wherever the equipment is mounted and the fan exhausting out the top back.

[apfelanni]

thats how i installed a 92 mm fan in my recent project . i m using standard fan grills , they 100 % fit on fans and speakers. for bartops or cocktails 80 and 92 mm is more than enough . i took a 76 or 80 mm holesaw for the exhaust opening . a temp controlled fan connected to ur pc mainboard will do fine. it runs slow and silent .  i decided to go with a 220 v one , coz the cab will house a sega saturn . make sure u dont buy the cheapest fan stuff available ,a few more bucks for some quality will keep the noise down and wont strain ur nerves . i sometimes buy sunon 4 euro low budget ones , but allways regret it afterwards.

[DaOld Man]

I used a 120 VAC fan mounted at the bottom, blowing in. I have to agree with BobA, it is kinda loud.
This fan has a removable/washable filter on it, helps to catch dust that may otherwise get sucked in by the fan.

[jholman76]

I was too pondering this for my current bartop build. I am going to go with a 120 scythe on the back blowing out and some smaller port holes on the bottom to suck in air and balance the pressure.

For the port holes I'm going to use some tiny grills I pillaged from some mini-power supplies. It should look nice with those over it just for asthetics.... astetics.... as... looks.

I just wish that the grills were black powder coated rather than chrome. I'm trying to go for a look here!   

[jholman76]

here are some deals on some 120mm scythes at the moment:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185056
Low RPM, low noise, but low CFM


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185060
higher RPM, still relatively low noise, higher CFM

Not sure what I'm going to get yet. I may opt for the higher CFM model because I am going to use mostly intel hardware in a fairly cramped bartop. Its probably best to have adequate air movement.

what does everyone think?

[jholman76]

nevermind... I'm going with this bad daddy:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185091

more CFM and less noise.

Plus I get a free tube of MX-2 thermal paste and I just ran out.... happy day!

[shateredsoul]

nice! thanks for the heads up!

now to figure out how to wire one of these off a normal ac plug (I gues syou just match the black to red wires?), but this also means I won't be able to control the fan and it will always running ( I sort of want to avoid tapping into the computers power supply).

-Omar

[DaOld Man]

That fan is a 12 Volt DC, it will not work on AC.
You can however get a cheap "wall wart" power supply that puts out 12 volts DC and at least 100 MA.
The red wire on the fan will connect to the positive lead of the power supply, black wire to negative lead. Yellow wire on fan will connect to nothing.
You can add a switch between either lead of the fan and the power supply, if you want to turn it on and off. (I dont recommend this, because if you forget to turn it on then dangerous heat may build up.)

[shateredsoul]

got my fan...... there's this cable  that attaches to the fan (a 3 prong cable) and at the other end of the cable there's a sata and power connection.  Any idea where I can get a longer one of these? I'm thinking of installing it inside the pc but it's going to have to reach all the way up to the back of the cab.  One question.. I'm doing a slim build with an lcd.. do I really need the vent on the top? The LCD won't be harmed by the heat.  Was thinking of having the vent at the bottom.

[shateredsoul]

That fan is a 12 Volt DC, it will not work on AC.
You can however get a cheap "wall wart" power supply that puts out 12 volts DC and at least 100 MA.
The red wire on the fan will connect to the positive lead of the power supply, black wire to negative lead. Yellow wire on fan will connect to nothing.
You can add a switch between either lead of the fan and the power supply, if you want to turn it on and off. (I dont recommend this, because if you forget to turn it on then dangerous heat may build up.)

something like this ac adapter?

http://cgi.ebay.com/AC-100-240V-DC-12V-Adapter-Converter-Power-Supply-New-/270575442566?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3eff8d9a86

and would this power switch work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/RSR-Electronics-PAD234A-Trainer-On-Off-Power-Switch-/370402996819?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item563dbd3253

[DaOld Man]

Sorry about the lateness of this reply, this post got pushed to the back.

Yes both should work.
If you switch the 12 volt side (switch between the power supply and the fan), you wont be able to use the light on the switch.
But you can switch the high volt side of the power supply and the light in the switch will work. (If wired properly).
But the ebay ad dont say if the switch's light is 120 or 240 volts.

[DaOld Man]

got my fan...... there's this cable  that attaches to the fan (a 3 prong cable) and at the other end of the cable there's a sata and power connection.  Any idea where I can get a longer one of these? I'm thinking of installing it inside the pc but it's going to have to reach all the way up to the back of the cab.  One question.. I'm doing a slim build with an lcd.. do I really need the vent on the top? The LCD won't be harmed by the heat.  Was thinking of having the vent at the bottom.

You could cut the cable that came with the fan and splice in longer wires.

[dawolv]

No one likes my 250MMs?   

[WhereEaglesDare]

Oh? Good to know, I was going to set up the fan blowing out (to get hot air out)

Dunno if theres any actual science to it, but I try to keep positive pressure in my cabinets (arcade and otherwise) so that every little crack doesn't attract dust.

There is actually a science to fans in a pc case, you want to create a low pressure system inside the case, which means more air flowing out than in, which would naturally make the case cooler.  if the pressure in the case is lower than outside the case then it will be cooler than if you just tried to pump it fool to air.

[paulscade]

Cut a perfect circle in the back of your cab... I made a jig from some scrap wood....
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=82241.msg863041#msg863041

Mount the fan of your choice to the inside of the cab... sucking hot air from the cab and blowing it out (I used a low RPM 12v fan... you can't hear it at all when it's running):
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=82241.msg875400#msg875400

I choose to power it with 12v by mounting one of these (3rd pic) on the back of my PC.  Internally, I wired it up to the 12v from one of the peripheral plugs.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=82241.msg900303#msg900303

[TBullet]

For my MAME cabinet, I simply got 4 12 volt pc fans and added 2 to the bottom to pull air in and 2 at the top to exhaust the air. I connected them to the pc power supply and it works like a charm. It stays a nice 26 degrees C in there constantly.

[ragnar]

No one likes my 250MMs?   

I might do what you did, but can you tell us how quiet they are?

I have some unused 120 mm fans laying around but have no idea where I put them.  I'm talking years ago, I bought these.

[DCsegaDH]

No one likes my 250MMs?    

I might do what you did, but can you tell us how quiet they are?


I have some unused 120 mm fans laying around but have no idea where I put them.  I'm talking years ago, I bought these.

I have a Antec 250mm fan on the bottom of my cabinet and its super quiet. I bought it from Amazon its around $20. I'm no expert on Mame arcade cabinets, but I think most people put the fans on the bottom since the pc is usually located on the bottom.

[ragnar]

I'm going with two 140 mm (5 inch) fans that are rated at soemthing like 25 or 35 dB.  That is pretty much silent.

I then ordered a 120VAC to 12 VDC adapter from Walmart for $15.  I'll be splicing hte wires together.

One exaust is going near the PC, the other near the monitor.  I'm going to design the airflow such that the air from the marquee area also gets sucked out to keep that area cool.

I'm waiting on X-mas stuff to come to stores so I can get one of those running light twinkle light sets.  They are all LED these days and I want to experiment with what appears to be a "twinkling" marquee.  If not, we all can remember that a strip of 50 white X-mas lights cost about $2 and they are LED based these days!  Actually, the LED versions might be more like $5 or $7 but I think that is a good deal!

[shateredsoul]

Hey Ragnar, would you mind posting pics of your splicing of the adapter to the fans? I know it's pretty straight forward, but i'd appreciate a visual

[ragnar]

Hey Ragnar, would you mind posting pics of your splicing of the adapter to the fans? I know it's pretty straight forward, but i'd appreciate a visual

I'll try to remember this when I start the project thread.  In the past, I'd just done it by twisting the wire togther and securing with electrical tape.  For this though, I hope to use a crimper.

I'll also try to remember posting here as a reminder.  I won't get to that step for a few week though.  So be patient :-)

[shateredsoul]

Thanks! Yeah I have time

[ragnar]

Thanks! Yeah I have time

I forgot all about an easy option .... just using a terminal block from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xqd/R-202204313/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Kinda pricy though.  I'll stick with a crimp solution.

[ragnar]

Hey Ragnar, would you mind posting pics of your splicing of the adapter to the fans? I know it's pretty straight forward, but i'd appreciate a visual

Posted:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=105534.0

[shateredsoul]

awesome thanks! This was very helpful!