rheostat installation

[Mad_Capr]

I just bought the Radio Shack rheostat part # 271-265b for my watercooling setup. I have a 120mm 108cfm Sunon fan that puts out 42dba of noise. Anyway, the fan says 6.2 or 6.5 watts on the front.

Can this rheostat handle that? The rheostat is rated at 3 watts and 25 ohms I think. Does this mean the fan will be running at about half the power as before? Is it safe to turn the knob on the rheostat all the way up or all the way down?

[cowanrg]

you've got questions? they have answers!

why not just ask them?

OH, thats right! they dont know SHI**!!!

i actually went there last week to ask them what i needed if i wanted to regulate voltage from a 12v lead. they looked at me with a blank stare. they had no clue. so i left and went to another radio shack. same deal...

basically, a rheostat is a variable resistor. a resistor resists voltage. if you have a multimeter, try playing with it to see how low you can get the voltage, and how high it can get. the full off position may be "off" or it may be 1.3v or something... im not really sure.

[Warlord2]

I just went to radio shack about 1 week ago looking for a relay and he asked me what I would need if for and I told him for my computer and he was like

ohh your into overclocking arnt you?

I said yes

he was like what is in your computer so I told him and we exchanged information

he made his own vapochill for his p4 2gig with frewn
so I was very impress
he even said I should go to
www.overclockers.com!!!!!!!!!!!or
www.tomshardware.com

I was so amazed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh well just a short TRUE story:D

[cowanrg]

uh.....

did you ever find out what you need to get for the fans? i still dont know.

[Warlord2]

try that rheostat I think it will be alright

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/rheosformc.html

sells a 5watt one and it can hold 2 120mm fans

you should be fine

if not its not like your loosing too much like $2=/

[RED Hot Machine]

Originally posted by Mad_Capr
I just bought the Radio Shack rheostat part # 271-265b for my watercooling setup. I have a 120mm 108cfm Sunon fan that puts out 42dba of noise. Anyway, the fan says 6.2 or 6.5 watts on the front.

Can this rheostat handle that? The rheostat is rated at 3 watts and 25 ohms I think. Does this mean the fan will be running at about half the power as before? Is it safe to turn the knob on the rheostat all the way up or all the way down?

To answer your question, I'm using a 2w rheostat with a 140cfm 120mm YSTEch and it works ok

[Patchmaster]

A rheostat is a variable resistor. It impedes the current flow by turning some portion of the energy flowing through it into heat. The wattage rating on the rheostat is an indication of how much heat it can dissipate without malfunctioning. If you apply a load larger than the rating you run the risk of the rheostat failing, possibly even causing a fire if you grossly exceed its capacity. The fire is unlikely in the range you're talking about, but rheostat failure is quite likely.

If you decide to give it a try, I'd suggest being sure there is plenty of air flow around the rheostat. If you can efficiently dissipate the heat you might be able to push the 'stat a bit beyond its rated capacity.