well i wouldnt call it alternative but...

[Shuruga2]

my story so far. normally i run my comp with the side off because i have poor airflow, often with a 12" fan beside it as well.
recently i ordered a new heatsink an a really loud fan to go on it. time to close up the case.

what i decided i needed was a 80mm fan on the side of the case near the cpu and another over the cards, as well as a 92mm on the top to exhaust.

anyway, i've got the holes cut and i'm ready to go as soon as the grills(wire) come in. what i've been wondering is what people are using to mount their fan/grill combonation since the screws that come with the fan appear too short, not to mention ugly.

also i've instaled 3 rheostats and 3 leds in a 3.5" panel on the front of my case. if all i wanted was the leds to be on and the fans to be variable i wouldnt have a problem, but what i want to do is have the led brighten/dim as the fan is turned up/down.
would a resistor work for this?
since i obviously dont know what i'm doing and a resistor would work, what would i tell the guy in the store i want?
i was planning on using leftover speaker wire, any reason not to?

something that has been puzzling me. i bought what were just called quick disconnects. they are hard to describe because they're just simple little things. if anyone knows what i'm talking about, how do you solder a wire into an insulated female one?

thanks?

[Captain Slug]

Originally posted by Shuruga2
what i've been wondering is what people are using to mount their fan/grill combonation since the screws that come with the fan appear too short, not to mention ugly.


I prefer the look of #6-32 machine thread hex bolts and hex nuts, but I have a large collection of longer fans screws so I don't need to go to the hardware store very often. Just take a fan with you to home depot or lowe's and see what size wood or drywall screws work best (I can't remember the size I used to get).

[WyrmMaster]

Actually the incluede screws should work fine, if there the standard ones that is. I am using them to mount my 80mm fan in my window with guard, and they look pretty good. The sit flush with the grill, and are long enough to reach through the grill and plexi to the fan.

[Shuruga2]

please. anyone with help on the resistor / wire / 'quick disconnects' ?

[Maxvla]

would you ever not use screws to attach a fan?

such as using some form of glue/welding? that way you could flush mount the fan inside the case.

(mounting on a side panel)

[madcow235]

some cases have fan holders such as the chieftec a click and there in

[stool]

You don't usually solder the quickconnects. Normally, you compress the bottom section where you have inserted your wire. Cable pliers have the various sizes for different size wiring and connects, often color-coded. If you don't have those pliers, any fairly sturdy set of pliers will do, just make sure you compress the end tightly.

[Crazy Jayhawk]

Originally posted by Shuruga2
something that has been puzzling me. i bought what were just called quick disconnects. they are hard to describe because they're just simple little things. if anyone knows what i'm talking about, how do you solder a wire into an insulated female one?

thanks? You don't.

What you do is strip some insulation from the end of the wire, slide it into the back end of the connector, and then crimp the connector onto it. Give the wire a slight tug to make sure it's securely fastened.