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I believe I have built the world's first handheld fanbus.

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Crazy Jayhawk

Crazy Jayhawk

Member
​
Joined
Jul 14, 2001
Location
Hutchinson, KS
This was originally just a whimsical idea, but it seemed more feasible each time I looked at it. Many of the parts were recycled from my homebuilt fanbus. That one resided in a 5.25" bay and controlled six fans.

Up - 12V, blue LED.
Middle - Off, no LED.
Down - 7V, red LED.

The new one features eight switches. Switches 1 through 6 control individual fans as before. Switch 7 determines whether the lower voltage is 7V or 8.7V. Switch 8 is the master power switch.

This is a closeup of the internal portion of the bus. I call it the "Cthulhu Box" because of the wire "tentacles" coming from it. The DB-9 serial connector was salvaged from a dead AT system. It bolts into a knockout in the back panel of the computer.
 
Zoomed-out view of the Cthulhu Box with the cables labeled. The 5V tap is used for some decorative LEDs mounted behind the front panel of the computer. The parenthesized numbers show which cable goes to which fan. Wire (4) connects to switch 4.
 
Back view of the hand unit, showing the corresponding DB-9 connector.

Pin assignment
  1. Fan 1 Ground
  2. Fan 2 Ground
  3. Fan 3 Ground
  4. Fan 4 Ground
  5. Fan 5 Ground
  6. Fan 6 Ground
  7. 3.3V
  8. 5V
  9. Ground
    [/list=1]
 
All hooked up. The white cable is just a standard RS-232 extension cable. If I wanted to control the fans from farther away, I'd either get a longer cable or another extension.
 
The test array, otherwise known as whatever fans I had handy.

Three of them are Mechatronics 120mm fans, 130 CFM. Noisy, but not annoying. Sounds sort of like a jet engine. Not only that, they're on sale for $7.99 apiece at Plycon.

The Cthulhu Box is inside the computer and hooked up to the power supply. I haven't permanently mounted it yet. I have the panels off because I'm repainting the case, which makes tests like this a lot easier.
 
Another view of the test group. These are the fans I used:

  1. Antec 3-LED 80mm
  2. Delta 92mm - 60CFM at least, not quite sure exactly
  3. Enermax 120mm adjustable
  4. Mechatronics 120mm/130CFM
  5. Mechatronics 120mm/130CFM
    [/list=1]
 
Example of the hand unit in operation. The fan array is about six feet away from where I'm sitting. Ten seconds after this picture was taken the incredibly bright LEDs simultaneously burned a hole through my body and cauterized the wound.

Yeah, I'm crazy. :beer:
 
Wow, that looks great! It’s much better then the one I bought. :p How long did it take you to make it, and do you know how much it cost you?
 
cyber mouse45 said:
Wow, that looks great! It’s much better then the one I bought. :p How long did it take you to make it, and do you know how much it cost you?
Click to expand...
Build time was between 6 and 10 hours. Not sure exactly.

Cost: Haven't added it up, but I'm sure it's more expensive than the 'bus that you bought.
2 Radio Shack project boxes: about $2 each
8 DPDT toggle switches: $4.99 each
7 blue LEDs: $2.99 each
7 red LEDs: $1.99 each
Serial cable: $11.99
Fan cords: Probably about $5

Adds up quick, doesn't it? I have to wonder about my own sanity sometimes.
 
Yeah, that's a wee bit more than what I paid for mine. ;) But, yours looks a heck of a lot better, and you get to say that you made it, which is really cool.
 
thats awsome, much better than ones in a drive. I need to get one of those fans.....
 
Nice job. Looks Great.
I wish i could have a fanbus..LOL my friends is just 3 switchs but its still better than mine. I gotta make one lol or buy it but then buying it would ruin the point..

Very NIce Job
 
Where did you get your blue leds? I'm looking for 12v leds to use in an automotive application... I don't want to use any noisy transformers so I need 12 volts so it doesn't make any ground noise. Any ideas where I can get them?
 
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