- Joined
- Jan 7, 2014
- Location
- Munich, Germany
here is a link to the 78Sxx regulator datasheet.
http://www.produktinfo.conrad.com/d...-01-en-SPANNUNGSREGLER_78S12CV_TO220__STM.pdf
The maximum output current is 2 amps.
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FEATURED Building PWM Controller for 4 wires PWM fan
- Thread starter Brutal-Force
- Start date
here is a link to the 78Sxx regulator datasheet.
http://www.produktinfo.conrad.com/d...-01-en-SPANNUNGSREGLER_78S12CV_TO220__STM.pdf
The maximum output current is 2 amps.
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
Yeah, that it is, oops. It'd fry anyway.
There are a few linear regulators that can do it, this one for instance: http://cds.linear.com/docs/en/datasheet/1083ffd.pdf
Different pinout, but that's easy enough to fix.
I may build a small dc-dc buck regulator into that end of the board.
Something like this maybe: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm2678.pdf
Or just some random SOIC8 buck controller and it's various life support bits.
There are a few linear regulators that can do it, this one for instance: http://cds.linear.com/docs/en/datasheet/1083ffd.pdf
Different pinout, but that's easy enough to fix.
I may build a small dc-dc buck regulator into that end of the board.
Something like this maybe: http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm2678.pdf
Or just some random SOIC8 buck controller and it's various life support bits.
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- Joined
- Jul 4, 2012
From time to time I blog a bit. Threw together some information about the controller I made. The read through on the provisional patent gives a pretty thorough description of the project.
http://studyincr.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/electronics/
Everything needed to make one is there. The design isn't marketable as a finished product so I'm having to develop a more complicated device utilizing a tft screen. I also have a friend in Australia named Lael who made a few of these if anyone needs one. I won't be making them myself.
http://studyincr.wordpress.com/2014/03/30/electronics/
Everything needed to make one is there. The design isn't marketable as a finished product so I'm having to develop a more complicated device utilizing a tft screen. I also have a friend in Australia named Lael who made a few of these if anyone needs one. I won't be making them myself.
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- Joined
- Jul 4, 2012
I should have mentioned this before. If anyone makes one of mine, I'd recommend plugging your system fan into the motherboard cpu fan header. Some motherboards will dead stop if they don't register a fan on the cpu. Alternatively, you can disable the resistor pullup on the rpm line and splice the cable down to your motherboard header on a 3 pin fan connector, and put a 10k resistor between the power and ground on that fan connector.... should work at providing an rpm to the controller and the motherboard at the same time. Do that at your own risk though.... safer to just plug a system fan into the cpu header on the motherboard and isolate your cpu fan to the controller.
The circuit boards are designed to be populated, then soldered directly to a pin header row that is soldered to the 16x2 lcd. You have to be careful not to get that pin alignment backwards. Otherwise, book lcd. Standard 16x2 lcd should work fine. It makes the lcd face one direction, and as in my pictures, the board face out. This is why you need to populate and test the board before you hook it to the lcd. Otherwise you will find yourself chasing rats with a board you can no longer do soldering work on because it is attached directly to an lcd. A simple solution is to solder a pin header into the board, then plug that into a breadboard. On the breadboard, have another 16x2 lcd with a pin header soldered to it ready for testing. Plug them both into the breadboard making sure you have the pin alignment correct so as to not have the connections backwards. After you've verified all is well, you simply solder a fresh new 16x2 lcd onto the pins sticking out of your populated circuit board.
Don't forget to use a dip socket on the circuit board. Directly soldering the pic16f818 chips is chip suicide.
The circuit boards are designed to be populated, then soldered directly to a pin header row that is soldered to the 16x2 lcd. You have to be careful not to get that pin alignment backwards. Otherwise, book lcd. Standard 16x2 lcd should work fine. It makes the lcd face one direction, and as in my pictures, the board face out. This is why you need to populate and test the board before you hook it to the lcd. Otherwise you will find yourself chasing rats with a board you can no longer do soldering work on because it is attached directly to an lcd. A simple solution is to solder a pin header into the board, then plug that into a breadboard. On the breadboard, have another 16x2 lcd with a pin header soldered to it ready for testing. Plug them both into the breadboard making sure you have the pin alignment correct so as to not have the connections backwards. After you've verified all is well, you simply solder a fresh new 16x2 lcd onto the pins sticking out of your populated circuit board.
Don't forget to use a dip socket on the circuit board. Directly soldering the pic16f818 chips is chip suicide.
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
Boards got here!
Already found two issues, not massive, but issues. I need to move the fan away from the Molex, and I need to stash some bulk capacitance in there somewhere. The bulk caps are only needed for Seriously Massive Fans (like this metal body 4 amp San Ace) that are electrically noisy as hell.
I'm going to play with the code a bit and see if a watchdog timer can fix (or mask, at least) the crashing issues.
Works though
View attachment 142309
View attachment 142310
Already found two issues, not massive, but issues. I need to move the fan away from the Molex, and I need to stash some bulk capacitance in there somewhere. The bulk caps are only needed for Seriously Massive Fans (like this metal body 4 amp San Ace) that are electrically noisy as hell.
I'm going to play with the code a bit and see if a watchdog timer can fix (or mask, at least) the crashing issues.
Works though
View attachment 142309
View attachment 142310
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2012
I like it! Was it a pig soldering those smd components? I don't have the steady hands for it with my nerve injury.
+1 about those San ace 4amp fans being noisy. I had to filter all of my supply lines that were shared with my microchip, along with decoupling the power connection on the microprocessor itself. Crazy awesome fans!!! I love san ace.
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
Spent some more time playing with the San Ace, it's noise on the ground wire that is causing the issue. To see if it was a lost cause I put a ton of capacitance (2200µF of ~35mOhm and 470µF of 7mOhm) between GND and 5V on the PCB, and problem is solved. Next up is testing to see how much it actually requires to function, I'm hoping it'll function with ~44µF or less so I can use cheap(ish) 1210 SMD ceramics.
San Ace isn't even being powered from the PCB, it has its own Molex plug. Same PSU cable though.
Putting a watchdog timer in to auto-reset it when it crashes helped, but there's enough noise that it starts randomly setting configuration bits in the MCU, which quickly results in a complete disaster.
The 0603 is definitely tricky to solder, I have to brace at least wrist against something and steady my soldering hand against the PCB (so they at least shake in unison) to have a decent success rate. I may make them larger as I have room on the PCB and 0805 or 1210 would be a lot easier.
I'd only be out eighty cents or so for the 150 caps/resistors I bought. I love how cheap the SMD bits are
San Ace isn't even being powered from the PCB, it has its own Molex plug. Same PSU cable though.
Putting a watchdog timer in to auto-reset it when it crashes helped, but there's enough noise that it starts randomly setting configuration bits in the MCU, which quickly results in a complete disaster.
The 0603 is definitely tricky to solder, I have to brace at least wrist against something and steady my soldering hand against the PCB (so they at least shake in unison) to have a decent success rate. I may make them larger as I have room on the PCB and 0805 or 1210 would be a lot easier.
I'd only be out eighty cents or so for the 150 caps/resistors I bought. I love how cheap the SMD bits are
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2012
I don't know if you've thought about it, but this is a fairly easy way to batch prototype with smd.
http://www.die4laser.com/toaster/index.html
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
I've contemplated making a toaster reflow setup, if anything I make with SMD bits takes off I probably will. I have a ~4 amp 5v output converter coming along (got pissed at the car chargers currently/cheaply available and their low output and horrid quality. Bonus: it'll likely double as a non-PWM fan controller with a couple changes) that has a fair number of SMD bits, a reflow setup would make that a lot easier.
As a note, the first Rev1 controller is listed in the classies, in the Cooling section.
Rev 1.1 PCBs have been ordered.
As a note, the first Rev1 controller is listed in the classies, in the Cooling section.
Rev 1.1 PCBs have been ordered.
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2004
Has anyone here tried to make a USB (via mobo header) microcontroller-based software-controllable PWM controller? I imagine you could easily get a 4-32 channel controller that could take up a single USB port on your motherboard and control all your fans via software easy enough. All it would take, really, is a board with the power circuitry (for 3-pin PWM control), and the MCU and supporting components to make it work. Grab an ATMega 8- or 32-bit chip with built-in USB and you can just make PCBs, solder it on, and program it directly through USB (using the built-in bootloader). The question is whether or not there's software out there to interface with USB devices (I'm not sure if SpeedFan is capable). Writing software would be pretty easy, though.
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2012
Just split up your fan leads for big fans, and use speedfan. If software control is what you want that is. You just have to place a 10k resistor between the power and ground lines on the motherboard connector, and splice the pwm and rpm lines up to your fan. Then power your fan independently with a molex.
Sadly, I had to learn a mountain of information about electronics before I realized how simple the solution really was for controlling powerful fans. A controller isn't entirely necessary.
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
It's certainly doable. Hell I could make you an Ethernet controllable fan controller if you wanted
USB controllable is certainly doable as well. I think it probably doesn't exist yet because the market for such a thing is too small to pay the R&D costs.
USB controllable is certainly doable as well. I think it probably doesn't exist yet because the market for such a thing is too small to pay the R&D costs.
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2004
I know that that's possible with 4-pin PWM fans, I'm more interested in PWMing more standard 3-pin fans (where you need to pulse the +12V to the fan). Plus, depending on your motherboard, you may or may not have enough headers for as many fans as you'd like, or as many PWM headers as you'd like.
It's certainly doable. Hell I could make you an Ethernet controllable fan controller if you wanted
USB controllable is certainly doable as well. I think it probably doesn't exist yet because the market for such a thing is too small to pay the R&D costs.
I know it's doable, I'm more curious as to whether or not anyone's done it yet! I feel like that would be a pretty decent market for people who would like automatically adjusted fans through their entire computer (instead of just, say, a CPU/GPU fan). Maybe I'll get to making one =P
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
I donno, most of a PCs heat output beyond CPU/GPU (and MOSFETs for both, which are generally cooled at the same time) is fairly static, not much adjustment needed.
I haven't gone chasing automatic fan control largely because it would make more work for people, they'd need to set all the fan minimum and maximum speeds, curves, set what sensor for what fan, etc.
I can see a few people doing it, but those are for the most part the people that could build their own
Automatically adjusted fans is a concept people would love, it's the setup that they wouldn't love.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see one made, I just don't see it as a financially viable project.
Bonus section: I ordered parts and PCBs for my first buck converter board. If it works, it opens the door for voltage control of Seriously Serious Fans.
Bonus bonus section: I got a PM asking me to build a signal booster that can run 10 Delta 252CFM PWM fans off a motherboard fan header, more on that as I have more. I'm thinking I might go EXTREME.
I haven't gone chasing automatic fan control largely because it would make more work for people, they'd need to set all the fan minimum and maximum speeds, curves, set what sensor for what fan, etc.
I can see a few people doing it, but those are for the most part the people that could build their own
Automatically adjusted fans is a concept people would love, it's the setup that they wouldn't love.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see one made, I just don't see it as a financially viable project.
Bonus section: I ordered parts and PCBs for my first buck converter board. If it works, it opens the door for voltage control of Seriously Serious Fans.
Bonus bonus section: I got a PM asking me to build a signal booster that can run 10 Delta 252CFM PWM fans off a motherboard fan header, more on that as I have more. I'm thinking I might go EXTREME.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2011
I'm barely awake, so pardon me for the silly question
so, it's the controller for the 9SG which require the bulk capacitance, and not the 12v power lane that feeding the fan?
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
What it seems to need is some bulk on the 5v rail to smooth out the disaster the fan makes if everything.
I put what I think is a 40ish microfarad cap on the 5v and a 22microfarad on the 12v, that fixed things up. There was a couple volts of swing being measured between 5v and gnd before that, plus super short spikes even higher. Powering the 9SG off a different molex chain from the psu might have worked too.
I put what I think is a 40ish microfarad cap on the 5v and a 22microfarad on the 12v, that fixed things up. There was a couple volts of swing being measured between 5v and gnd before that, plus super short spikes even higher. Powering the 9SG off a different molex chain from the psu might have worked too.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2011
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
There the aquaero which does this basically, and has a really nice software suite to control it. I feel like they probably move a lot of units.
