Computer Fans in DIY Canopy

[CapitalO]

So I'm currently drawing up some sketches for a canopy im going to build consisting of one 65w PC retro and a 70w MH retro. Im going to build the canopy itself from aluminum and I want to incorporate a computer case fan into the back aimed at the MH (ventilation holes on top; fan blowing inwards). I was just curious as to how people power fans such as the Vantec from an AC power source and any recomendations on converters etc would be great!

[clsanchez77]

I used 120vac fans available from champion lighting. They are more expesive than the computer fans but give more air flow IMO and don't require a transformer. Other than that, I small 120VAC o 12VDC transformer should work, you will just need to match the amperage requirements of the fans themselves. Do make sure the fans are 12VDC though, I would hate to have remembered that wrong.

Chris

[electric130]

yeah, just get 120vac fans. unless you already have a power supply, by the time you buy a dc fan and a power supply, you'll have spent as much if not more than an ac fan. also, mount the fan down low so that the cool air coming in hits the water first. that's what you want to cool, not the MH. cool air hits the water first, then goes up taking the heat from the MH with it out the top vents. that's what i did on my 90 and with 880w of light, i didn't need a chiller.

[CapitalO]

Can you recomend any fans (It does'nt need to be all that powerful, its only a 70w). I was going to seperate the top of the canopy from the water using an acrylic sheet and use the fan to cool the section with the lights. Would you recommend excluding the acrylic sheet and just aiming a fan onto the water surface? Do I need some form of protection for the retrofits against moisture?

[electric130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8529794#post8529794 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CapitalO
1. Can you recomend any fans (It does'nt need to be all that powerful, its only a 70w).
2. I was going to seperate the top of the canopy from the water using an acrylic sheet and use the fan to cool the section with the lights.
3. Would you recommend excluding the acrylic sheet and just aiming a fan onto the water surface?
4. Do I need some form of protection for the retrofits against moisture?
1. orion fans are good. i've used them on several tanks.
2. no need
3. yes
4. no as long as the PC's have the water proof endcaps.

is the 70w an SE or DE?

[CapitalO]

Double Ended

[electric130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8529818#post8529818 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CapitalO
Double Ended is it in a good pendant like ROIII or PFO mini? or is it DIY?

[CapitalO]

I got it from here (http://www.illuming.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=152&products_id=283) .

[electric130]

cool. as long as you've got the UV filter on there, you'll be fine.

[CapitalO]

I was planning on using the guts of a coralife strip light for my PC retro.. How can I tell if the encaps are waterproof?

[CapitalO]

I just noticed your from Columbia, thats right down the road from me. I was just up there looking at USC (Im transferring next semester), are there any good LFS around Columbia?

[electric130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8530043#post8530043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CapitalO
I was planning on using the guts of a coralife strip light for my PC retro.. How can I tell if the encaps are waterproof? chances are if it was a fixture that it's got the white "tombstone" endcaps that the bulbs just slide into.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/lamps-now_1924_1411319

the waterproof encaps are black rubber.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/lamps-now_1922_4844247

[jaeden]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/125691IMG_0371.JPG
Stick with your original decision , these are vantec fans ,very quiet , you need the fans around $12.00 a piece , a variable speed adaptor and a adaptoplug , find the stuff online the adaptoplug you get from radio shack , take the stuff to radio shack and they will show you what to do do as far as wiring , the variable speed adaptor gors like this 12v 9v 6v 3v , 12v is the highest speed 3v is the lowest speed good luck , theres more in the gallery .

[CapitalO]

Very nice setup Jaeden, so I'm estimating total cost at around $20 after some research.. does that sound reasonable?

[electric130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8532094#post8532094 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jaeden
take the stuff to radio shack and they will show you what to do do as far as wiring
:lol: :lol: :lol: that's got to be the funniest thing i've heard all day. radio shack employees actually know jack about anything they sell?.......RIGHT!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[hahnmeister]

jaeden, I agree 100%. With DC you have a wider selection of fans (like my 12" long 2" thick blower fan, or my 115cfm panaflo's, or Blue LED smartfans that have the speed/temp controls built in as well as blue led's for built in night light), and you can vary the speed by simply using the adapter to control voltage, or, in my case, I use a seperate baybus rheostat controller to regulate up to 4 fans at once with their own dials.

[CapitalO]

Yes, I agree with you. I plan on integrating an LED night light which also uses an adapter.. I figure this will save me from buying a retail LED night light.

[electric130]

you could wire the power adapter so that it powered both the fans and the LED (or multiples). relays on timers would control which one was getting power at any given time. you can buy raw LED's off ebay or at radio shack and solder in a resistor to accomodate any voltage you want. i put 10 red LED's (night viewing) on the last tank i installed for a friend. they had a wire in them so you could aim them wherever you wanted. it turned out really cool. the multi-purpose power supply wouldn't be hard to set up either. i could help you design it if you wanted to do it.

[CapitalO]

I was planning on building the canopy this weekend, although my order for the MH retro is still pending which really sucks since I was looking forward to building it. I dont want to make any final designs until I have the parts in front of me, I could really use some help in the electrical side of things since I have very limited experience. Would something like this (http://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/linear-ac-dc-power.html) work?

[JOSEPHLB]

Cheap ATX computer power supply. You can jumper a certain pair of the ATX pins to make the power supply work without a motherboard actually connected. I have never actually done it, so I'm not sure which pins need to be jumpered.

Just a different approach, if you just so happen to have an extra power supply laying around

[hahnmeister]

Any computer modding forum will tell you which pins to short out to start/stop the PSU. They do sell special plugs for this as well as switches that do this as well w/o a mobo. I think maximumpc just said how to do it again in last months issue. There can be problems with load distribution though.. PSUs werent designed to have the 12v rails used, and nothing on the main power plug. This imbalance can cause problems, or even cause the PSU to shut off after a while.

Heres a site that sells the 'trigger plugs'...
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g11/c28/s88/list/p1/Power_Supplies-Accessories-PSU_Testers-Page1.html
you want to trip the green wire with the ground...

[CapitalO]

The only extra power supply I have laying around is an ancient AT power supply.. I dont mind spending a few extra $ for a nice looking converter, the power supply would look really ghetto :D . I do have some question though:
1. All of the retailers say to keep retrofits behind glass to protect from moisture which makes sense to me.. although Ive heard otherwise on here. Whats the deal?
2. Im planning on using one converter to power the fans and an LED. I want to run one constant voltage from the converter (using a resistor to provide appropriate voltage to the LED). I will use a timer and switch to change between fans (day time) and LED (night time). Is this a good idea? all feedback appreciated!

[electric130]

1. depends on the socket like i said before. waterproof, no glass needed. i never used glass on any of my tanks. never had a problem.

2. to use a standard, cheap $5 timer, you'll need some 120VAC coil relays. the timer will energize/denergize the relay, then the DC from the power supply would go across the contacts to the fan or LED. you'll need 2 timers and 2 relays to make it work. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049721&cp=&origkw=relay&kw=relay&parentPage=search

[CapitalO]

Wow.. thats a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. It would be cheaper to just buy 2 converters

[CapitalO]

Also, would I be benefitting myself by aiming one fan directly onto the mh retro and one fan on the water surface? or should I just put both fans at the water surface? Im thinking if i keep the mh cooler, my bulb will degrade slower

[electric130]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8557217#post8557217 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CapitalO
Also, would I be benefitting myself by aiming one fan directly onto the mh retro and one fan on the water surface? or should I just put both fans at the water surface? Im thinking if i keep the mh cooler, my bulb will degrade slower just put both on the water. you won't be able to cool the MH enough to make it's life any longer. you should get 12-18 months anyway.

[CapitalO]

Ok, thats what I figured. I just got the mh retro in the mail today :D Im going to run 2 vantec 80mm fans on the surface of the water, I decided to install night lights later.. i can go without for now. I'll get started with the build on sunday and i'll post pictures.. maybe I'll make a new thread to document these mods I'm getting ready to do (new canopy, a closed loop system, hard plumbing my sump, and a DIY auto top off / kalkwasser drip)