temp controled fan in a power supply

[nitro22]

Hello people-

Just got a 400 watt power supply, but the manual sais that the cooling fan in it will not turn on untill the ambient temerature reaches at least 60 deg F. Whats moore, is its constantly regulating the speed of the fan depending on the temp. This seems like a pain in the ***** considering I am running like 6 fans inside the case just to keep it cool. Do you think that the PSU will generate unwanted heat (under 60 deg) or am I worried about nothing? If its sort of a problem, should I attempt to remove the heat probe from inside and rewire it to run non-stop and at full power? Thanks!!!

[Keegan]

DISCLAIMER: INSIDE YOUR POWER SUPPLY, THERE ARE UNGODLY VOLTAGES. LEAVE YOUR POWER SUPPLY UNPLUGGED FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS OR I'LL SEE YOU AT THE FUNERAL. YOU JUST WON'T SEE ME.

You can keep the temp-controlled case fan and aim it at, say, a video card or something. All you need to do is cut off the power supply fan connector, and SAVE IT. Then get a constant-speed 80mm case fan at about 34 CFM (it's probably best to have 34CFM or above, possibly a Sunon or Antec fan. Make sure it's ball-bearing, though, or you'll have an unpleasant surprise when it fails. Rule of thumb: sleeve bearing fans suck. Save all your original mounting hardware (screws, nuts, other stuff). Cut the 4-pin Molex power connector (the kind that's on case fans) off of a new case fan and splice together the wires from the PSU's unique power connector using wire caps. Screw in the new fan, with the label side (discharge side) facing the grille. Then close the PSU up and power up the machine. Make sure the fan starts spinning, or you've got problems. If the fan doesn't spin, try reversing the power connector. Then try again. **Do not run your power supply, or even plug it in while the PSU's metal case is open. See above disclaimer for details.** When you've got it working, you can use the old PSU fan for something else.

[JimmyJamed]

why do you say there are ungodly voltages in a ps?

[Keegan]

A computer's PS has to convert 125 volts into 5 and 7 volt outputs. To feed power to logic circuits (which can cause terrible power spikes when working), there needs to be a capacitor across the positive and negative terminals of a logic device. This large capacitor in the power supply eliminates the need for hundreds of smaller capacitors in the circuitry itself. The huge capacitor stores so much energy that it can arc between the capacitor terminal, a screwdriver, and any other metal that lacks a static charge. Be VERY careful not to touch the capacitors. Also, note that your PS's warranty can be VOIDED as a result of opening it.

[Szech]

Enermax makes power supplies up to 530 watts that use "whisper" technology. Simply put, the power supply's fans don't go any faster than they have to. That's nice and quiet. I don't see any reason to tamper with this, because I doubt the temperature will ever go below 60F. Except maybe when it's in sleep mode.

[Graham]

Think yourselves lucky you dont live in the UK, 230v rectified=325 v across some of the caps, in your case, 125v is 170v rectified, a nasty belt, trust me I know !!!

Take care !!!

G