Hey there,

I have been lurking around this forum for about 6 months now and have been giving the whole idea a bit more thought.

I was thinking about the internal fans used in the projector, many I have seen use Pc PSU's to power them, but the thought of a large PSU giving off extra heat just for the fans seemed kind of an annoyance to me.

I am currently using a laptop cooler (two fans powered by USB), and thought of the idea of using a powered USB Hub to power the fans?

Im not sure if it is a silly idea, thats why im asking here . I looked at the specifications for USB standard and it seems that it is 5.25Volts and the wiring should not be too complex.

Maybe if 5.25V is not enough two ports could be used together for one fan?. I have seen 8port powered USB hubs for cheap. Is this a better alternative to using a PSU simply for fans?

It seems to power my laptop cooler (2x 80mm fans) or (3x 60mm) no problem.

Thanks for your help.

Using anything but a 120vac to 12vdc adapter makes no sense to me. They cost $3, work flawlessly, and take up very little room.

I think using a USB hub is a fine idea. I also think using a PSU is not a very good way (seems like the additional heat, and space isn't worth it).

The other solution is probably the best though, just use a 12V AC/DC adapter (AKA a power brick). At the very least it'll let you use 12v fans which gives you a lot more options as far as noise to power ratio, size, mounting options, etc.

**As usual, tameone beat me to the reply. Partly thanks to my super slow typing skilz!**

Many thanks for the replies guys , im glad my idea was not laughed off lol.

I did not know there was an alternate to using a PSU. I guess the reply from Hirudin and tameone are for the same thing? If so, that sounds great, could someone please link me to a page with them so I know what im looking for.

Thanks again, very much appreciated.

yes we're referring to the same thing.. and I guarantee you know exactly what were talking about like so

you might have one lying around the house, or be able to find one at Walmart, Target, Radioshack etc.. just needs to be a 12v dc adapter with a couple hundred mA rating.

Great!, many thanks tameone. I'm sure I can find one of them somewhere (with a UK plug on it instead though lol).

Would I be able to power two or two+ fans from one plug?. Also I guess it wouldn't be too hard to wire that upto my exsiting PC case fans (with the PSU connection plug)?

Thanks

just cut off the fan connector and wire it directly up to the dc brick's wire.

excellent, thanks.

i just had a quick question, this was previously asked but no one answered. how many fans can you connect to it?

the number of fans u can put on it depends on what the amperage load of the fans and what the maximum capacity of the power supply is.

Fan1 Amp + Fan2 Amp + Fan3 Amp+ ...... FanN Amp < Power Supply Amp

or else u'll blow something up

I have just found some "Variable Voltage Regulated Mains Adapter" where you can select the voltage up to 12v, and has either 300mA or 500mA. I assume both of these can effectively change the speed of the connected fans?

That would be a nice feature, maybe slowing down the 120mm fans to 7-9v for quieter operation.

Planning on having 2x 120mm fans.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=...46&doy=2m12