Fan question (daisy chain)

[iv:xx]

Serious noob question coming up...

I'm in the process of putting together my rig, and I've got nine (9) fans that need controlling. I've got one Scythe Kama Fan Controller, and it has four (4) three-pin connectors.

My question is, can I daisy-chain fans together to connect two or three at a time to a single connector on the fan controller? In checking specs, the ampreage and voltage of multiple fans can certainly be handled by the Scythe.

My second question is, presuming that running these fans as such is possible, how should I connect them together? I know with 4-pin connectors (those that have both male and female ends) they can be daisy-chained easily, but that defeats the minimalist ideal that I'm going for. I'd rather cut/solder the fans into one connector, if that's possible. If it is, is it as simple as red to red, black to black, yellow to yellow, and so on?

I've been looking for a bit now, and can't seem to come up with any concrete answers, so where better but here?




P.S. I was hesitant at purchasing the Noctua fans I've got as the price is, well, ungodly for a PC fan. However, when they arrived, and I faced the task of sleeving 9 fans last night after work, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that Noctua did a wonderful job of sleeving them for me. That alone was worth the extra cost.

[Cptn Vortex]

The scythe controller should list the maximum Current per fan port. I think it is probably 1A. Each fan usually uses about 0.2 - 0.35 A, so add up the A your fans use, and do not exceed 1A per channel.

Edit* So long as the controller can handle it, then yes. You can "splice" the connections together into 1 connector. I do it all the time. Just match the power cables. usually, Black is ground wire, and red/blue is 12V. The yellow or white is usually the fan speed monitoring cable, but when you splice these together you will get inconsistent speed readings(trust me, I do)

[DK2]

You’d connect them in parallel, ground to ground, +12 to +12. (black to black and red to red)
Provided the controller can handle the current demand, as you say it can.
You can only hook up one of them to the rpm monitor though, (yellow)
because they are outputs, connecting two together would be a short circuit.

[Jack Rabbit]

If the controller provides enough current to run more than one fan on a channel then it should be OK (what Cptn said).

You would want to wire each bundle in parallel so they all get full current from the controller. If you put them in series you will be dividing the current up equally and the fans will run very slowly.

However, you would probably have to connect only one of the strobe wires for each fan bundle. Otherwise the strobe signals would all run together and and give you garbage readings. You can probably assume that the fans in a bundle are running at about the same RPM as the one that is being monitored so long as they are the same make and model. (What DK said)

...well didn't I just loose the race.

[enaberif]

if the fans have 3 wire...

1) Red
2) Black
3) Yellow

You only want to use the red and black and keep 1 yellow and don't join them.

[DK2]

Originally Posted by Jack Rabbit

If you put them in series you will be dividing the voltage up equally and the fans will run very slowly.

don't mean to pick on ya, but....

[iv:xx]

Hmmm...maybe I'm just dense, but how exactly would I (wrongly) connect them in series? By splicing wires from one fan into another at some point after the 3-pin connector, wouldn't that make them in parallel? If I spliced two fans onto a third at the same point, that would be parallel as well, no? Sorry about the questions, but I've still got the scars on the tips of my fingers from this sort of stuff in highschool, and I have a healthy respect for electricity.

[Jack Rabbit]

It is correct that you would be dividing the voltage. I believe my statement is also correct. Resistive loads (which is what motors basically are when not at stall speed) placed in series will have the voltage and current divided among them in direct proportion to their resistance. Since they are all, probably, very similar loads they would get almost equal amounts of both.

[Jack Rabbit]

Originally Posted by iv:xx

Hmmm...maybe I'm just dense, but how exactly would I (wrongly) connect them in series? By splicing wires from one fan into another at some point after the 3-pin connector, wouldn't that make them in parallel? If I spliced two fans onto a third at the same point, that would be parallel as well, no? Sorry about the questions, but I've still got the scars on the tips of my fingers from this sort of stuff in highschool, and I have a healthy respect for electricity.

series:

controller-red-fan1-black spliced to red-fan2-black spliced to red-fan3-black-controller

parallel:

 
           / red - fan1 - black \
controller - red - fan2 - black - controller
           \ red - fan3 - black /

Does that make any sense?

[Cptn Vortex]

Not too sure what you are talking about. My 3 2200RPM fans all spin at 2200RPM.....when I have them all spliced together.