Connect PC Fan to laptop drive

Thread Starter

nadie0212

Joined May 26, 2020
10
Good afternoon everyone,

I'm trying to power a 60mm fan (see picture) with the internals of a DVD drive. There has to be a way to connect them, because I have seen devices like this one (unfortunately no longer available) (and also I'd like to do it myself).

Any idea how to connect them?

IMG_20200813_114124.jpgIMG_20200813_113218.jpgIMG_20200813_113356.jpg
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,177
First question is WHY?, What do you hope to achieve?
What makes some sense is to attach the fan to the external power feed to that drive. Getting into the inner workings of a DVD drive without a very good mastery if fine conductor soldering is a good way to destroy the drive.
 

Thread Starter

nadie0212

Joined May 26, 2020
10
First question is WHY?, What do you hope to achieve?
Simple, I want to power a second fan.

I tried by buying this, but is a SATA 22 ( I think), it doesn't fit.
977968676465.jpg
so I bought this adaptor, and now everything fits but the fan is still. doesn't work
s-l1600.jpg

So I need another way of using the drive port to power the fan
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,177
Simple, I want to power a second fan.

I tried by buying this, but is a SATA 22 ( I think), it doesn't fit.
View attachment 214697
so I bought this adaptor, and now everything fits but the fan is still. doesn't work
View attachment 214698

So I need another way of using the drive port to power the fan
The fan has three wires and one of them is a monitor circuit. So first you need to know which wires to connect to, and then verify that the fan actually works. There are failed fans around, often priced really cheap. So try running it with an external power supply.
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
Your image in post #4 is actually two connectors which break down like this:
SATA Connector.png

The color code is standard for the Power Segment in that Black is common (Ground), Red is +5 volts and Yellow is +12 volts. You could likely take a 15 pin power extension cable and hack it a little. Startech and others make assorted cables and adapters. Your fan looks to be a standard 3 wire fan and if you don't care about the fan tach out signal you may be able to find a SATA Power to Three Wire Fan adapter. I have a few of the old 4 pin Molex to 3 wire fan adapters. Those are very common. A Google of SATA power to 3 wire fan adapter is worth a shot or just get a SATA power extension cable and hack into it.

Ron
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,177
Certainly creating the adaption may be far simpler than searching for a manufactured adaption. My observation is that not all folks are able to "hack" well enough to avoid causing a great deal of destruction. We have no clues about the ability of the TS to do the desired modification.
 

Thread Starter

nadie0212

Joined May 26, 2020
10
Certainly creating the adaption may be far simpler than searching for a manufactured adaption. My observation is that not all folks are able to "hack" well enough to avoid causing a great deal of destruction. We have no clues about the ability of the TS to do the desired modification.
You have two good points, creating it would be easier. But as you pointed, my skills for electronics are indeed almost inexistent. I wish I chose electronics when I was young and had the opportunity. At the moment my skills are limited to building computers and laptops.

If you don't mind me asking a bit of your time, could you describe what would require to create the adaptor?
 

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
18,177
The very basics of creating an adapter are finding the connectors that are required to mate with whatever you need to connect to. In this case it seems that you have a power supply that onlly has extra DC power connections for SATA style hard drives available. Are there other unused output connections from the power supply? If so, please let us know, and a photo including the connector and it's wires will be useful.
In this case there is also a problem with the connections to the fan, because there are three of them, and which is what is unknown to me at this time. The fan label may contain some useful information, or possibly not. Is the fan intended to run on 5 volts or 12 volts, both types of fans are available.
The pictures in post #5 do not show any useful details of those items, can you provide a more close-up of the ends of that device with the wire between two connectors? And does the one end of it mate to the connector on the fan?
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
Your 3 pin fan connectors are standard. In your first post image the pins are top to bottom Ground, +12 Volts and the bottom pin is the Tach Out which you won't be using. On a standard PC PSU the Yellow wires are +12 Volts and Black are ground. Your fan is a 12 VDC fan. If you, as mentioned, have any unused PSU connectors, for an example an PATA drive connector look for a yellow and red wire. The red is 5 volts and the yellow is 12 volts, the blacks are ground. A PATA to 3 pin fan is a common adapter. Anyway a Google will reflect the pin out of a 3 pin fan connector as I covered.

Ron
 
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