PWM PC Fan Control without motherboard
Hello you lovely nerds! I am lost in the woods. Essentially I am trying to achieve analog RPM control for this fan:
Pretty beefy, eh?
As I said in the title, I will be using this fan without the use of a computer. It will be plugged into a wall using a "wall wart" or any other type of 12v power supply that would work. The fan was chosen for its ridiculous static pressure specs, and it has to be this exact fan.
Problem is this fan has 4 wires: Yellow (12v+) Black (GRND) Green (data) Blue (PWM)
I have scoured the internet for days (literally) racking my brain trying to find the missing link.
It is not possible to power this fan while leaving the BLUE wire floating. That is a bit of a problem, because I have no idea what to do with it. I would like to use PWM to raise and lower the fans RPM. (3000 would be somewhat overkill, but necessary sometimes.)
So, it is NOT possible to only connect the Ground and Positive (if BLUE is floating the fan will not run due to lack of voltage feedback) - even if it were, the fan would run@ 3000 RPM by default. This leads me to the big question.
Would this little guy work? https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Voltage-Motor-Speed-Controller/dp/B00N30UK2M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426736302&sr=8-7&keywords=pwm+controller
I see it was made to receive 4 wires (POWER+, POWER-, MOTOR+, MOTOR-) Would this be Yellow,Black,Blue,Green? Also... and this is where my head explodes... how would I connect the fan or controller to a power supply if all 4 pin connectors are taken up? Would I need to run the fan to a 4 pin to molex adapter and somehow convert that molex to a standard "wall wart" power supply? Like I said I am pretty lost.
Any input or advice you wonderful beasts have to offer is greatly appreciated
~Ann
Posted Aug 14, 2017, 7:38 PM UTC