# Fans and Fan Controllers... Questions.



## StwS (Aug 26, 2007)

I am planning on getting 7 Antec TriCool fans (in various colours) and a Silverstone FP33 Fan Controller.

What I want to do is group the fans in 3, 2, 2. Ie, one knob controls 3 fans (on my top radiator) another controls 2 fans (on my rear radiator) and the third controls another 2 fans (intake) though I may add more intake fans later.

Would it work to set all fans' own controllers to HIGH, and connect then in parralel to the variable resistors (potentiometers) in the controller? Ie:

Power -> Controller -> Split to the three fans -> Joined to Power. Should work, right? Connecting in series would be bad... with each additional fan, the speed would be reduced...


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## forcifer (Nov 20, 2005)

for the controller, i believe that they would hall have to be in series for the controller to work.


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

Yeah, the easiest way to do that is to hook the fans up in a series setup where one plugs into the other and you use the power supply connector rather than the 3-pin motherboard connector.


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

StwS said:


> I am planning on getting 7 Antec TriCool fans (in various colours) and a Silverstone FP33 Fan Controller.
> 
> What I want to do is group the fans in 3, 2, 2. Ie, one knob controls 3 fans (on my top radiator) another controls 2 fans (on my rear radiator) and the third controls another 2 fans (intake) though I may add more intake fans later.
> 
> ...


Actually, you're all right and wrong at the same time. 

On mine, i have channel 1 controlling both front fans. When i was using the power supply connectors and combinign them together, the power would step down from each fan. So instead, i use a Y cable off the controller so both fans are on seperate connections- this puts them at true parrallel so they get a true power split. but this wont wrk with an odd # of fans.


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## StwS (Aug 26, 2007)

Why wont it work with an odd number of fans?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

Because the Y-splitter will only connect to two fans.


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

TheMatt said:


> Because the Y-splitter will only connect to two fans.


right- when i piggybacked the PSU connectors, the first connector got all 12 volts while the second got less. The Y connector allows both to get 12 volts and split the amps. With 4 fans you could use 3 Y cables and still get it to work right, but the controlability would probably decrease as you reached the maximum wattage for the controller.

you can link the intake and rear fans together, but for the top i would recomend seeing if getting a 200 or 250 mm fan would be more economical than 3 120's or whatever you intend on using.


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## StwS (Aug 26, 2007)

I was actually thinking of just cutting the connectors off two of the fans (leaving about 130mm length left) and splicing them into the third fan, soldering, and heat-shrinking. One connector for three fans, and since they are all right next to each other, it shouldn't be a problem: wherever the radiator goes, they will probably be going too...


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

the best way to do what you're going is combine the positive and negative connectors into their own bundles so all 3 fans get power at EXACTLY the same point and attach a pigtail from there. otherwise it will all be for not.


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