PC Fan inside my coolidor ?

[Bubba -NJ]

Does anyone know of a way to power up a PC fan (computer fan) with a regular power cord . I would like to do this in my cooler , put it on a timer so it can cycle on and off to even out the RH . I've been searching sites and have seen it mentioned but I haven't seen any technical info on how to get it done . Any really small fan would do actually , it's just that the PC fans are so easily available . If I find a way how , I'll post a how to reply , if any of the members here find a way please feel free to post it here also . Let me ask this as well - Am I trying to make the coolidor too technical ?

[nhcigarfan]

a straight plug to the socket may over load the fan,

[Baron Porthos]

http://www.campersland.com/col830-350.html
check this one out. Its magnetic and runs on a d cell battery.

[stjohnroe]

Depending on the required voltage you could always canibalise a mobile phone charger or similar.

[TheSilentChamber]

Go to radio shack and get a dc converter and splice it into the fan. They are 12vdc but will run off as little a 3-4 volts. The amperage draw is very low also so it will be able to run off the converter with no problems.

[SuperChuck]

If you're not terribly concerned about sound, you can use a 115V AC fan from Digi-Key

They probably sell a pluyg enclosure you can solder it to, as well. They sell everyching!

[Kenyth]

Whenever I throw away any electronic item, I always keep the DC wall adapter just for this kind of purpose. They always seem to come in handy. Just buy a fan and note the voltage/amperage requirements. Then buy or reuse a DC adapter with those specs. You can buy universal ones also. You set these with switches. I know most fans will run off lower voltages, but you should know this can be a small fire hazard. The adapter circuit will run maxed out all the time and could overheat.

[Bkcloud114]

Here is a link to the set-up I'm gonna use....... http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/inde...pic=17890&st=0

If you have any questions you could PM Jim..... he is a great guy and would answer any of your questions

[SuperChuck]

Here is a link to the set-up I'm gonna use....... http://www.cigarpass.com/forums/inde...pic=17890&st=0

...using a line voltage fan...

If I was just a little smarter, I could build a circuit that tripped when the RH dropped below a certain point...

Anyone an EE?

[thepyrofish]

Well, since the pc fan is running off 12V, you could probably take a hydgro with a low humidity warning light or something like that, and use the wiring to the light to trigger a relay that would start the fan? Build a little black box out of some lexan or plexi to hide it in so it doesn't look like arse.

(I'm not an EE, but I build car stereos as a hobby so I've done a bit of 12V wiring.)

Oh and it would probably have to be a normal type bulb, I'm not sure the power going to an LED would be enough to trigger a 12V relay.

[Bubba -NJ]

Thank you for all the helpful replies . I'm going to start with Radio Shack or Comp USA for the ready made fan , but if I have to build one then I guess I'll have to incorporate it into my spanish cedar shelf .

[johnjohnson]

I dont understand why you want to use a pc fan... couldn't you find a small fan that already runs on batteries?

[Bubba -NJ]

I dont understand why you want to use a pc fan... couldn't you find a small fan that already runs on batteries?

I will use whatever small fan I can find , pc fans are readily available and easy to find , I couldn't find a fan that was as small as a pc fan anywhere . Here is what I ended up using for now until I can come up with a better solution . I went to Radio shack to get a fan - $17.99 , CompUsa has PC fans for $9.99 - I found an old DC converter and cut the end off - stripped the wire ends - took a extension wire for a pc fan with the male end on it and soldered it to the dc converter leads - so that I had the proper connectors to be able to just plug it in and run the wire through the drain plug in my coolidor . The fan(a 3 speed Antec) I got at CompUsa for $9.99 is a 12 volt - the DC converter I found is a 12 volt so it all works well . I tried to get the fan going with a 9 volt battery but no go . I let the fan run for a couple hours the first time and no problems yet , I will let it run tomorrow all day just to test it for a possible fire hazard while I'm around . I will then set it up with a light timer to cycle on and off through out the day in my coolidor . I will post pictures when I get the chance . I've heard that you can get these fans with a 110v plug on them but I couldn't find any around locally . After I soldered the wires together I put heat shrink tubing on to cover the bare wires for a decent clean look and to protect from arcing . The fan also has some red led lights in it . Now all I have to do is figure out where to mount it in my coolidor . Thank you for all your help cigarsmokers .

[TN_CIGAR_MAN]

Although this doesn't really answer your question about how to run a PC fan, it's still sorta relative to the topic.

I've heard of folks using those new Oust fans in their humidors without the fragrance packet. The fragrance packet comes sealed and therefore the fan will not taint your cigars.

Runs on a D cell battery and cycles on 5 minutes, off 15 minutes. I thought I heard somewhere that it would run for a couple months on one D cell battery.

http://www.oust.ca/en/fan.aspx

[Bubba -NJ]

Here's the photo . On the left side of the fan is the speed switch(low ,medium and high). I let the fan run for about 10 hours today and no visible problems . The DC converter I used is a Sony from an old cordless telephone that I had in my basement for some reason . The good thing about the connector end for the PC fan being soldered to the DC converter is that if the fan should burn out I can just get another one and replacement is easy - Plug and play . Thank you for your help , if not for your tips I wouldn't have this hooked up yet .

[CoventryCat86]

I really see no need for a fan in a humidor. The RH always evens out in a humidor even a large one.

Again, I would not bother because it accomplishes nothing....

[Bkcloud114]

I really see no need for a fan in a humidor. The RH always evens out in a humidor even a large one.

Again, I would not bother because it accomplishes nothing....

Yea, but itstill looks cool.....LOL

[SuperChuck]

Maybe he's overclocking his humidor?

[MCsommerreid]

I really see no need for a fan in a humidor. The RH always evens out in a humidor even a large one.

Again, I would not bother because it accomplishes nothing....

If anything it would be more usefull in keeping temperature constant within the unit.

It could also be usefull for more rediculous methods of maintaining temperature like peltiers or heaters and getting the air to pass over the heating unit so that within the unit there isn't one super hot area and one super cold. Probably only usefull in areas of extereme temperature shift where the owner doesn't have temperature controlled rooms.

Also an interesting project for the cigar smoking geek who likes to tech up everything they own.