Search found 384 matches

by TomZ
Sat Sep 30, 2006 7:29 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: How do Antec Tricool's change their speed?
Replies: 17
Views: 8379

Laz Winterz wrote:Old topic I know... but I was wondering if it's possible to put the Antec switch on another fan?
Probably not, because the Antec fan is customized to work specifically with that switch.
by TomZ
Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:04 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD 500GB drives
Replies: 5
Views: 4120

The specifics say: Operating 5° C to 55° C These specifications are for the ambient environment, i.e., air around the HDD. The expectation is that if the ambient temperature is up to 55°C, that the drive internally will be a little warmer than that. This is planned for in the design of the HDD. ...
by TomZ
Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:37 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 4 Wire Fan Problem (Dell)
Replies: 7
Views: 4510

Don't know much about Dell Dimesion 8400, but my previous experience with Dell is that they often use proprietary connectors and sometimes even with different wiring scheme. Check that out before plugging anything in it. I'm not saying this is wrong, but I will say that Dell is one of JMC's largest...
by TomZ
Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:38 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: hard drive on foam
Replies: 17
Views: 9016

Sorry guys, this thread has a lot of bad ideas. Foam under the hard drive. Bad idea because most foams generate lots of static electricity (exception: some foams are specially treated to be anti-static; but most are not). Second reason is that putting foam next to a HDD will retard the dissipation o...
by TomZ
Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:27 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: 120 fan for XP-120 on Intel Bad Axe
Replies: 2
Views: 2103

If you're replacing the stock CPU cooler, which you obviously are, I think you'll probably want a 4-pin PWM fan for that board. You'll need to connect some fan to the CPU fan connector, otherwise the BIOS won't let the system boot up. You might be able to connect a 3-pin fan, but the motherboard won...
by TomZ
Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:16 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 4 Wire Fan Problem (Dell)
Replies: 7
Views: 4510

A 4-pin fan is a PWM fan. The difference between a 3-pin and 4-pin fan is only the 4th pin, which supplies the PWM signal from the motherboard to the fan. 3-pin fans should plug in and work properly into a 4-pin motherboard connector, at least in theory. They are designed to be backwards compatible....
by TomZ
Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:43 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: AM2/Conroe dilemma
Replies: 25
Views: 12492

I don't mean to be blunt, but if you have a June 30th tax deadline, then you don't really have a choice between AM2 and Conroe. Neither is available. You can debate all day long between the two, but at the end of the day, you will have to either settle with today's technologies, or else give up your...
by TomZ
Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:25 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Level shifter question
Replies: 6
Views: 3442

I usually use LEDs, actually, since you can choose how much voltage drop you want based on the color of the LED, and they drop more voltage than regular diodes, so I usually only need one Most LEDs are only rated for maybe 40mA (0.040A) maximum, so unless you are using either a small fan, or a larg...
by TomZ
Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:46 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 4 pin quiet fans?
Replies: 6
Views: 4429

I've got some JMC 80mms here - they are pretty quiet at low RPMs and pretty loud at high RPMs. One advantage of the 4-wire fans is they allow greater range of control, so they can run at pretty low RPMs. Also, they PWM at 20-30kHz, outside of the audible range, so the PWM should not add any addition...
by TomZ
Tue May 30, 2006 7:13 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Series 2 fans to get 6v each. What about RPM sensor wire?
Replies: 7
Views: 3486

I agree with Tibors, the "high" fan is referenced to approx. 6V instead of ground, so the MB won't be able to measure the speed.

Will the fans start reliably at 5V? Maybe you should just connect them both to the +5V rail?
by TomZ
Tue May 30, 2006 7:05 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: How can I return my S12-380?
Replies: 1
Views: 1837

I haven't had any luck getting component OEMs to cross-ship RMAs lately. Instead, I've bought additional components that I keep as spares, which can be quite handy when something fails, especially a HDD or PSU.
by TomZ
Tue May 30, 2006 7:00 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Which PSU do I need?
Replies: 4
Views: 2833

Does your bios have any way to monitor the voltage of the 12V supply?

Alternatively, you could use a digital volt meter and measure the 12V supply voltage.

If it is overloaded, the voltage will probably measure to be too low. That might help you pinpoint the problem.
by TomZ
Tue May 30, 2006 6:49 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: What is the quietest new, over 600W, highly efficient PSU?
Replies: 27
Views: 11301

I would second the vote for the S12-600. I have one here and it is running perfectly - and perfectly quiet. I haven't heard it yet, in 4 months of use. Most of the power calculators I've seen way overstate your power needs. There is no way you'll have a system that consumes 800W or even close. The S...
by TomZ
Tue May 30, 2006 6:44 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: How to slow down Coolermaster 380W fan
Replies: 12
Views: 5132

I would guess that, if you are reporting it gets loud after 10-15 minutes, then the internal case temperature has probably risen quite a bit and the PSU is now taking in rather warm air. Maybe the internal case temperature is higher than you think in that condition? I would suggest the following exp...
by TomZ
Mon May 22, 2006 3:33 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Antec finally released all-black P180??!??
Replies: 27
Views: 13900

erm, maybe this is a bit stupid, but whats the point in having the vented pci blanks? wouldnt it be easier to just not bother with any plates and achieve the same effect? I haven't seen the new P180, however, in general, having a PCI slot cover plate with small holes is better than having it totall...
by TomZ
Sat May 20, 2006 11:27 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Silentmaxx Fanless 400W MX460-PFL01 power supply
Replies: 30
Views: 136340

Thank you for the corrections. I didn't look closely at the chips in question, I just assumed that the square black blocks of silicone were MOSFETs. Just to clarify, the black blocks you see are just plastic. The silicon (as in semiconductors) is packaged within. This is different than silicone (wh...
by TomZ
Sat May 20, 2006 10:25 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: How to identify VRM modules?
Replies: 8
Views: 5152

Interesting, I would never have suspected that. BTW Tom, how come you know all this stuff? ISTR that you're always on the ball when it comes to really technical topics, do you work in the biz (PCB design/manufacture)? Yes, I do some electrical engineering work, some of it with power circuits like p...
by TomZ
Sat May 20, 2006 9:33 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: How to identify VRM modules?
Replies: 8
Views: 5152

Re: How to identify VRM modules?

I have P4P800 motherboard that was manufactured long before all this fuss about VRM efficiency and cooling. Since I'm currently redoing my main system I thought about putting some heatsinks on VRM modules just in case, especially since I want to try to overclock my CPU even further. How can I ident...
by TomZ
Sat May 20, 2006 9:27 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: EVGA Claims Seasonic S12 500 Insufficient For 7900GT
Replies: 17
Views: 7729

I was pretty shocked myself. This new video card that supposedly requires 22A uses less power than my "old" ATI X800XL. I really don't want the hassle of going through multiple RMAs just to get a good card... which really sucks because it's a wonderful card when it works. It performs well and uses ...
by TomZ
Thu May 18, 2006 1:30 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Anyone try lower voltage by serial the fan? Says 6v each?
Replies: 6
Views: 3621

Re: Anyone try lower voltage by serial the fan? Says 6v each

I wanna run them in slow speed but I don't wanna use two speed control. I could run them in pallarel and use single speed control (using Y connector) but I have another idea to "serial" both fan and plug it in to the 12v rail, so both will have 6v each. Yes, running them in series should work just ...
by TomZ
Thu May 18, 2006 1:20 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Where can I get silicone/ rubber washers for motherboard?
Replies: 4
Views: 3262

Actually there is a far larger issue than not lining up with the I/O bracket. The motherboard is expected to be grounded to the case via the mounting hardware, placing washers between it and the standoffs will prevent this from happening. That's not a serious concern, since there are so many other ...
by TomZ
Thu May 11, 2006 4:45 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Antec NeoHE "High-Efficiency"
Replies: 606
Views: 570756

I appreciate everything you've said here in the way of a recap, but I want to tell you that I for one still don't feel I can "buy with confidence". There needs to be more formal disclosure from Antec. I second that. After Antec having "fixed" the problem and introducting a new rev. of NeoHE, I wait...
by TomZ
Tue May 09, 2006 4:13 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Antec NeoHE "High-Efficiency"
Replies: 606
Views: 570756

Nice Antec did close my trouble ticked before I had time to request another RMA. It's funny you would mention that. I asked them a couple of technical product questions via trouble tickets, and in both cases, they responded but didn't really answer my question but closed the trouble tickets, so I d...
by TomZ
Thu May 04, 2006 2:02 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Quiet......and Cool..........
Replies: 7
Views: 5750

Been looking over some more Lian Li's.......they seem very nice, but, to get the same approx. room and potential quiet/cooling as the P180 it looks like I'd have to spend $200+ and that's still questionable. What makes the Lian Li's worth so much more? Looks and quality is what you get for the cost...
by TomZ
Wed May 03, 2006 1:13 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Low power system not booting with high efficiency PSU?!
Replies: 84
Views: 148172

Mike, I hope you'll let us know when the new crop of high-efficiency power supplies becomes available that doesn't need third-party modifications to work. I don't think this issue is a widespread as you might perceive. There are lots of people building systems with these supplies (like myself) with...
by TomZ
Tue May 02, 2006 3:59 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 120 VAC fans - is it O.K. to undervolt them?
Replies: 23
Views: 13681

In the end Butcher decided to control the motor speed using a residential ceiling fan control. This will most likely be a TRIAC-based speed controller, and should work fine for this application assuming there is no extra noise due to the low-frequency TRIAC switching control (as you mentioned). Thi...
by TomZ
Mon May 01, 2006 7:32 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: How much noise from cutting a window?
Replies: 8
Views: 5629

The kits availble are usually 2-3mm thick, if i made a window on a case i would get at least 4mm stuff and mount it with flexible and strong glue and not screws :) That would acutally make the panel quite a lot stiffer than 2mm alu, so it would be quieter with the window if you currently have noise...
by TomZ
Mon May 01, 2006 5:06 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 120 VAC fans - is it O.K. to undervolt them?
Replies: 23
Views: 13681

Won't that lead to a kind of "jerky" fan motion, whereby at some parts of the cycle the fan is pushing more air than when it's coasting? Obviously this won't be noticeable to the user, but as you say it seems kind of sub-optimal from an engineering point of view. The idea is to switch the power to ...
by TomZ
Mon May 01, 2006 5:00 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 120 VAC fans - is it O.K. to undervolt them?
Replies: 23
Views: 13681

depravedone is correct - simply reducing the voltage isn't a good way to reduce AC fan speed. AC fans spin at a speed based on the AC frequency, not on the voltage. A rheostat works, but that's because at lower voltage the motor has less torque so slows down because of friction and air resistance. ...
by TomZ
Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:07 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 120 VAC fans - is it O.K. to undervolt them?
Replies: 23
Views: 13681

And he still doesn't, since you weren't kind enough to provide said credentials. Why don't both of you get off your high EE horses and hammer out a consensus on this one. Obviously there's just one right answer. Besides the question of credentials, I don't see any open issue here. depravedone first...