Just wondering if this module might achieve the same thing:

...

In Australia it's freely available, cheap and comes pre-soldered. Surely with the popularity of Arduino there would be an equivalent option in the US.

I'm about to do this mopd and would also like to know if a N-MOSFET driver like the one in the link is suitable. I could order some logic level MOSFETs resistors and caps but such a solution would be neater.

Question: My SD4 obviously has the latest printrboard Rev E in it and I soldered in the fan connector while I had it apart a while back. I tried connecting a fan to it and sending the proper G-Code but got nothing. I am assuming it is just a matter of enabling it in the firmware? Is there schematics for Solidoodle's version of the board so I can make sure whether it is connected to a PWM line or not?

I have  just soldered a connector myself, just where it is supposed to be on my solidoodle mothrboard Rev E and it works like charm even driving the 120mm fan right now, the only other part i have added was a  shottky diode reverse parallel to the fan to eat up the reverse emf coming from the fan. but this  was just for extra safety (i saw it in printrbot Rev F schematics), because the q4 tansisors parasitic diode should do just about the same.

i have sd3 so my guess would be: it is either a new firmware of sd4, which i do not think they have at all(not sure though), or:
-you 've connected wrong cables of a 3 pole fan connector to the board i.e. connecting fans hall sensor to power
-you 've swapped plus and minus
-you 've blown the q3 transistor
the q3 is locaed just next to the fan connector i would check if it looks like it was overheated, though you could not really rely on this.
to make sure it is not your fan or its connections. take  the led light strip plug off the board and plug it into  your new connector. black cable should be on left side closer to the light and fan connectors the red cable on the right side closer to the reset button. now you should be able to turn he light on/off and change its brightness using the fan controls in Repetier.

you can easiliy replace the q3 with almost any comparable mosfet (i.e from old hard drives)
it is the first mosfet on the top left in the schematics:

reprap.org/mediawiki/images/d/d5/Printrboard_RevB_Schematic150.png

hope that helps.
Peter

http://www.freetronics.com/collections/ … IW8FsXMg4c

In Australia it's freely available, cheap and comes pre-soldered. Surely with the popularity of Arduino there would be an equivalent option in the US.

I should have gone back and read that post more closely.  I ordered the Carbon Frog kit, and had a hard time with the reflow.  It was tough to get the right amount of solder paste on the tabs, I didn't get it heated up enough, and then I lost one of the diodes.  It was half the size of a grain of rice, so there is no chance of finding it again.

I ordered the parts I would need to put together the DIY version of the circuit board.  Reading Nophead's post again, I see that the only thing I need is a MOSFET, so long as it is a logic level one, rather than the regular kind.  That kind of MOSFET is always online only so I will need to wait for shipping again, but it will be a lot simpler to put together.

Sorry to dig up an old post but I am very curious if you completed this mod? I am interested in doing the same thing but I am no EE and the lack of a detailed guide is very intimidating.  The mod seems very simple beyond the MOSFET.

Did you end up buying a MOSFET or building the board yourself?  I was also very close to buying the Carbon frog kit until I read this post.

I ordered the parts I would need to put together the DIY version of the circuit board.  Reading Nophead's post again, I see that the only thing I need is a MOSFET, so long as it is a logic level one, rather than the regular kind.  That kind of MOSFET is always online only so I will need to wait for shipping again, but it will be a lot simpler to put together.

Edit: I'm guessing this will work as well:

http://hydraraptor.blogspot.co.uk/2012/ … -hack.html

There is a tiny board you can get as a kit that I have on order that will enable fan control.  You can get it through here - http://www.carbonfrog.com/  Unfortunately it means I will have to learn reflow soldering, but then that will be another skill gained from wanted to get something cool done.  If you want to use a panel however, you are out of luck because the panel takes too many pins.  At that point it would be worth looking at a RAMPS board.

Thanks... I have no desire to use a panel, I'm not really sure why I'd want to.  I will always have my PC near.

I did think about adding an external display and modifying the code for repeteir host to send out info to an external display, but that's an idea for a different day.  Right now there isn't much I gain from an external panel.

That boards small enough you can solder it without re flow.  I've done SMD like that over 15 years ago... if there were 30 components I wouldn't want to, but with just a few it's not too bad.

Does that get wired into the solidoodle board?

Hoping it will fit inside.

At some point I'd like to upgrade my electronics to a board that supports controlling of a cooling fan.  It be nice to have g-code control it's speed at certain parts of the model.  example only on the tops of smaller parts.