1 Topic by agentsmith

  • agentsmith
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Topic: 5V power supply for fans

Hi guys,
I bought a 50mm fan to cool the Sanguinololu board and a 92mm fan to use with a carbon filter and remove ABS odors.
However at 12V they are pretty loud, exactly like the stock 40mm extruder fan.

I was wondering if:
- is it safe to run the extruder fan at 5V instead of 12V? This is the single noisiest component in the printer
- can I run these three fans (1x 0.15A, 1x 0.06A, 1x 0.05A) through the onboard 7805 regulator or is it just a bad idea?
- If i run them through a 12V to 5V switching regulator (AmazonBasics 2-Port USB Car Charger with 2.1 Amp) and connect it to the 12V fan connector, will Solidoodle power supply handle the additional load?
Given the high efficiency of the regulator and the small fans load, it should be within spec, but I know Solidoodle PSU is already close to limit...

2 Reply by IronMan

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Re: 5V power supply for fans

Not too sure about the power limit on the Solidoodle board, but when I set up my electronics cooling fan, I just used an old 12v wall wart and plugged it into the same power strip my SD is on, so when I power up, everything turns on...

SD2 - Stock - Enclosure - Heated Bed - Glass Plate - Auto Fire Extinguisher
Ord Bot Hadron - RAMPS 1.4 - Bulldog XL - E3D v6 - 10" x 10" PCB Heated Build w/SSR - Glass Plate
Thanks for All of Your Help!

3 Reply by G-unit

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Re: 5V power supply for fans

IronMan wrote:

Not too sure about the power limit on the Solidoodle board, but when I set up my electronics cooling fan, I just used an old 12v wall wart and plugged it into the same power strip my SD is on, so when I power up, everything turns on...

I do this to. I think it is the best way to do it and you don't put any extra load on the SD board.

4 Reply by agentsmith

  • agentsmith
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Re: 5V power supply for fans

To be honest I already have a dedicated 5V 2A power supply for the Raspberry PI that drives the SD3, plus usb hub, webcam and wi-fi adapter. Maybe I could connect the fans too here, but I'm afraid the spike required to start spinning them might reset the Raspberry.

5 Reply by adrian (edited by adrian 2013-09-01 02:53:38)

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Re: 5V power supply for fans

If you are *really* that bothered by the noise.. just buy a ball-bearing based 'noiselss' fan and replace it.. but I highly discourage lowering the fan speed.. you will end up with problems in 2 weeks time and spend weeks chasing why its started happening.... missed steps, etc etc smile

6 Reply by ronsii

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Re: 5V power supply for fans

+1 on what Adrian said smile there are plenty of quieter fans out there... they cost a bit more than the cheapies but you get what you pay for wink

7 Reply by agentsmith

  • agentsmith
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Re: 5V power supply for fans

Thank you for the advice, I will look for a ball bearing fan. The stock fan is really noisy, it also propagates subtle vibrations though the chassis.
What concern me is that low noise fans also move less air, thus achieving the same effect of reducing stock fan voltage.
Did you have any experience about overheating stepper motors? I could place a thermistor on the motor and measure its temperature during print with fan working at 12V and 5V.