Smart Fan 2 problems....

rykoryko new york
edited March 2004 in Hardware
Ok, I just upgraded to an SLK-948u heatsink and a ThermalTake Smart Fan 2 (90mm blue led edition). I want to be able to control the rpm's with my enermax 5.25" 6 fan controller instead of the crappy pci slot controller (who wants to reach around to the back of the pc everytime you want to change the rpm's anyway?) I have all of my other case fans hooked up to it with no problems. I followed the instructions that came with the SF2, but i can't adjust rpm's. I think it has to do with that stupid jumper. Anyway, here is what i did....

1) soldered connector for pci slot controller to my enermax controller lead
2) plugged SF2 3pin lead to mobo header
3) removed jumper and attached the newly soldered lead from my enermax controller to the appropriate header on the SF2

The fan seems to be runnig at full rpm and i can't manually adjust it. What i would like to know is, what exactly does the jumper on the SF2 do? The instructons say it is required to run the fan at full rpm, but mine is running full w/o the jumper. If i put it back on the SF2, what will happen? Will it short out my fan controller or have other undesirable effects?

I am confused since this is my first SF2. This thing should work. The only thing i did differently was use my enermax controller instead of the included pci slot one. Any suggestions? I know a lot of you have used the SF2 before, so any help would be appreciated.

BTW, I like the temps I am getting (2.8c @ 3.26 - 37idle/45load) but thought they would be a little lower. I think i need to switch to AS5 from my AS3, but that's a different story.

Comments

  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2004
    ryko wrote:
    Ok, I just upgraded to an SLK-948u heatsink and a ThermalTake Smart Fan 2 (90mm blue led edition). I want to be able to control the rpm's with my enermax 5.25" 6 fan controller instead of the crappy pci slot controller (who wants to reach around to the back of the pc everytime you want to change the rpm's anyway?) I have all of my other case fans hooked up to it with no problems. I followed the instructions that came with the SF2, but i can't adjust rpm's. I think it has to do with that stupid jumper. Anyway, here is what i did....

    1) soldered connector for pci slot controller to my enermax controller lead
    2) plugged SF2 3pin lead to mobo header
    3) removed jumper and attached the newly soldered lead from my enermax controller to the appropriate header on the SF2

    The fan seems to be runnig at full rpm and i can't manually adjust it. What i would like to know is, what exactly does the jumper on the SF2 do? The instructons say it is required to run the fan at full rpm, but mine is running full w/o the jumper. If i put it back on the SF2, what will happen? Will it short out my fan controller or have other undesirable effects?

    I am confused since this is my first SF2. This thing should work. The only thing i did differently was use my enermax controller instead of the included pci slot one. Any suggestions? I know a lot of you have used the SF2 before, so any help would be appreciated.

    BTW, I like the temps I am getting (2.8c @ 3.26 - 37idle/45load) but thought they would be a little lower. I think i need to switch to AS5 from my AS3, but that's a different story.

    Mine works fine ...I just yanked off the thermal probe and the rheostat that came on the fan and just installed it as you see in the pic to my generic 3 pin rheobus. After removing the extras it looked just like it does in this pic ...and it didn't matter whether I had the jumper on or not ...actually I thought it was just a protective sleeve.
    sf2.jpg 20.8K
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    I would like to keep the 3pin header to the mobo, so that i can monitor it from there. I have an ABIT AI7 and i monitor through uguru....
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2004
    do you have a pic of what you've done?
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    give me a second or two to find my camera...
  • madmatmadmat
    edited March 2004
    I'll try to help here, the PCI controller is a trim-pot that varies the resistance across the header on the SF2 just like the thermal diod does while the lead coming from your Enermax fan controller is giving you variable D.C. voltage and current.
    IMHO the reason your fan's running at full speed is, I'd say, that the negative lead for the Enermax is providing the ground needed to make the fan think that the PCI controller knob has been turned to the full speed posistion.
    I am leaning to the SF2 using a variable ground rather than a variable positive voltage because if the voltage was indeed positive you'd either blow out the Enermax or your PC would shut off because the ground from the Enermax would be shorting the fan out.
    I'd suggest just using the Enermax to control the fan and take a fan plug from an old fan and put the rpm monitor lead in that shell so that your motherboard can still monitor the rpms.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2004
    hm ...which wire is the rpm lead?
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    Here ya go...

    wierd how the flash screwed up the blue led effect...
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    Wait a second, you say it is not a jumper, just a protective shield? So you can hook up both the temp probe and pci slot rheostat at the same time?

    I know what i have to do, but i guess i was just confused by the instructions... :confused:

    Anyway, MadMAt is correct...

    splice/solder the +/- to my enermax controller, and route the rpm (yellow) to the mobo

    The damn instructions just screwed me up :banghead:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited March 2004
    I think you're probably SOL. You'll be lucky if you haven't fried the fan control circuitry inside the SF2. The pot and thermal probe are just variable resistors; the fan has another circuit that controls its speed based on the resistance it gets back from either the pot or the resistor. What you've done is put +12v into that circuit through a lead that was most likely expecting way, way, WAY less than that.

    You can't control the SF2 using a rheobus, except by using the 3 pin connector. It can't be done. If you want to monitor the RPM, use the adapter that came with the SF2 that converts it from 3 pins to 4 pins, plus the rpm lead. Plug the RPM lead into the motherboard, and plug the 4 pin lead into a 3 pin --> 4 pin adapter. Vantec's Nexus fan controllers come with 3 pin (female) to 4 pin adapters so you can use 4 pin fans on their fanbus. What you need is to build/buy an adapter like that.
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    ARGGHHHHHHHH! now i have to shut off my pc and bust out the soldering iron..........


    I tried finding a smilie with a blowtorch or something, but couldn't....might want to add it to the bunch if possible........
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2004
    ryko wrote:
    Wait a second, you say it is not a jumper, just a protective shield? So you can hook up both the temp probe and pci slot rheostat at the same time?

    I know what i have to do, but i guess i was just confused by the instructions... :confused:

    Anyway, MadMAt is correct...

    splice/solder the +/- to my enermax controller, and route the rpm (yellow) to the mobo

    The damn instructions just screwed me up :banghead:
    no no it may very well be a jumper ...it sure looks like one. I just assumed it was a protective cover. Jump it by all means if you're not using the probe.
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    Ummm.... Geeky was right.... my SF2 is toast :rarr:

    Now i have to go get a replacement fan or I could always hook it back up the ass-backwards way i originally had it :grumble:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited March 2004
    Oh, for future reference... you may as well just use the thermal control feature. Use the thermal tape to tape the thermistor onto the CPU, right next to (NOT ON TOP OF!!!) the core, and install the heatsink as normal. Hook the thermistor up to the CPU fan, and you'll have the best possible balance between noise and cooling. My temps went up like 5*F when going from full speed to thermal control on my 1800+ @ 2.3GHz on a NF7-S with a SLK-900A, and I didn't have to back my OC off at all.
  • rykoryko new york
    edited March 2004
    Thanks for everyone's help! I have one more question...

    I yanked the toasted 90mm SF2 and replaced it with an 80mm, 32 CFM Coolermaster. The strange thing is that my temps are the same as when the SF2 was going full blast
    actually they are about 1 degree cooler! (36idle/44load) My overclock stayed the same with my p4 2.8 @ 3.26. What's up with that? I thought more CFM = lower temps. Maybe my screwed wiring job was making the SF2 run slower?????
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited March 2004
    Actually, it's most likely because 80mm fans work better on SLK heatsinks than 90mm fans do.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited March 2004
    Sure that's been determined for a while now since before this thread:
    http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9964
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