PC fan for fermentation chamber

[ManseMasher]

Got a pc fan today, it's going to go into my fermentation chamber. I also have a 12v power supply (old wireless hub supply). All three wires on the fan are black. I'm assuming one is live, one is ground/return and the other is a speed sensor line. Any ideas how I found out which is which? Not worried about speed sensor obviously.

As for the power supply, how do I find live and return? If I wire it wrong way round will fan run in reverse?!

 

[baggybill]

I use an old mobile phone charger on mine. I also have a double socket off the STC-1000 so if my heater is on, the fan is on.

Fan pin connectors here:
http://pcbheaven.com/wikipages/How_PC_Fans_Work/

Usually, one of the psu wires has a white stripe and this is normally positive. That's how my fan is connected up.

 

[ManseMasher]

I use an old mobile phone charger on mine. I also have a double socket off the STC-1000 so if my heater is on, the fan is on.

Fan pin connectors here:
http://pcbheaven.com/wikipages/How_PC_Fans_Work/

Usually, one of the psu wires has a white stripe and this is normally positive. That's how my fan is connected up.

I am going to use a double-gang socket also, for the same reason. Thanks for the link - sorted!

 

[Fil]

for a clue google the connecting plug, it may have a specific layout??
anything identifying the fan? can you ask the seller, if for plugging into a pc motherboard the pin layout will be set google spat this out
http://pinouts.ru/Motherboard/MbCpuFan_pinout.shtml

look for a diddy 1 to indicate which pin is number 1 or google motherboard photo's and check the text next to a fan socket for an indicator

as a rule it runs left to right.. 1 to x

 

[ManseMasher]

Tried google. Sussed it now anyway thanks! Everything wired in, just waiting for stc to arrive and I'm good to go. Using a red reptile bulb for the heater, fan and heater wired together so they switch on/off at the same time.

 

[Brewed_Force]

Do you reckon having a fan inside a brew fridge makes any difference ?
I would be interested to know if those people who just use a standard greenhouse type tube heater with no fan have experienced any problems with their brews?
I know there will be a heat gradient top to bottom, but cannot imagine it would make any difference to the finished product.
But I'm sure that others will beg to differ......

 

[Mickeywheelspin]

I thought about adding a fan to my fridge, but didn't bother in the end. The heat from the greenhouse type heaters is mostly radiant not convected so air circulation would make minimal difference in my setup. The main risk is that one side of the FV gets warmer than the other but short of putting the FV on a turntable it's not easily avoided.

TBH, I'm not sure my heater has ever been on. My brew fridge is a single width chest freezer which is so well insulated that the heat from fermentation keeps the temperature up. The cooling though, has been really handy!

 

[Fil]

imho run the fan 24/7 when in use.. the air is the medium of heat transfer so the better its mixed up the better it will work either with heat or cold.

most if not all hi end and commercial fridges employ fans ..