Fan support

[starlon]

One of my 4 radiator fans died a few months ago, and I was planning on replacing it next month. But I may replace them all with 2 stronger fans. However, I'm not sure if the SCAB can handle them. Anyone care to take a look?

Here's the snippet from SCAB's PDF.

Current Consumption:
+12 v (fans): Draw on +12 v for fans will vary, depending on the user equipment connected to FAN1 through FAN4.
Maximum continuous current draw must be no more than 1.5 A per fan connector, no more than 4 A total. Pulsed
current may be up to 5 A per connector, the pulse width must be less than 50 mS. This pulse specification allows
for the fan's start-up current spike.

Here's the fan: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=27971

Is "rated current" what I'm looking for? If so I'm surprised it's so low, and that's why I asked here.

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[CF Tech]

Electrically, the SCAB will not have any trouble with that fan.

From the SCAB datasheet:

We tested the CFA-631 and CFA-635 LCD modules in conjunction with the SCAB with a large range of fans and had good results. However, you are responsible for determining if the control and monitoring methods employed by the LCD module are acceptable for your application. In particular, if a fan's power is set too low, it may stall or fail to start, providing no cooling. Using a PWM to control fan speed is generally accepted; however we make no claims that it is compatible with any particular fan or that it does not affect the lifetime of the fans. Some higher torque fans (especially the ballbearing models) may click, buzz, or growl at low power settings due to the torque in the fan going from positive to negative in each PWM cycle. If you limit the power setting to 0% or 100% there should be no compatibility issues. We do not recommend operating a fan below 20% PWM duty cycle for an extended period of time. Limiting the minimum PWM duty cycle to 30% or 40% should reduce the mechanical and electrical stresses in the fan, avoiding premature failure.

 

[starlon]

Ok, thanks.