How to Create your Fan Light Switch

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to add a switch to turn off those bright LED fan lights they use.

   Warning

This project involves soldering and bare wire leads. Always take the appropriate cautions when working with electrical parts.

While it may seem very daunting at first, this tutorial is actually extremely simple once you see what to do.



Items needed:

• Computer fan
• 22 Gauge Wire
• 4 pin FEMALE (and male if you want) MOLEX connectors (to connect to PSU)
• Wire clippers
• Heat Shrink (optional, but highly recommended)
• Solder and Soldering Iron (or pliers and cable connectors if you don't mind it)
  
  • *This tutorial will assume that you know how to solder, and that is the method you will use. If you have any questions about soldering or using connectors, feel free to ask*
  
  

Set up:
Set up your Soldering station to your preference, and make sure you have wire (and connectors) and solder. I used 22 Gauge wire because it is about the same size as the wire used in the fan already. I also recommend you use a Test PSU to test this mod until you are sure it works.

   Warning

When you touch two leads from the power supply (i.e. The yellow and red wires, or the yellow and black, etc) you will short out the power supply. If this occurs, immediately unplug the PSU and take the wires apart. This is why I recommend heat shrink.

Step 1:
Remove the plastic sticker covering the back of the fan. This will be the side with the wires leading to it, generally the one with the voltage information on it (just the one you SHOULDN'T remove...)

Step 2:
Locate each of the fan LED wires. My fan was cool enough to have the + and - symbols located on the circuit board, so it was easy to figure out which was which.
You will need to desolder the NEGATIVE wire from the circuit board (all of them)

   Warning

If you solder the positive side, and then attach them directly to the PSU, you WILL blow out your LEDs, rendering them so much junk

Step 3:
This is the hardest step. You need to take a small wire, and solder it to each LED wire. It would look better if you could run the wire under the plastic to keep it down, but this was EXTREMELY difficult to do, so I lift some of it over the plastic. How much you want to struggle with that is your decision, but the step remains the same.

Step 4:
Now you have an extra fan wire that needs to be grounded for the lights to work. It needs to be attached to a black PSU wire (the middle 2 connectors on the 4 pin molex).
This can be accomplished by merely adding a switch in the line, then sending it out to a molex pin with the fan plug.
I know this step may sound very confusing right now, but I have yet to actually do this part. When I do, I will add pictures and more detail to clear it up.

Here is my semi-completed project. I have utilized all 5 sections of this series. To the right is my keyed start switch (the key switch at bottom right and aircraft safety toggle switch). On the top is my cathode switch and my soon-to-be fan light switches. The bottom has 3 of my 4 potentiometer speed controllers.





Hope this helps out the modders!

~Lordbob

Related Tutorials

---

Computer Mod Series:

1. PSU - Jump Start
2. Start Button - Customize
3. Fans - Speed Controller
4. Lights - Add An On/Off Switch