Need Help!!!! PSU Fan replacement mod!

[TorrenT]

The noise from my 550 dual fan psu is driving me insane!

Looking to purchase another q-Tec PSU (500 watt big fan) and hopefully swap the fan out with a silenx 120mm job (although I know I will have to drill holes as the corners are solid).

I know that the 550watt PSU internal fan power connectors are type 2 pin but would like confirmation that the 500watt BF are the same.

Also, if the connector is 2 pin, does anyone know if the PSU internal power connector for the fan will take the silenx connector without too much of a mod (i.e none!).

Cheers guys!

[DT1]

QTec 500w PSU £30.00
SilenX 120mm £17.95
Total £47.95

That 500W is peak not sustained, unless Q-Tec have changed their method of calculation, so it's more like a 350W PSU.

On the other hand you could have one of these for a few pounds more

Nexus NX4090 Ultra Quiet PSU (400W)
£53.00

Better quality and no need to mod. :)

[latency]

2nd'ed

(ps, pleeeeaaaassseee loose your sig :))

[pdf27]

Couple of comments on changing PSU fans (having done it)
1) The fan headers aren't the same - PSU fans have a 2 pin header. Sometimes you can push the header straight on, but usually you have to cut off the existing one and switch plugs between the two fans (involving a bit of soldering).
2) It looks like you don't know much about the inside of PSUs. Be warned that the capacitors inside a PSU can hold lethal voltages for quite a long time (hours/days depending on design). If you don't know exactly what you're doing DO NOT open your PSU.
3) The Nexus fan is quieter than the SilenX (at least according to SPCR), and the Nexus PSU also uses a fan control algorithm so the fan will be turning slower than the SilenX one in your modded PSU. This means the Nexus PSU will be a lot quieter in most circumstances, and has no risk of overheating under full load.

[Dunc]

2) It looks like you don't know much about the inside of PSUs. Be warned that the capacitors inside a PSU can hold lethal voltages for quite a long time (hours/days depending on design). If you don't know exactly what you're doing DO NOT open your PSU.


Although that is generally sound advice, i thought i ought to point out it is mainly a myth.

Although yes, the capacitors do hold charge for a long time, you really need to be trying to hurt yourself to get a shock off them. By this i mean actively poking around the deep insides with a screwdriver. Unless you have hands that could sweat for england, the chances of getting a shock directly is very low. With dry hands, you can quite safely handle an open PSU.

This shouldnt ever stop anyone being careful around an open one, just like anything else involving electricity, but it also shouldnt make anyone paranoid with terror :)


As for changing a fan on a PSU, i did it a couple of weeks ago. At best it will jyst be a case of plugging the new one into the same socket. Its more likely you will have to do a bit of cutting and soldering though. Or if you are lazy like me, stripping, twisting, and securing with super sticky, heat resistant plumbers tape ;)

[Big Adam]

Better safe than sorry with PSUs.

Surefire way to ensure you have discharged it completely is to leave it PLUGGED IN to a 3-pin socket with the socket switched OFF for a few hours.

This will earth the unit. Realistically, it won't take too long but leaving it overnight will mean you are guaranteed to be safe.

[pdf27]

Although that is generally sound advice, i thought i ought to point out it is mainly a myth.

Although yes, the capacitors do hold charge for a long time, you really need to be trying to hurt yourself to get a shock off them. By this i mean actively poking around the deep insides with a screwdriver. Unless you have hands that could sweat for england, the chances of getting a shock directly is very low. With dry hands, you can quite safely handle an open PSU.

There are rather a lot of people over at SPCR who have done this mod (along with multiple discussions of the best way to earth the capacitors). No deaths yet (or at least they haven't come back and posted about it ;) ) but several nasty shocks to people who didn't discharge the capacitors properly before opening up. One nasty thing is that capacitor size varies from PSU to PSU - my Dell (I know, I know) one doesn't have enough to twitch a fan inside the capacitors, but I've heard of ones with enough charge in them to run the PC for several seconds. I wouldn't like to find out the hard way!
Another nasty thing is that inside quite a few PSUs the heatsink is actually live! I know of at least one person who got (and survived) a rather nasty shock from trying to change a fan without switching off the PSU at all.

Personally, I switch off at the wall, press the power button several times (this should usually discharge the capacitors), leave for a while and then treat all internal metal parts as if they are connected to 240V ac (tools rated for use with mains power at the other end and the like). It's way over-paranoid, but somehow it always seems like a good idea when working with stuff that's potentially live.

[TorrenT]

Ok...sig pic gone.....by request!

Also, one thing I have noted by going Googling is that the Nexus PSU has only 4 molex connectors...this could well cause me a bit of a prob.

I currently have 3 hdds (all IDE) 1 x dual layer dvd burner, 1 cd burner and am fx5900 vga. Now all of these little fellas require power.

I am assuming that splitters are the order of the day here to allow me to run the 6 power grabbing little blighters while maintaining a suitable not to mention stable power source. Anyone else doing the same with the same PSU? The Q-tec 550 seems to do it well enough with 6 connectors although according to the 1st reply (which I have no reason to doubt) 550w is not a true reflection of the available power.

At last I will eventually find a home elsewhere for the Q-Tec. (either running dual xeon 450s or clogging up a bin somewhere! :D

Anyone?