Hey pimps!

Have been busy like nuts the last few months and have not been able to work on my projects at all

But i got my hands on some free fangrills at work (theyre closing the factory down and we get to loot), and I thought I'd make a blowhole on my ugly chassi my GF use. So... on to the question, not being very experienced in modding (all i know i basicly read here on PR), I wondered how to best mount the fans and the grills. Drilling holes with my Dremel and just screwing them in place with various nuts and bolts seem a bit simplistic... im sure i can incorporate some other solutions or functions like vibration absorbers or something like that...

Any ideas, pictures or tutorials for mounting fans out there? I appreciate any input.

Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by sandalfon Hey pimps! Have been busy like nuts the last few months and have not been able to work on my projects at all But i got my hands on some free fangrills at work (theyre closing the factory down and we get to loot), and I thought I'd make a blowhole on my ugly chassi my GF use. So... on to the question, not being very experienced in modding (all i know i basicly read here on PR), I wondered how to best mount the fans and the grills. Drilling holes with my Dremel and just screwing them in place with various nuts and bolts seem a bit simplistic... im sure i can incorporate some other solutions or functions like vibration absorbers or something like that... Any ideas, pictures or tutorials for mounting fans out there? I appreciate any input. Thanks!

The most important part about fan cooling is the placement of the fans and ensuring that the airflow is beneficial to the overall cooling of the case. You need to consider balancing cool air going in with hot air going out. The shape and size of the case is a large part of these considerations as is the arrangement of the components on the mobo. Also, you will want to make sure that component placement and wire management (or lack of) does not interfere with the air flow you are expecting the fans to deliver.
It may be a good idea to study some of the "pre-mod' cases and see what you can learn from what the maufactureres have done with cases that are similar to yours.
There's really no sense in having fans just for "looks"; they have to do the job and perform without creating any uneccessary noise.
You have to consider whether the environment the computer will be kept in is constant, or if it will vary in the seasons (ie: domicile without air conditioning). If seasonal changes are a factor, you may want to consider fan speed controllers. Controllers can be manually adjusted or some can be adjusted automatically by the system.
If there is a lot of dust in the environment, you may want to add filters, in which case, you will need to keep them clean.
Of course, cutting the holes neatly and accurately is important. As far as vibration, I have seen some rubber gaskets sold to absorb vibration in metal cases, but you could easily make you own from some sheet rubber. I'd have to say that this additional step may not always make a difference, especially if the case was originally made with some care.
I'm sure I didn't cover it all....maybe some other Pimps will jump in. BUT the main thing to any project or modification is PLANNING. Think before you do.

Quote: Originally Posted by prime-evil The most important part about fan cooling is the placement of the fans and ensuring that the airflow is beneficial to the overall cooling of the case. You need to consider balancing cool air going in with hot air going out. The shape and size of the case is a large part of these considerations as is the arrangement of the components on the mobo. Also, you will want to make sure that component placement and wire management (or lack of) does not interfere with the air flow you are expecting the fans to deliver. It may be a good idea to study some of the "pre-mod' cases and see what you can learn from what the maufactureres have done with cases that are similar to yours. There's really no sense in having fans just for "looks"; they have to do the job and perform without creating any uneccessary noise. You have to consider whether the environment the computer will be kept in is constant, or if it will vary in the seasons (ie: domicile without air conditioning). If seasonal changes are a factor, you may want to consider fan speed controllers. Controllers can be manually adjusted or some can be adjusted automatically by the system. If there is a lot of dust in the environment, you may want to add filters, in which case, you will need to keep them clean. Of course, cutting the holes neatly and accurately is important. As far as vibration, I have seen some rubber gaskets sold to absorb vibration in metal cases, but you could easily make you own from some sheet rubber. I'd have to say that this additional step may not always make a difference, especially if the case was originally made with some care. I'm sure I didn't cover it all....maybe some other Pimps will jump in. BUT the main thing to any project or modification is PLANNING. Think before you do.

Thank you for the lenghty reply. I have already made some thought to how to balance the flow and where to put the fan itself. I will pay heed to your advice when I finalize my plan

Another thing i wondered was how I should actually attatch it. If i should just bolt it straight on to the case or if there are alternative ways of attatching them. Just screws, or maybe nuts and bolts?

I usually just use fan screws but put small rubber washers between the fan and the case to help with any vibration noise. You can actaully buy fan silencer "gaskets" online.

Quote: Originally Posted by thedemonxanth I usually just use fan screws but put small rubber washers between the fan and the case to help with any vibration noise. You can actaully buy fan silencer "gaskets" online.

Yes! Very good idea. HomeDepot or similar store will have rubber grommets in the electrical dept; buy ones that match the diameter of the bolts. If you go this route, you don't want to overtighten the bolts excessively. Compress the grommet, but don't flatten it, you will decrease the ability of the rubber to absorb vibration.
Personally, I like using hex head cap screws in anodized black for that industrial look. But that depend on the "theme" of the case.

If you want to further quieten the system - you can either use rubber washers between each layer of the fan mount - eg:

FAN-WASHER-CASE-WASHER-GRILLE-WASHER-SCREW.

Keeps the vibrations off...or, you can use rubber grommets which have to be pulled through each hole - usually with pliers.

I got some killer aluminium glide bearings that came from VHS- tape spooling rigs. About 4 inches in diameter with the inner hole about 2 inches in diameter (the whole thing is about a third of an inch thick. These will look really cool on top of the case. I also got some nice stainless steel bolts to go with them. If I then mount the (led)fans underneath (grill or no grill) with the rubber grommet techniques you guys have detailed above, I think I might have something... hopefully it'll work out flow-wise too. I will probably have to sacrifice the uppermost drivebay to hold the foremost of the fans... or simply go with a single 120 fan with just a grill... aaah descisions descisions!

I really haven't decided on the rest of the case yet, but it's up for a complete makeover. Trying to make an custom front bezel if I can find someone with a grade cutter to trim the backplate of the spooling machine I salvaged

Thanks for the advice all!

If you lose some space in a top bay, due to a blowhole fan, install a unit like a Sunbeam superior 20 in 1 panel; it only takes up the front half of the bay and leaves enough room behind for the fan. Mine only cost 30 bucks or so and it gave me front access to all the different memory cards, fan speed controller, LED Temp and Fan read out etc. No sense letting the room go to waste
Perfect compliment to a fan based project.

http://www.xoxide.com/sunbeam-superior-panel.html