Fan hub question

[faulting]

Hi all, I've a quick question about using fan hubs. I'm looking to get one because my motherboard doesn't have enough fan headers for every fan I have and as a simple solution, I'm considering getting this Deepcool fan hub. One end is connected to the mobo, then on the hub itself it splits 4-way to allow connection of up to 4 fans.

My question is: considering that it does not get any external power (i.e. from the PSU), is it safe (for the fans, for the hub, and for the fan header) for one fan header to be powering 4 fans? I'm not knowledgeable in physics or electrical engineering, so I don't know if this is a valid concern at all. But I just want to be safe.

If it matters, the fans I'll be connecting it to are 2 Gentle Typhoons AP-15s and 2 Noctua NF-P12s. They are all 3-pin connectors and I am intending to run all at 100% constantly.

Will appreciate any input. Thanks!

 

[shadow84]

Max amp output for 1 fan header on the mobo is 1amp. As long as your running/startup amp for the fans combined is not more than 1amp, it is fine.

Power = voltage (12v) x current. Use this to calculate.

 

[faulting]

The total running/startup amp of the 4 fans is 0.9A. Going by what you said, I take it that I've no need to worry. Is there a need to calculate the power draw to check against something else to make sure it's all good? Sorry for my ignorance, but even if I calculate the power, I'm not sure what it's for.

 

[shadow84]

0.9A is good le but dun exceed. When motor starts up, there is a spike in current and then it will stabilise. As such, do give around 10% buffer for the spikes, ie if the header is rated 1A, dun go beyond 0.9A.

 

[Roger_Daniels]

4 fan???

I think 2-3 fan is enough for a system..do u want a ac or desktop??

 

[faulting]

0.9A is good le but dun exceed. When motor starts up, there is a spike in current and then it will stabilise. As such, do give around 10% buffer for the spikes, ie if the header is rated 1A, dun go beyond 0.9A.

I think I'm giving plenty headroom. The actual ampere count is 0.346A stable, but the AP-15s have a high start-up draw at 0.36A (according to the 3rd post here. So the 0.9A number is taking that into consideration.

Am not able to find the start-up draw for the NF-P12s, though.

Just wondering, what might happen if the current exceeds 1A?

 

[mnemo_05]

why not use a molex to 3-pin adapter instead and connect it direct to onr of the molex from the psu?
with proper cable management, it should be a better choice.. draw too much power from you mobo header and you may have stability issues

 

[devilwahaha]

I think I'm giving plenty headroom. The actual ampere count is 0.346A stable, but the AP-15s have a high start-up draw at 0.36A (according to the 3rd post here. So the 0.9A number is taking that into consideration.

Am not able to find the start-up draw for the NF-P12s, though.

Just wondering, what might happen if the current exceeds 1A?

The header/pcb gets too hot and burns out. But its highly unlikely your fan header will burn out with a few seconds of sustained >1A flow.

 

[faulting]

why not use a molex to 3-pin adapter instead and connect it direct to onr of the molex from the psu?
with proper cable management, it should be a better choice.. draw too much power from you mobo header and you may have stability issues

I don't have enough of them and while I understand that cable management together with these adapters would solve my problem, I prefer to reduce cables where possible. Just a preference, though thanks for your input. I'm intending to get the fan hub and plug in three fans to it to be extra safe, then use one of my molex to 3-pin adapters for the last fan. May not be the optimal solution, but it solves my problem anyway!

 

[faulting]

The header/pcb gets too hot and burns out. But its highly unlikely your fan header will burn out with a few seconds of sustained >1A flow.

Don't know how to multi-quote so I'm responding in two posts. Thanks, I'll bear this in mind. Good to know all the potential hazards.

Btw thanks to all who have responded to clarify my concerns, especially shadow84. Cheers

 

[idjekyll]

I would recommend you getting the phanteks pwm fan hub instead. can be found at PCthemes or maybe some other shops as well. it gets power from the psu and the other end to a 4pin fan header. you can then control them using speedfan software too. doesn't cost a bomb either and you can attach up to 6 fans or even 11 using splitters.

http://www.phanteks.com/PH-PWHUB.html