If you look in the cooling forum, you should find plans to make your own for just a few bucks. The elegant solution is the PWM or Pulse Width Modulation controller. Not enough to matter unless you are an electronics purist but it is an inelegant solution. The downside is that the power that would go to the fan when it is turned down is converted to heat. Here is a pic:īasically, what you would do is cut the 12 volt line and put one of the new ends on the center connector and one on either end (if the knob is facing you and the connectors are oriented up towards the ceiling, use the right side to make the knob turn clockwise for more speed). Basically a knob that you turn to adjust something. Thats the wire that sends info to the mobo, telling how fast its moving.Ī pot is a common term for a potentiometer. That, or you can cut the yellow wire on the fan. you'd have to make sure that the pot can go to 0 resistance, or it will never run at full speed.ĪNd if your mobo is controlling the fans, you can get a 3 to 4 pin adaptor, so the mobo can no longer controll it. You may have to ask others though, on the resistance you'd want for your fans. but once you know what your looking for, you can't miss it. sometimes, the green diode is wrapped in shrink wrap. Oh, and on the thermally controlled fans, usually its a little green bulb sticking out on a wire, or its really close to the fan itself, on a very small wire. You just need to double check how many watts the fan is pulling, and make sure you have a pot that is capable of handeling it. If you have the thermal diode version, cut off the diode, and replace it with a Pot.

that will allow you to raise/lower the voltage to your hearts desire. What you can do is get a POT ( potentiomoter ) (spelling?), and cut the red power cable to the fan, and install the pot. it will have a little thermal diode on it, and when it gets warmer, the fan speeds up, when it get cooler, the fan cools down. Or, its the type thats thermally controlled. which means the fan is probably plugged into a 3-pin mobo-header. First off, either the mobo is controlling it.

Dell bios fan control