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Arduino As PC Fan Controller

nicolaoscon96

Hello there,

 

It's been a while to write here and I came back with a question. I want to build a fan controller for my desktop pc and I wanted to build it with an Arduino (Just add some modes like gaming for full speed, office use for lower rpm and less noise)>>Where I will be able to control by sending a  number for example 1 for gaming mode 2 for office<<. I found some online and they are really cheap but I wanted to experiment with that. So I wanted to ask is this possible? Can I control (4 fans) with an Arduino and get feedback from them about the RPM and the voltage if it possible(have it connected with USB on my computer and read the output in Arduino IDE)? The fans that am using are 3 pins (black-red-yellow).

 

Thanks

nicolaoscon96

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  • Hello,

     

    Honestly, the 8-bit microcontroller in Arduino won't have enough resources to do that. It only has 2 8-bit counters and one 16 bit counters. If you want to monitor 4 fans independently, you need at least 4 counters that are able to capture external triggers (count edges from the microcontroller's pins), however, you also need 4 counters (or 1 counter with 4 period comparations) to independently drive them.

     

    I would recommend using a PSoC for this (32-bit core, Cortex M0), here is an ultra cheap kit: http://www.cypress.com/documentation/development-kitsboards/psoc-4-cy8ckit-049-4xxx-prototyping-kits

    It features a ready made component "FanController" with 4 channels, which allow you to independently control and monitor 4 fans (and I think there can be more of these components put into a design).

     

    Before you start, make sure you know your fans.

     

    Two wire fans: DC brush fans, can be driven at constant voltage and regulated using a PWM (pulsing the power pin). They provide no feedback, however, you can externally monitor the current going through the coil.

    Three wire fans: DC brushless fan, can be regulated using a variable DC voltage. The additional pin is for monitoring the revolutions (provides pulses that can be count). (They have some electronics circuitry inside.)

    Four wire fans: DC brushless fan, need constant voltage, but are provide one pin for driving using PWM (usually 25 kHz) and one pin for monitoring (the "same" as a three wire fan).

     

    If you want to build your own controller, then Arduino and one fan is OK.

    If you want to build something reliable (embedded PID regulation, error handling, etc), go for the PSoC (or similarly powerful MCU).

     

    David

Reply

  • Hello,

     

    Honestly, the 8-bit microcontroller in Arduino won't have enough resources to do that. It only has 2 8-bit counters and one 16 bit counters. If you want to monitor 4 fans independently, you need at least 4 counters that are able to capture external triggers (count edges from the microcontroller's pins), however, you also need 4 counters (or 1 counter with 4 period comparations) to independently drive them.

     

    I would recommend using a PSoC for this (32-bit core, Cortex M0), here is an ultra cheap kit: http://www.cypress.com/documentation/development-kitsboards/psoc-4-cy8ckit-049-4xxx-prototyping-kits

    It features a ready made component "FanController" with 4 channels, which allow you to independently control and monitor 4 fans (and I think there can be more of these components put into a design).

     

    Before you start, make sure you know your fans.

     

    Two wire fans: DC brush fans, can be driven at constant voltage and regulated using a PWM (pulsing the power pin). They provide no feedback, however, you can externally monitor the current going through the coil.

    Three wire fans: DC brushless fan, can be regulated using a variable DC voltage. The additional pin is for monitoring the revolutions (provides pulses that can be count). (They have some electronics circuitry inside.)

    Four wire fans: DC brushless fan, need constant voltage, but are provide one pin for driving using PWM (usually 25 kHz) and one pin for monitoring (the "same" as a three wire fan).

     

    If you want to build your own controller, then Arduino and one fan is OK.

    If you want to build something reliable (embedded PID regulation, error handling, etc), go for the PSoC (or similarly powerful MCU).

     

    David

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