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Changing PSU Fans

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Lunn1, 1 Aug 2008.

  1. Lunn1

    Lunn1 What's a Dremel?

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    For my upcoming mod i have a Corsair 620 Watt PSU, and has just a simple black (no lights) fan, i want to see if i can replace the fan with a Black light Fan. So i guess my question is: Is it possible to change the PSU fan, and if so can someone send me a link or give me step by step instructions?

    The PSU

    [​IMG]

    what i want it too look like....k well i cant find what im looking for, but i want a Fan that is also a black light, so it shows off the uv blue acrylic and liquid cooling
     
  2. tonschk

    tonschk Minimodder

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    I have no idea about a black fan with black light , only want to tell you before unscrew and open the PSU , you must wait one hour or better two hours , to let discharge the capacitors of the PSU , later you can work in more safe conditions
     
  3. Lunn1

    Lunn1 What's a Dremel?

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    thank god you told me to wait, normally i would just jump in
     
  4. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Opening such component is dangerous, and best left untouched. You have a good ultra quiet fan in it. It would be unwise to replace it with an ordinary one and void your 5 year warranty, and again dangerous (end up at hospital due to a sever shock?!)... just to have a light that no one expect yourself will see? Hmmm... I say not worth it.

    I normal don't discourage a mod where I feel that it is pointless from my point of view... as it's just my view. But, this is too dangerous to play with.
     
  5. chrisb2e9

    chrisb2e9 Dont do that...

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    I've opened up many psu's before. as long as it's unplugged, there is no danger. As for caps, I wouldn't be worried about the amount of power they can hold. its not like discharging one will send you flying across a room.

    When I was younger I shorted one out once. while it was still plugged in, no big deal, just a huge spark some smoke and a lesson learned. As soon as the short occured the psu shut itself off(yes you read that right, I had the pc turned on). unplug them before you open them.

    Only thing you should be worried about is voiding the warrenty. if it fails down the line then you have to buy a new one. and because that fan in termally controlled I would buy another one that matches it. if possible.

    All that being said I agree with goodbytes. its a good quiet fan, and I dont know how your case is setup but I would bet that if its anything like mine, you are better off putting the lights somewhere else in the case. It will be easier, you dont void the warreny and you dont run the small risk of damaging the psu.

    edit: actually now that I think of it, i've already had my corsair apart. A screw fell in and I didn't want to start it up with it in there. I couldn't get it to fall out so I had to open the cover and take it out.
     
    Last edited: 1 Aug 2008
  6. mansueto

    mansueto Too broke to mod

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    I would agree with GoodBytes, but if you insist on modding it, firstly flip the power switch on the back to off, and press the power button of the pc, it will help discharge a lot of the power. Then just unplug and remove from the pc case. Leave it for a couple of hours (overnight would be great) then you could just cut the current fan out, and splice the new one in. Again though, i would highly suggest modding a power supply, you lose your warranty, and it's such an important part it's not worth it. Also, there is the chance of hurting yourself. I wouldn't mess with it.
     
  7. tonpal

    tonpal What's a Dremel?

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    I can only reinforce what others have said. Opening up your PSU exposes you to risk of electric shock particularly if you are not familiar with the insides of one and it will void your warranty.
     
  8. Lunn1

    Lunn1 What's a Dremel?

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    well from your concerns, i shall only cut the PSU panels and leave the fan alone, maybe even make a copy of the housing so i dont entirely void the warrantry
     
  9. sheninat0r

    sheninat0r What's a Dremel?

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    I think that's what he meant... :thumb:
     
  10. Firehed

    Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match.

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    Hardly. I've opened up dozens of PSUs (and even de-soldered cables from a couple), and never have I been shocked. You just need to make sure that you take adequate precaution. The only time I've ever had a minor electrical scare from a PSU was a couple days ago when I was attaching the battery in my new UPS - per the manufacturer's (poorly written) instructions. It made a hell of a pop when the positive terminal hit its connection that I wasn't expecting, but that was just the caps charging initially. Not a whole lot different than plugging something into the wall if the plug is a little worn out. Anyways...

    Having said all of that, it's probably not something too well suited to someone who needs to ask how to do it (don't get me wrong, that's not meant offensively - but it IS dangerous if you don't know what you're doing and it sounds like you don't).

    If you must, do what mansueto said to discharge the power. Do NOT wear a grounding strap when working on a PSU, EVER. It's great for discharging static electricity to ground to avoid damaging components, but you absolutely do not want to discharge a capacitor through your body! Truth be told, you're safest working on a plastic computer mat to avoid any contact with ground at all.
     
  11. mansueto

    mansueto Too broke to mod

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    Why not just a shroud around the psu to hide it? If you want it to be UV, put UV plexi or something around it, it'll still glow the colour and you can still see the label from the psu so people know it's quality hardware.
     
  12. hitman012

    hitman012 Minimodder

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    If you're familiar with the principles of basic electrical safety, opening a PSU doesn't present much of a risk - it's not as if it's going to be live when you're working on it. As long as you're comfortable voiding the warranty, I see no reason not to try it out. The capacitors can be discharged by hitting the PC's power button a few times when it's unplugged from the mains.

    Depending on how tightly packed the internals are, changing the fan might be as simple as unscrewing it, cutting the wires and soldering in a new one. However, it's possible that you might have to remove the PCBs to get proper access to it. If that's the case, keep a careful note of which pieces go where, as some units use lots of little standoffs to hold different parts together.
     

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