PC motherboard: PWM 4 pins to 3 Pins digital converter.

[Kiriakos-GR]

ok,  just did the parts list ...  For the Adjustable last version.

Resistors
R1= 390 ohm
R2 / R4 =  2.7k
R3 = 1K
R5 = 220 ohm
R6 = 560 ohm

Timers pots
R6A / R1A = 500 ohm

Capacitors
C1 = 10 uf (mF)  ( Capacitor electrolytic 16v )  
C2 = 1n  ( ceramic )

TR  
Q1 = 2N4401  
Q2 = TIP42  



I am getting out to get them.. ( home town)
Its best that way , so the original design to be replicated,
with out the use of equivalent parts.  

[TheDirty]

Great work oPossum.

Sadly I doubt you need to buy parts.  Now that the schematic is on the internet you will be able to buy it all as a product in another couple days for $3.50 at dealextreme.

[Kiriakos-GR]

I will handle the marketing in Europe ...            

Many poor souls will find some joy ... but they must get the basics...

I had some parts in my boxes, but spent 2EUR to get the trimmers + transistors + some 1/2Watt resistors.
I did not find the 2N4401 , I will had to use as alternative one, the BC637.


.

[scrat]

Great work oPossum.

Sadly I doubt you need to buy parts.  Now that the schematic is on the internet you will be able to buy it all as a product in another couple days for $3.50 at dealextreme.

The strange thing is why the Nanoxia board, besides the poor production quality, was quite complicated for the task (it used a digital IC and 4 transistors), while not woking too good. Nonetheless, they have their market...

[oPossum]

The strange thing is why the Nanoxia board, besides the poor production quality, was quite complicated for the task (it used a digital IC and 4 transistors), while not woking too good. Nonetheless, they have their market...

German Design 

[Kiriakos-GR]

The strange thing is why the Nanoxia board, besides the poor production quality, was quite complicated for the task (it used a digital IC and 4 transistors), while not woking too good. Nonetheless, they have their market...

German Design  

You deserve to get " your blood back "     ( About Nanoxia )


But, the troublesome solder point on your PWMX , it can not be called as plague !!  
But the fact remains ... those Germans they cooperate with "build for low budget" partners ..
That's a poor corporate decision .    

In few hours, I will assemble the American design ..   

[scrat]

BTW, I'm curious about which IC they used. Was it an MCU?
It seems a case of "making difficult the easy by means of the unuseful" (as my father used to say).

[Kiriakos-GR]

Are you talking about the Nanoxia ?

If so the SOIC 14  it is the name ...  but it looks that there is about five IC's from other makers.
Just the same part ... I do not remember the code , it must be like  CD74XXXXX.   

[oPossum]

I assume it is a microcontroller. I looked at it with a 10x lighted magnifier and didn't see any markings.

SOIC-14 == Small Outline Integrated Circuit with 14 pins (package type, not part #)

[Kiriakos-GR]

Yes , even the pictures does not show ID markings ... I bet that they had soldered it, upside down.


As about me , I have do the half circuitry , soon I will do and the rest.
Placing the parts on PCB , the parts orientation its a small puzzle.
I have  3-4 small PCB's, all at the same dimension , but the length falls sort, so the design to have the best look.
I am still cooking it ..    

[oPossum]

High current mod for Nanoxia PWMX



The higher gain of the CFP provides higher voltage and the ability to user higher current fans (with a heatsink on the PNP transistor).

Before (red) vs. after (blue)

[oPossum]

DIY clone of Nanoxia PWMX




Source code for PIC

[oPossum]

Watch the 12HV609 decode PWM.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Great  work  oPossum ..    ( your suggestions will help many )


I managed to clear the mess with the German seller , and my Nanoxia is on the way.

I had some urgent tasks this week, and I have left my small project unfinished. 

But now with your latest addition  " The moded Nanoxia " , I think that is best to wait and see what will be my final needs.

By the way , why you had use on the moded Nanoxia  an TIP32C  and not TIP42 ? 

[Kiriakos-GR]

The Nanoxia arrived ,  and I start testing it ...

I must admit that it works !!     ( no i did not open it up to check the PCB yet )

I must also to admit , that after truly testing it , I am a bit disappointed .
I was count that this adjusting pot , it will  make the deference that I was looking for ,
so to adjust with 100% PWM ,  the final DC output under my own likes .
( Or better said ,  to be able to adjust the fan speed at an specific low RPM value)

I found one software made by Gigabyte  ( officially not compatible with my motherboard )
called as Easy Tune 6 ...   ( It supposed that my motherboard are compatible with the older version Easy Tune5) ...
Any way  the new works fine for me and has an amazing tool .... I can control the PWM signal of my CPU Fan header  from  10%   to 100 %   ..

And so I got lots of playing around with Nanoxia + The Big fan +  PWM signals .

I am not that high-tech , graphs and Oscilloscope , but I managed to make some pictures that shows how this thing responds ...


My main complain about it , are the scalability of the Pot ( potentiometer ) it self  !!
The adjustment  like  Low - High  are very poor for my taste ...
According my tests   it represents  just  200 rpm change from low to High ..
This poor behavior ( un-moded )  makes it, look like a poor choice !!  
Who cares for just 200 RPM change  ?    

I am happy and sad together ...    


Pictures of my tests  ,  and pictures of the box ( for the collectors out there)  , that actually its not carton, but its made by strong nylon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylon  

  
  

[Kiriakos-GR]

And more info about the scalability issue ....

I call it as issue , because I dislike the results ..

Its probably the motherboard that its not made  " smart " enough ...  

Any way I continued playing with the Gigabyte software and the motherboard PWM controller,
And I did the amazing  , I got step by step from  10 - 100%  so to find  exactly the actual scalability points.

And I did ... ( picture below )

Well the point is that no matter how smart or damn made , the Nanoxia is made,
the scalability of the motherboard it self , are set by this specific way .
With just five fan speeds scaling  ( or five PWM levels of pulses as output).

So far so good .

Well the PWM-X starts to feel hot at the max Fan speed ( Fan specs 12V 600mA ) , I think that now it gets less voltage from the PWMX , and it must use about 500mA .
I did not test it at full speed for more than 40 seconds , and so far I did not damage anything.

I will take a big breath , and think of what I will do tomorrow, with clear mind .



    

 

[fitnessfan]

Adjustable version.

Sorry, but I know that the thread is 3 years old. %-B I need a 4-pin pwm to 3-pin voltage converter. I am new to this.

Could someone help me to make a circuit on curcuitlab? I don't know the parameters for TIP42C. (Can we use TIP42C here)? Please simulate it with DC Sweep.

Click on the image!

[TonyPh]

Here's my effort.



It's basically copied from a Phanteks converter with a few modifications to make it adjustable. This one was put together for a GPU fan header to convert it's PWM to 2x 3 pin PC fans

It basically, I think (I'm new to electronics), just turns the 3.3v or 5v PWM into 12v and uses the capacitor to smooth out the 12v at the fan end, working a bit like a filter.  It's good for around 800mA of connected fans right down to 60mA or less and keeps voltage near 12v quite well, at least until you get to the high current draw anyway.  It uses a BS170 Mosfet and a B772 PNP medium power transistor, along with a few passives. It's the simplest implementation I've seen and costs me less than £1 in parts.

I don't have a schematic at the moment.

[eikei]

fitnessfan, if you still need it, here is the layout of my device that uses oPossum's scheme (see attachment). It was necessary to make it as small as possible and so the PCB dimensions are only 29x13mm. Here's what it looks like (made two units for CPU and case intake fans):



Capacitors and resistors are smd 1206 type. The Ground line should be made on the opposite side of the pcb, or Ground points can be connected with a wire.

The device works fine - tested with some 120mm and 80mm fans. oPossum, thanks for a simple and great scheme!

[hur]

Adjustable version.

I just built this. Works great I am running Two 350mA 120mm 2600rpm fans with it.

I am using TIP42G and 1/4 watt resisters. TIP42 is heating up.

Am I using too many Fans?