computer fan generator

This tutorial shows how make a computer sports fan generator, using an used altercate fan you grab from an old computer Beaver State other electronic gimmick with a fan. In fiat dustup, this instructor shows how to convert a motor into a author.

A motor is a device you provide voltage to spin. A generator is the opponent: you gyrate and it generates voltage. This is the heart-shaped straight forward explanation.

When you take a regular computer fan an spin its blades you will non get whatsoever voltage unstylish of it, that is, unless you reconfigure the windings, and that is what this tutorial bequeath cover.

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How to Make a Computer Fan Source

I qualified a regular computer fan to work as an electricity author. I then used the steam from an espresso chocolate motorcar to turn the fan blades and generate the electricity.

The typical PC winnow is a 12V brushless DC motor and with a simple tortuous modification I converted it from a motor to a generator. In this tutorial show the steps tutorial how make that perfoliate modification. I recommend that you read this: [1], it's a nice background connected the topic.

This adjustment can be performed on many information processing system fans. The fan that I used is a  3-wire 80mm fan.

What you need:

1. A computer fan
2. One diode + one capacitor (to build a rectifier)
3. load (one resistance and LED)

Summary:

1. Open the fan.

2. Solder a telegraph in pin 2 and pin 3 of the 4 pin chip. those are your loop outputs

3. take the 2 coil outputs and run through a diode bridge over rectifier.

4. hook leading you load in the rectifier production.

Instructions:

Step 1:open the fan by removing the c formed ring. See along references [1] and [2] tips on how to open it. If it's taking you more than 10min to open it, the odds are you have a fan that way besides hard to open, I recommending looking for another ace. To each one lover producer have their own design and some are just way too granitic to open

Computer Fan Generator

Stone's throw 2:Now that the fan was opened, you want to tap the coil start and end, and tap. I found hard to uncovering the coil start & end, indeed I found thither's a 4-tholepin component with penning 276. I did a Google search for "276 IC" and first result reveals the secret: it's a "UH276, Complementary Outputs Hall Effect Latch Ic". Now I know that the coil Also after some Google research I found the representative wiring plot of a computer fan – named a brushless DC fan – and IT matching close with that representative application circuit.

Here's the typical practical application of the UH276:

Based happening the typical tour, we want into the seat of coil 1 and 2, so go ahead and solder a wire to pin 2 and 1 to 3 of the IC 276.  Those 2 wires you honourable soldered are is your coil + and coil -.

 I did not put the ring back. The magnet had plenty force to harbor the blades in situ.

Step 3:  Lease the 2 coil wires you just soldered and stimulation into the rectifier. For simpleness a 1/2 waving rectifier is enough. It uses one diode and 1 condenser. just about any diode would work (e.g. 1N4148), 10uF. You may experiment with different cap values

Step 4: I used a gentle LED with a 100 ohm resistor to limit the occurrent as my load. The energizing voltage for the blue LED is higher than the red. So I suggest start with the red

Emerging wreak:

In that respect's plenty of room for improving the rectifier percentage of this jut out. Here's a few ideas that I may explore:

1. replace diode (1N4148) with Schottky diode. A regular diode but starts conducting when voltages is preceding 0.7v whereas the typical Schottky crystal rectifier starts conducting currents when potential difference is to a higher place 0.3V. This turn down threshold voltage much power you induce.

2. add voltage regularization, such as a 3v zener shunt regulator, if you need a more steady output voltage. For example, if you want to power improving a microcontroller.

Other fans:

1. if the fan you have does non look like mine, I suggest doing a Google look for the silicon chip on in, and hope you receive the datasheet, indeed that you know where the coil in connected to. The objective is tap into the coil leads an bring to outside the fan

References:

Demo:

Take down that I added a voltage multiplier circuit to increase output voltage, high enough that the LED would turn on.

Questions/comments? Drop me a line! I'd love to hear your comments.