[KillerBug]

Yeah...you just bridge the power input to the power output.

[rctempire]

Well it works....
Yay.

However maybe a value is wrong somewhere. The fan powers up, and spins, but when im using the POT to increase or decrease the speed, it only slightly goes faster. (WHen connected to a 0-30v Power supply, set at 12v)

Also i have used this 555 chip - http://www.maplin.co.uk/ne555n-timer-2704

I have included more pictures for your pleasure.

[KillerBug]

Usually when the problem you describe is happening, it is because one of the wires going to the pot is not securely connected, or if the POT is bad. Also, the POT looks like it might be a multi-turn unit...are you turning from stop to stop?

[nitropy]

Nice Job Killerbug, I'm interested in build / buy your project. I only have 2 questions. Is this recomended for a 80Gb (4 USB) model? and, will this control the fan speed proportionally as the PS3 do or it mantains a preset same speed all the time? I ask this because the POT. Thanks for your answer!

[screwhead]

Originally Posted by nitropy Nice Job Killerbug, I'm interested in build / buy your project. I only have 2 questions. Is this recomended for a 80Gb (4 USB) model? and, will this control the fan speed proportionally as the PS3 do or it mantains a preset same speed all the time? I ask this because the POT. Thanks for your answer!

The fan controller is nice u will be pleased with it just as I am, I have never noticed it kick up it's seed due to the machine getting hotter but the thing keeps it cool enough I just kinda keep an eye on the heat coming out the back but u really don't have to worry about that, that is just me being noid, I would also suggest changing the thermal paste when installing the controller it will make a big difference in pulling the heat out of the chips and ZI use Artic Silver 5. Good luck if u can build ur own I sure do wish I could see well enough to solder so I could build my own and do many other thing. I hope this helps u.

[nitropy]

Thanks for your comments screwhead...I assume you have a 80Gb model. Surelly I will change the thermal paste. Maybe you can answer me if the speed is variable. I've installed a 100K POT (only) and all I can set the fan at a constat speed and you allways have to be allert because you don't want to be too noisy or too hot. I assume this controller is more advanced than that...

[nitropy]

It's gettin' hard for me to find the L4931CZ33. Based on my PS3 is a Fat 80Gb, is there a replacement VR?

[KillerBug]

The speed is fixed once set with the controller, but as long as it is set fast enough to begin with, it really isn't a big issue. The thing is, any PS3 with a firmware higher than 3.15 will not cool itself enough by itself anyway...if everything is working as designed, it will keep the temperatures low enough to prevent the "overheating" message, but the temperatures will still be getting high enough to cause YLODs.

When it comes to picking a speed to set one of these controllers to, you have to remember that unleaded solder ALWAYS cracks with temperature changes. The severity of the cracks varies with temperature change and with speed of temperature changes (and of course, the effect of the cracks varies with size of solder contacts...unleaded solder cracking isn't even a concern with big pins like on a DIP chip). Since we can't change the size of the pins under the RSX and CELL, since reballing to lead solder is expensive, and because there is little you can practically do to keep the system from heating and cooling rapidly when turned on and off, the only angle to attack is how much it heats.

Therefor, if you turn a fan controller up to maximum speed, the likelyhood of a YLOD is as low as possible. If you turn it up to above normal but still relatively quiet speed, the likelyhood is higher, but still not nearly as high as if you had no controller installed. From what I have been hearing since these have been in the wild on all the various models in many different ambient operating environments, the best approach (assuming noise is a concern) seems to be to turn the speed up so that the fan is running a bit faster than it would under maximum load without the controller. In this way, maximum temperatures are dropped, and they take longer to reach as the fan starts fast and thus does not allow the temperature to spike quickly right from the start (during the time a system without a controller would have the fan at an idle). One note on that is that if you get the controller in the middle of winter when it is 60F inside your house, you will probably want to turn the fan a bit higher when summer comes along and it is 80F inside your house.

nitropy - the L4931CZ50 will work fine for fat models. There are also hundreds of other 3.3V vregs available out there that should work just fine. If built correctly, this circuit sips very little current...but that doesn't stop you from using a 1A TO220 part if that is all you can find. Just make sure the pin order is the same...and if it isn't, make sure to bend the pins to fit, or to change the positions on the board to fit the regulator.

[nitropy]

thanks killerbug. Here's my stage: I've build the proyect and I found all the components, including a replacement for the VR (I have a stable 3.3 with no prblm) BUT I change the TLC555 for a NE555. My proyect doesn't work and here's some data I give you to see if you can help me: at first I have misplaced the 10K res in leg#2 instead in leg#3 (IC damage?) I correct it but still no Voltage on orange wire. With the replace of the TLC555, do I need to change the proyect or some components? Thanks a lot for your time/helps and excuse my bad english and electronics knowledge! :P

[KillerBug]

I don't think you damaged the IC by misplacing the resistor, but you are using the wrong IC. The NE555 and TLC555 are different chips. The NE555 needs 5V, and will either malfunction, fail to work at all, or stop working after a time if used with 3.3V (depends on random chance; not all NE555s are created equal). In addition to this, it needs extra capacitors to stabilize the input voltage and the control voltage or it will go all random even with 5V. This is why the TLC555 was created. These days people generally either use the NE555 out of habit or ignorance; and I think TI only continues to make it because people keep buying it for the same price as the better TLC555.

Also, this probably won't help but I'll mention it...a few people have complained about no voltage on orange and later realized they didn't connect the ground probe of the multimeter, and that the circuit was working fine.

My recommendation to you is to try to get the correct parts. Failing that, get a 5V regulator, an NE555, and a 50-100uF cap...put the cap on the voltage input for the NE555, and put it all together on a breadboard to make sure it works before you start soldering. If this works, I recommend you add a second, smaller, cap to the center wire coming from the POT...something like 10uF should do the trick. Larger uF here will make the circuit more stable, but will make the adjustment laggy. I have personally built this circuit using an NE555, a 100uF input voltage cap, and no 10uF cap...the fan speed kept going up and down without touching the dial. Adding the 10uF cap smoothed out the fan speed, but did add a slight delay to the adjustment.