mac said:
I just installed a Thermaltake CLP0564 CPU Cooler "Frio" with Dual 120mm
fans. These fans come with speed control variable resistors (one for
each fan). I have them setup to Max. Is there a problem with leave
them set to max all the time? If I want to leave them set and never
change them should I set them not to max all the time? does it matter?
mac
It is kinda hard, looking at the control potentiometer, to tell what
method it uses.
http://www.ocia.net/fullsize.php?filename=517_5.jpg
A potentiometer, could be tied to some other circuit using power transistors,
inside the fan hub itself. If the control effect is amplified, in that
case, the pot won't get hot.
Or, the potentiometer could be freestanding, in which case, the pot would
get hot if you set it to "LOW".
As long as there is no detectable heat coming from the pot, when set
to "LOW", you have nothing to worry about. Select a speed that gives
adequate CPU cooling. If you can feel heat coming from the pot, set it
to MAX and check the pot casing temperature again. If this is a cheap
and dirty implementation, the pot should run coolest at MAX.
If you know the bearing type of the fans, you may be able to decide
based on that factor, whether it is good to leave the fan running at
MAX all the time. For example, certain kinds of fluid bearings have
zero friction. At least, up until the point where the lubrication
escapes from the bearing. The Panasonic Panaflo fan for example,
used a bearing like that, where the working fluid is pumped over
the bearing, as the fan blade spins. Other bearing types, might exhibit
wear characteristics as a function of the number of times the fan
has rotated. In any case, a typical figure for fan life, is three
years of continuous usage, and with exceptions, that is about
all you can reasonably expect in any case. Some ceramic bearing
fans claim to support a longer life, but I haven't heard any
user stories to back up such claims. The ceramic bearing fan
I've got, is a bit noisy, and sits in its original box. Pretty
hard to wear it out, if it isn't being used
Paul
