Internal Automatic Software Fan Controller

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famo

n00b
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May 5, 2008
Messages
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Hi guys,
Have had success in the past with this forum answering my questions by just browsing as a guest. I now have a problem that this forum, or anything Google finds, can't help me with so I need to ask for specific help. (Go straight to "My Request" at the end for the short winded version.)

Background
I have a home network of 5 computers with a total of 24 three pin fan headers, only two respond to Speedfan adjustments and both those are on an ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe while the other four on that board are just as unresponsive. So I need to find another way of controlling my fans. The other users of the computers are entirely uninterested in anything to do with the workings of the machines and their idea of keeping me informed of whats happening usually means comment like "yeah, a few days ago the computer blue screened a couple of times". End of information. So expecting them to even monitor temps let alone bother making adjustments means manual speed control is right out of the question.

Problem
I need a small piece of internal hardware to plug my fans into that will have associated sotware to monitor the available system temps and automatically adjust fan speeds to maintain preset max and min temps at certain fan speeds. Just like Speedfan but for motherboards that obviously don't have PWM or voltage adjustment function built in. Simple I'd thought. Wrong.
I found the Zephyrus Fan Controller made by VL Systems in Korea which was exactly what I wanted, if a bit of an overkill, but alas they no longer seem to make it. They now make a bay mounted unit that does some fan control but along with lots of other tricks that I don't need and that puts the price through the roof.
I have found a number of chips that seem to monitor I2C and SMBus info to adjust fan speeds ( e.g. MAX6550) but I can't find someone who makes a simple board that uses them.

My Request
Does anybody know of a piece of internally mounted hardware that I can plug 3 or more fans into and have software automatically control their speed depending on temps available from the motherboard.:confused:

Thanks in advance,
Famo
 
In short, no.

Since the MB will not vary the voltage at the fan headers on the board the only easy thing I can think of is to replace the existing fans with fans that have their own thermal sensors and automatically adjust their speed accordingly.

For example:
http://www.nexfan.com/ev80cafanwth.html
or
http://www.digiconcepts.com/thermaltake_caseaccessories_28.htm
(you do not have to use the manual control, the fan will control itself if you set it up that way)

anyway Google " (insert size here)mm thermal controlled fan" for tons of them.

This is the easiest/cheapest way out of your issue I can think of.
 
Thankyou Bill for your reply.
I had looked at the fans you described but could see the feasiblity of a seperate PCB taking power from a Molex connecter and doing the voltage regulation/PWM control that the motherboard is incapable of, using sensors and data already available on the system. While the thermally controlled fans are a good fallback position they lack the flexibilty and precision of a software controlled option.

Regards,
famo

I used to be paranoid but now I know everbody hates me.
 
The CoolerMaster CoolDrive6 has software control. I have 2, and they are great. Wanna buy one? ;)

But, the software is not automatic. I have seen homebrew software that is automatic, though.
 
Thanks Down8 for the info and offer to buy but postage to Australia might be a bit prohibitive. Also the automatic bit is the important part, especially with my awareness challenged user population. What are the software hacks and how would they work to make it automatic with the existing circuitry??

Regards,
famo
 
The T-Balance seems to come the closest to what I'm after but it still uses external (to the system) temp sensors. Even though its pretty expensive I've ordered one but wonder if its possible to have a take-off from the system somewhere to provide the temp data input the T-Balance would use? I couldn't see any reference to it reading data from Speedfan etc.
Considering I've got five computers to manage I'd still be interested in a kit or project that would actually use one of those commercially available chips that monitor I2C and SMBus data. Where for example would these chips actually draw the I2C and SMBus data from??? Does a PCI slot pin carry this data? Or maybe from USB, but them do you require another chip to interpret and regulate USB data flow? COM or LPT port perhaps? If I knew that then I could feasably use it as the input data for the T-Balance. Hhmmm.

Here's hopin'
famo
 
Thanx muchly Down8 for the link to the CoolDrive6 software. I'll need to get the unit though to see how the aftermarket software operates.

My apologies for the delay in replying, my system was hit by Azureus disappearing, CTRL-C,V not working in some IE7 pages, XP hanging on shutdown and 0x007E BSODs all at the same time!!!

Regards,
famo
 
Promising lead Sniper_Merc. As I've still got a couple of boxes to try and quieten down I'm still open to advice about other automatic cooling options.
The track I am seeming to be nudged down is the seperate sensor probe option rather than the original intention of using the already available motherboard temp sensor info. Still the preferred option and what I would have thought to be cheaper is it uses existing sensors buried in the best location to obtain the data, controlled by existing freeware. Seperate probes can be problematic and variable in their location and mounting and therefore unreliable in the data provided. So the holy grail remains a simple piece of hardware to interface between already available motherboard data, already available Speedfan software and already available fans :)

Again apologies for the delay in responding; continuation of problems outlined above.

Regards,
famo
 
Hootsmin, your idea of the TBan seems to have more potential than I originally granted you for. It does seem to be able to run from the motherboard sensor data provided by Speedfan or previously MBM5. The problem is getting it to do it. It requires firmware and software updates, USB driver uninstalls then reinstalls, connection of at least one external sensor even if not to be used, an entirely obscure configuration process in their own software, no indication of what mode Speedfan is required to be operating in while TBan's Navigator 2.9 software is operating, less than clear manual that, for example, in the English version has screen caps with German writing, and a manual that seems to make no mention at all of how to setup with Speedfan data. Apart from that its OK!!!!!
 
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