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Thread ID: 142138	2016-05-04 01:39:00	How can I cut a hole in my PC case	BBCmicro (15761)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1420029	2016-05-04 01:39:00	Using the external fan reduces the max temp from over 75° to under 60° but it's too noisy when there are obstructions in the air path eg when the fan is pressed up against the grill holes in the case. (Something to do with static pressure I think) If I take the case off, everything is fine (as in the pic). I don't need the fan most of the time. Only when doing video stuff with all cores at 100% So how can I cut a hole in the steel? It's 0.55mm (24 gauge) but feels more solid than .55 galv steel flashings. (Probably has better steel)	BBCmicro (15761)
1420030	2016-05-04 02:00:00	Buy a cheap dremel with the right attachment	Speedy Gonzales (78)
1420031	2016-05-04 02:05:00	The standard answer is with a dremel but I've never owned one to know how easy that is. I have managed in the past to do a surprisingly good job with a metal cutting blade and a steady hand with a jigsaw, just be sure there is nothing the body of the saw is going to hit as you go round. Maybe cut a piece of scrap as a test if possible. For best results cover the surface with masking tape first to prevent scratches etc. It also makes drawing the circle easier. You can also get rubber grommet material you can fit over the cut that can hide some minor issues, but I'm not sure where from off the top of my head. To be fair though I've never done it to a case I really care about. Is that a Silverstone Sugo? they are a bit tight but usually have ok airflow for a small case. I've heard of people reversing the PSU so it acts as an extra extractor fan, lowers the case temps at the expense of the PSU running hotter. Whenever I've built into one of those style cases I've used one of silverstones SFF PSU's with an adapter bracket. It just gives you more space to work in and makes life easier even if the case supports full size PSUs. The other thing that can really affect the heat is the cooler design on the graphics card if you have a grunty one working hard. It's best to use blower style coolers for graphics in those little cases.	dugimodo (138)
1420032	2016-05-04 02:27:00	Yes the case is a Sugo SG08 from Computer Lounge a few years ago. The power supply is 600W and came with it. The temperature problem is purely with the CPU (as reported by CoreTemp). The graphics card never gets hot and doesn't seem to use much grunt when the CPU is running at 100%. Part of the problem is that I don't know how to get the case fan to run at 100% (the fan on top in the photo). It's a very good fan 175mm diam! and almost silent on its low speed. On my old MB I connected a header to a switch on the back and I could switch it between high and low speed. On my current MB I don't think I could find a suitable header (or I overlooked it or simply forgot) and the fan is stuck on low speed. On my old MB the temp difference between H and L setting was a lot, so if I could get that to work again I might not need to cut a hole. The portable AC fan in front of the existing grill holes helps keep the temp down even when placed 40mm away (to stop the noise problem). I don't have a Dremel either but I do have a jig-saw. Never used it for metal cutting though	BBCmicro (15761)
1420033	2016-05-04 02:29:00	I've modified old cases to get better cooling. Use a pair of curved tin snips. If you use a power tool, you should strip the case or you risk getting bits of metal in the componants Looks like you need a bigger case anyway.	Driftwood (5551)
1420034	2016-05-04 02:59:00	If the Fan is connected to the motherboard the BIOS should let you adjust the fan speed or profiles. You could just run it off the power supply directly with an adapter but that would make it 100% all of the time. In fact with that low/high switch I suspect that's what's intended. Maybe the problem is the fan is connected to a header instead of to the power supply?	dugimodo (138)
1420035	2016-05-04 03:19:00	Dugi - I've just had a look now - the case fan connector is pushed into the System header in the only way that it can go. But the connector is 3-pin and the header is 4-pin... It goes on slow speed and turns the correct way. The switch turns it off. (Whereas on the old MB it switched between H and L) I've attached a pic of the MB manual. Any suggestions?	BBCmicro (15761)
1420036	2016-05-04 05:01:00	Just now I tried shifting the yellow wire from the pin labelled 'sense' to the (previously unused) pin labelled 'VCC'. It made no difference. The fan switch works as before (off/L, not H/L). Fan goes the correct way. The switch switches a black wire to red (L), or yellow (H), but I can't easily check the wiring to the fan itself or to the connector. Wainui - you are a fount of much knowledge :) Perhaps you are familiar with the GA-z77n-wifi motherboard? If so I would like to know the labelling of the sys-fan header pins in the manual. (I might be able to get the info on line if you don't have the manual.) The case fan worked fine with that model of MB	BBCmicro (15761)
1420037	2016-05-04 06:30:00	Well now I have looked up the previous manual (GA-Z177N-wifi) and on the info therein tried connecting the RED wire to the unused 4th pin. This caused the fan to not work at all - on either switch position My conclusion is that the new header is totally unsuited to the fan. (probably needs to sense suitable voltage on the 'sense' pin before it starts delivering current) So - I'm thinking that it might be old-fashioned voltage - yellow (+12V) for H, red (+5V) for L. I will try direct connection to the power supply (as Dugi suggested way back!)	BBCmicro (15761)
1420038	2016-05-04 07:16:00	Actually 3 pin fans work fine on 4 pin headers, sometimes you need to change a setting in the BIOS for speed control to work properly but usually they just work. 3 pin fans use a more basic version of speed control than 4 pin ones but most motherboards can still control them by varying the voltage. What will be happening is the motherboard BIOS is controlling the fan speed and lowering the voltage, when you operate the switch it'll go even lower and is not enough to start the fan. At least I'm fairly sure that's the case. You either need to force the fan to full speed in the BIOS or unplug it from the motherboard and connect it directly to the PSU via an adapter so it gets the full 12V. The switch will be a simple 2 speed control, probably just with a resistor to drop the voltage on the low setting. You don't have to use the header.	dugimodo (138)
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