Case Fan Switches / Power Button Key Switch Work Log/Guide

[ulater6000]

New Mod: Case Fan Switches / Power Button Key Switch Work Log/Guide

The Project:

Well I was pondering ideas as to what my next case mod would be, but all the loud fans in my case were so loud I could not think. Then it hit me; why not install some switches that would allow individual control for each fan. This would allow me to switch between loud high performance fans and quiet regular use fans.

While I was working on this I figured why not install a key switch too that would make my PC require a key to power up. (Provides some extra security and looks cool too.)

Sorry, but I did not think to make a worklog for this project until I was already over halfway done. So there are no pictures until after I have installed the fan toggle switches and have already started on installing the key swich.

Parts Needed:

One Key Switch:

http://www.electronicpartsforless.c...eed.aspx?sfid=100806&i=5327640&mpid=36&dfid=1

Toggle Switches:

(Quanity depends on how many fans you want to hook up... I have six fans so I got six. If you wanted to you could hook more than one fan to one toggle switch.)

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...gle+switch&kw=toggle+switch&parentPage=search

Plus other obviously needed misc. hand tools.

Speacial Notes:

Make sure you remove all internal parts before drilling any holes. If you do not, metal shavings will fall on parts possibly causing things to short out when you power your system back on.

Clean out all metal shavings out of case before re-installing internal components.

The Case:

I have a Sunbeam Transformer case, and although you can mount these switches anywhere, I chose to mount them on the top of my case. Heres a stock picture of the top of my case pre-mod:

 

[ulater6000]

Installing The Fan Toggle Switches:

The first step is to drill the holes the toggle switches are to mounted in. Then mount them. The next step is a little bit more tricky; now you have to splice them into the fan power cord.

Heres a diagram of how your fan power cord should look:

*Note the fan in this diagram has a third yellow wire. Some fans do not have a that third yellow line. However we are not splicing into it so it does not matter.

You are going to have to cut the red wire and splice it into the toggle switch like this:

That should work.

Heres a picture taken after I've mounted the toggle switches and am about to install a key switch:

This is inside the case where all the wires connect to the toggle switches:

Dinner Break:

 

[ulater6000]

Installing The Power Button Key Switch:

First of all if your key switch has more than two connectors on the back like mine did then you first have to find out which combination of them to use. (Documentation did not come with mine sadly.) This can be done with a battery and a motor. (I used a fan.)

After you know which connectors to use, sodder (I don't have a soddering iron, so I had to just twist and wrap them around the connector) about 1.5ft of wire to each one. These will be spliced into the power button line.

Then go ahead and drill a hole where you are going to mount your key switch. I chose to mount mine directly above my fan switches. After that thread the wires through and mount the switch.

This is how your power button should be connected to your motherboard:

Now you are going to have to cut and splice the key switch to one of those wires. It doesnt matter which one you pick to splice, but it should look something like this when you are done:

Go ahead and cut open one of the two wires:

Then go ahead and splice those two wires that are connected to the key switch to them:

Thats it! Go ahead and start putting your system back together.

DO NOT FORGET: Make sure to clean all the metal shavings from drilling out of your case!

Everything should work now.

You can see in this picture that when the key switch is off I can not turn on my pc and the blue LED fan will not power up:

However when I turn the key switch, I am able to turn the PC on, and the blue LED fan does power up:

Additional:

-This is my first Work Log / Guide I have ever made, so any comments or suggestions are welcome.

-I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have; however I am going to bed now because I have to get up and go to work so I will most likely not be able to respond until tommorow night.

 

[ulater6000]

Update: Replaced some of the pictures with better ones.