Do I need a Terranium Liner?

[Sonya610]

We use small fans that I pirated from old computers and an xbox.

That is a great idea and those little computer fans are made to run constantly for years! I have an old tower now that is broken, can I just pull the fan and power supply out and plug it in? I am unsure about the power supply part.

[chris-uk]

That is a great idea and those little computer fans are made to run constantly for years! I have an old tower now that is broken, can I just pull the fan and power supply out and plug it in? I am unsure about the power supply part.

The fans need to go into the right voltage cables from the PSU, but if they are already plugged direct into the PSU then the plugs will only fit the right cables. If the fans are plugged into the motherboard then you will probably need some fanangling to get them to plugged straight into the PSU.

[Billy_80]

If you look at any dc power supply, it will have the voltage and amperage output listed. It is rare to find one higher than 12v. The easiest way to connect them together is to simply strip the wires, twist the ends together and wrap the exposed wires with electrical tape individually so you don't short it out. In a DC motor, the polarity doesn't matter because the fan will spin in either direction. If anyone wants more info, or directions, I can make a video.

[Billy_80]

If you look at any dc power supply, it will have the voltage and amperage output listed. It is rare to find one higher than 12v. The easiest way to connect them together is to simply strip the wires, twist the ends together and wrap the exposed wires with electrical tape individually so you don't short it out. In a DC motor, the polarity doesn't matter because the fan will spin in either direction. If anyone wants more info, or directions, I can make a video.

when I say power supply I am referring to a standard dc converter. They are the ones that look like a small black box that gets plugged into the wall.

[ConcinusMan]

That is a great idea and those little computer fans are made to run constantly for years! I have an old tower now that is broken, can I just pull the fan and power supply out and plug it in? I am unsure about the power supply part.

Using the power supply isn't necessary. It just needs to be wired to a DC current matching the approximate specs on the fan, usually 12 volt and less than 1 amp. It doesn't have to match exactly. Lower voltage just makes in run slower, higher voltage, faster. If you have any old dc converters lying around that you don't need (I always keep them even if the device is broken/lost, etc) use one of those. For example I have a 12 volt, 1amp one that used to power a scanner. It will run two 12 volt / 0.5 amp fans.