How to power two Midget computer fans with a self made plug through a USB 2.0 Port?
What I’m trying to do: Make a Laptop Cooler. Reason: I don’t like the Laptop Coolers available and I want to make my own. What I’m asking: 1)How to power two Midget computer fans through USB 2.0 Port? 2)What type of USB 2.0 Port should I purchase based on my “Preferences” listed below? 3) What color wires are used to power devices through a USB 2.0 Port? 4) Does the one USB 2.0 have enough power to power two Midget (laptop) fans? 5) What fan models would work and what specs I should look for? 6) “I guess I should have asked this in the beginning…” Is this even possible to do? ***Preferences*** I’m interested in using a plug that allows me to use the USB 2.0 Port on the laptop, but still have the availability to plug another item into the plug I make to us for another item. I have seen this type of USB 2.0 plug on a Laptop Cooler. Thank you for all your help!!! Regards, Ac3
Public Comments
- The Red cable should be the +5V line, and the black cable should be the ground (make sure you test with a multimeter to make sure). Generally, a USB device can draw a maximum of 100 mA. Whether or not that is enough will depend on what fans you buy - as long as you get 5V DC fans that draw less than 0.05 A each, you should be fine. Even if you get fans that draw more than that, they will spin - just perhaps not at full speed. Since they are simple electric motors, connecting them is simple - strip the end of the red wire and connect it to the + terminal, then strip the black wire and connect it to the - terminal. You can connect them either in parallel or in series, I would suggest parallel, myself, as it will keep the voltage roughly constant in both. To do that, you'll need to split the USB power wire and run them to the two fans . Not the hardest build ever, just make sure you shrink wrap all your soldered connections. Drop me a line if you have any more questions - chejrw (at) gmail (dot) com
