Adding a fan to an entertainment center

The LandoStander

I recently got my hands on one of the new 360's after my old one outlived it's warranty and promptly gave me the Red Ring. I've always been a bit concerned that my outdated entertainment center doesn't really have a good place to store a console with regards to air circulation and heat build up. (Image is a little big).

I'd like to try and cut a hole in the back of it and add a cooling fan not unlike this one however I'm not sure how to power the thing. I assume that I'll want to have it blowing out the back of the entertainment center. So, are there converters for USB to the pins that this fan would need? Or are there just straight USB powered cooling fans out there? I tried using just a regular USB powered fan in the past but I don't think they design them for such long periods of operation like case fans.

matt has a problem

It's a little more expensive, but they do make PC case-style 120mm fans that run off regular AC power, with a regular plug - http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102825&cp=&origkw=fan&kw=fan&parentPage=search

Here's one for $14 - http://www.altex.com/%2F120mm-120VAC-Aluminum-Cooling-Fan-FAN-115A-P141627.aspx

You may have to actually wire a plug onto it yourself though, I used these maybe 6 years ago and I can't remember if they came with a plug already attached or just with a black/white wire.

:edit: Here's an actual USB-powered fan too, for $19 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106140&cm_re=usb_powered_fan-_-35-106-140-_-Product

MegaMan001

Not to totally hijack your thread, but is that the goddamn powerbrick in black next to the new 360? They didn't shrink that thing down at all, did they?

Dehumanized

You could probably cut some heat by moving the brick somewhere else, for starters.

Pheezer

The new 360 doesn't claim to be any smaller than the old. It's barely slimmer at it's slimmest, nearly the same at the opposite ends, and actually longer than the original.

And that's completely off topic so let's drop it now.

You can get a 120V AC to 12V DC adapter for a reasonable price if you shop around. Anything of a reasonable price WILL be limited in how much current it can dish out, so look at how many amps your fans will need vs. what the adapter can supply, but a couple of 120mm fans should be just fine.

onceling

Your post reminded me of this:

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2009/10/cool-it-with-this-media-unit.html

Guy comments that it's powered by an old cell charger with the appropriate wattage.

Esh

It seems like it has plenty of room to breathe down there. I wouldn't sweat it (haha) if I were you.

Pheezer

It's not the wattage that matters, it's the voltage. Okay well it is, but not directly.

Watts = Volts x Amps

But the Watts on its own doesn't help you here. You need to ensure two things: That the charger you're using supplies the correct voltage for the fan, and that the fan draws fewer amps than the max throughput of the charger.

Now, I'm going to suspect strongly that most cell phones use 9V adapters, because 9V has been very common for many, many years and it'd be cheaper to buy the components to one. So a 9V fan with a random charger has a decent chance of working, but if you don't want to start a fire, look at the specs for the adapter. If it's not printed on the adapter, it will be provided in the instructions manual for the phone. Failing both of those, it's safe to assume that the battery wants the same input voltage as it provides, and so you can go based on what it says in the battery compartment of your phone when guessing what voltage the adapter for it would put out.

I think most PC fans are 12 V, though. Under supplying an electric motor is probably just going to make it run slower, so a 9V charger could probably work. Supplying too much voltage can burn out an electric motor. Attaching a fan (or fans) that pull too much current for the adapter to provide can result in either burning out the adapter or starting an electrical fire if you're unlucky.