How to: Make proprietary Dell server fans work on any motherboard.
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A little back story as to why I'm writing this guide:
Earlier today I went into my local PC shop looking for a cheap monitor and while I was there I found a couple of Dell 120 x 38 Y4574 server fans (148.34CFM, 51dB, PWM). Which are actually Delta AFC1212DE-PWM case fans.
![attachment.php?attachmentid=185042&d=1292489358]()
I was really stoked since I got them for really cheap.
At any rate, I get home, install one on my Xiggy DK, turn my rig on and nothing.
At first I thought they were dead, but then I decided to jump them using a car battery. Lo and behold, they turn on and damn near fly off the bench.
After a little digging, here's what I found:
Dell not only rearranges the pin configuration in the plug itself,
Dell PWM pin config
![185049d1292492190-how-make-proprietary-dell-server-fans-dell-pinouts.jpg]()
they also change the color of the wires from the standard 4pin PWM fan, with the exception of the control wire.
Standard PWM pin config
![185050d1292492190-how-make-proprietary-dell-server-fans-standard-pwm-fan-pinouts.jpg]()
So here, you're thinking, well this is easy, I simply swap the number 1 and number 3 pin and hook it up.
Well in order to prevent people from plugging it in to anything other than a Dell, they decided to put a clip on their plug.
![attachment.php?attachmentid=185041&stc=1&d=1292489235]()
However, on the other side there are the normal 2 notches that every fan has.
So in order to make them work and not have to cut anything, you'll need to rearrange the wiring.
So if you're holding the plug with the notches pointing right, from top to bottom the wiring should go as follows:
Top- blue
Second down - white
Third one-red
Fourth -black
Fifth -empty
Should look like this:
![attachment.php?attachmentid=185048&d=1292492135]()
After doing this, I tested the fans. I went into my BIOS and set it so the fan runs @ 50% until 42C, and then it ramps up to 100%.
Sure enough, when 2 of the cores hit 42C, it kicked up a little and cooled them right off. It even lowered my MOSFET temperature ~8C.
At any rate, in this configuration, it should work on most any board....except a Dell of course.
![tongue.gif]()
Earlier today I went into my local PC shop looking for a cheap monitor and while I was there I found a couple of Dell 120 x 38 Y4574 server fans (148.34CFM, 51dB, PWM). Which are actually Delta AFC1212DE-PWM case fans.
I was really stoked since I got them for really cheap.
At any rate, I get home, install one on my Xiggy DK, turn my rig on and nothing.
At first I thought they were dead, but then I decided to jump them using a car battery. Lo and behold, they turn on and damn near fly off the bench.
After a little digging, here's what I found:
Dell not only rearranges the pin configuration in the plug itself,
Dell PWM pin config
they also change the color of the wires from the standard 4pin PWM fan, with the exception of the control wire.
Standard PWM pin config
So here, you're thinking, well this is easy, I simply swap the number 1 and number 3 pin and hook it up.
Well in order to prevent people from plugging it in to anything other than a Dell, they decided to put a clip on their plug.
However, on the other side there are the normal 2 notches that every fan has.
So in order to make them work and not have to cut anything, you'll need to rearrange the wiring.
So if you're holding the plug with the notches pointing right, from top to bottom the wiring should go as follows:
Top- blue
Second down - white
Third one-red
Fourth -black
Fifth -empty
Should look like this:
After doing this, I tested the fans. I went into my BIOS and set it so the fan runs @ 50% until 42C, and then it ramps up to 100%.
Sure enough, when 2 of the cores hit 42C, it kicked up a little and cooled them right off. It even lowered my MOSFET temperature ~8C.
At any rate, in this configuration, it should work on most any board....except a Dell of course.
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And this doesn't only apply to that particular fan, but any proprietary Dell fan. From the research I did, it seems they wire most of them this way.
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They're pretty awesome fans actually. With my "smartcooling" enabled through the BIOS, they almost never go above 2000 RPM, at that speed they're pretty quiet. Quieter than my 4870's @ 50%.
And this doesn't only apply to that particular fan, but any proprietary Dell fan. From the research I did, it seems they wire most of them this way.
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If you have any sort of PWM control through your board, you wont even need a controller. Simply wire them up correctly and let your board adjust them automatically.
I'm not getting the controller only for the Nedics.http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/889733-fan-system-planed.html
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So I figure @ 2000RPM they're still pushing quite a bit of air, but once they start to ramp up the speed, of course they become a lot more audible, but I have yet to see them go over 2950RPM.
But the cooling performance they give is exceptional, once the CPU gets loaded, my MOSFET's get cooler than at idle since there's A LOT more air passing over them. It even lowers my NB temps.
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Dell actually uses some quality components in their stuff, too bad it's mostly proprietary......That's actually the very reason why I taught myself about computers in the first place. Stupid proprietary power supply
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I'm going to add pics of how to remove the wires from the plug later (for the people that don't know).
They're 3900RPM fans. Even at full speed they're not all that loud really. Quieter than my old 92mmx38 Tornado (IIRC, 120CFM @ 6000RPM).Originally Posted by mbudden;11669545
Interesting. I do have an old Dell fan in my closet somewhere. I know it uses a proprietary connector. You said it stays below 2000RPM? What's the speed on them? Looks like I need to do some purchasing, and buying a fan controller lol.![smile.gif]()
So I figure @ 2000RPM they're still pushing quite a bit of air, but once they start to ramp up the speed, of course they become a lot more audible, but I have yet to see them go over 2950RPM.
But the cooling performance they give is exceptional, once the CPU gets loaded, my MOSFET's get cooler than at idle since there's A LOT more air passing over them. It even lowers my NB temps.
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Glad to help.
Dell actually uses some quality components in their stuff, too bad it's mostly proprietary......That's actually the very reason why I taught myself about computers in the first place. Stupid proprietary power supply
Depending on your board, a lot of them can control up to about 4 fans. My board can control 3 I believe. It's just a matter of fine tuning the temps at which you want them to ramp the speed up.
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I'm going to add pics of how to remove the wires from the plug later (for the people that don't know).
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Pretty well known, but is also a very very bad idea; those fans exceed standard fan header specs and can lead to a damaged board or components. You should be powering those fans off a molex connector straight to your PSU. That will also give you the opportunity to use the 7 or 5 volt settings instead of the full 12 volts.
Also, that isn't a Dell proprietary connector, it is a Dell model specific one, and varies very heavily from one server model to another.
Also, that isn't a Dell proprietary connector, it is a Dell model specific one, and varies very heavily from one server model to another.
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I couldn't find any definitive information about how much amperage the fan headers are allowed to pull, if you have links on the subject, that would be more helpful than "they exceed fan header specs".
Well, it does say specifically that it's from a server. Although the pinouts are exactly the same as Dimension desktops.
I couldn't find any definitive information about how much amperage the fan headers are allowed to pull, if you have links on the subject, that would be more helpful than "they exceed fan header specs".
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The label says 1.6Amps so you probably don't want to hook up too many of these to your MB
![smile.gif]()
In my experience down around 6v these are of a loudness and tonal quality to be perfectly acceptable in all but "Designed to be quiet" rigs
You can find these on Intel and HP servers too
In my experience down around 6v these are of a loudness and tonal quality to be perfectly acceptable in all but "Designed to be quiet" rigs
You can find these on Intel and HP servers too
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On my old Asus X38 board I used to run one fan just fine without issues; however when my roommate tried a similar fan on his MSI board it toasted one of his sticks of RAM. Litterally his system just powered down after running for a while; and it kept blue screening, so we ran memtest and moved sticks around and one stick was good and dead.
It is something like 1/2-1 amp I believe, but it depends on the board.
On my old Asus X38 board I used to run one fan just fine without issues; however when my roommate tried a similar fan on his MSI board it toasted one of his sticks of RAM. Litterally his system just powered down after running for a while; and it kept blue screening, so we ran memtest and moved sticks around and one stick was good and dead.
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Regardless, you still need to rewire them in order to hook them up to an adapter.
Or....I suppose you could just wire them directly to a molex.
I've looked all over for any sort of definitive specs about current draw, but other than some forum posts, nothing that actually states a concrete specification.
Regardless, you still need to rewire them in order to hook them up to an adapter.
Or....I suppose you could just wire them directly to a molex.
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![thinking.gif]()
You surely could, I've used several fans in the past that have had that setup.....Although, they didn't seem to have anywhere close to the same current draw.
Well after I read this earlier today , I just happend to gave one on hand. Chsnged the pins around and added it as an extra exhuast fan. It's Currently running at 4000 rpm running off my board and moving some serious air. It didn't come out of a server, it came out of an old XPS system I had lying around. Dropped the temps 3-4 degrees C on everything in the case. Cpu is down 4, NB is down 3. I do have some adapters to slow the fan down if need be. The Label says .55 A , so it shouldn't be a problem.
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They are only 1.6 amps according to the sticker on them. I have some 92x38mm Nidec Beta V fans (from Dell servers) that draw 3.5 amps that I have ran off of a crappy motherboard (even did two of them on a single header) and nothing ever blew up. I don't recommend pulling 7 amps from one fan header but that delta would be fine on a fan header.
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Crazy fans are nice to have around. I've used some int he past that were so loud that I could clearly hear them outside my house with everything closed up.
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Although, having NB/MOSFET temps below 30C is always nice.
Eventually I had to get rid of that Tornado, it was just too freakin loud. I wanna say it was along the lines of 60-65dB.
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Loud little sucker.
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NICE!
Crazy fans are nice to have around. I've used some int he past that were so loud that I could clearly hear them outside my house with everything closed up.
Eventually I had to get rid of that Tornado, it was just too freakin loud. I wanna say it was along the lines of 60-65dB.
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Holy CRAP! 7.0A on one header!
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And the bad thing about the Dell fan is When I decide to go crossfire, It has to come out.Or get a bigger case...The wife would Love that...lol
How do you get them that low? Mine were 42c at idle,moved my gpu down a couple of slots and put a AeroCool Shark on the side panel Blowing on the board and it came down to 39c, now it's at 36c with the Dell fan sucking the air out. Cpu is at 30c. I ran LinX for about an hour, Nb Temp never went over 45c, Cpu hit 48 once or twice.
And the bad thing about the Dell fan is When I decide to go crossfire, It has to come out.Or get a bigger case...The wife would Love that...lol
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That's exactly how it was when I ran that tornado. My wife was all like
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As for how to get it that low, get a cooler that blows AT the board instead of across it.
That's the problem with a lot of the new style coolers like my Xiggy.
I had mounted that tornado on my stock 939 Opteron cooler (the one with the heat pipes), it wasn't at all uncommon for me to see NB temps of less than 30C.
As for how to get it that low, get a cooler that blows AT the board instead of across it.
That's the problem with a lot of the new style coolers like my Xiggy.
I had mounted that tornado on my stock 939 Opteron cooler (the one with the heat pipes), it wasn't at all uncommon for me to see NB temps of less than 30C.
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