How to power PC fan from USB?

[GohanCZ]

Hello guys, I have a question about powering my PC fan from USB, so that I can construct some sort of cooling pad for my laptop.

The data on the fan says 12V , 37ma.
The USB output should be 5V, 500ma.

How should I go about this?

 

[Strima]

It would be easier to buy a cooling pad, they're cheap enough now.

 

[GohanCZ]

There is no fun in that besides it wouldnt hurt me to know something like this. I dont need the fan speed to be variable, it could be set at the highest speed available, so that I could just plug it in when I need it.

 

[Richard Burns]

You would need to have a DC-DC converter as the fan would hardly run at 5V.
If the USB can supply 500mA then you should be OK with the supply as the fan will only take 89mA, pin 1 is +5V, pin4 is ground.

 

[grantr37]

you will damage your laptop doing that with a DC-DC converter, the fan bases with a USB powered fan can be found for £2 in a few places, sometimes less.....

have you thought about using an air duster or a vaccum cleaner to clean out your laptops vent ? if you take off the keyboard in most laptops and netbooks this gives you access to the fan and vent for air duster cleaning....
if you want to you could get some thermal transfer paste, take off the heatsinks and put more of that on.....it usually dries up in the first year of use on laptops if used every day.....

you can buy that stuff online and in maplin, as I don't know which country you are living in I will say that ebay is your best place to find thermal transfer paste.....

Thermaltake

Akasa

Servisol

are three brands to look for....

 

[grantr37]

the thermal paste does make a very big difference to performance and how much time your laptop fan spends running at high speed......you will find with a good clean and new paste the fan will start to go on and off again...instead of going like a jet engine as soon as you turn on the laptop....