Can I control a D5 pump with a fan controller?

D

dage

Weaksauce
Joined
Mar 26, 2003
Messages
69
Anyone see a problem with that? I know it has the adjustment knob built in, but I want to control the pump flow rate remotely. The D5 seems to run between 5-20watts, and a lot of fan controllers operate up to that range.

thanks!
mike
 
I ran my csp mag on a fan controler then took it off because pumps are always silent. I saw no real point to contoling the pump
 
Yeah this one is being repurposed into a situation where I need to control the flow rate specifically, but it sounds like you weren't having any problems. I can't imagine why there would be an issue, since its adjustable and the wattage is within range. Just being paranoid, I suppose.
 
The D5 has the little adjuster control on the back of it. Why don't you just control it that way?
 
actually I believe the D5 draws on the order of around 24W, too much for just about any fan controller I have seen. Just use the controller on the back, adjust it to a setting that you like and leave it there.
 
You could always mount the pump somewhere easy to reach, like hanging off the back of the case, so you can adjust it on the fly without having to stare at it all day.
 
He's aware of that. It's my understanding that the dial on the D5 doesn't operate on voltage as a fan controller would, though.

There shouldn't be any problem running a D5 off a strong rheo. In fact, there's a company that makes small analog/PWM controllers that come with software that can operate the pump in a number of ways, including setting a delay that flicks on the pump before the rest of the system and controlling voltage based on the readings of one or many sensors.
 
I wouldn't connect it directly to a fan controller because of the methods the D5 uses to vary it's speed internally. If you not scared of a soldering iron, I'd hard wire it to the pot of the fan controller.

The potentiomer inside the D5 is a 10K linear type, and most pots of fan controllers are the same, although you should confirm both before going starting.

Remove the pot inside the D5 (solder sucker very useful) and wire it to the pot of the fan controller by-passing the circuitry of the fan controller. All the usual warnings apply!

I'll be doing this shortly.
 
Hmm... I was basing the draw off this site:

http://www.dtekcustoms.com/browseproducts/DTC--D5-12v-Pump.html

Which lists it as 5-20w. The sunbeamtech fan controller is good for 20w per channel according to their specs. Also since input voltage is anywhere from 8-24v, I wonder if the 5-20w rating is calculated on that, though I can't find any amperage data on it.

Just found this pic:
http://www.dangerdenstore.com/files/images/pumps/d5/d5_back_view_800w.jpg

Which shows a sticker that says:
Volts: 8-24
Watts: 3-33
Amps: 1.4

So as long as I am under roughly 14v input it won't top 20w, assuming W = A x V (right?).

Ok nevermind all that now... the post by Mysterae sounds perfect. I'm very much a friend of the soldering iron and that idea would work just fine for me, as well as save me some money, since I don't have a fan controller purchased for this project and have a handful of 10k linear pots.

Has anyone cracked open the D5s? I'm not finding anything in the search.

Thanks a lot!
mike
 
Have a look here at SystemCooling, and click the image of the circuit board of the D5/MCP655.

To get the back off you just need a flat blade screwdriver and twist around the edges.

I wouldn't even try to remove the PCB from the casing, but it should be a piece of piss to do it in-situ with a steady hand.

Good luck and report back!
 
ahhh! Fantastic.

Thanks again, I will definitely keep you updated.
 
Had a chance to get it done this weekend, worked great! Ran some 22awg to a remote 10k pot and slobbered some hot glue on the newly soldered connections under the pump cover to help hold everything in place. Ran the wires out through the hole used for the original pot, too.

I'll get some pics up tonight.

thanks again
mike
 
pump.jpg
 
Awesome work there dage! Now that is the [H]ard way to control your pump speed. Who needs these fan controllers or expensive 100$++ multifunction devices to control their pumps?
 
Thanks, E! I'll have to follow up with the end product once I'm done... since I'm not really watercooling a CPU with this pump. The need to control flow rate will make a lot more sense soon :)

H: Massive cap was there already... didn't expect it, either, based on the systemcooling article. New rev possibly, or does DangerDen fiddle with the pumps?
 
Glad to see it worked for you dage! See, some of my ideas actually work :cool:

I bet you thought wtf when you saw that massive cap in there! My pumps don't have the cap either, I wonder what the thought is around it.

I'm thinking of using a dual gang pot to control two pumps at the same time, rather than using two pots.

Well done again dage!
 
Yeah, it was a little bit of a surprise... thanks again for the heads up on the pot, works like a charm!

Good luck w/your dual pump, sounds like you'll be moving a heck of a lot of fluid.
 
Mysterae said:
I wouldn't connect it directly to a fan controller because of the methods the D5 uses to vary it's speed internally. If you not scared of a soldering iron, I'd hard wire it to the pot of the fan controller.

The potentiomer inside the D5 is a 10K linear type, and most pots of fan controllers are the same, although you should confirm both before going starting.

Remove the pot inside the D5 (solder sucker very useful) and wire it to the pot of the fan controller by-passing the circuitry of the fan controller. All the usual warnings apply!

I'll be doing this shortly.
Click to expand...

I'm very interested in trying this. I am purchasing a MCP655/D5 and an Aquacomputer fan controller (http://sharkacomputers.com/aqcoaqwhonbl.html).

It uses software to set fan speed and can handle up to 5W per fan channel.

How can I test my fan controller to ensure it behaves like a 10k linear POT before I mod the pump and connect it?

Thanks!
 
virtualrain said:
It uses software to set fan speed and can handle up to 5W per fan channel.
Click to expand...
The description in the shop is wrong. It seems that it is from the old verson 3.07. The "new" aquaero 4.00 can handle 10W per channel and a maximum of 30W for all four channels combined.
 
Shoggy said:
The description in the shop is wrong. It seems that it is from the old verson 3.07. The "new" aquaero 4.00 can handle 10W per channel and a maximum of 30W for all four channels combined.
Click to expand...

You are correct... thanks. I still need help in understanding if I can use such a fan controller to replace the POT in the D5 pump. What is the voltage range across that POT? Is it 0-5V or 0-12V?
 
0-12V but I'm pretty sure you will kill the aquaero if you try to use it with that (or any other) pump.
 
Erasmus354 said:
actually I believe the D5 draws on the order of around 24W, too much for just about any fan controller I have seen. Just use the controller on the back, adjust it to a setting that you like and leave it there.
Click to expand...

Actually its more like 33w at full speed. Thats 2.75A @12v Most PWM fan controllers will not be able to handle that much current.
 
I guess I'm not being clear...

I agree that you can't simply power the pump from a fan controller like the Aquaero, it can't handle the load.

However, if the POT inside the pump is simply a peripheral circuit providing input to the pump's controller telling it how much power to supply to the motor, then it's a different story, and this low power peripheral circuit could easily be handled by the fan controller in place of the manual POT.

The question is, is the POT the primary motor voltage controller and handling the full power load to the pump or is it a peripheral input circuit to the primary voltage controller?

I'm hoping the guy that did the mod a few posts back can chime in here.

Thanks!
 
I fully understand what you're saying...don't regulate the power input of the pump but regulate the POT inside the pump.

My advice to you: Crack open your pump, set it to 5, measure the current through the POT, set it to 1, measure that current, and then share with the rest of us that have that pump that dream of using it with an Aquaero!

I would do it, but don't have a good multimeter where I live now.
 
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