How to make a fan from scrap materials. USB fan from a computer cooler. Review and comparison of production ready models

Installing a fan is a sensitive issue. Before making a fan with your own hands, you need to determine its installation location. The fact is that in the manufacture of structures today two types of engines are used:

collector;
asynchronous.

Collector sounds when working loud noise, when it switches, a spark occurs. In addition, the movement of the brushes also makes a lot of noise.

Asynchronous motors, which are equipped with a squirrel-cage rotor, are the exact opposite. At self-production For fans, you can use an element from the refrigerator as a starting relay.

Fan Manufacturing Principles

When making a fan yourself, you need to take into account some aspects, the most important of which is noise. To have an idea of the operation of the collector motor, you just need to remember how the Cyclone vacuum cleaner works, its volume is about 70 dB. Based on this, you should consider whether to use such an engine or not. In this regard, it is most realistic to use an asynchronous motor; moreover, when performing the simplest fan model, a fan is not required starting winding. And its power is small, and the secondary EMF is induced by the field from the stator.

The drum in an asynchronous motor has a squirrel-cage rotor with cut copper conductors along the generatrix, passing at an angle relative to the axis. It is this slope that determines the direction of rotation of the rotor in the engine. Copper conductors are not isolated from the drum material, since they have a conductivity that is superior to the surrounding material, and the potential difference between adjacent cores is small. And due to this, a current flows through the copper. The stator and rotor are not connected to each other by contacts, and therefore no spark occurs, since the wire is covered with varnish insulation. That's why the noise asynchronous motor determined by the following factors:

ratio of stator and rotor;
quality of bearing elements.

At correct setting With an asynchronous motor, silent operation of the motor can be achieved. Well, if we are talking about how to properly make a duct fan with your own hands, then you can allow the installation of a commutator motor, but taking into account where the section will be located.

The duct fan is installed in the air duct section itself and is located in the center of the duct. For this reason, when a fan is made in an air duct, noise does not play a special role, since the sound wave attenuates while it passes through the duct.

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To make a fan yourself, you need to purchase a model of a kitchen or bathroom fan, the one that is mounted to the hood. The box from under it will also come in handy, and you will also need:

scissors;
net;
glue or tape.

Fan installation diagram.

The structure will be powered from the network, but will consume little electricity. To begin with, take a box and do it in it through hole. The design of the fan for cylindrical hoods will also be the basis for the shape of the hole.

Subsequently, a fan will be installed in this hole. The hole is cut with a smaller diameter than the structure itself in order to make it more stable and safe. An opening is made on the side of the bottom of the box to allow the cord to exit. To prevent the fan from dangling in the box, you can place cardboard scraps in it and secure it with electrical tape. For safety, a protective mesh is installed on the front part where the blades are located. The denser the mesh in the mesh, the less likely it is to get caught by the blades. Making a homemade fan does not require much expense, and if you decorate the box, you can get additional element interior arrangement.

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USB fans: features

Such a model will not be easy to make. This great option for individual cooling when working at a computer. Such a device is obtained with sufficient power, and the energy consumption is not much more. To construct this design you will need:

a couple of CDs for the computer;
cord with USB plug;
wires;
an old motor, the kind usually installed on children's toys;
wine stopper;
cylindrical cardboard;
glue and scissors.

First of all, the disk is cut into blades. The power of the air flow depends on the presence of blades; the more there are, the stronger the blowing will be, but the segments themselves should not be small.

Only one disc is cut, the second will be used as a stand.

To bend the blades, they are heated over a small flame and bent forward at an angle.

They should be turned in one direction. When the disk with blades is ready, a plug is inserted into its center and a hole is made in it.

In order to make the wire usable, the outer winding is removed from one end of the USB cord, under which there are 4 wires. The paired ones can be separated, connected to the motor and insulated.

Hot. If I may say so, even too much. That is why you can think about how to make a fan. You will say that it can be purchased at the store. But, firstly, their cost increases significantly. Secondly, they are quickly sold out and it is not always possible to find what you need on store shelves. Therefore, several practical advice about how to assemble a fan. After all, it is quite possible to arrange it even at home from available materials. Here are a couple of options.

How to make a fan based on an old cooler. If you have an old one, you can take it from there. You can also borrow a switch there. In order to make a homemade fan, you will also need some kind of battery holder. There are many of these, you can take it from some broken toy or something else in the same spirit. Of course, you will also need several batteries themselves. All that remains is to connect all these components together, and a simple fan will be ready. If you don’t want to bother with the holder, you can use a regular USB port to supply power. The stand can be made from anything. It all depends specifically on your own imagination and what you have at hand.

You can, for example, make a stand from ordinary rigid wire attached to something. It is not so important what materials will be used, but how stable the entire structure will be.

Another option on how to make a fan may be useful for enthusiasts. Computer disks are an excellent tool for making. What else is needed? A motor from a simple toy, a cork left over from champagne, some kind of handy switch and several batteries. We take the disk, and then make as many cuts as we need for the blades. It is necessary to leave about a centimeter to the inner edge. Then turn each blade slightly at an angle. It bends much better if the disk is heated, for example, over gas. Then you will need to insert a champagne cork into its center. If you make a small puncture in its center, for example, with an awl, you can easily attach the entire structure to some kind of pin. You will need to make a leg - absolutely any cylinder-shaped object that can accommodate batteries and wires can play its role.

You will also need to design a base for the entire unit - it can also be anything, the main thing is that it is stable and can support the structure. All that remains is to add a few additional tips - when cutting out the blades you need to make sure that each of them is approximately 45 degrees - you will end up with about 8 pieces. The plug inserted into the center of the disk will need to be secured with glue. In any case, the process should not cause you any difficulties.

If you've been thinking about how to make a fan, you now probably understand that it's very simple. Each of the proposed models is extremely easy to manufacture, and you will not need much time to create it. You don’t need any special things, the above is quite enough. These fans are very convenient and compact. You can put it on your desktop. Or, if there is such a desire, take it with you to the garage or country house, where these devices will serve as cooling means. It is difficult to argue with the fact that they have tangible dignity - after all, these are collected, according to by and large, very useful things from various trash.

As you can see, it is quite possible to make a fan yourself, from scrap materials, without bothering with going to the store and looking for a unit that suits you at an affordable price. Everything is much simpler.

From time to time the need for a kind of fan arises, but small models are relatively expensive. There is no need to rush to shell out money, because a small fan can be easily made with my own hands. In terms of efficiency, it is not inferior to purchased analogues, and its creation will require a minimum amount of materials.

Making a fan from a cooler

The simplest way to make a fan yourself is to use an unnecessary cooler (these are used in computers as a cooling system for components).

It is not surprising that this method is the simplest, because a cooler is a small fan. There are only a few things left to do simple steps to give it its final shape and performance.

The cooler itself is quite functional, but you need to prepare it for non-standard way uses:

Wires.

If the fan is located next to the computer, a regular unnecessary USB cable will do. It needs to be cut and the insulation removed (the same with the cooler wires):

We are only interested in two wires: red (plus) and black (minus). If there are other colors in the cooler or USB cable, feel free to cut them off and isolate them, since they are absolutely unnecessary and will only get in the way.

Compound.

After cleaning, the wires need to be connected to each other (it is enough to twist them tightly together). Don't mix up the colors. This threatens serious complications in the process of creating a ventilator.

A length of 10 mm is sufficient for twisting. Can be cleaned if necessary most wires, this is not scary, but you will have to insulate much more.

Safety.

Remember that proper insulation is the key to success and a guarantee that the computer or outlet will not short out. Bare wires should be covered with electrical tape (exclusively in the absence of power), and the thicker it is, the better.

There is no particular point in explaining what threatens the fall of “minus” to “plus”. If the red and black wires come into contact while transmitting electricity, not only the USB cable/port, but also the computer components may burn out.

In principle, computers are not afraid of such moments if they are equipped with protection against voltage surges. But when a socket in the wall is used, then repairing the wiring in the apartment will be much more difficult to create small fan.

Therefore, take serious care to insulate the exposed parts of the wires. Rarely does anyone need unnecessary complications.

The finishing touches.

Don't forget that a computer cooler is very light, but at the same time very fast. Even with a voltage of 5 volts, its speed will be quite high. We consider this voltage for a reason: the cooler will do its job perfectly, and the operation will be as silent as possible.

Due to the small size of the device, it may fall due to vibrations. This should not be allowed for the following reasons:

Such a cooler cannot cause lethal cuts even during operation, but there is no guarantee that the device will not jump up and fly off, for example, into the face;
if it falls on a non-flat surface (on a pencil, pen, lighter), its blades can be damaged: fragments breaking off at such a rotation speed can cause irreparable damage;
other unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, it is important to secure the cooler (with tape, glue) on some more stable surface: a box, wooden block, table.

Additional functions.

If desired, the finished fan can be updated externally, add a switch (so as not to pull out the cord every time), etc. But attention is also paid to a method that increases the efficiency of the device relatively well.

Simply cut off the top plastic bottle and glue it (with a wide hole) to the cooler frame. Thus, the air flow will be more accurate and directed: the force of air movement will become approximately 20% stronger, which is a pretty good indicator.

At this point, the creation of the fan is completed, and it is ready for full operation.

Disc fan

If the previous option does not suit you, and you want something more complex, then consider creating a fan yourself from computer disks:

Engine.

Since we don’t use a cooler, we need to get some kind of motor that drives the blades of our future device. In fact, you can also use the motor of the already mentioned cooler of the cooling system, but this is too simple.

You should find or buy a motor with a specific part that moves (for example, a protruding iron rod). Since we are making a fan from disks, then the presence of such a rod will the best option. Motors from an old VCR or player are also perfect, because they spin discs and cassettes - just what we need for the spinning propeller in our fan.

You should not use an engine made from washing machine or even a past fan - they are extremely powerful. Due to the self-assembly of the structure, it will be very flimsy. In the very first seconds, a strong motor will scatter fragments of blades throughout the room and fly off the base.

If there is a running motor, it must be secured with wires in the previously mentioned form.

Having a running engine in hand, you need to concentrate on the disks, which are the main components of our fan. First of all, cut one into 8 equal parts:

To avoid mistakes during the procedure, you can first mark the disc with a pencil. It is best to use a soldering iron (there will be no sharp edges, it is safer), but regular scissors will also work.

Afterwards, the disk should be slightly heated with a lighter so that the material becomes more pliable, and the wings should be bent in the manner of blades, like conventional fans:

You can do the same with regular plastic bottle:

You need to insert a wooden bottle cap into the center of our propeller. If the size is too big, it can be planed.

The remaining parts.

As a center holding the entire structure, you can use a regular roll sleeve toilet paper:

It should be secured in the center of the second disk, which will act as a foundation for the fan. You can place half of the second bushing on top, as seen in the photo, so that the motor is inside it. You need to hang the blades from the disk/bottle on it.

The fan is ready for operation. If desired, you can add decorative elements to make the device look more presentable.

You can see clearly how such a fan is made from a bottle in this video.

Additionally, it should be recalled that important points when creating a homemade fan:

To fasten the parts together, you need to use high-quality “superglue”.

Exactly the one that you can’t peel off even if you want to. The entire structure must be as stable as possible and not succumb to vibrations and fluctuations. Be responsible and fill everything you see with glue except the blades and internal parts engine.

Take your time.

You risk missing out important detail, and this significantly increases the chances that something will go wrong during the operation of the finished fan. The consequences can be quite serious.

Do not use inferior components.

If you don’t need the motor that is used to create the engine, its performance may be in doubt. Make sure it will last for some time and be effective.

Building an engine from scratch is a highly specialized process and requires a lot of knowledge. Make sure the motherboards are in order, everything necessary connections were sealed well, etc. It’s better to check again than to make another fan later.

Insulation.

We remind you once again: do not forget about high-quality winding of wires with electrical tape. You shouldn't save it, because short circuits and repairing them will force you to sacrifice a lot of expenses. Perhaps even in a monetary sense.

The hand-held fan is quite compact, efficient and does its job well. It is not difficult to do if you take the procedure responsibly and follow the instructions. There are no restrictions on dimensions: if you feel strong, feel free to start assembling the fan bigger size.

In contact with

The weather is getting warmer outside, it's time to think about ventilation. In this episode Roman Ursu will do bladeless fan. You can easily repeat this product with your own hands. Four pieces of cardboard are used in the product. The width must match the width of the cooler. 120 mm. A switch and power connector are built into the housing. Let's take the dimensions and make a hole according to the required diameter. You will also need a 12-volt power supply for a cooler that consumes 0.25 m. The unit is 2 amperes, so that’s enough. Top part The Dyson fan is cylindrical in shape. This means that we draw two circles with a diameter of 15 cm. One of them is 11 cm, the other is 12 cm. To ensure that the parts stick well to the base, we take one of the walls, apply the parts, draw a line and cut them off. Now, to form the cylinders, you will need three segments with the following dimensions: 12 x 74, 12 x 82, 15 x 86 cm. We will figure out what and where to glue at the assembly stage. Let's make cuts in each wall. These will be the air channels. They look like nice legs.

Let's start assembling a beautiful bladeless fan, placing the courier in the middle. We glue each wall one by one. The wires can be removed as shown in the video. It would be nice to figure out the connection. We use a switch, so we separate one of the wires and form a circuit. The wires go to the power connector, black to minus, red to plus.

You need to connect all the previously prepared parts with your own hands. Take the ring from internal diameter 11 cm. She will be in front. And the segment is 12x74. We connect as in the video.

We repeat the same with the second ring and the 12 x 82 blank. To keep the rings fixed and stable, we use five small strength partitions. The length is just under 12 cm. All that remains is to close the structure.

We use the last piece 15 x 86 cm.

Finally, we make it beautiful, remove excess glue, and cover it with paint. In general, the bladeless fan is ready.

There's a lot ahead useful homemade products, we are waiting for the warm sun to shoot the next video and show it on the channel.

When working at a computer in the summer, or just on vacation, sometimes you want a gentle breeze, “local” coolness. Air flow an office air conditioner does not create that sweet comfort obtained from a weak and directed blow that a mini fan provides. It is very easy to make such a device with your own hands.

How to make a “personal breeze”

The most famous invention in this area since ancient times is folding fans. They were made from painted paper and ostrich feathers, painted silk and carved bamboo sticks. This device has only one drawback: to obtain the much-desired coolness, you need to hold it in your hand, which is not always convenient. It’s funny to imagine a manager or economist working at a computer and fanning himself.

Therefore, let’s return to our topic and figure out how to provide yourself with a pleasant breeze in the heat. To make a mini-fan with your own hands, you need to solve the following several problems:

What kind of rotating propeller will it be, and what material will it be made of?
Where can I get a motor?
What power source will the device operate from?
Is it possible to do without an engine completely?

How to make a mini fan?

Let's start with the simplest thing: making blades. If you take a square from an ordinary sheet of paper, cut it diagonally, leaving about a centimeter intact in the center, you will get a blank for a pinwheel. Then 4 acute angles bend towards the middle and alternately string them onto a nail, having previously stuck it into the center of the workpiece. That's all! It's a pity that this is just a children's fidget spinner.

For functional and useful design take 2 CDs or DVDs. One will make the blades, the second will make a stand for the device.

The used circle is cut into several equal parts (from edge to center). To make the process easier, you can hold the plastic over the fire for a few seconds. Each of the resulting sectors of the softened workpiece is rotated slightly around its axis to form a propeller.

What other components are needed to assemble a convenient mini fan? Here is the list:

Cork from a wine bottle.
Cardboard or plastic straw for attaching the engine to the stand.
Small motor.
Two wires.
Cable with USB contact or batteries.
Good glue, scissors, a strong large nail or awl.

Where to get a micromotor

It happens that household bins contain appliances that no one has used for a long time. These could be hair dryers or mixers, blenders and children's cars. Even a motor from an old tape recorder, player or some other mechanism may come in handy. We disassemble the unnecessary device and remove the engine, having first disconnected all the wires.

Since we are making a mini-fan, a motor from an old washing machine, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner or other large unit will not work due to its size and noise.

Continued assembly of the device

A hole is made in the plug and placed on the axis of the selected engine. To secure the shaft, it is first coated with glue. Then the propeller cut from the disk is glued to the part of the axle sticking out of the hole in the plug.

Next, lubricate with glue paper straw in diameter and place it on the plane of the second disk. Then install the motor on top and connect its contacts to the terminals from the USB cable. If the propeller spins in the opposite direction when plugged into the computer port, you need to disconnect the contacts, swap them and solder them again.

By connecting a battery to such a device, you can use it anywhere in the room, in the car, near the pool.

Wind blower without engine

How to make a mini-fan at home without a motor? A very popular option is to create a device using small neodymium magnets.

Take the cooler from the computer and separate 4 transformer coils from its body. Instead of copper windings, you need to install and secure the same number of pieces of magnet. Usually they buy neodyms in the form of half-arcs or remove them from an unusable hard drive. The magnets are placed exactly in the places where the transformer windings were removed, that is, along the perimeter of the cooler frame.

As soon as the last piece is secured, the mini fan will begin to rotate. Using permanent magnet technology, it is possible to assemble an almost perpetual motion machine. To stop it, one of the neodymium pieces that replaced the coil is removed from the circuit.

The field of the magnets must be equal in strength to the field of the disconnected coils, otherwise the propeller will not be able to rotate in a constant, stable manner. The poles are placed diagonally, alternating plus and minus.

What to do if none of the above methods are suitable, if there is not enough time or details for homemade fan? In this case, you will have to use a regular factory product.