Project Culance

Time to add some custom electronics. Since I am fitting case fans, ( more for effect than cooling), I wanted a speed controller to keep the noise down. I will also fit a HDD activity meter for some eye candy. All this will fit into a 3.5" drive bay.


The bay cover was marked out...

...and drilled. Note the two extra oddly shaped holes above and below the large hole. These are vital to the eye candy.

This is the fan controller which is a single channel PWM controller based on this circuit. See those two LEDs in front of the control?

They fit into those odd shaped holes! A bit of cutting with the ubiquitous rotary tool was needed to make them sit just right.

The LEDs protrude through the panel for lighting. Another dry fit with the HDD activity meter in place.

The two PCBs were test fitted before spraying the panel with vinyl dye. The circuit board for the HDD meter was retained using a combination of making the led holes an interference fit and hot glue. I cut a disk from a piece of 1mm plexi...


Which fitted over the fan speed control and then the locking nut to retain the whole assembly. Here is how the finished panel looks.