Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that several people on here have built their own incubators, and they have used computer fans in the construction. I am looking to build a tank fan for my axolotl, and from what I have heard, the fans need to be wired to a transformer before they can be wired to a wall plug, but i can't find any info on what type of transformer to use. Can anyone give me any tips on wiring up the computer fans?
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps

Call Helix. They sell them with transformers and will most like be able to answer all your questions. When I called them several years ago, I spent about an hour with a gentleman that worked there and he was more than happy help me set up a killer incubator.

Regards,
Bill Rubin
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I think one of the ready made tank pumps / filters would be safer for axalotyls.......?.....just a thought.....

did you ever hear some of the 'puter fans in the homemade 'bators........???........brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr they don't stop.......(wired too high )....

good luck....

..
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................JY

I just finished my upright freezer incubator and I purchased a 110 volt computer fan from Radio Shack ,works fine and is very quiet

Terry M
DAV

Here is the incubator I just finished ,I had to go to a 3 inch fan as the 4 inch produced to much heat ,it now keeps the same temp top to bottom

Terry M
DAV

did you just wire that directly to a wall plug terry?
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps

Jason ,I wired it to a plug ,and just plug it in the wall,the fan runs all the time ,and the flexwatt is plugged into a Rancho thermostat

Terry
DAV

Sorry, Ranco controller

Terry
DAV

Thanks for the info!
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps

That's the transformer you need.
If it's 12V, get a 12v. Just be careful on the AMPS too.

I will suggest getting some 120v fans. There is less chance of breaking (the transfo just add another thing that can go wrong).
The WATTS on them will probably be lower. Some computer fans generate a lot of heat and noise.
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love this world, don't hate it.

i wouldn't recommend a 110v fan to someone who doesn’t know about electricity. Someone could get a decent shock and get seriously hurt. Especially if they have to wire it together.

Aftermarket computer parts have come a long way. There’s fans out there that you can’t even here them. Some light up with leds, while not even giving off any heat. Plus there’s more other items you can add into the circuit…like fan monitors for speed and temperature that could be useful for inside the incubator , while letting you adjust all from the outside.

Pitoon

>>That's the transformer you need.
>>If it's 12V, get a 12v. Just be careful on the AMPS too.
>>
>>I will suggest getting some 120v fans. There is less chance of breaking (the transfo just add another thing that can go wrong).
>>The WATTS on them will probably be lower. Some computer fans generate a lot of heat and noise.
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>>love this world, don't hate it.
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Homepage
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Something like this is all you need. Plug the adapter into your ac power supply (outlet) and hook it's output cord to your 12 volt computer fan. You will probably have to improvise on the connection between the adapter and the fan. On this particular adapter you can select the voltage your fan requires (3-12 volts dc) and it puts out more than enough amperage to run the average computer fan. I hope this helps you.

AC Adapter
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Louis Kirkland
Cornerstone Reptiles

Now I just need to figure out how to modify the probe on a cooling thermostat to work with everything.
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps

you can use any normal cell phone charger (ac/dc converter) they also sell universal chargers that allows you to change the voltage. Make sure you know the voltage of the fan and it’s required mA to run it. The lower the voltage the slower the blades turn, and vice versa for higher voltage. To high of a voltage could burn the motor out.

go to goodwill, thrift shops, or local eco center (electronics section) you can probably get them for free.

Just make sure you wire the fan correctly, wrong polarity = no working fan, to fix this just reverse the wires.

If you need any help email me directly.

Pitoon

>>I know that several people on here have built their own incubators, and they have used computer fans in the construction. I am looking to build a tank fan for my axolotl, and from what I have heard, the fans need to be wired to a transformer before they can be wired to a wall plug, but i can't find any info on what type of transformer to use. Can anyone give me any tips on wiring up the computer fans?
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>>www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps
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Homepage
My BLOG
2010 European Shows

Thanks,
I looked into the 110v fans, and they weren't getting good reviews (people were saying they were noisy and they didn't last long). I found some small 12v fans that should do the trick, as well as a step down transformer that should work for powering them. Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to lengthen a temperature probe on a thermostat that can be used to control cooling devices. I never thought this little snot otter would be so tricky to keep.
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www.cafepress.com/jbartolettherps

i didnt have time to run through all the post so someone may have suggested this already but all the fans i used in my incubators we either 9 or 12 volt and i just used a old plug off some of my old battery chargers and matched them up, some of the plugs are 12, 9, 6 volt. etc. just match them up to the same voltage of your fan.
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