homemade incubator wiring Question

[dbjay417]

I'm trying to wire a PC fan to run from the wall outlet.

I have read that I need an AC/DC 12v adapter with a minimum of .33a to match the specs of the fan.

Is this true?

Have any of you done it differently with success?

also, what do i do with the 3rd wire on the PC fan?

I have red, black and white.

In my experience red would be positive, black negative, and a green wire would be a ground, but wth is this white wire?

The guy at the PC shop said it was some kinda censor wire, but I don't actually trust the locals to know what they are talking about, as they tend not to, even if it technically is their job to know.

 

[Chicksdigit]

Wire the Black and red and cut the white off. 12v Adapter and it will work great.

 

[Intheswamp]

...if you want to slow the speed of the fan down then use a lower voltage wallwart....

Ed

 

[dbjay417]

I did a google search and some fellas on a marijuana grow site said they had success with any old cell phone adapter.

So i tried that with an old cellphone adapter and an old PC fan i had.

If it burns out or shorts for whatever reason, i have a brand new fan on standby, I'll just go to radio shack and get the appropriate adapter.

I think the one i used was a 9v, so its relatively close in terms of voltage. Closer than the 5v and 6v adapters which is what i have mostly.

Thanks for your responses.

Another quick question though. How long should i test run my bater before putting eggs in it.

i know its got to be at least long enough to make sure the temp and humidity is appropriate and stable, but should i run it for a few hours just to make sure the fan and/or lightbulb can run indefinitely without burning out (within reason at least)?

 

[keith burns]

i am new but imo a full day and night will it working 100% and add eggs.but i am new ...

this is what i will try.

 

[Andora]

I just wired a pc fan with a 9 volt adapter and it runs great.

 

[bumpershoot]

I've got mine hooked up to a 9 volt wall wort, but if you want you can also use a 9 volt battery. This is my back up should the power fail, which wasn't a normal concern until the incubator was plugged in. Don't 'cha know we have had 3 very short power outages since that moment? Oh yes, the demon Murphy is stomping around my 'bator!

 

[al6517]

Quote:
This is the way you wire it, rumage through your kitchen junk drawer and find an old cell phone adapter, the wiring is the same, it will work like a charm.

AL

 

[dbjay417]

thanks guys, I got it wired up and running, but I'm having an issue with heat now.

I'm using a 60 watt bulb and can only get to 98.3 degrees. If it was mid to high 99, I could stomach it, but i think a low 98 is too low for my own comfort.

I am using a 35 gallon rubbermaid bin with aluminum foil insulation glued on with spray adhesive. I used milk gallon caps to make washers to plug up the hole that i made for the PVC egg turner bar, and now I'm out of ideas, and only 1.7 degrees and 3% humidity shy of perfection. i know using a higher wattage bulb will put me over the top now that i've added all these insulating features.

Are there any tricks that i can use to help close the gap?

 

[geareduplyn]

Reduce the volume.