A computer fan can be powered via a USB port from your computer. The reason why this works is simply because the USB port can provide a constant 5 volts supply. If your PC fan is rated at 12 volts, 5 volts will still be more than enough to get it moving. Using the USB method, will not provide the full RPM speed the PC fan is capable of, since it can't supply the full 12 volts required. This could be a benefit for you, if you don't want loud fan noise to be heard. Once you have connected the computer fan to a USB cable, you can use it on any device that has a working USB port. This including the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and all types of laptops and PC's.
1) Obtain an old USB cable with a plug. If you have an unwanted mobile phone USB cable, this will be perfect for this modification. The first thing you need to do is remove the connector on the other end, not the USB plug! So get a 'Wire Cutter' and cut off the connector because you wont need it.
2) Now that the connector is removed, you will need to remove the plastic insulation coating from the cable. So obtain a 'Wire Stripper' tool and remove '3' cm of insulation from the cable.
3) Once you have done this, you will reveal four small sized wires, 'Red', 'Black', 'White' and 'Green'. The green and white wires are irrelevant since they are used to send and receive data. What you need is the red and black wires, the power and the ground. So you need to remove '1' cm of plastic insulation from both of them.
4) Look at the wires on your PC fan. You will notice that they will also have 'Red' and 'Black' color wires. You need to connect the wires from the USB cable to the wires on the computer fan, matching the colors. For example, the black wire from the USB cable needs to be connected to the black wire on the computer fan. It is the same procedure for the other renaming red color wire.
5) Once the wires are connected, use 'Electrical' tape to cover up the copper braids. This will prevent the wires from touching each other, during movement and damaging your USB port. To test if it works, plug in the USB plug into a free port on your device. Power on your device, it will send down 5 volts directly to the computer fan and it will operate if done successfully.
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