Cabinet FAQ

Information on this Page

• Types of Cooling kits
• Connector Types
• Thermal Controllers
• Power Supplies
• Instruction Videos
• More FAQ's and answers for Home Theater and cabinet cooling.
   
• Additional  Cooling Installation Pictures (Link)

There are 5 types of kits that we have made available.
Our Complete Kits
All of these kits come complete with everything you need to get them up and running.
All include fan(s), bracket(s), power supply, mounting hardware and choice of thermal controller (standard or programmable)
Note: Some of the kits do not come with/or are not compatible with a thermal controller, please read the full product description to find out what all is included

Fan & Bracket Kits
These are the same as the complete 12v kits however they do not include a power supply or thermal controller, these are just the bracket(s), grill(s), 12v Coolerguys fan(s) and appropriate screws/hardware to mount everything together. You can add them to an existing complete kit setup or purchase a power supply kit that fits your needs here
Bracket & Grill kits
If you want different fans from what we offer above in our complete or fan kits you can buy our bare bracket kits here here.
Simply buy the bracket kit that will fit your application and any fan that fits the bracket you ordered, below we will list more information about connectors, power supplies and controllers so you know what will and won't work together.

5v Lite kits
These are meant as a low cost no-nonsense kit, if you are going to be powering them from a switched outlet on any of your devices and want them powered at any time you use that device they are a good choice. Unfortunately there are only a handful of options and are NOT compatible with any thermal controllers however you can add an on/off switch which is found here

USB 5v Kits
The USB kit is a perfect solution if you don't have any available power outlets but do have something like a computer, cable/satellite receiver or video game console that has an unused USB port.

Fan Connector Types

There are 3 main types of connector for 12v fans as shown below

When selecting fans for home theater and cabinet installation please be aware that only 3pin fan connectors are compatible with our Standard Pre-Set Coolerguys Thermal Fan Contoller & Coolerguys Programmable Thermal Fan Controller w/LED Display

4pin PWM Fans will NOT natively work with our thermal controllers, but can adapt them if you purchase this Mini 3-4pin Adapter however be advised that the fan will always run @ 100% and in some cases be quite loud.

Thermal Controllers

Standard Coolerguys Thermal Fan Controller (Rev 4 /pre-set) revised Jun 2014

Important note, this *REQUIRES* only 12 volt power so any of our 12 volt power supplies will work.

The Thermal Fan Controller is set to turn on @ ~88°F and back off @ ~81°F

This temperature range is not adjustable.

The Thermal Fan Controller is designed to natively power (4) 12V 3pin fans, you can however power more than that by purchasing 3pin Y splitters , you can daisy chain up to 1800mA worth of fans.

We are continually updating the Thermal Fan Controller to be more reliable and may add or remove features from batch to batch.

Instructions:
Set Start Temp: Press "start button" once to put unit in Start programming mode and the start up temperature will blink. Use the right Up/Down buttons to set the temperature (note: it must be at least 2F/1C higher than the turn off temperature) press "start button" again to return to the real time readout.

Set Stop Temp: Press "stop button" once to put unit in Stop programming mode and the turn off temperature will blink, use the right Up/Down buttons to set the temperature (note: it must be at least 2F/1C lower than the turn on temperature) press the "stop button" again to return to the real time readout.

C/F or Up: Will change display to and from Fahrenheit and Celsius or will increase the temperature when in the Start or Stop programming mode.

Down: Will decrease the temperature when in the Start or Stop programming mode.

These controllers output power to 3pin 12v devices, if you want to use a device that has a 4pin molex connector you will need to buy an adapter for each device which can be found here

*Not tested at extreme temperatures

Important Note: DO NOT REMOVE PROTECTIVE SHIELD from the thermal probe to prevent static charge from damaging the sensor.

Here is a brief video explaining the controller and it's instructions.. Check video annotations for updates.

Power Supplies

There are 3 12volt AC-DC Power Supplies that we offer, the 500mA adapter the 2000mA adapter and the 5000mA adapter
The main difference is of course how much power they supply, if you are looking to power 1 or 2 low speed fans the 500mA will work just fine.
Most fans we sell list the amp draw, for example, on our Coolerguys 120mm Fan it lists a .10A (100mA) draw so 4 fans would work fine with a 500mA adapter, if you wanted to go with more fans you would need to order the 2000mA adapter.

You must make sure when selecting a power supply that the total draw of the fans you want to use does not exceed the rated power of the power supply.

The second difference between them is the 2000mA adapter not only has a 12v line but a 5v line as well, this is particularly useful if you want to power any 5v DC fans or other devices such as thermal display units or either of our thermal controllers which require 5v power.

The last thing is the physical dimension of the power supplies, the 500mA is a wall wart style whereas the 2000mA and 5000mA have a rectangular block that is separate from where the plug fits into a standard 110v socket.


All of these power supplies are 100-240v AC compatible so you can use them internationally if you simply adapt the plug
*** As said above the 500ma and 5000ma adapters are not compatible with any of our thermal controllers! ***

General Installation Video

General Instructions for our Kits

Frequently asked questions and answers for Home Theater and cabinet cooling.

Should I blow air in or exhaust air out of my cabinet?

If you have a large cabinet with a lot of components it’s good to do both; blow air in the lower part of the cabinet and exhaust air out the top part of the cabinet.  If you only do one it’s preferable to exhaust the hot air out the upper back or top part of the cabinet, exhausting out the sides is Ok as well as long as it’s in the top part of the cabinet.  For intake air generally the gap around the front cabinet door is enough to allow sufficient air in.  If you do want to add intake holes the best location is the front bottom part of the cabinet.   If you have shelves in the cabinet you need to make sure there is way for the air to move between the shelves; having a gap between the back of the shelve and the cabinet is OK, but it is preferable to add ventilation holes in the center of the shelves; usually a couple of 2-3 inch diameter holes is sufficient.

What size fan do I need to cool my cabinet?

There are a number of things to consider here, but the main considerations are the size of the cabinet, and how many hot devices will be in the cabinet. 

First you need to understand that you don’t need to turn your cabinet into a wind tunnel!  Gently moving air through and out of the cabinet is all you really need to keep the hot stagnant air away from your expensive electronics.

General sizing:

Single 80mm fan                     1 component up to 3 cubic feet

Dual 80mm fans                     1-2 components up to 6 cubic feet (no shelves)

Single 92mm fan                     1-2 components up to 6 cubic feet (no shelves)

Single 120mm fan                   1-3 components up to 10 cubic feet (1 shelve)

Dual 120mm fan                     2-4 components up to 15 cubic feet (2-3 shelves)

Triple 120mm fan kit              2-6 components up to 20 cubic feet (2-4 shelves)

The above sizing is just a general rule of thumb and it assumes you have adequate intake air, and ventilation between shelving.  It is always a good idea to put the hottest components on the top shelves closet to the exhaust fans.

What temperature should I keep my electronics cabinet/closet below?

This depends on the equipment you have, but the general rule of thumb is you don’t want the interior ambient temperature to every get above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Some consider 90 degrees to be the max, and if you can keep the temperature in this range that is great, but our feeling is never let the temperature exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check with Component manufacture for their suggested maximum temperatures.

Is the Pre-set Thermal Controller OK, or should I upgrade to the programmable LED controller?

The pre-set controller is fine for a lot of applications.  The fans go on at 86-88 and off at 80-81 degrees, and this is a good temperature range.  Sometimes in warmer climates the fans may tend to stay on in the warmer months.  The LED controller allows you to program when the fans go on, and off, and in the above situation you can program a slightly higher on/off range.  The LED controller also gives you a constant read-out of what the ambient temperature of your cabinet is, which is helpful in determining if your cooling solution is doing its job.