help can you help me to open this grate from the case?

Hi

i have to open this grate from the case

it's a fractal case

i added a screenshot with a red arrow

the red arrow is the grate i want to remove to clean from dust

i don't know the fractal model but i looks like that

http://i.imgur.com/joy7iZo.jpg

i watched a video _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3tDaaTPec but really don't know if i can remove only the grade
thanks

 

hi stapp


sadly i guess it's _http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=9&prod=57

do you know how could i open and clean?

and i guess the fans are 140mm fan , 14cm and if i'm right are not the standard , i mean hard to find them

am i right?

thanks Stapp

 

Mantra, on the pic you posted, I see 4 screws holding the fan which is positioned behind the case front.
The 2 plastic/(metal?) extensions, above the top 2 screws seem to hold the grate.
Removing the grate doesn't seem to affect the fan, that requires access to the inside for full cleaning.
Isn't it just an easy 'click-mechanism'? That when you firmly push your thumbs aginst the top of the grate, it comes out?

If not, just use some tool, softer than the grate material to avoid damage, and gently plie it open, leveraging the grate towards you.
The 2 plastic pieces at the bottom of the grate are inserted first when putting the grate back in, so gently pull towards you being aware of the two bottom insertion pieces.

 

Hi Mantra,

I took a quick look of the case from this review site
http://www.pcaxe.com/hardver/kucista/fractal-design-arc-midi

The upper panel should be very easy to remove; just unscrew the two screws that are holding it and slide it backwards.

For the front panel:
you should first remove both the side panels.
Then you should squeeze with two fingers the 6 plastic plugs (3 on each side) that are holding it to the case. You can see them in this picture.
http://www.pcaxe.com/slike/hardver/...rc_Midi/Slike/Fractal_Design_Arc_Midi_092.jpg

Panagiotis

 

hi Panagiotis
i guess you got the right case
it looks the same of _http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV3tDaaTPec

but i gotta to unplug the 2 fan cables , motherboard and power right?

ps about the fans 14cm are they normal ? can i replace them easly?

thanks Panagiotis

 

You are welcome.

Only the cable that goes to the front panel fan needs to be unpluged.

Yes, they are normal and is very easy to find a replacement.

Panagiotis

 

i deal with many companies who sell literally thousands of fan sizes and airflow ratings. id be happy to help if you need a odd size. but your 14cm should be very easy to find at most places.

 

do you mean the cable plugged to the motherboard?

my motherboard can control 3 fans

if i want to add more fan how and where should i plug?

thanks Panagiotis

 

thanks a lot zfactor

but does depth of the fan make a different?

i mean you can here read the specification of the fans installed _http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=4&prod=79

is easy to replace with another fan brand?

thanks

 

For front dis-assembly start video at 3:40 here and watch for 1 min. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjrGkFs-fA4

120mm fans are most common but 140mm is become more common nowadays. A lot of cases allow the use of both sizes.

 

thanks but it's the new version of case
i have the previous version and the tip doesn't work i guess
at least i pushed but nothing

 

Yes, the cable that comes from the front fan and is plugged on the mobo.

If you want to add more fans you have 3 options.
1. If your power supply has fan cables/plugs you can plug them there.
2. Or you can buy a fan cable/power Y splitter = allows you to connect 2 fans on the same plug on the mobo.
3. Or you can use a power adapter (/splitter) from ide power plug to fan plug.

Panagiotis

 

i would never use a y adapter for more than one fan and plug that onto a mobo header you may find it burned out much quicker that way (the mobo header not the fan), really the best way to add more fans is to use a psu connector not go to the mobo. you will not be able to vary speed that way without a fan controller (which would be the proper way to control multiple fans not use the mobo for more than the amount of headers it has).

as far as size makes little difference imo as long as the newer one fits properly and doesnt hit anything and has enough intake for the air to pass through it. if you are comparing 120 to 140 imo you are fine either way. once you start getting way off base say you have a 140 and decide to put in a 80 then you will notice higher temps most likely. when comparing the same size 140 to 140 look at the flow rates to see how they will perform to each other. then look at the noise rating in db's to see if the new one will drive you nuts.

ill check out the stock on in the link you sent.

 

checked out the stock fan imo it reminds me of a scythe fan i have to be honest. same blade shape and nearly the same specs. yes you could easily replace that with another fan. are you in the usa? if so i could check somewhere like newegg and give you a comparable one or im sure i could get one from my distributor.

 

no i'm not in usa ,but in europe

so i can plug them to the Power supply unit

thanks zfactor , very kind really

 

Why should be burned out? The output is 12V max no matter how many fans are connected.

Panagiotis

 

those headers are only meant to handle so much. i dont know of any manufacture that rec's running more than one fan on each header you would need to know what the header is capable of providing amp and watt wise. its not the voltage so much as amperage and the overall draw of the combined fans. if its say 2 small low cfm 80mm you might be okay but i would not recc 2 140mm high flow fans on one header.

and yes you can wire almost any fan to the psu you just need to either know which wires are which (can be tested for if they are all one color) or simply get a 3 pin to molex adapter. this way also the fans can run at full speed where if you start hooking more than one up to one header you may find them running at lower rpm's if the board cant handle it

i used to build and i still repair boards and do build some boards for various things. i am former robotics from ibm. this is pretty simple of the header can only provide x and the total fans draw x amount. its like when the kids go out and wire up their cars with these 1200-2000watt amplifiers and use a 10-8awg wire to try to power them. something is going to heat up and or give at some point. when i had my car stereo shop open i saw this ALL THE TIME when they would come in and want to spend a ton on their amps and then skimp out on good wires and batteries.

 

hi Zfactor for burn out do you mean damage the motherboard ?

because according google translator brun out is turn off

thanks again Zfactor

 

That is what I am saying. The headers are made to supply x amount of power. No matter how many fans you add a good mobo should never exceed that amount.
Worst case scenario the fans won't receive enough volt and amp to start spinning, but should not result in damaged headers.
On a problematic mobo is another story.
I agree with you in the principal though (better not "test" how well designed is a mobo especially when it's out of guarantee).

Panagiotis

 

you are wrong. the header outputs 12v. that does not change. as long as the fans draw 12v or less here (or some fans will simply run at a slower speed if fed less then they normally take so a 24v fan would run at half speed at 12v NOT all fans work like this) we are again NOT talking about voltage we only need to look at amperage and wattage so forget voltage here. each fan say draws (as a example) 1amp. so if the one header can only handle say 1amp and you hook up two of those 1amp fans you will overdraw that header. and most motherboards will not shut off the header they will try to power it till it burns out that header / fet etc...some even attempt to "borrow" power from another header which in the end will result in the same situation if you exceed the DRAW.

generally the unwritten standard for mobo fan headers is 1 Amp the fan header circuits are not very strong so again you have a fan say drawing 1amp and you add a second now you try to draw 2 amps from that header double what it can provide. again VOLTAGE is TOTALLY different thing here. if you go back to my previous response this is EXACTLY what happens when someone tries to draw 2000 watts in a car through a 10awg wire which can not provide even anywhere close to that. you generate heat and cause something somewhere to meltdown the same applies for the headers on motherboards.

VOLTAGE and amperage and wattage are totally different things. voltage has nothing to do in this case. its the amperage and wattage you need to watch. i have been doing this for over 25 years and designed many full boards for home audio amplifiers and Photolithography systems at ibm as well as helped design car audio amplifiers for a few major manufactures. i repair circuit boards, tv's, boards for major appliances for a few local places as well as many other things. trust me on this it is NOT suggested so do this at your own risk. i could go on and on explaining voltage vs amperage and wattage and we could have that discussion lol. voltage is NOT the issue here as long as you use 12v fans or ones that will accept varied voltages.

at the same time i have seen fans die and also burn out the header even with just the one fan hooked up. they again are not a very well built part of the board.

and yes if they overdraw the header (not voltage) you will in the end burn out that header which mean you will destroy that fan header. do this at your own risk new motherboard or not.

 

Zfactor may i ask a question ?
can you give a look at _http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=4&prod=79 ?

the orginal fan is 140 x 140 x 25
25 is depth,thickness , i guess 2.5 cm

in this screenshot there are 4 pins , do you think should i buy the original fan or can i buy another brand

screenshots
http://i.imgur.com/6LEzjot.jpg

and if you watch these photos there are no place for screws
http://i.imgur.com/ejjoEKQ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GLNpLTI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/cSQCk2a.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/teElc94.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ktOsnTT.jpg

and if i may , what does it make a new fan noisy or fuzy?
climate change?

 

any fan of the same size and depth will work fine the only difference between 3 and 4 wire is the 4th wire is for either speed measurements or speed control. otherwise you can simply use any 3 or 4 wire fan that is either 5 or 12v.

noisy or scratchy fans can mean a few things. usually its the bearings going bad in the fan but in many cases of having the fan mounted the way this one is i have seen where the fan is just barely touching the front of the housing. because if i am correct the fan gets mounted to pull air in so the blades will be mounted facing outwards (the side without the added plastic protection). i had this issue just last week actually with a rosewill brand newegg case i had to gently heat the front and gently press out just a bit till it cooled then when the fan was remounted it was perfect.

im not sure who ships to europe that i deal with let me look into that and let you know but any fan of those same size specs will work just fine. the fan you have reminds me a lot of a scyth brand or a couple others. dont worry about the 3 or 4 pin you can use either on the motherboard just if you use a 4 pin on a 3 pin plug on the motherboard it either will not report speed or you may not have speed control.

 

Thanks zfactor , but they are noisy sometime , not every day
for example 1 morning every 3 or 4 days
that's odd for me