Looking for advice on cooling one's Helmet

[First Strike]

Hello all! Spartan-095 here. So i'm chugging away on my Halo Reach Mk VI Helmet and I wanted to put one, maybe two fans in my helmet but i have seen two methods and wanted to see what you all think. Method number one would be going with one or two of these fans the reviews are a little up and down, and i don't have any kind of wiring or electronic know how to set up computer fans. Which brings me to method two, I hear a lot about people using computer fans more and more and how efficient they are. but my problem is i dont think i have the time or skill to wire and install it. so what method would/ do you guys use and what brands tend to work better for you?

 

[TurboCharizard]

Hello all! Spartan-095 here. So i'm chugging away on my Halo Reach Mk VI Helmet and I wanted to put one, maybe two fans in my helmet but i have seen two methods and wanted to see what you all think. Method number one would be going with one or two of these fans the reviews are a little up and down, and i don't have any kind of wiring or electronic know how to set up computer fans. Which brings me to method two, I hear a lot about people using computer fans more and more and how efficient they are. but my problem is i dont think i have the time or skill to wire and install it. so what method would/ do you guys use and what brands tend to work better for you?

The good thing about most computer fans is that they're all super cheap which is good for anything cosplay related. I have two 5V fans in my CQB helmet that are powered off of a USB power bank along with the rest of the suit. My NCR Ranger has a similar setup but with stronger fans and a push/pull type setup with fresh air through a fake mask filter and exhaust through the microphone mouth piece.

Most people assume that putting electronics together is a difficult thing but as long as you can keep track of simple conventions it becomes really easy to put together something like a fan and lighting circuit. Basically choose your battery with a voltage higher than the fans require, wire them in parallel and add some resistors as required. Most electronics have a specifications and data sheet with voltages and current and power draw so you don't have to do any math, just plug your pieces into a circuit simulator and then LEGO block it together.

 

[First Strike]

The good thing about most computer fans is that they're all super cheap which is good for anything cosplay related. I have two 5V fans in my CQB helmet that are powered off of a USB power bank along with the rest of the suit. My NCR Ranger has a similar setup but with stronger fans and a push/pull type setup with fresh air through a fake mask filter and exhaust through the microphone mouth piece.

Most people assume that putting electronics together is a difficult thing but as long as you can keep track of simple conventions it becomes really easy to put together something like a fan and lighting circuit. Basically choose your battery with a voltage higher than the fans require, wire them in parallel and add some resistors as required. Most electronics have a specifications and data sheet with voltages and current and power draw so you don't have to do any math, just plug your pieces into a circuit simulator and then LEGO block it together.

Thank you for the advice. I do have one question though, most computer fans don't have a usb attatchment so would i have to cut into the wires and "splice" things? that is what is kind of shying me away from using computer fans. unless you know of computer fans that do come with usb attatchments or some sort of adapter.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Thank you for the advice. I do have one question though, most computer fans don't have a usb attatchment so would i have to cut into the wires and "splice" things? that is what is kind of shying me away from using computer fans. unless you know of computer fans that do come with usb attatchments or some sort of adapter.

You could get ones with a USB already installed but then you're subject to the length of the cable that the manufacturer put on. If you have the fan, power bank and a sacrificial phone charger from way back when it's dead easy. Most USB chargers have four wires bound inside the cable, two for power (+/-) and two for data (+/-) which can be checked by simply pairing wires up to the fan power leads. Usually it's red and black wires in the bundle that you want (+ and - Vcc respectively) with green and white being the data lines but sometimes this isn't the case so it's worth checking.

If you connect the USB wires onto a bit of perfboard or similar you can make a power bus and have a whole whack of things powered off of a single USB instead of having a dozen little packs strapped to your body to power fans and LEDs.

For my helmet fans to my main power supply it's eight solder joins which is super easy.