Recent News

On Sale!

Support Center

UPS Tracking

How-To Guides

Bargain Bin

Monthly Giveaway

Testimonials

Guide prepared by Jason David Jacobs, Instructional Systems Designer.

Installation Guide: Baybus
Type: Fan Controller with High (12 volt), Low (7 volt) and OFF settings
Number of Switches: 4 (6 watts each max)
Connector Type: Molex
Installation time: 1 - 1 ½ hour

Index:

Overview
Step 1: Preparation
Step 1a: Drilling Guide
Step 1b: Soldering Guide
Step 2: Installation

 

The HighSpeed PC Bay Bus is designed to allow the user much more control over fan type devices in your computer. The Bay Bus will provide 12v or 7v power to control fans to a high, low, or off setting. This is designed to allow for both CFM (cubic feet per minute of air) control, and noise control. The high setting, indicated by a green LED (Light Emitting Diode) is set at 12v, while the low setting, indicated by a red LED can be tuned from 7v to 12v by a potentiometer.

Upon receiving the Bay Bus control unit you will notice it comes with an assortment of hardware and additional parts. Some of thee parts included are not necessary depending upon your skill with tools and your desired customization of the unit. 

What is included in every stock package is:

1 Bay Bus Control Unit
1 Y Type Molex Pass-Through cable
1 Faceplate Acrylic Template
2 Double Face Tape strips
1 Short Instruction sheet
4 LED Light bezels

This guide is setup in such a manner as to meet your needs, because of this the steps may seem over-explained. Please read carefully all of the steps completely to avoid mistakes that may damage delicate parts or cost you extra installation time. Whenever electrical components inside a computer are being worked upon please be sure that an adult is present to supervise your work. The words "CAUTION" will appear as shown before procedures that require extra care.

The first thing you will need to do is remove a 5 ¼ faceplate from a free front slot in which you want to place the fan bay bus unit. After final installation the unit should look similar to the first picture, in which it resides behind the faceplate. Removal of the faceplate should be simple depending on your computer case type. Most cases have a front panel, which should be removed first before the individual faceplates can be removed for the bays. The front panel can be secured from the inside front of the case or by simple tabs, which hold onto the case. Look carefully at the case from underneath it and at both sides before trying to remove the panel. Once the front panel and faceplate have been removed, you can begin with preparation to drill the holes for the LED's and the switches.

Take the removed 5 ¼ faceplate and set it aside for now. You will need the clear acrylic template with the drilled holes, the Bay Bus, and a pen or pencil for the next step.

Once you have the parts and pencil in hand you will need to orient the template to the Bay Bus so you can tell which is top bottom and which holes are for the LED's and which are for the switches. This step is one of the most important as you can easily waste a faceplate on drilling mis-aligned holes if you should drill incorrectly. The template should have a piece of paper coating one side. This paper-coated side should be the front. If you line up the holes and push the Bay Bus through it will become clear why you need to know the proper direction. See the images below for examples. If the holes are drilled in the wrong place the Bay Bus will not fit back into your case in the 5 ¼ slot.

Incorrect Example 1

Incorrect Example 2

Correct Example

As you can see by the correct example above the Bay Bus fits entirely behind and within the template. The Bay Bus does not have any corners or sides sticking out above the sides of the template on all four sides. When you match the template as shown above, mark the template with a pencil or pen as shown below. By marking the template, you eliminate potential errors and make it easier to do the drilling and aligning to the faceplate. Once the template is marked as shown below you may remove the template from the Bay Bus.

Marked Example

To setup the faceplate in preparation for drilling you will need the removed and set aside faceplate, template, and two strips of double face tape. Peel one side from each strip of the double face tape and apply it to back of the template, then peel the other side of the double face tape and line up the template on the front of the faceplate. You should end up with the template secured to the faceplate by the double face tape between the two as shown below.

 

CAUTION

When drilling the faceplate for the LED and switch holes be careful to observe safety precautions. A pair of shop or safety glasses should be worn even though there is little danger in anything flying from the drill in this procedure.

For this procedure you will need a standard drill and ¼ inch drill bit as shown below, in addition to the pre-made assembly of faceplate and template.

Place the ¼ inch drill bit into the drill and tighten with the chuck key. Then place the faceplate and template assembly into a vice and tighten snug but not too tight. Be aware that over tightening the vice on the faceplate and template could cause it to crack. See below:

The author has decided to place a small black pencil dot in each of the template circles. This will help to make certain that all the holes are drilled out before you remove the template from the faceplate. With an adult supervising, place your safety glasses on and plug in the drill. Place the drill into the first hole you choose to drill out and line the drill up directly over the hole making certain the drill is straight and not drilling into the faceplate at an angle.

Proceed to drill the first hole by pulling the drill trigger slightly. No pressure should be needed for a plastic faceplate. The weight of the drill and your hand should be enough to allow the drill to penetrate and drill the hole. If too much pressure is applied to the drill to push it down into the faceplate, the faceplate could crack or the alignment of the holes could be altered.

Once the first hole is drilled remove the faceplate/template assembly and inspect it. Look for:

1. Cracks in the plastic faceplate.
2. Alteration or mis-alignment of the holes.

If you find any of the above you should alter your drilling method, use the next smaller drill bit, or ask for adult help. If you do not find any of the above things, then place the faceplate/template back into the vice and proceed to drill the remaining holes.

When all of the holes have been drilled your assembly should look like the example below.

The image below is of a half-completed drilling procedure. You will need all 8 (eight) holes drilled in order for the Bay Bus to fit completely into the faceplate.

Once all eight of the holes have been drilled remove the faceplate/template from the vice but do not remove the template yet. Take the assembly to a clean area and set it aside for a minute. Do not put the drill away before you test the size of the holes drilled for their fit. Take the Bay Bus and remove the hardware from each of the switches. See below:

Each switch has an assembly of hardware that looks like the picture below:

Next line up the switch with the assembly and test for its fit when you press it into place. Do not press the Bay Bus to hard when pushing it into the assembly as little pressure should be required to fit it into position. The LED's may be gently bent up or down to align with the holes if the unit arrives slightly out of shape.

The Bay Bus should look like the picture below when the drill process is completed properly.

If the Bay Bus does not fit through the holes easily take the faceplate/template assembly back to the vice and re-drill the holes one at a time slowly, allowing the drill to pass up and down through the holes slowly to widen them. Not much more gap than ¼ is needed or the fit will be too loose. When the Bay Bus fits easily into the assembly, the template may be removed by pulling it off gently. Ask for the help of an adult or use a flat non-pointed object to pry the template off slowly. Try to avoid marking the faceplate surface in the removal process. A sheet of paper placed in the gap can help to avoid marks.

CAUTION
The soldering process is optional and doesn't need to be performed unless the wires from the fans are too short to make it from their current positions to the connectors in the Bay Bus. This guide here is intended as a short operational guide to the process. If you have no experience with soldering it is highly suggested to get adult help. Soldering involves the application of heat to tin wire or lead based wire and can lead to serious burns if done improperly.

The basics required:

Soldering Iron 15watts 120VAC
Rosin-core solder light duty
Water soluble flux
Extra Black and Red paired wire.

Each of the items above is cheap and easily located at your nearest hardware store or Radio Shack.

Basic short guide method:
 
1. All parts must be clean and free from dirt and grease.
2. Try to secure the assembly firmly.
3. "Tin" the iron tip with a small amount of solder. Do this immediately, with new tips being used for the first time.
4. Clean the tip of the hot soldering iron on a damp sponge.
5. Many people then add a tiny amount of fresh solder to the cleansed tip.
6. Heat all parts of the wire to be joined with the iron for two seconds or so.
7. Continue heating, then apply sufficient solder only, to form an adequate joint.
8. Remove and return the iron safely to its stand.
9. It only takes two or three seconds at most, to solder the average joint.
10. Do not move parts until the solder has cooled.

Troubleshooting Your Solder Joints
1. Solder won't "take" - grease or dirt present - desolder and clean up the parts. Or, material may not be suitable for soldering with lead/tin solder.
2. Joint is crystalline or grainy-looking - has been moved before being allowed to cool, or joint was not heated adequately - too small an iron/ too large a joint.
3. Solder joint forms a "spike" - probably overheated, burning away the flux.

You will need to cover each of your wire joints with electrical tape or another form of cover so as to avoid an electrical short.

An alternative method to soldering involves electrical caps (see below picture) to join together two wires. This method is less secure and not as permanent as soldering. It will however work for this use and also if you have no access to soldering equipment. The electrical caps come in any number of colors and sizes and you should choose relatively small sized electrical caps for the fan wires. If you will use all four switches you would need a total of 8 electrical caps. One for each wire in the fan or two for each fan. These caps work by twisting the original fan wire and the extension wire together and then placing the exposed wire into the cap and twisting it onto the wire.

You will need to splice the connections from the current fan positions so that there is enough wire to lead to the Bay Bus and also enough to lead 4-5 inches out the front of the bay. This will make wiring the Bay Bus much easier. The Author suggests using red and black wires for all of your splices. Match the red to red and black to black when using the soldering connections or electrical caps. This will simplify the task of wiring the Bay Bus.

What you will need:

4 Twist Ties, or Lengths of tape about 1 inch long
1 Small flat head screw driver
1 Package containing 4 Black LED bezels
1 Faceplate
1 Bay Bus

Disconnect the power supply cord in the back of the computer and make sure the power is off before any work on the inside of the computer begins.

Once the wires have been spliced to a length at which they can reach the bay where the Bay Bus will be placed, either by soldering or using the electrical caps, work can begin. Make sure there is enough wire length not only to reach the Bay Bus but also for 4-5 inches to spare coming out the bay. Feed all of the eight wires in pairs through the 5 ¼ inch bay opening. Tie the pairs off from each fan or tape them in pairs off about 2 inches from the ends of the wires. This will avoid confusion when wiring the Bay Bus so that a short does not occur. Once each of the four pairs of wires has been tied off so that they are easily identifiable according to fan and Positive and Negative (Red and Black), you may turn to the task of wiring the Bay Bus.

Take a set of wires at a time and loop the ends as shown in the pictures below:

Match the red wire with the positive or red label and the black wire with the negative or black label as shown below:

Using this process place the looped ends of the wire into the opening under the screws as shown below and tighten the screw firmly down into place using the flat head screwdriver.

Once all of the fans have been wired to the Bay Bus re-check the wires to make certain that each fan is correctly wired. The colors of the wires should alternate with no two identical colors being side by side. This is important as if the Bay Bus is incorrectly wired it will not work correctly and the potential for shock or short is present.

Once you have determined that the wiring is correct you will need to locate a free Molex connector from the power supply, any free Molex connector from the power supply will suit this purpose. The connector must be identical to the one shown below.

This connector is the type that plugs into the socket on the Bay Bus shown below. The connector only fits one way and the connection may be tight so you may have to use a little pressure to make certain that the plug is fully seated in the socket in the Bay Bus. Ask for adult help if it becomes to difficult to plug in. HighSpeed PC includes an Y type splitter to help in this process, which plugs in easily and allows you to still maintain the same number of connectors available.

Take the faceplate with the holes drilled out and lay it face-up upon a table. Line the Bay Bus up so that you know exactly which holes are for the LED's and which are for the switches. Once the holes are identified push one of the bezels into each of the holes for the LED.

Place the faceplate down for a moment. Pick the Bay Bus up and remove the top nut from each of the switches. Screw the bottom nut half way up the switch length and leave it at this height, the rest of the hardware above it should rise as you raise the bottom nut. Save the removed nuts in one location so that it may be placed back on the top later.

Take the Bay Bus and place it face up, then take faceplate with the template removed and lay it down upon the Bay Bus. Make certain the holes line up and re-arrange the faceplate if they do not. Next line up the Bay Bus behind the faceplate and push the assembly up to feed the switches and LED's through.

The LED's will be held into place by the bezels. If you find that you have lined the holes up incorrectly and the bezels are holding the LED's into place, they can be removed by lifting one of the black tabs on each of the bezels on the rear of the faceplate located on top of each LED.

Powering ON:

Once the faceplate is correctly matched with the Bay Bus, place a single nut on top of each switch and tighten it down till it will screw in no further. These nuts will hold the Bay Bus perfectly in place. Place the entire Bay Bus and faceplate back into the bay, inserting the wires in first. Replace the face of the computer and re-attach the power cord. Power on the computer.

The switches will now independently control up to the four possible fans at either Low, High, or off positions. These settings are indicated by the light color as mentioned earlier. Check to see their function and should one or multiple fail to work properly re-examine this installation guide to check for missed steps. Should they work fine at high setting and not at low, then the low settings can be adjusted by using the potentiometers located shown below.

The potentiometers control the fans by adding or removing current. Twist them clockwise to increase current and speed up the fans or counter-clockwise to reduce fan speed. As with anything concerning electricity inside the case, do not adjust the potentiometers with the power on. A small Phillips head screwdriver and a half turn clockwise should be all that's needed to raise the current enough to power larger fans from the stock settings.

Enjoy your new Bay Bus.

Re-use of text and/or graphics from this publication in whole or in part without written permission from a member of HighSpeed PC, LLC is a violation of copyright law.