DIY USB Fan

This is an old hack/mod, but it works pretty well. Here’s what you need:

• An old desktop case fan
• 1 USB cable
• A piece of stiff wire
• Some electrical tape
• A pair of pliers
• Cutter

Here are the steps to take:

1. Cut of one end of the USB cable, and unsheathe the main cord it to reveal a red and black wires. These two wires pull power from a computer’s USB port.
2. The next step is really simple: Strip the red and black wires of the USB and the old desktop fan, then twist them together. Red to red and black to black of course
3. Get some electrical tape, and wrap the red wire connection with it twice. Continuing the roll, wrap twice around the red wire and black wire. This will keep the red wire from touching the black wire.
4. Bend the stiff wire to form a “U” and insert the “legs” through one set of the desktop fan’s screw holes. The legs should thread towards the side where the fan blows the air.
5. Bend the stiff wire so that you can insert both legs into the other set of screw holes, threading the wire towards the opposite side.
6. Cut off any slack stiff wire, leaving around half-an-inch.
7. Place the desktop fan on a hard flat surface, with the U on top. Push down hard on the fan frame to “finalize” the stiff wire bends.
8. Use pliers to bend the slack stiff wire, and hammer it into the frame to make it as flush as possible.
9. And voila! There you have it! A video of the entire procedure is available here.
   
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