Homemade (High Velocity) Desktop Fan! (w/Dual DC Motors!) - Solar Powered! - Full Instr.

Homemade "High Velocity" Desktop Table Fan! (w/Dual DC Motors!) - Solar Powered! - Full Instr.

video shows how to make a High Velocity Solar Powered DC Desktop Table Fan! w/dual DC motors! whole thing is made out of a few pieces of scrap wood and 2 automotive style 12VDC fans. fans connects directly to one small 12v solar panel (15 to 20 Watt) - so no batteries or wall current needed. *12v battery will run it too.... and i show how to power it with AC current for when the suns not out. note that those DC auto fans move about 3 times more air than a comparably sized AC desk fan. (the unit as a whole produces an airflow similar to a commercially made 16" pedestal fan. video shows complete build. details: 1/2" plywood piece is 12.5" by 24". fans are 7" wide. 2x2 brace is 16.5" long and the 2x2 "feet" are each 8.5" long. 2 optional trim pieces are made out of 3/8" square dowel. wood stain is a minwax water based stain. color is called American Walnut. can be used as a window fan too (just remove the feet)

1.) one piece of 1/2" plywood. i used a piece about 12.5" by 24"

2.) a short piece of 2x2 lumber (one piece 16.5" long) and the other two are 8.5" long each

3.) 2 12VDC automotive style fans (found at walmart or automotive supply store or amazon)

4.) a 12VDC adapter with clamps and a splitter (these can be found at walmart, harbor freight tools, amazon etc...)

5.) zip ties

i measured and drew a line down and across the board to break it into 4 equal quadrants (the board is 24" long, so that makes each quadrant 12" wide. since each fan is about 7" wide just center the fan by placing it about 2.5" away from the side of the board. 2.5" plus 7" wide fan plus 2.5" = 12".

Then i laid the grill of the fan on the board and with a pencil marked around the edge (drew a circle). that is where you will cut.

i drilled a small pilot hole on the inside edge of the circle (so there would be a place for the jigsaw blade to enter. then cut the circle. i used a standard jigsaw. after i cut the holes i sanded the board and smoothed the cuts. then vacuum up the saw dust. see pics above. note that you see 2 circular pencil lines in one of the above pictures. originally i had made an inner and an outer circle. ignore the inner one. the video explains why i originally did this but it's not necessary

i cut the brace 16.5" long and i cut each foot 8.5" long. the jigsaw works well for this too

center the brace and drill 3 small holes. then attach brace using 3 wood screws. it's a good idea to start with the middle hole first (drill it and then screw in the wood screw). then do the end ones

place the "feet pieces" as shown and connect them. again just drill a hole and connect the wood together with a wood screw (see pics above). *remember to watch video to see exactly how i did it

to do this i used zip ties. it makes it super easy and holds the fans very securely (i used 4 zip ties per fan but you could probably use only 2 and be fine). so to do this, just drill 4 holes (space evenly, around the circle). make sure that the holes are at least an inch away from the edge of the circle. i drilled the holes at the 3,6,9 and 12 positions (think of the face of an analog clock). then just insert zip ties thru the holes and thru the fan and tighten. make sure to keep the zip ties away from the fan blade.

i added a trim piece (see picture above)

i stained the wood. i think it came out pretty sweet. (you would want to stain the wood before you connect the fan). i didn't, so i had to trim the zip ties and remove the fans. then i stained it and reinstalled them.

i put a small solar panel (12v 15 watter) outside my front door and ran the wire into the house. it's a straight connect from the solar panel to the fans. i just used a 12vdc socket with two clamps (and a splitter so i could plug both fans in at the same time). it can also be run using a battery or wall current (with an AC to DC transformer). the cables, connections, solar panel and transformer are all shown above

for any extra clarification or questions just drop me a note in the comments. i'll check and answer. update: i'm super happy with how this came out. i used this a good part of the summer (almost every day). it consistently runs smooth and quiet. no rattling or vibrations.and totally free to run. one addition might be to add felt or small rubber feet to the bottom of the wooden "feet". i've been thinking about making one that is 24" by 24" and using 4 fans. stay cool