The Spool Fan

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Need a fan for your desk to keep cool? Doing some soldering and want a fume extractor? Build your own fan with some old filament spools! This was an interesting build for me, but I finally found a use for some of those Maker Supply electronics and I learned quite a bit along the way. This fan does push a decent amount of air for the motor and after 20+ designs for fan blades I found that fluid dynamics is pretty tough to get right. Follow the assembly instructions below and show off your homemade fan!

Features

• Power on/off button
• Adjustable fan speed
• Adjustable fan position. The fan can tilt up/down and side to side.
• Easy to assemble and fun to build!
• The fan will push air. I am currently working on a pull design for the fan blades.

Notes

• This design has only been tested with Bambu spools.

Assembly

Tools

• Screwdriver with a small hex bit
• Tweezers or similar to remove a couple of supports

Parts

12	M2x4 SHCS Machine Screw
1	N20 Reduction Gear Motor 1000rpm (LA004)
1	Power Distribution Board (PDB)
1	Self-Locking Button Switch with SH1.0 Connector
1	Potentiometer Board with SH1.0 Connector
1	USB-A Power Cable with PH2.0 Connector
3	Wire Pair with SH1.0

Steps

Connect the wires to the PDB
Remove the supports from the base
Make sure the holes are clear of all support material by screwing into the top of the holes. Remove the screws once completed.
Attach the PDB to the base using 2 screws. Pay attention to the orientation, the wire with the usb terminal should be on top. Feed the bottom wires through the guides.
Attach the Self-Locking Button Switch and Potentiometer Board to the wires. Make sure you are connecting them to the correct wires. The mounts should help identify which wire to connect. Screw into base.
Insert the small black wire that has not been attached into the hole on top of the cover. Align the power cord with the slit in the back of the base. Gently push the cover into place.
Insert 4 screws into the base and tighten. This will hold the base and base cover together.
Assemble the fan mount. Don't tighten all the way.
Attach the mount to the base. Tighten the printed screw.
Attach the motor.
Prepare the motor holder. Screw in 2 screws, but do not screw in all the way.
Secure the motor to the rear fan grill. The wire should align with the slits in both the middle mount and grill edge. Screw the 2 screws into the mount holes to secure the fan motor.
The fan has a marking on the bottom to indicate where the flat part of the motor aligns with the fan insert. Press the fan into place on the motor.
Press the cardboard spool into place on the rear fan grill. Make sure the small cutout in the cardboard is aligned with the rear grill slit so the wire is not squeezed.
Screw the rear fan grill onto the mount. Make sure both screws are pretty tight, the fan will still tilt up and down.
Attach the front grill to the cardboard spool.
Attach the button and dial (Power button is upside down in my photos)
Plug in your fan and hit the power button!