HoW Do I Determine if a 12v Fan Will Work at 6v?

[blim87]

I have three 12 volt DC computer fans of different sizes, but only two of them will operate at 6 volts. Is there a way to determine whether a fan will operate at half voltage before purchasing it? I'm actually going to use the fans for a non-computer related project, but may end up using them in a computer at a much later date.

 

[clutchc]

Most +12V DC fan motors require +5V DC to start. In fact, the common 3 speed fan controllers for PCs are 5V, 7V and 12V outputs.

But to answer your question, the only way to know for sure is to try the fans with a variable voltage and see.