I’ve been using my Pironman 5 for a couple of weeks now, getting used to its operation. I made a slight change to the hardware configuration though based on performance that I wanted to mention to the group. Instruction step 18 says to place dust filters on the exhaust side of the RGB fans. I went ahead and did this, and then in operation noted an appreciable reduction in airflow out of the case. The FAQ section of the Sunfounder tutorial has a graphic and explanation about airflow, saying that most of the intake air comes through the GPIO port and is expelled by the RGB fans. I did some heating and cooling experiments with and without the dust filters in place, and it cools much faster with them removed. If someone in a dusty environment would like to use the filters I would suggest keeping them installed on the case side of the RGB fan and either reversing the fan placement so they move air into the Pironman 5 case or maybe more simply just reversing the positive and negative leads on the I/O Expander (step 21) which will accomplish the same. This might affect operation of the RGB lighting though, so flipping the fans around would be better.
1. Dust Filter Installation (Optional):
The dust filters we provide are designed to block dust from entering the chassis, but they are not mandatory. You may choose not to install them if preferred.
2. Reverse Fan Mounting Risks & Solution:
Mounting the fan in reverse can easily cause damage. In your case, the fan blades made contact with the metal casing, creating friction that restricted rotation.
If you still wish to mount the fan in reverse, please use spacers to maintain a small gap between the fan and the metal casing. This ensures unobstructed operation.
3. Reversed Polarity on I/O Expander Fan:
Have you tried swapping the positive/negative wires on the I/O expander’s fan? The RGB fan won’t function if the polarity is reversed—it may also cause a short circuit.
Thank you for your reply. I did not reverse the fans or the polarity of their connection.