Introduction

Back when I started VH, Cliff A and Fanbus.Com was a big inspiration for me. His inventions, though simple, were sort of godsend for the modders out there. One in particular was the fanbus. It's as simple as any device could be but yet the functionality of it could not be ignored. It provided a central position for the fan freaks to connect all that fans in their cases to a single point without the hassle of struggling with all those wirings and the multitude of connectors. That also inspired me to construct my very own unit, similar in design to Cliff's, in which I outlined in a guide I wrote here. Just for your info, Cliff has finally decided to "close shop" a few months ago. I wish him all the best in his future undertakings! As time passes by, the design of the Fanbus also changed. One in particular is the MicroBus, pioneered by PCMods.Com. It has the same basic functions to the original fanbus but they drastically shrunked the size. With the reduction in size, the new Microbus can now go virtually anywhere in your case, out-of-sight. Just in case you need it, here's a review of it by Stygian back in April 2001.

OK, enuff blabbering... I'll be showing you how you can make your own MicroBus, with some basic and not-so-basic parts. At this point of time, you might be wondering what's the Control Device Power Extender part is about. Well, I'll get to that a little later.... :O) And remember, these projects requires the use of a soldering iron and we take no responsibilities if you screw things up! :^)

Things you will need...

For the hardcore modders, these parts are easily found on the Net or your local hardware/electronics store, but for the benefit of those you don't know, I've included a link to some of it.

The parts....

3 pin connector and crimps

Terminal blocks

8 pin connector and header

Molex Connector (PCB)

Plastic Cutter

Quite a lot of parts ain't it? :O) Well, most of it are very cheap if you buy in bulk so ask your friends if they wanna do the same thing so you can save up a little. OK, now that you've got to know the parts, let's go to the actual building....

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