NZXT Cryo LX: Modified

Hello. I have been looking for Cryo LX for a while and just today some popped up on amazon so I bought one (still some there atm). Even before I bought it I was reading this thread and I just finished reading it. I am a noob at electronics but I learned alot just from this thread, yet I am still confused about some stuff.
Is it the fans or the psu that is 5v or both?
Could I just get a new 12v psu and have the stock fans be 12v?
Or is it the other way around and new 12v fans will work with the stock psu?
If I upgrade the psu can it power the stock USB hub?
Are the stock fans so loud that if they were at 12v they would be unbearable?( I wear noise cancelling headphones while gaming)
Or, is it just best to upgrade the fans and also the psu (or even the USB hub too?)?
Some of these questions become inapplicable once some of the others are answered so only answer the ones that seem necessary.
Thanks

 

the cryo lx has an usb power cable and an external psu. fans aren't great but they aren't the worst kind either. just below average. in full speed they aren't very loud but they are certainly audible a maner that can disturb some. I didn't measured but I bet around 30-40db.
at medium speed they produce almost no sound but sill move a good quantity of air.

imo if I were you I would just upgrade the fans, if you want even get fancy ones with leds. if you can use a screwdriver and can plug a connector into a socket, like you do for charging your notebook, then it's as easy as that.

 

So if I were to upgrade to new 12v fans could they reach full 12 volts?

 

You would need a 12v power adapter.

 

why would you need 12v fans?

 

I was thinking for 2.4X power? Or is that silly and or foolish?

 

it depends, compare cfm and db of some 5v and 12v fans.
imo there's no need for 12v... there's great 5v fans. but yeah if you want something more powerful and more noisier, you need a 12v source.

 

The electronics on my NZXT Cryo LX are just about shot. The adapter broke and I'm having trouble finding one that is the same size input as the cooler. I'm currently using the USB for power and the USB for the hub. The dc input just seems cheap and flimsy and the power seems to go in and out sometimes.

I have since swapped the fans out to 12v .35a LEDs that only have one 3pin connector on each fan so they're not quite the same as the mod in this thread.

I'm considering doing something similar to this mod now though. Can someone help me find where I can buy a 3x3pin convertor like the one shown? I understand he made his own.

4-Pin Power Distribution PCB 3xWay Block (MMT-PCB-4-33) - FrozenCPU.com

I found this but I don't know how I'd make it work in this cooler.

 

search previous posts in this thread. you'll find the answer.

 

So the replacement parts took about three weeks to reach me in India, and I discovered they hadn't included the cable that goes from the USB hub to the speed controller.

So now they're sending that, which will take another three weeks or so.

Also, both replacement boards say Ver. 1.6 on them. The old ones said Ver. 1.4. Anyone know the difference?

 

Also:

 

there was a problem with older revs. don't remember what it was. but glad you are getting the new one.

 

Dang, this thread got busy I see. HAH. I just bought another Cryo LX for my new laptop. I sold my old laptop and Cryo.

 

Neither board can, is your best bet. I've read that some models can handle it on the speed controller, but mine sure didnt. It fried it immediately. The USB hubs have to be 5v, because all USB ports are 5v. I put 7.5v through my HUB to power some USB fans, but the circuit board on the hub started getting really hot.

 

I'm sure no model can't handle 12v. what it might happen is that the 12v fan is working at 5v. which can be good because some fans are unusuable at full speed due to very high noise.

the usb ports are 5v but it's an unpowered hub. or powered with little power.
so you can't really use 5v on all ports at the same time.
I couldn't even connect 2x external HDD's at the same time. it didn't had enough power.

 

Well thats just because of the crappy PSU that comes with the Cryo. Just needs more amperage, if the circuit boards can handle it.

 

it depends on the REV. because some boards even got burned with the stock PSU. that's why people say it gets hot. there are several boards.
unfortunately I don't recall which versions. I think I got the older crappy ones but I don't use it anymore.
It's a shame that such a great and very costly product has so stupid flaws.

 

So living in India, acquiring the various parts without paying obscene shipping fees is a matter of waiting for the right person to come down to bring you the part you need.

So I got: , connected the three fans to one end and THIS to a power source on the other end.

No dice. the fans won't spin. What am I doing wrong?

 

What are the specs of your fans?
Try to plug only two or one and see if you get it to power on.
That PSU is only rated @ 1,5A that means only ~500mA for each fan.
Some fans need more than that.

Additionally, check your connections. Some of those fan connectors don't make good contact on first attempt.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Tried in all configurations and nothing spun at any speed. The psu does light up though.

 

What are the fans rated at? What is the brand/model?

 

There's nothing written on them. The sleeving just has some temps written. Though they're definitely 120mm fans if that helps.

 

Oh, ok. But they could be only rated for 5V or 12V but need more than 1,5A (rare but possible).
Can you test the fans with something else, like a desktop motherboard?

 

No, don't have any motherboard I can test it off as I only use a laptop at the moment, but the adapter I used to have connected to the cooler was 2 Ah and all three fans would run at full speed.

 

Hello guys!

I want to replace my stock fans on the Cryo LX, and I've been looking on some serious air cooling. I've looked at this one in particularly "Scythe Slip Stream" 125mm x 25mm, 110 CFM - 1900 RPM. You think it will be overkill? too much noise? I need feedbacks. Thanks

Newegg.com - Scythe SY1225SL12SH 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan

Also first time I mod fans and doing this kind of electronics, should not be hard, but what else should I think of when buying the fans and so on?

 

What do the fans behind it do in the pictures exactly? They look like they're just for show, do they actually increase the cooling of your laptop? Nice setup regardless.

 

Allright, I just bought myself some new awesome fans with Blue LED, going to setup my rig this week or next, will post some pics after finished the mini project.

The scythe was just too much of noise, so I went with the Aerocool shark, heard lots of good things about it. Will see how the noise and air blow is, will evaluate all of it. Perhaps record it and upload it on youtube.

 

Hey, I tried plugging some extra fans I had into my Cryo LX but they wouldn't spin up. They are Scythe Gentle Typhoons, and their rated start-up voltage is 7V. I'm assuming I'll need a better power supply than the 5V that comes with it. I'm just wondering if a 12V power supply would work if it's regulated, or would it burn out the fan controller?

 

The red fans I mounted to the cabinet to regulate the airflow within the cabinet. 2 blow in and 2 blow out. Without them, My cryo would just be recirculating the hot air inside the cabinet.

 

Hey, not sure if I should have made a new thread for this, but I decided to come back to this thread. I never ended up modding my cryo LX at all, but now it has had some problems.
If I use the usb-usb cord from my laptop into it, and put it to the max it will go to high speed and then spin down after a few seconds and switch off high speed and low speed, and additionally a window pops up saying the usb hub has exceeded its power limit. I had a lot of success with the usb-little round end cord (dont know what to call it) but I guess either the cord or the place it attaches to has become unusable. I wanted to have it back to working status so I bought a usb extension cord, plugged it into my usb wall outlet, and then tried with both kinds of power cords from the end of the usb extension to the cryo LX. The usb-usb one worked, but would only go very slow and quiet, though I could feel the air movement. The other one I don't think worked at all. Is this a problem with the usb hub? Can I replace it? Ultimately I would like to have it connected to the wall outlet if possible, to save a usb slot. Please let me know what the problem is and if I can get my cryo back to working order.

 

I really hope this thread is still being paid attention to.

I absolutely love my CRYO LX. I have been satisfied with it in its stock condition. A few days ago, the fans stopped working. I traced the problem back to the cable that runs from the USB/POWER board to the FAN CONTROL board. I contacted NZXT and they said they no longer had any parts for my cooler. I have tried searching online, but have come up zip. this place is my last resort. I'm hoping that anyone who has modded their Cryo LX has kept the original parts. if so, would any of you be willing to give or sell me the cable that runs between the usb/power board and the fan control. I do not have the expertise to try and repair the cable that I have. I do not have the expertise to 'Mod' a solution to my problem. I can not find/am unaware of any other laptop coolers that will work for my 19" laptop. this cooler is only three years old. I would hate to have to scrap it just because of a stupid wire. Please if you see this and can help in any way, please respond to this thread.

 

Hello, Cybot, welcome to NBR.
I just took a look at my Cryo LX and the cable is quite simple and has a standard 3pin desktop fan plug on the controller end.
What seems to be the problem with yours, can you give us more details or eventually take a few photoa of it?

 

one look at the cable and it should be pretty obvious what is wrong with it. I don't know how it got broken the way it did. it was working when I booted up my pc, but after a while, I noticed 1. my mouse which was plugged into the USB hub was no longer working, and attempts to reset the hub/ports resulted in windows saying "a power surge has been detected In the usb ports...." and 2. my laptop started to slow itself down because it was overheating (the LX's fans were no longer spinning. examination of my LX revealed the broken black wire and that the red wire was hanging on by a few strands of wire. As a side note the "power surge" message that windows was giving me was not actually a power surge but a lack of power i.e. I was using more than the pc USB port driven 500 mA's on all five ports. would a overdrawing of power count as a power surge (which causes windows 7 to shutdown the USB ports until I select the error icon on the tasktray and select 'reset hub')?

I have tried searching for a "standard 3-pin fan connector female to Mini 3-Pin fan Connector female" but came up zip

i
I did find a connector that might match the mini connector but it is labeled as " cathode light 3-pin connector-female"

I would like to get an original part, since there is no guarantee that if I order a custom cable from frozen cpu that the connector will fit properly

 

is anyone out there still paying attention? I did receive a response to my question but when I answered their question, I did not receive a response. PLEASE.... I am really in desperate circumstances.... I have tried looking, and there are not any coolers for 19 inch laptops that are of the same quality as the CRYO LX. If there are any coolers that perform the same, have a powered 4 port usb hub, and use an ac adapter I have not been able to find them. my CRYO LX has kept my cpu temp at roughly 50% of system maximum and the system fans have rarely exceeded 50% of max speed, even under heavy gaming. but right now, with out the LX, my system exceeds both of these figures just sitting idle. I would really hate to part with my LX.

I know many people replace their laptops every couple of years, but I can't afford to do that, if I'm going to make my laptop last as long as possible, I really need my LX back in operating order. I know heat+time is the enemy of all electronics and laptops in particular. so, please if you read this, if you have modded your NZXT CRYO LX and have kept the original parts. please respond.

 

Good morning all,

My English is not really good because I am a french canadian. I am doing my best with my English. I want to see my mod I did with my Cryo LX.

I have putted a LED under the Cryo LX, I bought it at this website Tuning PC. Led flexible USB rouge. Bande led USB tuning PC.

These 2 images is an Emermax U.R. Vegas ENERMAX - Product. I have modified the stand with my 2 x Enermax fans and remove Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 External USB Cooling Fan. U can see the model on this website Amazon.com: Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 External USB Cooling Fan 120mm AF0007: Electronics.

Also, I have replaced the 3 x fans in the Cryo LX with 3 x Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm check on this website Newegg.ca - Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm, 3 Speed Setting, Beveled Blade Tips Design, SSO Bearing Fan. I can confirm at 100% the 3 fans work good with the power block at 5 Volts.

If you check the first picture, you will see I have putted 4 x Cool Feet for reduce the temperature between the back of my my laptop and the notebook cooler. I have 3 degrees Celsius unless for my 2 x hardrives. I give u an example, actually the temperature in my room is at 21 Celsius and my hardrives are at 33 Celsius. Check the website for the model Bluelounge - Cool Feet: Airspace for hot laptop.

Also I bought 1 x Thermaltake Mobile Fan 12 External USB Cooling Fan and I have putted in back of my notebook cooler (the fan is in the middle between the 2 x Enermax fans). I have tried to put a picture about it but I cannot do it when I try to put this photo on my thread The system don't accept my last photo. With it I have a good airflow for reduce my temperature about me 2 hardrives.

If you need more info just post ur request here. TY for ur good reading and sorry again for my english.

 

dang...it feels like forever since i've talked about laptop coolers.

have u tried calling NZXT directly? they have great customer service.

 

yes, they don't have anymore parts because the cryo lx is no longer being made

 

it looks like a fairly common part. did u try asking them what it was called and where u could find some?

i don't really mess with the electrical side of things, so i couldn't tell u much more. sorry.

EDIT: oh yeah, there is another cooler that might interest u. it's no Cryo LX, but it actually cools alot better than the average active coolers on the market. check out the Cooler Master SF-19. i haven't personally used one yet, but i hear that it's pretty loud.

 

actually only one end is standard. the other is an unfamiliar type. it might be called a Mini 3-Pin fan Connector female, but I don't know for sure. I did ask, but the said they did not have that information available. searching around the internet I did find a cable connecter that might be a match but there was no guarantee that is was a perfect match.

I did check out the sf-19, but I could not tell if the usb hub on it was a powered hub or not, and also, it does not 'collapse' for travel like the Cryo LX does. I need a powered usb hub like in the LX, because several of the things I plugin to it, exceed the power limits of the ports when plugged in at the same time. i.e. my mouse, and my gamepad, a powered hub allows me to exceed the 500mA that a non powered hub is limited to