I had very little knowledge about electronics when I build this. Here are the parts I ordered:

- A PWM 12cm fan

- A PWM 12V DC-Controller

- Carbon filter mats for smoke absorption

- A flexible arm

Nice, Right? Wrong!

Of course, the motor controller was not a fit for the fan. So I decided to not order another fan but instead figure out how to control the one that I had otherwise. I sure could have used a microcontroller but instead decided to build a PWM generator with a 555 Timer. Thanks to Dave for these super detailed instructions and kudos for creating this sketch with MS Paint  🙀.

So I got the rest of the parts. I replaced the poti with one with a kill switch though. By then I did not have a scope therefore my only real debugging tool was the fan itself which was a pain in the 🍑.

In hindsight, I probably would not have needed the PWM controller. Running the fan at full speed is usually my way to go. But a great project to get to know my new friend 555.

The case is assembled entirely via a click-and-snap system. Tolerances could be a little more generous.

My initial idea was to build one of these Kirby suckers. I decided differently in the end, I did want to give Kirby a little tribute though:

I'm also pretty happy with the ball joint. I printed a little tester to see if that would work:

I had an old 12V DC power supply with a barrel jack lying around. I printed an adapter in the mount so I can still use it for other projects:

Unfortunately hiding the wires in the flexible tube was not possible.

Thanks for the read. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think.