Need a new quieter fan to HD IO..

[zion]

Originally Posted by cowrange

I just got the new HD i/o as well and the fan isn't bad but I want it more quiet as well. I opened it up and found the specs on the fan and how easy it would be to switch out. The fan it comes with is part# F-8025M12B II @ http://www.cofan-usa.com/axial-fans/80x80x25-ii and is rated at 29.9 dB at max speed not to mention it seems to rattle a bit! I found a fan http://www.silenx.com/quiet.fans.asp?sku=efx-08-15
that has about the same flow rated at 15dB max speed which is WAY more quiet. They sell on newegg @ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835226034
I think all that needs to be done is carefully take the connector off or splice in with the new fan since the one in the HD i/o has a 4 pin connector.

I'll try to report back in the next few days if it all works out.

Thanks! ordered 2 units.

Question, will it void the warranty if I change the fan?

Also is there any rewiring to be done and is it a exact swap?

[cowrange]

It's not an "exact" swap. You have to pull the connector off of the original unit and put it on the new fan. Also since it's a PC fan it has a 3rd lead that is for the temperature sensor. You can just tape it off to the side or snip it off since it isn't used in the HD i/o. Also make sure the polarity of the fan is correct so it's not drawing air into the unit, but pushing it out. You can carefully pull the pins out by pushing gently on the pins in the connector with a pointy tool. Not sure if it voids the warranty but I couldn't find any security seal and I kept the old fan around to swap back out in case I had to send it in.

[dtonthept]

Wow this is getting more and more interesting.

SDDP are the fans you're using in your mac pro the same model linked to above?

And thanks also for the extra install info.

[zion]

Originally Posted by cowrange

It's not an "exact" swap. You have to pull the connector off of the original unit and put it on the new fan. Also since it's a PC fan it has a 3rd lead that is for the temperature sensor. You can just tape it off to the side or snip it off since it isn't used in the HD i/o. Also make sure the polarity of the fan is correct so it's not drawing air into the unit, but pushing it out. You can carefully pull the pins out by pushing gently on the pins in the connector with a pointy tool. Not sure if it voids the warranty but I couldn't find any security seal and I kept the old fan around to swap back out in case I had to send it in.

Thanks!

[SDDP]

Originally Posted by dtonthept

Wow this is getting more and more interesting.

SDDP are the fans you're using in your mac pro the same model linked to above?

And thanks also for the extra install info.

The fans are to big to fit inside the mac pro, I have 2 on the front, right in front of the fans inside aiding (pusing air in the same direction) as the internal fans and 1 on the rear pulling air out. It came with a control module that can hold up to 5 fans for speed. It's a huge difference on long mix sessions that are 8-12 hours. The computer is way cooler.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by SDDP

The fans are to big to fit inside the mac pro, I have 2 on the front, right in front of the fans inside aiding (pusing air in the same direction) as the internal fans and 1 on the rear pulling air out. It came with a control module that can hold up to 5 fans for speed. It's a huge difference on long mix sessions that are 8-12 hours. The computer is way cooler.

Unless you've got the internal and external fans running in sync you could be not getting as much cooling as possible from the setup. The external fan could be pushing air against the fans blades of the internal fans is what I'm talking about. You might be better off actually removing the internal fans if you're bent on using this setup. Would be far better efficiency and cooling. I should know - as a day job decades past I used to work on cooling systems for process control machines and computers as an engineer/tech. The other thing is to make sure you have plenty of room on the exhaust side of the computer for the heated air to go away.

[SDDP]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Unless you've got the internal and external fans running in sync you could be not getting as much cooling as possible from the setup. The external fan could be pushing air against the fans blades of the internal fans is what I'm talking about. You might be better off actually removing the internal fans if you're bent on using this setup. Would be far better efficiency and cooling. I should know - as a day job decades past I used to work on cooling systems for process control machines and computers as an engineer/tech. The other thing is to make sure you have plenty of room on the exhaust side of the computer for the heated air to go away.

True, however I had installed this set up a year or less after I had the Macpro 8 core and after a good 5 hours it got quite warm. After 8-12 hours on mixing the side panels would get pretty hot to the touch. After the set up, now it's just barely warm on 8+ hours of using it. The sync issue did cross my mind, but it's working flawlessly and there is an escape exhaust on the rear. I took all that into account when I built it. It's in a plexi glass case with the bottom rear open. The noise on the silenx is just below the macs fan, unless I set the controller to MAX then it can be heard. But on low or med, it's inaudable.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by SDDP

True, however I had installed this set up a year or less after I had the Macpro 8 core and after a good 5 hours it got quite warm. After 8-12 hours on mixing the side panels would get pretty hot to the touch. After the set up, now it's just barely warm on 8+ hours of using it. The sync issue did cross my mind, but it's working flawlessly and there is an escape exhaust on the rear. I took all that into account when I built it. It's in a plexi glass case with the bottom rear open. The noise on the silenx is just below the macs fan, unless I set the controller to MAX then it can be heard. But on low or med, it's inaudable.

The side panels may be barely warm but do you really know how that is being accomplished? I mean - is it really happening the way you think? You say it's working flawlessly but you could get better by just, as I said previously, removing the Mac's internal fans and going with the external ones. And your plexiglass case would be better with the opening at the top of the case and not the bottom - heat rises you know. I'm assuming that you have the MacPro (in it's original Apple provided case) sitting inside the plexiglass case (like it would be if the MacPro was sitting in a rack mount) right? I'm also assuming the fans are actually mounted to the plexiglass case.

[zion]

Originally Posted by cowrange

It's not an "exact" swap. You have to pull the connector off of the original unit and put it on the new fan. Also since it's a PC fan it has a 3rd lead that is for the temperature sensor. You can just tape it off to the side or snip it off since it isn't used in the HD i/o. Also make sure the polarity of the fan is correct so it's not drawing air into the unit, but pushing it out. You can carefully pull the pins out by pushing gently on the pins in the connector with a pointy tool. Not sure if it voids the warranty but I couldn't find any security seal and I kept the old fan around to swap back out in case I had to send it in.

I took my time meticulously installing the new fan today and I must say it went well. This fan is not only quiet but it does a better job then the stock fan.
It pushes more air @ lower RPMS. I have been running it for about 3.5Hrs now and I still can't hear the fan running but I can feel the air gushing out. Wow!
I used scotch locks to connect the old wire to the new fan and small tie wraps to neatly keep the wire in place. Looks like a professional job.

Thanks Again for sharing this!

[zion]

Am I the only one that thinks it's odd that Avid would overlook such a small thing like choosing quieter fans for there hardware? Stange!