Changing the fan in my HD24: a breeze? not so simple?

[joelpatterson]

Man the thing is noisy, maybe it's been getting noiser all along but MAN, "WHOOOOOSH!"

So, there was a thread about just this topic that I UTFSF'd and found, and it mentioned a fan from Newegg that is almost like this one:

Newegg.com - SilenX IXP-54-14T 80mm Case Fan - Retail

(The one in the thread was "14R", and this is "14T.")

Your mission, should you decide to accept it... should I go ahead and get this and put it in however it most obviously seems like? Is there some tricky little thing I need to know? Will it make a big difference? Even if not, it can't hurt?

Good luck, Jim.

[bove]

Nexus fans seem to be a favorite among the quiet computing forums I've browsed... and I imagine a Nexus might also be good for your situation.

Nexus 80mm



I have a Nexus 120mm fan in my computer, along with a "three speed" cable, and it is extremely soft while still moving a nice quantity of air.

[joelpatterson]

Great, thank you!

[synthoid]

I've changed the fan in mine (used a Silenx, but there are lots of low-noise ones out there). I went berserk and removed the vent guard thing over the fan as well. Mine's inside a rack so there's no chance of something touching the fan while it's operating, and removing it gets you both some additional airflow and some additional quiet. Not recommending this especially, just say'n.

-synthoid

[joelpatterson]

Sounds like my idea of a good time! Will do...

I've taken kid glove care of this thing, too, and once I was recording a service in a Greek Orthodox style monastery, with the billowing fumes of incense, and I was going, oh, great, GREAT! but then some random service-goer sidled up to me, and said in hushed tones,
"this material [the incense] is very medicinal, it's just fixed three components inside your machine..."

I thanked him, of course. And for a week after, along with the "whirring" I would get a fresh dose of the smell, which is kind of a sweet, almost-burnt wood odor, maybe with a touch of turpentine. I guess where science and religion and madness meet, anything is possible.

[Jungle Jazz]

I've been wanting to change my fan, too. There's some info about it over at the Yahoo HD24 group. I seem to remember that there is a connector/pin difference between most fans and the stock one in the HD24, but I don't exactly remember what it is. You might have to splice/solder some wires to make the new fan fit.

[Omicron_9]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Man the thing is noisy, maybe it's been getting noiser all along but MAN, "WHOOOOOSH!"

So, there was a thread about just this topic that I UTFSF'd and found, and it mentioned a fan from Newegg that is almost like this one:

Newegg.com - SilenX IXP-54-14T 80mm Case Fan - Retail

(The one in the thread was "14R", and this is "14T.")

Your mission, should you decide to accept it... should I go ahead and get this and put it in however it most obviously seems like? Is there some tricky little thing I need to know? Will it make a big difference? Even if not, it can't hurt?

Good luck, Jim.

Hey Joel,

I replaced the fan in my HD24XR with a Silenx. The operation is very easy, just make sure you have the correct size fan; I can't recall what that is right now, tho. The Silenx fans are a huge improvement; they are so quiet that I find myself reaching behind the HD to feel air flowing, to make sure the fan is still running. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'd be willing to trade some fan swapping tips for... oh, I don't know... maybe.. an Avant CK-40?

Silent regards,
-0.9

[PKLehner]

I dealt with noise issues in my computer recently, and I installed these Vantec thermally controlled fans. Theres actually a small thermal sensor that controls the fan speed on the fan, rather than having to worry about an external controller. Simply put, it'll always run at the exact speed you need it to, and not be any louder than you want it. Check it out:

Newegg.com - VANTEC TF8025 80mm Case Fan - Retail

P.S. on the incense, I dealt with the exact same thing at my Alma Mater high school. They wanted me to record their choir, and the priest set the incense tray right in front of the room I was recording in, and I got the full dose. No problems afterwards though.

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by Jungle Jazz

... there is a connector/pin difference between most fans and the stock one in the HD24, but I don't exactly remember what it is. You might have to splice/solder some wires to make the new fan fit.

Final report: it is a breeze. It's true the Silenex fans give you two connector options, neither of which work, but it's very simple to splice and solder, once you identify which of the fan's leads is +12 volt and which is the ground. Also the heat sensor story is true-- the fan won't power up immediately, but to make sure it's working you can cradle the tip of the heat sensor wire in your pinkies and it will start. Totally silent, too, comparing the space-age (post-space-age?) new one to the old one, it makes the original look like a propellor off a World War One biplane.

[The dman]

Final report: it is a breeze. It's true the Silenex fans give you two connector options, neither of which work, but it's very simple to splice and solder, once you identify which of the fan's leads is +12 volt and which is the ground

That's exactly what I did when I put a Nexus in a couple of months ago. It's been purring like a kitten ever since

[Remoteness]

Sweet!

Joe, what's the exact model number of the fan you purchased.
Maybe others may want to grab one for their rig.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Final report: it is a breeze. It's true the Silenex fans give you two connector options, neither of which work, but it's very simple to splice and solder, once you identify which of the fan's leads is +12 volt and which is the ground. Also the heat sensor story is true-- the fan won't power up immediately, but to make sure it's working you can cradle the tip of the heat sensor wire in your pinkies and it will start. Totally silent, too, comparing the space-age (post-space-age?) new one to the old one, it makes the original look like a propellor off a World War One biplane.

[Dor]

I replaced my HD24XR fan with the silenx fan recommended by Jim Williams in an older thread. It's much quieter but now that I have a Mac Pro, the HD24XR is the loudest thing in my room. I'm going to throw it in a rack soon which may reduce the noise a bit more.


D

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Sweet!

Joe, what's the exact model number of the fan you purchased.
Maybe others may want to grab one for their rig.

Thanks!

This one:

Newegg.com - SilenX IXP-54-14T 80mm Case Fan - Retail

Again, very easy and self-explanatory to do.

[Jungle Jazz]

I've wanted to change my fan as well. Does anyone know of a direct replacement for the HD24 fan that doesn't require any cutting or splicing?

[joelpatterson]

That might be hard to track down... the plug into the circuit board on the HD24 is a teeny-teeny-tiny plug. Its red wire is +12 volts and the black wire is ground. It's really as simple as these operations get-- still, you need to be able to strip the wires and solder it correctly.

[con_ritmo]

this is what i used for my hd24xr:

fan:
pc power and cooling
VCBSM Silencer® 80mm Fan (3-pin M/B)

dampener:
fan vibration dampener kit from cyberguys.com
148 0287 FAN VIBRATION DAMPENER KIT, 80MM

i was meaning to find an adapter cable that would allow me to go directly into the power receptacle...and so i ordered these:
Fan/MOBO Adapter Cables 2-10-Pin : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come
(2 to 3 pin fan adapter cable styles: a-d)

however, none of them directly fit. the solution is that you can slide the orange boot right off of the hd24xr power receptacle...exposing the 2 leads...it's not glued on or anything...only attached through friction...so the boot will come off cleanly.
with that done, you can use a lot of different power plugs and they'll fit right onto the exposed leads quite securely. i used one of the adapter cables above...but don't remember which style it was...they're only .99 cents each so $4.00 if you order one of each type.
this works great because everything will be completely reversible with no markings...provided you don't lose the small orange boot.

i also discovered that instead of using the power receptacles off of the main board, you can use the ones attached to the individual hd controllers (they're the exact same type of receptacle).

if you do that, the fan will turn on/off with the hd selector switch button on the front. it's a nice way to control power to the fan. power up the hd bay (whichever one you connected the fan's leads to) and the fan starts spinning...and vice versa.

i've had this setup in my xr for a couple of years and it's been running great.

[jim1274]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Final report: it is a breeze. It's true the Silenex fans give you two connector options, neither of which work, but it's very simple to splice and solder, once you identify which of the fan's leads is +12 volt and which is the ground. Also the heat sensor story is true-- the fan won't power up immediately, but to make sure it's working you can cradle the tip of the heat sensor wire in your pinkies and it will start. Totally silent, too, comparing the space-age (post-space-age?) new one to the old one, it makes the original look like a propellor off a World War One biplane.

Did this make it totally silent without removing the perforated fan cover and replacing it with a wire grill as others apparently have done? I have the Silenx fan (Newegg.com - SilenX IXP-54-14R 80mm Red LED Case Fan - Case Fans) in my newegg cart and am wondering if I should grab a grill (Newegg.com - GENERIC NET08 Fan Guard/Grill chromed for 80mm fans - Case Accessories) too. If anyone has done the surgery to install the wire fan grill, what did you cut it out with? I'm new to this mod game.....

[joelpatterson]

That mention of a "grille" had me a little confused... on my machine there isn't a "grille" so much as the back panel just has slots punched into it. You'd need to actually slice with a Dremel or something and shear off the little louvers... which I'd say is going too far, there isn't any noise created when the air from the fan hits those slots, the noise was all in the whirring of the fan's motor.

[David R.]

I did this a few years ago, forgot the exact fan used but I think I got my info from the yahoo group.

Super easy, very effective.

[mpdonahue]

I just want to make a quick comment about using thermistor controlled fans in equipment.
I would STRONGLY suggest that thermistor controlled fans are possibly dangerous. Most manufactures are careful about the amount and direction of airflow in their cases and while it may not be very hot where the thermistor is located, it is very possible that a critical component somewhere else in the chassis is not getting the cooling it needs.
I'm sure there are plenty of people that will say "It worked fine for me", but I would suggest saving a few bucks and getting the normal low noise fan. We've used both Silenex and Nexus fans with good results.

As always, YMMV.
All the best,
-mark

[jim1274]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

That mention of a "grille" had me a little confused... on my machine there isn't a "grille" so much as the back panel just has slots punched into it. You'd need to actually slice with a Dremel or something and shear off the little louvers... which I'd say is going too far, there isn't any noise created when the air from the fan hits those slots, the noise was all in the whirring of the fan's motor.

"Grill" was the wrong choice of words. The key is that it appears the factory slotted fan cut out or whatever you want to call it is not a major culprit in the noise. Others have cut it out and put a wire grill on in its place. It makes sense to start with just the fan and go the next step if needed. Sounds like it is not necessary from your comments.

Has anybody replaced the fan first then the grill later and noted the improvement, if any, in the sound level?

[matskull]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

That might be hard to track down... the plug into the circuit board on the HD24 is a teeny-teeny-tiny plug. Its red wire is +12 volts and the black wire is ground. It's really as simple as these operations get-- still, you need to be able to strip the wires and solder it correctly.

I just got a HD24 and I might do that as well.
Is it only two cables that I have to solder?

thanks

[joelpatterson]

That's right, the new fan will have + and - leads, and when you disconnect the old fan, it's got the same, just two wires, one plus, one minus.

[Dave Ferris]

Originally Posted by matskull

I just got a HD24 .......

The old ax job on the DV RA1000 swayed you towards the Alesis I'm guessing? Haha....

Me too except I'm considering the Nagra LB or Sound Devices 702. Haven't totally ruled out the Tascam but will almost certainly buy new if I go that route.

Good luck with it Matskull.

[matskull]

Originally Posted by Dave Ferris

The old ax job on the DV RA1000 swayed you towards the Alesis I'm guessing? Haha....

Me too except I'm considering the Nagra LB or Sound Devices 702. Haven't totally ruled out the Tascam but will almost certainly buy new if I go that route.

Good luck with it Matskull.

Actually, I've been thinking about a HD24 for quite a while and maybe 2-3 weeks ago I started to deal with a GS member who was selling his and when I replied to the DA1000 thread the HD24 was allready ordered.

My plan was (and still is for the moment) to record on the HD24 and print the final mix on my computer, but like I said, I would like to eventually not have to rely on the computer at all except for backups maybe.

[matskull]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

That's right, the new fan will have + and - leads, and when you disconnect the old fan, it's got the same, just two wires, one plus, one minus.

Good good, I like it simple

[Thomas W. Bethe]

If you don't want to solder and heat shrink you can use these Testing and Repairing Phone Line Problems I do it all the time and it saves me a lot of time and energy. Put the wires in unstripped, push on the button with a pair of pliers and you have a perfect spice every time.

FWIW!

[matskull]

I'm good with a solder iron so it's not a problem for me, good suggestion though for people who feel unsafe about doing this.

BTW, for you who used the silenx fan, did your HD24 gets hotter now or is it as "cold" as it was wiwth the original fan, is there any risk replacing it?

Thanks

[joelpatterson]

Not any hotter that I can tell-- I think there's just as much air moving, it's just that the blades are really "scooped" and ergonomic and the actual motor is "floating" somehow in its mount-- it's like with the Silenex fan, someone said, "Hey, how about if we do something about making this quiet," where the original engineers of the HD24 were what, deaf maybe?

That's cruel and unfair-- a first for me. But you know what I mean-- like I went over to do a little pro bono tracking at a friends brand spanking new "music shed," and somehow he was blissfully unaware of the roaring of the riding mower next door. Some people...!

[matskull]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Not any hotter that I can tell-- I think there's just as much air moving, it's just that the blades are really "scooped" and ergonomic and the actual motor is "floating" somehow in its mount-- it's like with the Silenex fan, someone said, "Hey, how about if we do something about making this quiet," where the original engineers of the HD24 were what, deaf maybe?

That's cruel and unfair-- a first for me. But you know what I mean-- like I went over to do a little pro bono tracking at a friends brand spanking new "music shed," and somehow he was blissfully unaware of the roaring of the riding mower next door. Some people...!

Cool, I'll replace mine.

I got the HD24 last week, it replaces my daw.
Tonight I tested the DA on it and I'm pretty satisfied with it, I'll probably buy the EC2 upgrade at some point but even without it I feel like it sounds punchier and clearer than my M-Audio Delta 1010, I'm pretty glad it sounds better, I wasn't expecting too much.

I just wanted to share my joy lol.