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Silent cooling fans (Hartke etc)

C

Cartoonist

Guest
Feb 21, 2012
42
1
Australia
#1
Hi all,

I know this has been addressed before but it appears to be a common issue (particularly in the ever-popular Hartke 3500).

The stock fan in the Hartke is incredibly noisy. This is not really an issue on stage, but certainly is so in rehearsal spaces and is obviously a major impediment to its suitability in the studio.

There are low cost options that provide the same airflow at a fraction of the noise. For the Hartke I recommend you don't skimp on airflow for the sake of noise, so try to stick around 36cfm.

The brand I went for is Noiseblocker which is fantastic value and is very, very quiet. Like most of these fans it runs at 12V (not the stock 24V); this means you need to install a voltage regulator, which is a standard and dirt-cheap electrical component (much like a resistor with three prongs on it). It's a simple job to solder that in, and make sure you attach a heat sink to it. All of this can all be sourced at your local electronics shop who will tell you how to install it all. The fans of course can be found on the internet.

I know this is a previously-visited issue but these amps are incredibly popular and therefore there are a lot of bass players out there with noisy fans who might not be aware that this can be simply, safely and cheaply rectified.

Cheers,
Cartoonist
 
#3
I could understand studio problems, if youre mic'ing your speaker with nondirectional mic in an isolated room..
But rehearsal?! If its loud enough of a fan to be noticed outside of audiophile recordings, then.. I dunno.
Ive NEVER noticed my fan (same amp) but I have read.that some peoples' are noisy
 
#4
My GenzBenz ML200 head I bought used from ebay had a noisy fan. It was also 24volts. I bought two 12volt units from Newark, one in the stock position and the other blowing across the chassis helping the airflow.

FANtastic!

X8
 
#5
Invalid Link Removed

This unit here is a low-noise replacement that runs at 24VDC, so it doesn't require any in-line regulators, resistors, etc... The 26CFM rating is a touch higher than the fan that I took out of my 3500, so it's workable. It's not entirely silent, but you don't notice it unless you listen for it, which is not the case with the stock fans. A noticeable improvement.

The only slight mod it needs is the plastic at the corners needs to be filed just a touch, to clear a plate inside the chassis and allow the screws to align straight-on with the holes in the case.
 
#6
Inverse Kinetix said:
Could you modify a pc liquid cooling system and eliminate noise altogether?
Click to expand...
Not even remotely suitable, unfortunately.

Firstly, liquid cooling systems are best used when the majority of the heat source is localized, and a proper waterblock can be attached (i.e. a CPU/GPU core). The cost of machining a custom waterblock(s) to hit the hot points in an amplifier could easily run past the cost of the amplifier itself, assuming it was even possible.

Secondly, the liquid cooling doesn't break the laws of physics when it comes to heat transfer - you still wind up with a radiator that needs to dump the heat energy. The layout of most amplifiers doesn't lend itself to a very large radiator, which means you still need a fairly aggressive fan moving air through the radiator. And a water pump, of course. So now you're up to two sources of noise (and potential failure).

And lastly, there's always a risk of leak, no matter how carefully you set things up. Especially in an amplifier that gets moved around all the time. Outside of the PSU itself, a computer doesn't use any voltages larger than 12V, limiting the kind of fireworks a leak can create. But since amplifier voltages can reach into the 100's, a water spill is an entirely different animal. And even non-conductive fluids will eventually ionize and become conductive.
 
#8
Mine's a mid 90s model which had a Fonsan 36cfm that ran at a mighty 29dB. So it was too loud for rehearsals (particularly as we record them). The Noiseblocker fans I have run at 12dB and 6dB respectively, which on paper mean in the order of 100X quieter than stock - so the difference is noticeable!

The newer Hartke amps may run quieter, but if you want to approach silent operations a purpose-built fan is the way to go, and will set you back $20 online (plus maybe a dollar for a regulator).
 
#9
Inverse Kinetix said:
Could you modify a pc liquid cooling system and eliminate noise altogether?
Click to expand...


If you're going to do it, then do it right:
a039bdca_1796206126_55d9e77591.jpg
 
#10
I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd post my solution. I too had issues with the fan and researching around on the net I found that you can easily replace the fan with a quieter one. I used Invalid Link Removed which only cost $8.74 and replaced the existing one. With the new one I barely know it's even on now in my quiet room.

The stats I recalled seeing on the factory fan is Air Flow of ~24 CFM (the one above has 26.1 CFM), is dimensions of 80mm L x 80mm H x 25mm W, and is a 24V DC fan.

I want to say I saw somewhere the factory fan had a noise level of 27 dB while the one I replaced it with has rated noise level of only 19 dB. Remember, dB's are logarithmic so that's a vast improvement.

For reference I have the old fan sitting here. It's labeled :

NONOIse fan model A8025H24B-FH, rated DC 24V and 0.095A made by "Oriental Electronics, CO. LTD"
 
#13
I use my 3500 Mosfet with upright bass mostly, in a band that has lots of very quiet sections to our music. We usually play in smaller rooms to an intently listening audience, so fan noise has been an annoyance for me for some time now.

I just put in a Sanyo Denki fan p/n 9S0824L4011 that I got from Mouser (p/n 978-9S0824L4011)

Direct replacement, 24V, 23.5cfm, claimed 16dBA

I has a yellow temperature control lead but that can be snipped and tipped with some heat shrink and ignored. Dropped in with no physical mods necessary and it is very quiet compared to the stock fan in mine (the aforementioned super-noisy Fonsan).

Sometimes a fan can transfer noise to the amp enclosure so putting thin foam rubber tape between the fan and the case can help in those instances.

I also was noticing a lot of buzz from the transformer when I turned the amp on, so I put a layer of foam tape on between it and the top panel to damp it out.
 
#14
The choice of fan depends on the orientation of the fax axis in the operating position.
In computer systems, a sleeve bearing fan will fail prematurely when the axis is vertical.
Vertical orientation requires ball-bearing support at either end of the shaft.

For case fans, I use the correct bearing system in my customer's systems, plus I undervolt them to 5v.
This provides years of silent and reliable operation.
Usually the fans are still good when the system is retired.
 
#15
Wow velo-hobo, timely post:D I just dug out my old MOSFET 3500 (was originally in a 1155 combo) and found out it sounds great with my Avatar B212 Neo - except the cooling fan reminds me of a C-130 on takeoff roll:eyebrow:
Just ordered one from Mouser - thanks!
 
#16
New Fan Day! Invalid Link Removed

Replacement for the fan (or is it vacuum cleaner motor?) in the QSC RMX series as well as the Berringer clones.

Did you catch that it has 26.5 cfm airflow at just 19 db? Freaking sick, eh?
Seriously, for anyone who uses the amps in a studio setting… this is a good option to alleviate the noise.

fnord!

the fan replacement was very easy=happy music room
 

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