Base fan upgrade for quietness

This is where you can discuss the RostockMAX v4!
Post Reply
DDXdesign
Printmaster!
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:56 am

Base fan upgrade for quietness

Post by DDXdesign »

OK maybe I'll start this forum off with what i just did for my V4 last night, mentioned in a troubleshooting thread.

Andy suggested this fan for quietness since I had asked for options to quiet down the hairdryer noise in the base of the V4, just about my only complaint with the unit!

Noctua A6x25 fan: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009N ... UTF8&psc=1

It's a 3-pin fan but I used one of the adapters (so as not to cut the pigtail from the fan itself, just in case it didn't work or something) to just get red and black to the existing connector in the base.

How to:
- turn off and unplug the machine, especially since you'll be working so close to the PS
- remove the plastic corner shields (they just pull out) on either end of the fan side of the base
- reach around and hold the locknuts with pliers or a wrench while unscrewing the fan mounting bolts; make sure you get the washers as well as the nuts. if you get little rubber grommets as well you don't necessarily need to reuse them as the Noctua fan has rubberized corners
- lift the flaps on the Wago connector to pull out the red and black wires to the fan (the other side of each pair is where the wires come in from the PS)
- on the Noctua fan, either using the regular 3 pin tail or the 4-pin adaptor (I did that), cut the end off and open the sheathing until you have access to red and black wires
- then strip about 1/2-3/4 inch of casing off - be VERY careful, there are only a few strands of actual wire inside and I broke the black one just twisting the strands together.
- bolt the fan in place and lift the Wago flaps again to insert the red and black stripped ends.
- plug in, turn on, tune in and drop out... wait.... lol
- hopefully your new quiet breeze soothes you. I know it did for me! Feels like it pushes almost as much air as the stock fan, but I have no way to really test that.

Pics:
noctua.jpg
installedfan.jpg
here is the pigtail with the connector that i cut and stripped - if I screwed that up I could use another connector or cut the pigtail itself so this gave me lots of chances just in case
IMG_1094.jpg
And it was just impossible for me to get a photo with the black wire visible going from the fan wire to the wago connector, but it goes under the righthand paddle with no lettering on it, next to the labeled paddle with the black PS wire.
IMG_1095.jpg
Tadaaaa. Now I guess I'll have to tackle the fans on the effector for maximum silence =0)
DDXdesign
Printmaster!
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:56 am

Re: Base fan upgrade for quietness

Post by DDXdesign »

I didn't realize until printing again, that there is another loud fan down there, the power supply fan. Let's see what we can do about it! But, later, I have so much to do...
Iamarobot
Plasticator
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 4:10 am

Re: Base fan upgrade for quietness

Post by Iamarobot »

Thanks for this - I just built mine and it is indeed loud. I was thinking of a Noctua fan but won't have time to deal with it for a while. Otherwise, though, so far so good. Using a "Nozzle X" from E3D which seems to behave very very nicely.
nurbie
Printmaster!
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 12:53 am
Location: spaceship earth

Re: Base fan upgrade for quietness

Post by nurbie »

WINNER!
Just replaced the base fans in two V3s with same, Noctua NF A6x25 fans.
Used the 4-pin adaptor; took connector apart to maximize wire length.
Be gentle.

NOW,
Noticeable buzzing noise
(from my CPU mini-fan / SO annoying)... because,
the base fan is now SO quiet!
Noctua is moving lots of air.


HIGHLY RECOMMENDED UPGRADE!

just be prepared to buy more fans later to quiet the rest of the machine.


V4 will most definitely get same when I build it.

Now to go find the baby version for the CPU bays

Clearly, my prints will be better as well.
;)
gubment taxes
Noob
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 4:28 pm

Re: Base fan upgrade for quietness

Post by gubment taxes »

I've used the same 60mm noctua fans in a previous V2 machine and liked them, but instead used a silenx 60mm that I had laying around which I had picked up locally and never opened: https://www.amazon.com/SilenX-IXP-34-16 ... ay&sr=8-11

It's rated to have a slightly higher cfm than the noctua as well while making about the same amount of noise.

However, the power supply fan started to bother me as well, so I gambled a bit and replaced it with a random chinese fan off of amazon that still had a decent cfm and noise rating: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PX ... UTF8&psc=1

Anyone else interested in the swap, note that the power supply fan is a 60x15mm fan, not the more common 60x25mm which will not fit. Luckily, the replacement fan uses the same basic two-pin connector as the stock and more or less just drops in.

I don't have any pictures or video but as a comparison point, the stock hotend heatsink fan and part cooling fans are now noticeably louder than the fan noise coming from the base. Needless to say, I'm VERY pleased with the decreased noise and probably won't be swapping any more fans out. I'll update here if anything gets cooked from decreased airflow/increased temps.
Post Reply

Return to “RostockMAX v4”