Retrofit fan

[Bradfo69]

Anybody have a source or idea of retrofitting a quieter fan on the little air cooled Reliant/Evergreen type argon lasers. I know there HAS to be fans out there that don't sound like a commercial vaccum cleaner and still move enough air to keep them cool. I'd love to use my lumia projector or even my Mobolazers more often with shows but, the damn things are stupid loud and disruptive for an audience - especially during soft passages of music. Heck, even jury rigging a Walmart fan with a little sheet metal ought to be quieter.

The big honking one on top is what I'm referring to:



Thank you!

[edison]

What,s the size of the fans i have some nice quite gentle thypoons of 120x120 and also some 92mm x 92mm fans if you need them.

[-bart-]

115 VAC ?????????????????????????

[edison]

Oh yes mmm good thinking its probably VAC and also 115V.

[swamidog]

tell you what. drop it off at my house and i promise you won't hear the fan.

Anybody have a source or idea of retrofitting a quieter fan on the little air cooled Reliant/Evergreen type argon lasers. I know there HAS to be fans out there that don't sound like a commercial vaccum cleaner and still move enough air to keep them cool. I'd love to use my lumia projector or even my Mobolazers more often with shows but, the damn things are stupid loud and disruptive for an audience - especially during soft passages of music. Heck, even jury rigging a Walmart fan with a little sheet metal ought to be quieter.

The big honking one on top is what I'm referring to:



Thank you!

[Bradfo69]

Chris... I'll get right on that. And borrow the eggbeater at the same time. Bet it's quiet.

edison - Me and the metric system don't get along. It's an American thing. But, the large ones are 7 7/8" in diameter for the 1 watt argons and the smaller one for the 300 mW argons are 6" in diameter.

I will also go on the assumption (don't have time to check) that yes, they are 120v.

[swamidog]

the eggbeater is actually pretty quiet. with the back panel off, it can be run without fans.

Chris... I'll get right on that. And borrow the eggbeater at the same time. Bet it's quiet.

edison - Me and the metric system don't get along. It's an American thing. But, the large ones are 7 7/8" in diameter for the 1 watt argons and the smaller one for the 300 mW argons are 6" in diameter.

I will also go on the assumption (don't have time to check) that yes, they are 120v.

[dsli_jon]

Heya Chief -

Anybody have a source or idea of retrofitting a quieter fan...and still move enough air to keep them cool....

Well, this is a bit of a tough-one.. 'Source / idea' for a quieter-fan', sure - 'squirrel-cage blowers', ie:



(fyi, the 'black-shroud' was a foam-lined motor-housing I fabbed.. 'non-standard' but easy to make / cuts-down on noise further..)
..Here's another view of one, but non-shrouded.. http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...r-img_0318.jpg

...are far-more efficient / move way-more cfm's than those 'muffin-style' fans, but.. 'quieter' may be a bit subjective / depending on the event... iirc, in-general, the blower-motor / blade-barrel is quieter, but.. the airflow is always gonna be the 'loud part', especially the more you move... which, for these little-Ar's is mission-critical..

..So - why-not do what we were discussing? Put the lil' Ar-pups, either outside the room - or, perhaps 'nest' up-above one of the ceiling-tiles, over near your 'control-booth', there (..you could have a 'drop' w/ a little 'On/Off remote sw. / status-LED / power-pot', etc, and then the rest is out of sight / ear-shot..) THEN, we simply fiber-deliver the beams to the Mobo-tables / lumia-rigs, etc.. With the 100µm HQ fiber you've got (..still, right?) you should end-up with a good-enough beam to still have kickin beams / aerials-systems..

..Yes, 'losses', etc, but.. it's a 'shift in the paradigm'.. What's 'more important' - super-tinyass beam, on-deck, but with a helicopter on-top? ..Or, ya, a 3mm beam, but... 'silent as a titmouse'? And as I said, 'mods to the Mobo', for a fiber-IC / OC mount, are pretty-quick and painless... been-there / done-that..

..But, if you don't wanna 'commit to all that rigamaroll', sure - first-try a 'SQ-blower', and see how it sounds.. Again, building a little foam-lined (..but not *touching* the motor-casing..) aluminum-sheet 'doghouse' for the motor, will-help dampen the motor-noise, but.. 'airflow noise'.. not much you can do, there... it always, uh.. 'blows'..

.02
ciao
j

[Bradfo69]

Hehe.... he said "titmouse".

Yeah, I think we should plan on the mobo thang and, honestly, I kinda forgot that perhaps in a month it would be a moot point. It's more the lumia projector I got from Stuka that I was thinking about but, quieter fans for the mobo were an afterthought as I was typing the thread.

[Displaser]

What about placing the FAN in the ceiling and running a flex-duct down to the laser? I remember seeing this done years ago with some of the air-cooled argons. The current fan looks a Comair Rotron Patriot, might need a Tarzan to move more air with use of a duct?