Thank you so much for this fix @vireland. Just did my JP permit and the difference is night and day... Was getting a little worried at first doing the paper test, as it took a while with the translite off but once it came on, i put the translite back on and the pin is silent now... So so much better .. now to do my Star Wars... Thank you so much for this mod and the clear instructions
Quoted from fooflighter:Thank you so much for this fix vireland. Just did my JP permit and the difference is night and day... Was getting a little worried at first doing the paper test, as it took a while with the translite off but once it came on, i put the translite back on and the pin is silent now... So so much better .. now to do my Star Wars... Thank you so much for this mod and the clear instructions
Glad it worked great for you! Making Spike machines better, one machine at a time... 
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:Any ETA on availability of spooky compatible kit?
Thermal testing for the production sample of the larger fan kit is complete on Spooky power supplies, I just have to get the rest of the temp testing done for the 300W Pro/Contract Sterns since they will use the same larger fan (I don't have access to a Multimorphic, but it uses the same power supply as a Spooky that I already tested). I'm hoping to be able to put the order in with the factory next week, but given it being the end of the year, I'm not sure they will get them done by the end of Dec. It's getting close, though!
The dual probe thermometers I recommended in the OP have become pretty pricey over the last year for some reason, so as an alternative, if you want to monitor temperature inside the power supply with memory, you can use the VWR 61161-324, which is a large display, single probe thermometer that you can pick up on ebay for $12-$25.
Pin Monk to the rescue x 3 and counting.
Just arrived and ready to attack this noisy fan....going to film a video of the old fan going into the fire pit...lol.
Thanks again.
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:Is this product available now?
yes sir...awesome and easy install. My machines are in a open area off the living room and those fans drive us nuts...
He has a store in pinside.
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:Is this product available now?
Yes, if you have the 500W power supply with the small fan facing up, which is all Stern Spike 2 Prem/LE and some Pros. If you have the 300W power supply with the large fan on the front, then no. There's a picture of which does and doesn't work on the product page in the pinside store, here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1170-pin-monk/02140-spike-quiet-fan-plug-n-play-kit
My model is neither, although it’s close to the 500W power supply in the picture. The power supply I have is mean we’ll SE-600-48 600W version. Would it work in that?
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:My model is neither, although it’s close to the 500W power supply in the picture. The power supply I have is mean we’ll SE-600-48 600W version. Would it work in that?
Wait, that's not a Stern, is it?
That's usually the power supply Spooky and Multimorphic use. It uses the same fan as the Stern 300W power supplies. I've been working on the fan kit for that one. Doing the installation pamphlet now that all the real world thermal testing is done. Should have it out soon.
It's covered a bit here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/replacing-stern-spike-noisy-ps-fans/page/7#post-5277869
Quoted from PinMonk:Wait, that's not a Stern, is it?
That's usually the power supply Spooky and Multimorphic use. It uses the same fan as the Stern 300W power supplies. I've been working on the fan kit for that one. Doing the installation pamphlet now that all the real world thermal testing is done. Should have it out soon.
It's covered a bit here:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/replacing-stern-spike-noisy-ps-fans/page/7#post-5277869
Yes, spooky. I think I jumped the gun thinking this was for AMH. Great, looking forward to a solution being available for that also
My basement is fairly cold. 64. I have Ghostbusters Pro. Is there a sure way to test this? I played a few games, some were pretty long. Nothing.
Just wish there was a way to truly trigger this. Even the original didn't come on that much. Couldn't even tell you why it did or didn't, seemed random.
Quoted from gk_usa:My basement is fairly cold. 64. I have Ghostbusters Pro. Is there a sure way to test this? I played a few games, some were pretty long. Nothing.
Just wish there was a way to truly trigger this. Even the original didn't come on that much. Couldn't even tell you why it did or didn't, seemed random.
Yeah, if it's really cold, it's hard to get the fan to come on since it has to get over (offhand, from memory) 104 degrees to trigger the fan to turn on. In your extreme situation, I would suggest a blow dryer to at least make sure it's working once.
Quoted from PinMonk:Yeah, if it's really cold, it's hard to get the fan to come on since it has to get over (offhand, from memory) 104 degrees to trigger the fan to turn on. In your extreme situation, I would suggest a blow dryer to at least make sure it's working once.
I thought the same thing on my drive taking my daughter to swim practice. Shouldn't take long to set it off.
Quoted from PinMonk:Yeah, if it's really cold, it's hard to get the fan to come on since it has to get over (offhand, from memory) 104 degrees to trigger the fan to turn on. In your extreme situation, I would suggest a blow dryer to at least make sure it's working once.
Ok, tried a blow dryer... Outside casing got hot, was afraid to keep it on longer. A game played fine. Fan never turned on. Within a game of playing outside casing got cold.
How long do you think is too long to keep hair dryer on it? It just seems like I'm playing with fire.
If I pretend my fan is broken, what now?
Quoted from gk_usa:Ok, tried a blow dryer... Outside casing got hot, was afraid to keep it on longer. A game played fine. Fan never turned on. Within a game of playing outside casing got cold.
How long do you think is too long to keep hair dryer on it? It just seems like I'm playing with fire.
If I pretend my fan is broken, what now?
You can test the fan with a 9v battery and a couple tiny paperclips. Put the clips in the connector and then to the +/- on the 9v battery. It'll spin slower than normal because it's made for 12v, but it will tell you that it works.
You still need to make sure it works installed, though. The machine's in no danger of dying with the very cold room protecting it from any kind of meaningful heat, so I'd just leave it and wait for warmer weather to test it. If it gets to 154 degrees, the power supply will automatically shut down.
Quoted from PinMonk:You can test the fan with a 9v battery and a couple tiny paperclips. Put the clips in the connector and then to the +/- on the 9v battery. It'll spin slower than normal because it's made for 12v, but it will tell you that it works.
You still need to make sure it works installed, though. The machine's in no danger of dying with the very cold room protecting it from any kind of meaningful heat, so I'd just leave it and wait for warmer weather to test it. If it gets to 154 degrees, the power supply will automatically shut down.
I guess I could just apply the hair dryer until something happens. Either it shuts down or fan turns on. 
Quoted from gk_usa:I guess I could just apply the hair dryer until something happens. Either it shuts down or fan turns on.
I'd test the fan directly with a battery before leaving the blow dryer on for a long time to narrow the issue (which is likely just that the fan takes a long time to come on with some pins). Or just wait for warmer weather to test it properly. There's no danger to the power supply unless the temp in the head gets over 154 degrees, and then it would just shut down anyway.
Quoted from PinMonk:I'd test the fan directly with a battery before leaving the blow dryer on for a long time to narrow the issue (which is likely just that the fan takes a long time to come on with some pins). Or just wait for warmer weather to test it properly. There's no danger to the power supply unless the temp in the head gets over 154 degrees, and then it would just shut down anyway.
Thanks for the help, fan eventually came on.
Just found this thread, and happy to see that a Spooky kit is coming soon. Got my ACNC recently and my pins are in the living room of a house with zero carpet and hard floors in every room. It sounds like a jet engine in my living room when I have ACNC on. Can't wait to get rid of the fan noise! I am sure when R&M gets shipped, people will be replacing that one as well (I know I will if they use the same fan).
Quoted from Calfdemon:Just found this thread, and happy to see that a Spooky kit is coming soon. Got my ACNC recently and my pins are in the living room of a house with zero carpet and hard floors in every room. It sounds like a jet engine in my living room when I have ACNC on. Can't wait to get rid of the fan noise! I am sure when R&M gets shipped, people will be replacing that one as well (I know I will if they use the same fan).
It's still coming. Chinese New Year slowed shipment down, and then the coronavirus kept the factories closed, even though the factories making these fans with custom wire lengths aren't anywhere close to the Wuhan province (like half a country away). I'm HOPING to have them by the end of the month if the China situation doesn't get too much more out of control.
Quoted from MattS:vireland I just installed the kits I ordered, what a huge difference! The new fans are almost completely silent.
Any update on when something might be available for Game Of Thrones (pro)? Its my only loud fan now.
Short answer: not sure currently. We were about a week or so away from shipping out to us and the COVID-19 there took off.
If the COVID-19 would cooperate it'd be a done deal. Still waiting for the factory to come back online. It's like 10 hours away from Wuhan, but by now I'm sure even they have cases which is why they're still shut down. Any timeframe now would probably be wildly wrong, because I doubt even the factory knows.
It IS still coming, though. Glad all your other machines with the smaller fan are quieted down. I have enough stock left of those to last another 2-3 months without reordering.
Quoted from PinMonk:NOTE: Due to popular demand, a plug and play solution with the custom fan and correct thread-cutting screws is now available if you don't want to bother with the DIY solution outlined in this original post below. This is available in my pinside store, Pin Monk (https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1170-pin-monk) and pinmonk.com. International isn't working through pinside, so use pinmonk.com to order internationally. Otherwise, the DIY instructions to roll your own follow below. Here's what the plug n play kit looks like:
[quoted image]
Sept 2019 UPDATE: Pinball Life is also carrying the Spike Plug n Play Quiet Fan kit now:
https://www.pinballlife.com/stern-spike-system-plug-n-play-quiet-fan-kit.html
UPDATE 8-27-19: Working on a possible plug and play version for the previously-unsupported front-mounted fans on Stern Pro and contract pin 300W power supplies, and Spooky/Multimorphic power supplies (all three types will be the same fan specs).
NOTE: THIS FAN WILL NOT WORK ON WHOA NELLIE!, PABST CAN CRUSHER, PRIMUS OR ANY VERY EARLY PRO THAT HAS THE FAN ON THE FRONT OF THE POWER SUPPLY. IT IS FOR ALMOST ALL SPIKE 1 and 2 GAMES (THE LISTED MACHINES ON THE STORE SALE PAGE THAT HAVE THE FAN ON THE TOP OF THE POWER SUPPLY). IF YOU'RE NOT SURE USE THIS PICTURE TO COMPARE WITH THE POWER SUPPLY YOU HAVE:
[quoted image]
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ORIGINAL DIY VERSION POST
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NOISY Stern Spike 1/2 power supplies can be quieted SUBSTANTIALLY
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Stern insists on using CRAZY loud fans in their power supplies (34.6dB!) when much quieter ones (12.8dB) are available. I suggest picking up one of these from Digikey. It will be so quiet you can't hear it come on - a huge improvement over what Stern ships with. The CFM is less on this one, but I've never had a problem in a temperature-controlled location. If you have your pin outside in 90 degree heat, this is probably not a good idea. But for a house or temperature-controlled location, this is fine in my experience.
Replacement part 40mm x 40mm x 20mm - use ONLY this size fan:
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/sunon-fans/HA40201V4-000U-999/259-1617-ND/3694184
(If you're concerned about airflow, this one from mouser has 30% more airflow than the one above, but is 21dB instead of 12.8dB - still less than the Stern at 34dB: https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=MB40201V2-000U-A99 )
You'll need to get 2 thread cutting screws (NOT sheet metal, but they can work - look for "thread cutting" screws specifically) because the holes on this are a little bigger and the stock screws will not work to put it back in.
Stern used to have different power supplies in the Pro and Prem/LE, but it seems like they've settled on the Prem/LE type power supply for Pros, too, so this fan should work in all the recent Spike power supplies that have a small fan pointing up at the top edge of the power supply. If you have a larger fan in the middle of the PS on your older pro power supply, it's not nearly as loud, and you'll need to source a different fan.
Before you start this POWER OFF the machine and UNPLUG IT from the back of the head.
Here's the original Stern Fan:
[quoted image]
Here's the newer, quieter fan:
[quoted image]
This is the Stern Power Supply with the noisy fan:
[quoted image]
Loosen (do not remove!) the two nuts on the left side of the power supply, then loosen the two on the right side of the power supply, then remove the three nuts in yellow below. Once you've done that the bottom cover will come forward and off:
[quoted image]
Once the lower cover is off, disconnect the two revealed connectors here:
[quoted image]
Remove the power supply by sliding it up and then pull it forward over the 4 loosened nuts. After removing the power supply, remove the two screws at the top end that hold the fan in:
[quoted image]
Remove the 6 screws around the edge of the top side of the power supply and remove the lid, revealing the inside. The connector you need to disconnect is here pointed out here:
[quoted image]
FAN KIT NOTE: To remove the existing fan, you need to free the wiring from the glob of white goo. If you don't have precision cutters for this task, you can get a pair for like $2 on Amazon with free shipping (or locally at Harbor Freight if you have one in your town):
amazon.com link »
Some of the fan wires are near the top of the white blob and can be pulled out gently. Others you need to cut free. If you need to cut, CUT CAREFULLY and shallow, a little at the time and test-pull after each snip or two. Don't go crazy here. And watch that white connector to the left of the blob. If you disturb that, your machine may not turn on.
DIY NOTE: If you don't want to splice this in, you can get the connector and contacts to crimp to make a factory-look with these Digikey parts:
Housing (455-2266-ND)
https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=455-2266-ND
Crimp on connectors (455-1135-1-ND) :
https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=455-1135-1-ND
(Note the connector is 100% right, but I haven't tried the crimp on connectors yet - I believe they're the right ones, but waiting until I've done one where I add the connector to a naked fan might be a good idea)
Slide out the old fan, splice the connector onto the new fan (keep the color orientation the same, use shrink tubing to cover each color and a slightly larger tubing to cover both those) and re-install. NOTE THAT YOU MUST INSTALL THE FAN WITH THE LABEL FACING THE OUTSIDE OF THE CASE (NOT THE CIRCUIT BOARD) so it will vent the power supply! You'll need two new Thread Cutting screws to attach the new fan since the holes are little larger. Sheet metal screws will do in a pinch, but try to get the thread creating ones. I used these ones from Ace Hardware:
[quoted image]
The new fan is so quiet you can't tell when it comes on, so to test my work, I leave the backglass off and put a torn off piece of paper towel over the fan vent on the top of the power supply so I can tell that the fan is coming on (when it blows the paper towel piece off) to make sure I did everything right before putting the backglass back on and calling the job done. Just play the game to put the power supply to work and look up every now and then to see if the paper towel has blown off. Sometimes it can take 20 minutes or even more (if the room is cool/cold) for the fan to kick on.
The amount of time before the power supply reaches the thermal threshold to turn on the fan (122 degrees) can vary WIDELY from machine to machine. Ghostbusters turns on very frequently. Games like KISS not as much. I haven't had a defective fan sent out yet, but it's why I recommend you ALWAYS do the paper towel test, even if it takes a long time before the fan comes on. That way you know everything's working as it should before you zip the machine back up.
If you want more concrete temperature data to make sure the machine is still being sufficiently cooled, you can get a Thomas Traceable 4240 Dual Temp probe thermometer. Put one probe inside the power supply and the other probe near the top of the head. It will measure and save the minimum and max temp recorded by each probe over a day or week or month or whatever time range you want. Super handy for making sure everything's working great now that the PS is essentially silent. You can pick them up used on Ebay for around $25 shipped. Highly recommended. They look like this:
[quoted image]
UPDATE 12/2019:
The dual probe 4240s have become pretty expensive on eBay now, with prices commonly in the $50 and up range. If you just want to monitor the temp inside the power supply (where it most matters) with memory, you can use the VWR 61161-324 single probe large display thermometer, which go for $12-25 currently.
All done with this project? Here's a couple other DIY guides I've made for newer Spike machines:
Are LED lights popping out of your spotlights (not just on Spike machines!)? Make sure they never fall out again:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fixing-led-bulbs-flashers-that-fall-out-of-spotlights#post-4402506
Have a Stern machine from KISS or after with the softer wood cabinet? Reinforce it to prevent a splitting cab:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/reinforcing-stern-cabinet-legs-step-by-step
Are your Iron Maiden speakers crackling when you crank it up? Fix that with a cheap external amp:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/replacing-on-board-amp-with-external-amp-for-iron-maiden
Is your Spike machine occasionally resetting during hectic play, torpedoing your high score runs? This guide to fixing it might be for you:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fixing-stern-reboots-on-spike
Do you have a WoZ ECLE and think it's too loud in a quiet room? Replace two fans and make it almost silent:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/quieting-down-a-woz-ecle-machine
And here are some other plug and play mods you can just buy:
Iron Maiden Light Tree Mod for colored mode lights:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/iron-maiden-colored-mode-lens-tree-mod
Metallica F-U-E-L lights bracket:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/metallica-f-u-e-l-gauge-lens-bracket
ColorDMD gasket for Stern machines with the angled speaker panel:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/colordmd-gasket-for-angled-stern-speaker-panels
Deadpool Katana entrance protection:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/protecting-katana-lane-entrance-from-playfield-damage
What a great topic. Not only you created a plug&play kit but you also provided all the info to create the kit ourselves. The kit is like 16 dollars and that's a fair price considering the fan is available for 5 to 6 dollars on the interweb.
For me I will create the kit myself as the shipping costs are way overshadowing the kit cost and I will end up paying around 70 euro's in total if I order the kit from the US.
So, many thanks for this post, it helps a lot and reflects how we should all deal with the hobby in general.
Put me down for a Spooky compatible fan when they are available! Great service to the community. Thanks
Tell you what,my RZ sounded like a jet taking off before Vireland came to the rescue!! I do hope the new R&M BS doese'nt have that same damm fan!!!
Quoted from HarrieD:What a great topic. Not only you created a plug&play kit but you also provided all the info to create the kit ourselves. The kit is like 16 dollars and that's a fair price considering the fan is available for 5 to 6 dollars on the interweb.
For me I will create the kit myself as the shipping costs are way overshadowing the kit cost and I will end up paying around 70 euro's in total if I order the kit from the US.
So, many thanks for this post, it helps a lot and reflects how we should all deal with the hobby in general.
It started off as a DIY project instruction set I made for others, but pretty quickly I realized that most people wanted the improvement, but not the DIY part - they just wanted to buy an already-made solution. So that's when I offered the plug n play solution with the correct-length wire and thread-cutting screws. But once I was doing that, I still left the DIY up in case anyone still wanted to do it themselves. But holy crap, 70 euros for a $16 item with shipping and VAT is crazy.
Wow this thing is a life saver! Or should i say ear saver lol. Those stock fans are so loud and annoying. Every time they come on my family always said prepare for take off lol. Got one each for SW and GoT from my local dist Marshall at LSOG. They make such a huge difference and easy peasy to install. I cant fathom why Stern would use those in an $8k machine. Thanks for the solution!
Quoted from Antron77:Wow this thing is a life saver! Or should i say ear saver lol. Those stock fans are so loud and annoying. Every time they come on my family always said prepare for take off lol. Got one each for SW and GoT from my local dist Marshall at LSOG. They make such a huge difference and easy peasy to install. I cant fathom why Stern would use those in an $8k machine. Thanks for the solution!
I do not get it, either. I talked to Meanwell, and they have said that for a customer the size of Stern they would put in a quieter fan if they asked for it. I sent samples to a dist to hand deliver to Stern. Nothing. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, this IS Stern, but yeah, that fan is OBNOXIOUS (although much less obnoxious than the ones Spooky/Multimorphic are using that don't have a thermal switch to turn it off until needed).
Quoted from PinMonk:It started off as a DIY project instruction set I made for others, but pretty quickly I realized that most people wanted the improvement, but not the DIY part - they just wanted to buy an already-made solution. So that's when I offered the plug n play solution with the correct-length wire and thread-cutting screws. But once I was doing that, I still left the DIY up in case anyone still wanted to do it themselves. But holy crap, 70 euros for a $16 item with shipping and VAT is crazy.
Yeah, ordering stuff from the US can be an expensive deal. I see that pinball universe sells items for pinball life and mezelmods. Maybe they're interested in your items as well?
Luckily Stern opened a EU "sattelite webshop" over here so Stern items are much cheaper nowadays thanks to lower shipping costs and no extra VAT and import taxes.
But thanks again. Especially those connectors were a pain to find.
Quoted from HarrieD:Yeah, ordering stuff from the US can be an expensive deal. I see that pinball universe sells items for pinball life and mezelmods. Maybe they're interested in your items as well?
Luckily Stern opened a EU "sattelite webshop" over here so Stern items are much cheaper nowadays thanks to lower shipping costs and no extra VAT and import taxes.
But thanks again. Especially those connectors were a pain to find.
Yeah, I sold a bunch of Shadow Plastic Supersets to Pinball Heaven way back when, so that could happen I guess. Maybe I'll wait until I have the Stern pro fans and Spooky power supply fans as well.
Quoted from PinMonk:I do not get it, either. I talked to Meanwell, and they have said that for a customer the size of Stern they would put in a quieter fan if they asked for it. I sent samples to a dist to hand deliver to Stern. Nothing. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, this IS Stern, but yeah, that fan is OBNOXIOUS (although much less obnoxious than the ones Spooky/Multimorphic are using that don't have a thermal switch to turn it off until needed).
The fan in my TNA is so loud it's obnoxious. I can't wait for your fan product!
Is Spooky using better fans in their newer games?
Quoted from Reznnate:The fan in my TNA is so loud it's obnoxious. I can't wait for your fan product!
Is Spooky using better fans in their newer games?
Hopefully someone with Rick and Morty and chime in, but as I understand it, the power supply is the same. NO IDEA why. The lack of a thermal switch and much lower throttle threshold (104 vs 122 degrees for Stern) seem like major negatives.
The Stern Pro one will be the same as the Spooky one. The only difference will be the length of the custom wire, so the fit is perfect.
Installed my new fan in a Ghostbusters Premium last weekend. Product and instructions were really great 
However, and this is by no means critique, i was actually a little disappointed when i heard the fan activate. I was under the impression that it would be virtually silent with the backglass on. But that is not the case. In a quiet room, you still hear it quite easily when it comes on. It's still a huge improvement though, and i would easily recommend others to do it. But i just read several posts saying that you could not hear it come on, and for me that was not the case. But the sound it makes is a LOT less intrusive than the stock cooler.
Again, i hope this is not seen as a negative comment, but more as a "expectations alignment" for others (don't know the right word for it in english).
All in all - Excellent product, and really glad i did the swap!
Quoted from Phantasize:Installed my new fan in a Ghostbusters Premium last weekend. Product and instructions were really great
However, and this is by no means critique, i was actually a little disappointed when i heard the fan activate. I was under the impression that it would be virtually silent with the backglass on. But that is not the case. In a quiet room, you still hear it quite easily when it comes on. It's still a huge improvement though, and i would easily recommend others to do it. But i just read several posts saying that you could not hear it come on, and for me that was not the case. But the sound it makes is a LOT less intrusive than the stock cooler.
Again, i hope this is not seen as a negative comment, but more as a "expectations alignment" for others (don't know the right word for it in english).
All in all - Excellent product, and really glad i did the swap!
Thanks for the feedback! It really depends on how much ambient sound there is in the room. Everyone's definition of "quiet room" is different. If you listen for it in a very quiet room, you CAN hear it come on, but it's super quiet compared to the whiny fan that comes stock from Stern, as you noted. There are some fans where it's possible to get quieter still, but I felt the tradeoff of CFM air flow wasn't worth it (performance/risk) to get that last bit of sound out.
Quoted from PinMonk:Hopefully someone with Rick and Morty and chime in, but as I understand it, the power supply is the same. NO IDEA why. The lack of a thermal switch and much lower throttle threshold (104 vs 122 degrees for Stern) seem like major negatives.
The Stern Pro one will be the same as the Spooky one. The only difference will be the length of the custom wire, so the fit is perfect.
There are power supplies that are totally silent?
With all the options these days, why don't Spooky offer an upgrade?
Would anybody NOT do it?!
Quoted from Phantasize:In a quiet room, you still hear it quite easily when it comes on.
Are you sure something isn't rubbing against the fan? I had to use a flap of paper to verify that mine was even running.
Quoted from herg:Are you sure something isn't rubbing against the fan? I had to use a flap of paper to verify that mine was even running.
Yep, quite sure. But perhaps i will have to remove the PSU again to check. But i was really careful checking for just that when i mounted it.
Like i said, it is a LOT better. But i can definitely still hear it. My wife also hears it even when standing 3-4 meters from the machine.
Quoted from PinMonk:There are some fans where it's possible to get quieter still, but I felt the tradeoff of CFM air flow wasn't worth it (performance/risk) to get that last bit of sound out.
I think you made the right decision. I would rather have a little extra air flow.
Personally, i would probably prefer a continuous sound, rather than one that comes and goes. It's often that "change" in the perceived noise / sound level in the room that gets my attention. One of the worst examples are the fans in PS4's, Xbox's and so on. The way they vary their speed depending on the load is like nails on a chalkboard to my ears!
But the kit here is a great plug'n'play solution, that everyone should consider. Much easier than fiddling around with 60 or 80mm fans via adapters, although i like the idea of them being always on.
Quoted from herg:Are you sure something isn't rubbing against the fan? I had to use a flap of paper to verify that mine was even running.
Both my machines that have it i cant hear at all. Even doing the paper towel test i was suprised the fan kicked on but no noise heard. I dont have the greatest hearing though.
Quoted from Shapeshifter:There are power supplies that are totally silent?
With all the options these days, why don't Spooky offer an upgrade?
Would anybody NOT do it?!
Yeah, there are some that are fanless. And there are fans that are more quiet, but the air flow goes down pretty substantially when you get into the very quiet ones. This 12dB one was the best compromise for the 500w Stern power supplies IMO. The Spooky/Multimorphic power supply IS more beefy, but it seems to be unnecessary beef where a lesser, quieter power supply would work. No idea why they went with it, especially since it has a MUCH crappier throttling profile and the always-on fan is like a jet engine.
Quoted from PinMonk:Yeah, there are some that are fanless. And there are fans that are more quiet, but the air flow goes down pretty substantially when you get into the very quiet ones. This 12dB one was the best compromise for the 500w Stern power supplies IMO. The Spooky/Multimorphic power supply IS more beefy, but it seems to be unnecessary beef where a lesser, quieter power supply would work. No idea why they went with it, especially since it has a MUCH crappier throttling profile and the always-on fan is like a jet engine.
I think that they went for a robust solid solution. These machines are meant to be working a full day on location. Location can become hot every once in a while so you can't have your PSU failing with cooling issues.
Quoted from HarrieD:I think that they went for a robust solid solution. These machines are meant to be working a full day on location. Location can become hot every once in a while so you can't have your PSU failing with cooling issues.
Yeah, but that's the PROBLEM. They chose a power supply that begins throttling power 18 degrees BEFORE the Stern one. Spooky/Multimorphic Meanwell power supplies start throttling at 104 degrees. Sterns Meanwell power supplies (both models) start throttling at 122 degrees. So it's the opposite of what you're saying. The Spooky/Multimorphic ones are actually a bit more fragile to heat than the Stern, even though it's much chunkier. I'm assuming it's because it outputs a little more power and seems to have surge protection built in, but it seems like a bad choice compared to Stern.
Well, I decided to create a kit for the EU market. Found all the components and I am testing the different setups at this moment. Kits will be around 17 euro ex shipping.
Will offer 2 versions, one with the 10 dB fan and one with the 20 dB fan. I am taking some measurement with an UV camera at this moment to see how much the stock fan will cool down the PSU is which time and compare that with the different new fan setups.
F4E53AA4-6A78-43D3-97E9-521DB2301A49 (resized).jpegThinking about the intermittent sound from a line of machines (specifically in a home use environment); perhaps a single remote power supply to feed a bank of machines would be an ultimate solution. A remote supply can live in a segregated space, leaving the living space as peaceful as possible (until game-time).
For me, the plug-n-play fan is an absolute, must-have for 3 machines. If the day comes that 5 are present; I anticipate seeking a method of single source power. Perhaps relocating the individual supply's at worst.
Installed the pinmonk plug and play in a deadpool pro. (Huge improvement, of course.) My question relates to the placement of the fan wire in the power supply. Is there anything that gets super hot that the wire should not be placed against? That silicone blob on the original wire got me thinking about this.
Quoted from Lrrr:Installed the pinmonk plug and play in a deadpool pro. (Huge improvement, of course.) My question relates to the placement of the fan wire in the power supply. Is there anything that gets super hot that the wire should not be placed against? That silicone blob on the original wire got me thinking about this.
On my 2nd 3rd machine I didnt even try to remove the glob, I cut the old wire and placed new wire over glob with a tiny bit of tape..no issues..
Quoted from Lrrr:Installed the pinmonk plug and play in a deadpool pro. (Huge improvement, of course.) My question relates to the placement of the fan wire in the power supply. Is there anything that gets super hot that the wire should not be placed against? That silicone blob on the original wire got me thinking about this.
The wire is heat rated for higher than the point the power supply protection circuit causes it to shut off, so I don't think that's a problem with anything in the path from the fan to the connector.
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Randers