Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:I guess COVID-19 is slowing down the development of the spooky version of this, but any idea when that might be available? I'd love to quiet down my AMH...
It has slowed things down, but I'm hoping to have them shipping in a couple weeks.
Quoted from PinMonk:It has slowed things down, but I'm hoping to have them shipping in a couple weeks.
Is there a way to preorder, or will you announce here when they are available?
I'll have enough to satisfy demand and it's a pretty low-dollar item, so I'll just put them in the pinmonk store when they're available. Pinball Life has also expressed interest in carrying them (they carry the one I do for the Stern 500 watt fan already) as well.
I can’t recommend this product enough . It turns your modern pin back into the way they were . No crazy noise and hum . I buy these for every stern I get and it’s the first mod I buy . Not to mention super easy to install . If you can use a screwdriver you can do this mod .
Quoted from Phatchit:I can’t recommend this product enough . It turns your modern pin back into the way they were . No crazy noise and hum . I buy these for every stern I get and it’s the first mod I buy . Not to mention super easy to install . If you can use a screwdriver you can do this mod .
Thanks for the recommendation!
Quoted from PeterG:any resellers carry these in Europe. Ordering in the US always kills me with P&P and customs here.
Not right now, but I've had some requests so I probably will see if any are interested before long. Once I have all three kinds of fans available, probably.
With Brexit, is someplace in the UK like Pinball Heaven ok, or are some other distributors better for European pinball parts now?
Just a post from another happy customer. Item shipped and arrived quickly, and was cake to install on my JP2 Pro. Thank you Vireland! I play my pins with the volume quite low, so the difference with this installed is just night and day.
I honestly think it's pretty ridiculous that Stern thinks the stock fans are ok; in any home environment they are shockingly loud. I thought something was wrong with my machine the first time the stock fan kicked on because it was so loud. Or to put it another way, I'd classify this upgrade as essentially a requirement for anyone buying a Stern pin for home use.
One tip to share, the white glue holding the fan wire in place was very difficult to remove on my power supply, and as I was working with it one of the capacitors near where the glue ran proved to be frighteningly easy to move. It was pretty clear to me that if I bumped the cap more than a few times while trying to remove the glue that one of the caps legs could easily snap off.
While I was worrying about this, I noticed that the wire itself from the old fan could easily slide back and forth under the glue. So I went ahead and just cut the wire off the old fan on one side so I could simply pull the wire out from both sides. Then the new fan cable I just ran over and I didn't have to worry anymore about trying to cutting or scrape the glue off. Perhaps not a recommended way to do this install, but if you end up where I was it's definitely worth considering.
Quoted from modsbox:Just a post from another happy customer. Item shipped and arrived quickly, and was cake to install on my JP2 Pro. Thank you Vireland! I play my pins with the volume quite low, so the difference with this installed is just night and day.
I honestly think it's pretty ridiculous that Stern thinks the stock fans are ok; in any home environment they are shockingly loud. I thought something was wrong with my machine the first time the stock fan kicked on because it was so loud. Or to put it another way, I'd classify this upgrade as essentially a requirement for anyone buying a Stern pin for home use.
One tip to share, the white glue holding the fan wire in place was very difficult to remove on my power supply, and as I was working with it one of the capacitors near where the glue ran proved to be frighteningly easy to move. It was pretty clear to me that if I bumped the cap more than a few times while trying to remove the glue that one of the caps legs could easily snap off.
While I was worrying about this, I noticed that the wire itself from the old fan could easily slide back and forth under the glue. So I went ahead and just cut the wire off the old fan on one side so I could simply pull the wire out from both sides. Then the new fan cable I just ran over and I didn't have to worry anymore about trying to cutting or scrape the glue off. Perhaps not a recommended way to do this install, but if you end up where I was it's definitely worth considering.
Thanks for the testimonial!
Yes, you can cut the factory fan wire and slide it out through the goo once the end connector's off, but I try to make everything I offer fully reversible, which is why the instructions don't offer that method.
I always say that the day Stern takes one of my fan kits to Meanwell and asks them to install that specific fan in all the OEM power supplies they supply Stern, I'll be a happy camper. Yes, I'll be done selling fans if Sterns ship with them from the factory, but having a quieter fan in the Spike machines from the factory is the way they should be. I asked Meanwell engineering in an email and they said Stern has only to ask. But they haven't. Of course.
Quoted from PinMonk:With Brexit, is someplace in the UK like Pinball Heaven ok, or are some other distributors better for European pinball parts now?
When UK leaves the European Union, the problem with taxes and customs will be the exact same as when ordering from USA. So preferably a dealer in the EU. I would suggest something like ministryofpinball.com located in the Nederlands. They seem to have a really good reputation. Also free-play.se in Sweden seems like a good place. Other than that there is also a couple of German places that could be of interest.
Quoted from Phantasize:When UK leaves the European Union, the problem with taxes and customs will be the exact same as when ordering from USA. So preferably a dealer in the EU. I would suggest something like ministryofpinball.com located in the Nederlands. They seem to have a really good reputation. Also free-play.se in Sweden seems like a good place. Other than that there is also a couple of German places that could be of interest.
Ok, I'll shoot Ministry of Pinball an email and see what their level of interest is.
Big internet resellers in EU which I have great experience with are:
Pinballshop.nl
Pinballcenter.eu (germany)
PU-Parts.com (germany)
thePinwitch.com (germany)
All have fast delivery, reasonable shipping fees.
freeplay-se I know but never ordered there.
part4pinball.com is in Norway, also a good seller but outside EU Trade agreement, so again taxes etc.
Previously, Stern placed the serial number sticker somewhat centered on the power supply.
For March 2020; The sticker was folded over the box-seam right next to the fan. You have to cut the sticker to swap the fan.
Quoted from RockfordReplay:Previously, Stern placed the serial number sticker somewhat centered on the power supply.
For March 2020; The sticker was folded over the box-seam right next to the fan. You have to cut the sticker to swap the fan.
Heat or freeze - one of those will work to remove it without damage. Thanks for reporting this change, though.
Edit:I haven't seen how they placed it, but you might just be able to remove all the screws and just pivot the lid on the edge with the serial number sticker to preserve it without taking the lid completely off, preserving the sticker as-is.
Quoted from RockfordReplay:Previously, Stern placed the serial number sticker somewhat centered on the power supply.
For March 2020; The sticker was folded over the box-seam right next to the fan. You have to cut the sticker to swap the fan.
Quoted from PinMonk:Heat or freeze - one of those will work to remove it without damage. Thanks for reporting this change, though.
This may be a silver lining: Stern is aware of customers upgrading their fans, so maybe they may yet upgrade the power supply after all.....
How difficult would it be to just swap out the power supply, so that you could do the fan mod on the replacement? Doesn't get much more reversible than leaving the factory unit unopened.
Looks like the Meanwell RSP-500-48 can be ordered for around $90, so while this would significantly increase the cost of the mod it still wouldn't exactly be "expensive" in relative pinball terms. 
Quoted from EternitytoM83:How difficult would it be to just swap out the power supply, so that you could do the fan mod on the replacement? Doesn't get much more reversible than leaving the factory unit unopened.
Looks like the Meanwell RSP-500-48 can be ordered for around $90, so while this would significantly increase the cost of the mod it still wouldn't exactly be "expensive" in relative pinball terms.
It'd be dead simple if you wanted to go that route since the first part of the instructions, you remove the power supply. You'd just have to transfer over the wiring. Kind of a long way to go to preserve a warranty Stern's not going to bother you about unless you blow the whole machine up somehow, but do-able.
Quoted from AUKraut:This may be a silver lining: Stern is aware of customers upgrading their fans, so maybe they may yet upgrade the power supply after all.....
We can dream...
Quoted from RockfordReplay:Here's an image from another Pinsider. Our sticker locations are identical; juuuuust covering the screw.
I considered pulling the sticker back or folding the panel. It started to feel disingenuous, like I'm hiding the truth. I simply slit the tag.[quoted image]
Yeah, it'd be tough with the way it's covering the sticker. But hey, by using an x-acto to slice it on the seam at least you're not voiding the warranty - it says "void if REMOVED." You're not removing it. 
Thanks for posting the pic. At least this shows that Stern is AWARE that their fans suck so bad that people are replacing them to get some peace and quiet. Next step? Hopefully they do what I've been begging them to for like 2 years - have meanwell ship the power supplies with the Sunon quiet fan I sell. Their engineering said they'd do it if asked.
Okay, I'm close to releasing the Spike 300W (mostly for Pros) fan kit and the Spooky/Multimorphic kit. Fans are here. I'm just testing installs with beta users using the preliminary instructions to make sure everything's clear.
I have Spooky covered, but I need a few more Spike Pro users with the 300W power supply (the one with the large fan grill on the front of the power supply). If you'd like to be a tester for the install instructions, I'll send you a fan kit. All I need for you to do is install it within a day or two of receiving it and point out any issues you find with the instructions so I can make sure they're bulletproof before shipping kits out to the general public. You'll get to keep the fan for your trouble. PM me if you're willing and interested.
MARCO SPECIALTIES IS SELLING A "QUIET FAN UPDATE" that is NOT a pinmonk Quiet Fan kit, and does not have a custom wire length specifically for the Spike power supplies, no connector (naked wire), no thread cutting screws, and no instructions. Basically, it's the DIY fan I linked to in the first post of this thread - for $25. I offered them the pinmonk kits, but they wanted a larger-than-average cut to bring them in and are just selling the naked DIY fan for about 3-4x what it costs from Digikey or mouser. Buyer beware.
Quoted from PinMonk:Okay, I'm close to releasing the Spike 300W (mostly for Pros) fan kit and the Spooky/Multimorphic kit. Fans are here. I'm just testing installs with beta users using the preliminary instructions to make sure everything's clear.
I have Spooky covered, but I need a few more Spike Pro users with the 300W power supply (the one with the large fan grill on the front of the power supply). If you'd like to be a tester for the install instructions, I'll send you a fan kit. All I need for you to do is install it within a day or two of receiving it and point out any issues you find with the instructions so I can make sure they're bulletproof before shipping kits out to the general public. You'll get to keep the fan for your trouble. PM me if you're willing and interested.
Not to be dumb, but does Aerosmith fall into the 300W category? I'd be willing if applicable.
Quoted from epeabs:Not to be dumb, but does Aerosmith fall into the 300W category? I'd be willing if applicable.
Its usually the Pros that have the 300W power supplies, but not ALL the pros do. You have to look. Here's a picture of both power supply types. The 300W one is listed as "INCOMPATIBLE" (because this picture is for the current plug n play kit that's for Prem/LEs with the 500W power supply.
So if you look in your backbox and have the one that looks like the "incompatible" one in the picture, you're my kind of volunteer.
SpikePowerSupplyComparison (resized).jpgQuoted from PinMonk:Its usually the Pros that have the 300W power supplies, but not ALL the pros do. You have to look. Here's a picture of both power supply types. The 300W one is listed as "INCOMPATIBLE" (because this picture is for the current plug n play kit that's for Prem/LEs with the 500W power supply.
So if you look in your backbox and have the one that looks like the "incompatible" one in the picture, you're my kind of volunteer. [quoted image]
I will let you know when home from work today. Thank you. Erik
Quoted from PinMonk:Its usually the Pros that have the 300W power supplies, but not ALL the pros do. You have to look. Here's a picture of both power supply types. The 300W one is listed as "INCOMPATIBLE" (because this picture is for the current plug n play kit that's for Prem/LEs with the 500W power supply.
So if you look in your backbox and have the one that looks like the "incompatible" one in the picture, you're my kind of volunteer. [quoted image]
I just checked my Pro. I have the 500W PS. Sorry, I wouldn't be a good tester for you. Thank you.
Quoted from epeabs:I just checked my Pro. I have the 500W PS. Sorry, I wouldn't be a good tester for you. Thank you.
Thanks for checking. The search continues...
I have a Star Wars premium and a Ghostbusters LE that i'm looking to change out the fans if theese are compatible.
Quoted from BentleyBear:I have a Star Wars premium and a Ghostbusters LE that i'm looking to change out the fans if theese are compatible.
You need to look to see what you actually have, but I'm 99% sure you have the 500w one in both of those (just take off the backglass and make sure your power supply looks like the "works great" in the picture below). The 500w one is already available in the pinmonk store here on pinside and at pinmonk.com (if you're international).
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1170-pin-monk/02140-spike-quiet-fan-plug-n-play-kit
SpikePowerSupplyComparison (resized).jpg
Quoted from PinMonk:You need to look to see what you actually have, but I'm 99% sure you have the 500w one in both of those (just take off the backglass and make sure your power supply looks like the "works great" in the picture below). The 500w one is already available in the pinmonk store here on pinside and at pinmonk.com (if you're international).
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1170-pin-monk/02140-spike-quiet-fan-plug-n-play-kit
[quoted image]
Looks like i'm good to go
Just added a compatibility chart for the SFAN-001 quiet fan kit. The SFAN-002 is the Pro version that works on the machines with red Xs. All of these are verified except all the contract, home, and boutique pins at the bottom, that I'm still working through.
Huge thanks to Roman at Video Amusements for sending actual pictures on a bunch of Pros to help me verify a bunch of these and finish the matrix for "regular" Stern pins. Also, thanks to jfesler, sagejr, Pinstym, Ockeyhead, FlawlessJS, Pinballmike217, and BlackWaterOp for helping fill in most of the other blanks with pics of their machine backboxes for the batabase.
Fan-compatability-matrix_2020-05-08 (resized).pngQuoted from PinMonk:Spooky/Multimorphic quiet fan kit (SF-003) is in the pinmonk store as of today! (Spike Pro 300W is almost out of beta for the instructions testing to make sure they're bulletproof)[quoted image]
Ordered, thank you for making these!
Quoted from Kkuoppamaki:Ordered, thank you for making these!
Thanks for the support. It's been a long road for these Spooky/Multimorphic ones, and I learned a lot about their power supplies I never wanted to know. One of these days I'll ask Meanwell engineering why the SE-600-48 throttles so much sooner than the Spike 500W and doesn't have a temperature controlled fan.
But, for now, happy these are FINALLY available!
Quoted from PinMonk:Spooky/Multimorphic quiet fan kit (SF-003) is in the pinmonk store as of today! (Spike Pro 300W is almost out of beta for the instructions testing to make sure they're bulletproof)[quoted image]
Finally! I will be able to leave my ACNC on and still hear the television over the fan noise. Thanks, ordered!
I’ve got a Beatles coming this week. Can’t wait to pick up a quiet fan kit when they are available for this title. The quiet fan works extremely well on my GB.
Quoted from gac:Got one for when R&M arrives down the road.
I thought about that when placing my order, but decided to wait. A lot can change between now and game #544. They may decide to do something about the fan noise on their own between now and then (doubt it), so figure I will take my chances that these are still available when my game comes. More than likely, it is a safe bet to buy now. They haven't changed the fan through the entire TNA and ACNC runs, no reason to think they will now.
Quoted from Spelunk71:I’ve got a Beatles coming this week. Can’t wait to pick up a quiet fan kit when they are available for this title. The quiet fan works extremely well on my GB.
The existing quiet fan kit (SFAN-001) works with The Beatles. I double checked the pictures I have and Beatles was a mistake with the red X. I'll fix the chart.
Quoted from Calfdemon:I thought about that when placing my order, but decided to wait. A lot can change between now and game #544. They may decide to do something about the fan noise on their own between now and then (doubt it), so figure I will take my chances that these are still available when my game comes. More than likely, it is a safe bet to buy now. They haven't changed the fan through the entire TNA and ACNC runs, no reason to think they will now.
I kind of doubt these will be changed out but if they are, I'll just resell it. I'm sure someone with a TNA or ACNC will be looking for one.
Quoted from gac:I kind of doubt these will be changed out but if they are, I'll just resell it. I'm sure someone with a TNA or ACNC will be looking for one.
Now that I have these set up with the factory with SE-600-48 wire length and connector specs, I don't intend to stop selling them, so they will be available whenever the latest Spooky shows up at your house. Nothing to worry about.
Quoted from PinMonk:Now that I have these set up with the factory with SE-600-48 wire length and connector specs, I don't intend to stop selling them, so they will be available whenever the latest Spooky shows up at your house. Nothing to worry about.
Already ordered one last night! No worries.
Quoted from gac:Already ordered one last night! No worries.
We'll, worst case, this DOES work in the 300W Stern power supplies, it's just that the wire will be way too long.
Quoted from PinMonk:We'll, worst case, this DOES work in the 300W Stern power supplies, it's just that the wire will be way too long.
I ordered for R&M.
Quoted from PinMonk:The existing quiet fan kit (SFAN-001) works with The Beatles. I double checked the pictures I have and Beatles was a mistake with the red X. I'll fix the chart.
Great. Thanks for checking and making the correction. I’ll place my order.
Any advice on removing the nuts holding in the power supply on my Star Wars LE? They seem to have locktite or something keeping them in place. I haven't had luck removing them yet. Thanks!
Quoted from MacJedi:Any advice on removing the nuts holding in the power supply on my Star Wars LE? They seem to have locktite or something keeping them in place. I haven't had luck removing them yet. Thanks!
Are you using a socket? Turning counter-clockwise? They're locking nuts, but they don't have loctite on them. I just did a Star Wars Prem about 4 months ago and they came off fine with just a socket and extension.
Quoted from MacJedi:Any advice on removing the nuts holding in the power supply on my Star Wars LE? They seem to have locktite or something keeping them in place. I haven't had luck removing them yet. Thanks!
Nut driver is the easiest way I have found. You should just have to loosen the nuts holding the power supply and remove the nuts on the shroud.
BTW love this fan upgrade. I have put it on a few games now. My JP is sitting behind me running nice and quiet right now.
All the domestic orders for the new Spooky fan kit are sent as of today. A lot more than I was expecting...must have been pent-up demand. I was thinking the Spike Pro kit would be the one selling more than the Spooky/Multimorphic, but with the way the Spooky one started, I'm wondering if I got that backwards. We'll see next week when the Spike Pro kit starts shipping.
I'll have the international orders for it out by Friday. It's a little slower as I'm trying to limit post office trips to 2x a week.
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