(Topic ID: 215113)

Fixing/Replacing Stern Spike & Spooky noisy PS fans (plugnplay shipping now)

By PinMonk

5 years ago


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  • 640 posts
  • 129 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 49 days ago by PinMonk
  • Topic is favorited by 161 Pinsiders

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    Topic index (key posts)

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    Post #54 Alternate Noctua DIY external fan approach Posted by D-Gottlieb (5 years ago)

    Post #295 Alternate DIY non Noctua external fan solution Posted by John_I (4 years ago)


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    #43 5 years ago

    It’s hard to find a quiet 40mm fan. I gave up and went with this approach instead (not my idea, but it works well):

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/guardians-of-the-galaxy-owners-thread/page/40#post-4395474

    #45 5 years ago
    Quoted from PinMonk:

    That fan isn't 10db because the Stern power supply ONLY runs the fan at 12v speed (on/off, only), not lower 5v and 7.5v power to get them quieter.

    I use an external power supply, so the Stern PSU voltage is irrelevant.

    Quoted from PinMonk:

    I'm not sure which size you went with,

    It's the one I linked to, 70mm. It's small enough to not cast a shadow on the translite. No modification of the original PSU required.

    Quoted from PinMonk:

    ...but the two smallest ones are 16.9dB and 20dB respectively, so substantially worse noise than the one in the OP here.

    That's at 12V. I use the inline resistor provided with the fan to reduce the voltage to 7.5V,. and the noise is under 10dB. You can't even tell that it's on unless you put your head right next to the translite.

    Quoted from PinMonk:

    Plus, most people want a factory look and the larger fan isn't it, so it might be a negative when you sell.

    I can remove my magnet-mounted fan in 10 seconds once the backbox is open, so that's not a problem. I don't know why someone would prefer the noisy factory fan, but I'd be happy to keep mine for my next pin.

    I went through the same thought process you've started here when I got my GOTLE about 2 years ago. I ended up with the 70mm Acoustifan because I couldn't find a cheap, quiet 40mm fan that provides the same airflow as the original.

    By opening your PSU and changing the fan to one with lower airflow, you're much more likely to have your Stern warranty revoked. I like solutions that don't require touching any of the original boards or modules.

    #47 5 years ago
    Quoted from PinMonk:

    It seems like a waste to be pulling 115v only to convert it to 5v when the power supply already has 12v for the fan inside.

    Yeah, that's why I bought the one rated for 1A. I'm just very shy about touching Stern's stuff after their cabinet node board blew up on me when I tried to put a PWM board inline with my shaker motor (something that worked fine on SAM pins).

    #49 5 years ago

    One last thought on this topic. I am getting old, so a 4500 RPM fan hurts much more than a 2000 RPM fan running at the same noise rating. When someone puts their iPhone on speaker, I have to leave the room. It literally hurts.

    #51 5 years ago

    No hearing aid yet, thank goodness. Maybe those mid-upper frequencies hurt just before they go away for good.

    1 week later
    #59 5 years ago
    Quoted from tktlwyr:

    Hmmm...a $6 fan that does the job and looks factory or $27 in parts and a game that is bastardized?
    I went with the $6 fan.

    What part of his solution is “bastardized”? An easily reversible solution is always best IMO.

    #65 5 years ago
    Quoted from Black_Knight:

    Because it looks like crap.
    I appreciate the engineering and thought process but the real fix costs 25% of the jury rigged one and by the time you clean of the tape residue on the reversal the labor is a wash.
    Why would you ever need to reverse it if the proper solution is $6 and 5 extra minutes?
    Come on John, you would never do that to one of your machines. You would fix it right.

    Mark, I’ve done it to 3 of my games (AS, GOTLE and Guardians). If I hadn’t mentioned it, you never would have known. And a larger fan will always be quieter than a 40mm fan with the same CFM rating, that’s just physics.

    To be clear, my fix is a little different than Gottlieb’s. I don’t modify the original PS at all. I just mount a larger fan that’s continuously running above the PSU, which keeps it so cool that the factory fan never turns on. Installation takes about 10 minutes.

    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/guardians-of-the-galaxy-owners-thread/page/40#post-4395474

    Show me a 40mm fan with the same noise and CFM specs and I’ll gladly use it on my next game.

    #67 5 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    Show me a 40mm fan with the same noise and CFM specs and I’ll gladly use it on my next game.

    Actually, I take it back. For me, it’s worth an extra $20-30 to have a quieter solution that doesn’t require me to modify my PSU and risk voiding my warranty. It’s a Spike, the only time I’ll even see it is when I’m updating code. If I’m taking the translite off for anything else it’s going to be a big problem.

    #69 5 years ago

    I view this as similar to the situation with CPU batteries. You can install a supercap, replace the SRAM with an nvRAM, or move the batteries offboard. There's no one right answer, and each one is better than doing nothing.

    2 weeks later
    #97 5 years ago

    Why is a little (or even a lot) of dust in the power supply a bad thing? There are no moving parts other than the fan itself.

    #99 5 years ago
    Quoted from PinMonk:

    Permanently defacing a machine with a modification that cuts metal (not a small piece, either) is a no-no.

    Great way to weed out annoying buyers. Anyone who thinks a mod that can’t even be seen is “defacing” the game is someone I’d rather not deal with.

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