Anyone done a Brocade 6610 fan mod?

[iamwardicus]

Update 1:
Acrylic is cut and mounted (2nd time was a charm. 1st was a learning experience). Next is an amazon cart that I need to get ordered come next payday.
Going to go with the following items:
1x Noctua 200mm fan (800 rpm) (To be centered at the front of the unit)
1x Noctua 120mm fan (1200 rpm) (To be over the 40G card)
2x Noctua 80mm fans (1200 rpm) (To be over the RAM/CPU and one over the heatsink at the Ethernet ports / front of power supply)
Appropriate fan grills for the above.
80mm anti-vibration gaskets (the noctua 80mm don't seem to have the pad indents.)
Fan extension cables
Motherboard Standoff and screw kit (I'll be cutting the screw portion off and just glue down the standoff - I will not be drilling holes into the switch case)
Heat Shrink tubing
A kit of dupont wire (male to female, male to male, female to female) Breadboard jumper cables.
Soldering iron kit.
NOYITO NE555 Signal Generator Module

I'll be sacrificing 1 fan tray and 1 power supply for mods. The other 1 & 1 will be stored in a closet as backups or to reverse the mod if I can come across a 7250 for a sub $200 price (strictly for the idle power savings)
I'll be replacing the 40mm fan in a power supply with a 5k rpm one just to ensure I do have airflow through the power supply. It will be setup as an exhaust fan. I will Not be cutting the power supply case. I intend to only mod for RPM so the switch boots.
In the longer term I think I'll try to cut my scrap piece of acrylic to act as blank plates on the rear for the empty space of the non-used power supply & fan.

 

[tdk]

First, thank you to the members of STH. For me, this journey into reusing, modding the ICX switch is a great learning experience.
The camaraderie and goodwill exhibited here is a refreshing respite from other toxic parts of the "internet."

I would like to share my experience with the fan swap.
I tried several different combinations of fan swap.
Base line is 140mm fans x 3. 1 PSU. Running on ICX-6610-48P. No poe load. 27 ports used. 3 DACs. The acrylic sheet I had at home wasn't big enough... but it'll do.

1. Base line + 2 fan trays + PSU (Rev B) fan. Too noisy for me.
2. Base line + PSU fan. Still too noisy.
3. Base line + NO OEM Fans (NO PSU fan either. Switched to Rev A since I will likely be sacrificing the cover.) (PSU cover on.) Looking at the inside of the PSU. I wasn't comfortable with the amount of air flow exhausting from the back of the PSU without the OEM Delta fan.
4. Base line + Noctua NF-A4x20 in PSU. Might as well not have a fan. I wasn't sure if the Noctua might be interfering with the air flow instead of helping . A definite no go.
5. Base line + PSU top cover cutout . This is what I finally ended up with. Works great.

The temperature with the switch running for 3 weeks in its final configuration.

ambient​ psu exhaust​ mac1​ mac2​ cpu​ sensor a​ sensor b​ sensor c​ stacking card​

28.1 32.9 35.5 43.0 39.0 36.0 30.0 30.0 37.0

I did not sacrifice any fan trays. Thanks to @creidhne for the Molex parts number. In my final configuration, I just tapped the power off the PSU Fan header. I could always plug in one fan tray for more cooling but that does not seem necessary given the temperature reading above. No More Hot Swap PSU though...

The one thing I could not find in the threads (Yes, I even went through 380+ pages ) was the size of the screw to secure the lid to the
chassis. They are M2.5 screws.

I bought: these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VG889RW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


Final Configuration. (Well... nothing is final... ) I will need to get some perforated sheet metal to cover the top...

Other challenges that has nothing to do with the modding was the depth of the switch. The CAT5E cables were all terminated to the
top of an 8 foot closet shelving that is only 14in deep. I had to get the RackSolutions 3U 2Post Conversion Kit Server Rack Depth Extender to mount the ICX 6610. The cantilevered 6610 actually works out well because there's no air obstruction.

 

[iamwardicus]

Annnnd I was working on my piece getting a starter hole for a fan done and shattered the acrylic So I'll have to get more and redo everything. fml. I do have a signal generator and 5 way fan power splitter soldered & heatshrinked up using a fan tray so positive progress there. Once I get a longer phillips bit I'll work on modding my power supply for the 5k rpm noctua fan / tach mod. I have to remove the power supply board entirely to get to the bottom screws on the fan to replace it. My stubby screwdriver won't quite fit for one of the screws.

 

[iamwardicus]

I have the switch up and running with the modified fan tray. For some reason I cannot get the switch to boot unless I have the generator set on pin J2 with both screws fully clockwise and the switch reads about 1350rpm give or take. Any other setting and the switch (via console) says that the Fan Tray is not present or if it finds a fan tray it says the power supply doesn't work and it goes into a reboot loop. Regardless of wanting it to read a "proper" 20k rpm for the fans at the very least it now boots up and seems usable.
The 5 way fan splitter works a treat so I'm very pleased there.

My replacement piece of acrylic from Lowes is much thinner than the stuff I got from amazon. I'm in the process of getting it cut to shape and getting the chassis lid screws lined up for it. Once I get that done I'll do another attempt at getting the fan screws / fan holes cut in and then I'll hope it's rigid enough to support the weight of the 4 fans.

 

[dreamkass]

I've opened the top cover and installed this on top of it, works pretty well.
AC Inifinity Cloudplate T2 - 1U

Current Rack temperature is around 33-35 deg-C

The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 (AC - PoE) present, status ok
Model Number: 23-0000142-02
Serial Number: NCG
Firmware Ver: A
Power supply 1 Fan Air Flow Direction: Front to Back
Power supply 2 (AC - PoE) present, status ok
Model Number: 23-0000142-02
Serial Number: J8P
Firmware Ver: A
Power supply 2 Fan Air Flow Direction: Front to Back

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2

Fan controlled temperature: 50.0 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
Speed 1: NM<----->76 deg-C
Speed 2: 71<-----> 80 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction: Front to Back
Fan 2 Air Flow Direction: Front to Back
MAC 1 Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 39.0 deg-C
MAC 2 Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 44.0 deg-C
CPU Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 49.5 deg-C
sensor A Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 43.5 deg-C
sensor B Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 39.5 deg-C
sensor C Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 34.5 deg-C
stacking card Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 42.0 deg-C
Warning level.......: 77.0 deg-C
Shutdown level......: 80.0 deg-C

 

[iamwardicus]

So I had it done and on the way to install it on the switch I bumped into a doorway to not step on my doggo. FML.

 

[iamwardicus]

OK - Seems like I'm now good to go. A few things I learned while doing this:
I recommend using Polycarbonate and not Acrylic. Easier material to work with in my opinion. Worth the investment.
The screw size for the lid is #4 machine screw. I used 1/4" so I didn't have to worry about countersinking the factory screws.
A nice guide to use if your sheet of material doesn't have a clear liner (my polycarbonate did not) - use fan grills to mark out your drill points for the mounting screws and also the cutout for the fan.

Materials:
Bit sizes I utilized are: cover screws that hold it to the case: 1/8". Fan mount screw holes: 3/16" Dremel cutting bit 561 and the router attachment so I kept myself as level as possible.
Fans: Noctua A4x20 FLX for power supply, NFR8 1200rpm x2, NF-S12 1200rpm, NF-A20. Fan grilles of choice from amazon.
Soldering Iron Kit was 18 bucks from amazon. Used for wiring harness I made from the sacrificed fan tray.
Heat Shrink Tubing was used around the soldered bits and also to connect the dupont wires I used as I did use a few Male to Female connections so I didn't have to solder.
I wired in a ThreeBulls PWM fan hub. 12V and Ground wires only were wired into the harness. gives me 5x fan attachment points. Using 4 of them. I figured it would have a bunch of wiring hassle and I was right.

NE555 Signal Generator was used. I can't find my multimeter but the setting I have it on works - the switch says that the power supply has failed, but it still works so I'm not gonna sweat it.

It's now *much* quieter. Quieter than the PC it'll be next to in the living room for sure. I probably didn't have to use 4 total fans but I figure go big or go home. I'll be attempting to make some back plates so I can direct more airflow through the power supply since I did significantly reduce the airflow that used to go through it by replacing the stock 20k rpm with the 5k rpm fan. I just need to figure out the screw size that the power supply and fan tray use. All in all this was a fun mod, I relearned how to do some basic soldering (haven't done it since learning plumbing soldering with my uncle when I was much younger - like 30 years ago).

Here is the Chassis info from the CLI:

The stack unit 1 chassis info:

Power supply 1 not present
Power supply 2 present, status failed
Power supply 2 Fan Air Flow Direction: Back to Front

Fan 1 ok, speed (auto): [[1]]<->2
Fan 2 not present

Fan controlled temperature: 33.5 deg-C

Fan speed switching temperature thresholds:
Speed 1: NM<----->72 deg-C
Speed 2: 67<-----> 75 deg-C (shutdown)

Fan 1 Air Flow Direction: Back to Front
MAC 1 Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 24.5 deg-C
CPU Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 27.5 deg-C
sensor A Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 19.5 deg-C
sensor B Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 25.0 deg-C
sensor C Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 18.0 deg-C
sensor D Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 17.0 deg-C
stacking card Temperature Readings:
Current temperature : 33.5 deg-C
Warning level.......: 70.0 deg-C
Shutdown level......: 75.0 deg-C

 

[jkieffer72]

I made the mods to my 24 port non-POE 6610 today.

I sacrificed one of my two fan modules, removed the fans and wired a Arduino Mini in place using the code found earlier in this thread. Modified one of the two power supplies, removed the fan altogether from it and added a wire to connect the blue wire to the Arduino. I used two Noctua fans I had laying around. A 120mm and a 200mm. The 120 is over the stacking card, the 200mm is centered over the front. Both are blowing air into the case. I also had a piece of plastic (acrylic?) sheet about a 1/4 thick I fashioned into a new cover. I misaligned the screw holes, (front in back, back in front), but the 4 corners lined up, so calling it close enough...

Only brief testing so far, but the stacking card peeked at 33 deg c... seems to be working ok so far....

Now to put it in place of my current switch and actually put traffic thru it and see how it does.

I left the 2nd Power supply and fan module, unmodified, in the case to fill the holes. Fan is not pushed in all the way, power supply is not plugged in....

Depending upon results under load I might play around a bit more with optimizing airflow. But honestly I really hope I am finished with the modifications....

 

[cc0919]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I've been going through this to modify my own 6610 I picked up for a couple dollars but couldn't stand the noise of. It's working great! Still need to run a longer test to make sure, but temps seem good.

One question I've got - I see in some of the screenshots show chassis "power supply x present, status failed". Mine is saying the same, but (seemingly) like many others, it still boots..but it's bothering me. Seems like those who went the Arduino route are the ones who aren't having this issue, I'm using a signal gen board. I guess my question for the Arduino folks - how are you preventing the status from going into failure? I've just got a bunch of splitters to various fans running at full speed, and the only wiring coming from the PSU is the wire to the dummy signal. Is there another pin somewhere in the PSU fan header we have to worry about/that you're doing something with? Or maybe the fan tray and PSU trays have different PWM frequencies that they consider "failed", though it seems weird PSU would detect failure and still run as expected (without second PSU)

Also, appreciate all you guys taking the time to post your thoughts and process here, it was incredibly helpful

 

[cc0919]

Just wanted to quickly reply to my comment above in case anyone else has a similar issue - it does seem to be that there is a different tolerance between the PWM frequency the fan tray accepts and the PSU fan. I didn't have my regular multimeter because I'm moving, but I blindly played with the duty cycle and frequency a bit, seems like it is working correctly

EDIT: one last thing - things were stable for a while, then PSU would randomly show as failure..ended up just using an old Arduino out of frustration, which is working consistently. I wouldn't even bother using those cheap-o signal generators, they don't have enough consistency for long term use

 

[MrGuvernment]

Love this thread, as a new owner of a 6610, while it is in a maintenance room in my basement, I can hear it while in another room in the basement, so will be looking to do the top cover mod with some fans. Will post once I get around to it. I may though just go the route of an external fan power supply via a USB power adapter or something else I read , someone here did also.

 

[rootpeer]

I am interested in this mod to cut down on the power consumption.

Does anyone have any before-after power measurements?

 

[CIR-Engineering]

I just did this mod set on my 7450-32ZP thanks in part to this thread.

Here is my setup:

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/new-icx7450-or-6610-fan-mod-setup-metal-case-lid.44604/

 

[anomaly]

Checking in for a 7250-48P a friend just got (I might follow).

The FRU fan requirement is minimum 1 must report OK. Swapping three fans for Sunon MagLevs yields a boot loop as the requirement is not met. I think this needs either a software mod (to change / lower the speed thresholds checked by the OS) or a fake RPM signal so they are always reported at a surplus/higher speed than real.

 

[rootpeer]

Maybe a 3d printed funnel-shaped bracket/shroud to convert the 40mm PSU fan to a 120 fan hanging off the back would be a good idea? It would not require modding of the PSU cover.

Edit: looks like someone has had the same idea for the chassis fan for the ICX6450: 120mm Fan Adapter for Brocade ICX6450 by smbaker

 

[Rootless]

@rootpeer, did you try the 120mm fan adapter? Just curious if it did anything for your switch.

 

[rootpeer]

@rootpeer, did you try the 120mm fan adapter? Just curious if it did anything for your switch.

I didn't have time to mess with the switch at all unfortunately.

 

[mantrain]

After a LAN party where this switch was nice but way to noisy I found this thread. As luck have it, I already had an arduino laying around, and a bunch of leftover watercooling parts, so i made this monstrosity.

Thanks to everyone!

The acrylic lid did not turn out to great. I have never worked with it before. I broke the first attempt, semi broke the second and didnt feeling like buying a third.