Quanta LB6M fan/silence modifications: Complete with pictures friends!
So... I just wanted to post my modding idea for a quieter switch. Well, actually, the switch is now completely silent. Well, I kinda am trading off noise for heat, but the switch can take it. It is an industrial/enterprise piece of equipment, and I'm sure (well, somewhat, just kidding, i'm sure) that it can handle some more heat. The cool thing about this mod is that you can reverse it easily if you don't like it. Now onwards to the fan/silence mod:
Take a look at this shiny beauty. I love this thing!:
So go ahead and purchase three (3) of these bad boys: Amazon.com: Scythe Mini KAZE ULTRA 40mm Silent Mini Fan (SY124020L): Computers & Accessories
For the power supply noise-makers, purchase two (2) of these types: Amazon.com: Scythe Mini KAZE 40mm Silent Case Fan (SY124010L): Computers & Accessories
Note: I only modded one of my power supplies on the switch, as I will just keep the other one off as a spare. I can always mod it later.
Unscrew those 5 screws on the top of the switch to access its guts:
Once you open up the switch, remove the black plastic card shroud covering the cpu and you will see the back where the three 9500rpm jet engines are located:
If you notice, the fan interfaces are 4 pin pwm! YAY! Easy to exchange!:
Note: The scythe kaze 40mm fans come with a 2 to 3 pin adapter. The fans are silent enough so no real need for pwm control:
(Note: This is the 10mm version for the power supply. I used the 20mm version for the back panel fans.)
The fans will spin at 3500rpm which is so sweetly silent! Take that you decibel-making bastards!
There you has it!
Here's another set of views:
The psu/power supply mod is a little trickier, but still easy:
You gotta unscrew all the screws around the supply to take off the top panel and get to the 15mm fans on the inside. They too, are rated for 9,500-10,000 rpms. Way too loud!:
I will post pics of how i replaced the psu fans a little later. It is really easy though. Everything unscrews and the fans just plug in place. The power supply has two 3 pin fan headers. An important thing to know though, is that the first pin closest to the outside or edge is tach, or yellow. the middle pin is black or ground and the innermost pin is 12 volts or red. This is slightly different from how fans are wired as the pins are usually switched around. The good news is however, the scythe kaze fans come in two pin form, so you can just push the two pin connector into the middle and innermost pin on both headers and it will work just fine, just make sure it is connected like this:
middle pin ----------- black wire (ground)
innermost pin ----------- red wire (12 volts)
outermost pin (closest to the edge/end) ----------- yellow wire (tach or tachometer wire in this case, not connected)
Although the instructions are easy, and everything is quite easy to see, if you still aren't sure about this, please don't mod/replace the psu fans yet and WAIT till i post pics of what i EXACTLY did. I will cry if you blow up your psu on this sweet 10gigabit switch.
If you notice carefully, you can see where i modded the left power supply with a 10mm fan and the right power supply still has the original fans. To tell this, do you notice the slight gap where the small 5mm of space is seen on the left psu?
Reassemble:
Boot to your quiet/silent 10gigabit paradise.
The fans aren't gonna break any land-wind records here. Heat will ensue. I repeat: This bastard will get hot. It wont start a fire or anything, but you will feel the burn baby! Just kidding, but in all seriousness, the switch will get hotter. As a matter of fact, the switch will get noticeably hotter with these fans as they don't move nearly as much air as their predecessors, but you can't beat the silence.
Note: You may smell the hot air this bad boy puts out at first. It will smell like the thing is on fire, it will get that hot, but rest assured, i tested this on my VERY OWN switch. I would never suggest putting your $400 piece of equipment in danger if I knew or felt it wasn't gonna work. The switch will be fine. I have now had this thing up and running modified for a little over a week or so. It has been on 24/7. Never an issue. I have my switch placed near the rest of my components where it evacuates the hot air to cooler air in the front of my setup. (May think about reversing the fan airflow once I can modify the top panel. See explanation below)
I am working on trying to see if I can modify/cut holes into the top sheet metal panel to maybe attach three 80mm or two 120mm fans to the top to evacuate all that hot air buildup? I gotta see if i can find a metal shop or home depot or something. In the meantime, the switch works well. It pumps out some serious heat through the vents though! Eh, place the switch near your feet to have a warmer. Dual purpose!
Just kidding....
Enjoy the silence my friends.
P.S. My friends, lets also discuss heat ratio to life expectancy when we get a moment. Curious to hear your take on this.
What are your temperatures after fan the mod?
Thanks
