What has got into me?

The forum for non-component-related silent pc discussions.

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Bluefront
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What has got into me?

Post by Bluefront » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:28 pm

So I've spent the last few weeks building/quieting my new SFF computer. I'll be using it as a spare, located in the bedroom, as an occasional browser-machine in the middle of the night.....maybe watching some TV on it.

Now it's been cool here in St Louis......I have yet to use the central AC. The other day it got warm enough to turn on the little window AC in the bedroom. This usually runs all summer at night, keeping the bedroom somewhat cooler than the rest of the house.

I immediately realized this little AC unit is much more noisy than the SFF ever was, even when it was stock (noisy). So why did I just put all this work into the SFF. No way it could ever bother me with the AC on. I won't even hear it till next November.

I'm more convinced now, this quiet thing is a plague. :lol:

m0002a
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Post by m0002a » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:44 pm

It is definitely can be an obsession and addiction. It takes a lot of will to exercise "perspective" as to when enough is enough (same applies to lower temps).

Mats
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Post by Mats » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:56 pm

It never ends...
...but FWIW, you know that your SFF is low noise, doesn't it make you feel good? :wink:

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:02 pm

Clearly you've missed the real point to all this:



You need to silence your AC unit now.



:lol:

Mats
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Post by Mats » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:04 pm

Just checked for www.silentacreview.com but couldn't find the site... :shock: :P

slipknottin
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Post by slipknottin » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:08 pm

We just got a split (ductless) system installed, and it is nearly silent. Far quieter than a window unit, and even quieter than forced air units.

jdub765
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Post by jdub765 » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:09 pm

I think the silent thing is totally an addiction. I'm new here, but I'm already itching for my PSU to go out on my Dell so I have an excuse to buy a new PSU, mobo and case.

ilh
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Post by ilh » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:21 pm

Have you replaced the noisy A/C fan with a Nexus yet?

Spod
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Post by Spod » Wed Apr 06, 2005 1:19 am

Maybe an array of Nexuses (Nexii?) would work. Or perhaps you could undervolt the existing fans with a bit of rewiring?

Trouble is, AC units will always need powerful fans, just to get the cooled air pushed around the room. Ideally, these fans would be somewhere else, and the cooled air would come in through ducts, using convection to circulate the cool air around the room. But when it comes to window AC units, your only hope is to try before you buy, and pick a quiet unit in the first place.

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:19 am

You guys got it wrong...This little AC unit was the quietest one I could find locally. I must have looked at fifty different models.

These units usually use one fan motor to do everything. On the outside is the fan motor that has shafts on each side. The outside set of blades cools the condenser. The inside set of blades sucks inside air through a filter, past the evaporator, then blows it back into the room.

It's mostly airflow you hear....with the outside compressor audible only when it turns on/off. Modifying the thing to be quiet and still cool things, isn't as easy as installing a Nexus. :lol:

Green Shoes
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Post by Green Shoes » Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:02 am

*waits patiently for pics of a shock-mounted, volt-modded AC unit*

IsaacKuo
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Silencing Bluefront's AC unit...

Post by IsaacKuo » Wed Apr 06, 2005 7:50 am

Now you've done it...I'm now seriously cogitating upon how to mod your window AC unit.

First, I think you should cut the motor shaft so that it only moves the compressor and outside condenser blades. Then, use a layer of sound dampening to reduce the amount of noise that gets "inside".

Second, the evaporator now needs airflow. I think that constant airflow from an array of undervolted fans will be good. Running the fans 24/7 will increase the amount of buildup in the filter, but will eliminate the irritation of fans switching on/off.

Third, I've got a use for those gel-packs you refuse to use on your hard drives. If you place them somewhere touching the evaporator, then you might be able to get a temperature inertia effect going on. The gel-packs should remain cool more or less constantly. Thus, the 24/7 airflow from the undervolted fans continues to cool the air even when the AC unit isn't operating.

Compared to the stuff you do to your computers, this is real Mickey Mouse stuff. So get to it already. :P

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:29 am

IsaacKuo.....You have no idea what I've already done to this ac unit. The whole thing is suspended with foam and rubber in a custom made frame....which sits inside the window opening.

Before I installed it, I took it apart and tightened everything that could vibrate.....used structural adhesive on all the joints. I modded the airflow channels with inserts so there are no sharp corners...etc. Overkill for a relatively quiet unit yes. But it doesn't keep me awake anymore, like the previous unit did.

This model will turn the fans completely off at one degree below the set point.....but I found it doesn't bother me as much to keep the fan running all the time, and just let the compressor cycle on/off.

You know I thought about taking off the inside fan blades, maybe use a quieter fan/fans inside.....but I think that would throw the motor out of balance.

Anyway....this ac unit makes further quieting mods to this SFF, un-necessary. :lol:

Tibors
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Post by Tibors » Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:26 am

There is only one solution left. Moving north to a place where you don't need airco. Then you can start working on the SFF again.

m0002a
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Post by m0002a » Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:37 am

Speaking as a road-warrior who has stayed in many hotels with individual room A/C's, I can say that Panasonic makes the quietest units I have experienced. But there is no comparison between central A/C and a room A/C because of the proximity of the condesing unit.

IsaacKuo
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Post by IsaacKuo » Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:44 am

Okay, I was confused--I thought the compressor was run by the same motor as the fans from the way you worded it.

If that motor is being used just for the fans, then getting rid of it entirely along with the fans seems straightforward. You'd then add on quiet fan arrays of your own on both the inside and the outside. There's a question of weatherproofing the outside fans, of course.

What are the dimensions of the cool air vents? My first thought is to place the internal fan array where the air vents are right now.

What's the typical duty cycle of the compressor, roughly? If it's only on 1/5 of the time, then you only need 1/5 of the airflow from a continuously running fan array (assuming you load level using gel-packs).

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:34 pm

If a person wanted to do this right....keep the bedroom cooler than the rest of the house....and do it quietly without using a window unit, it is possible. You can buy central AC systems like that for big bucks.

Scrap that idea. Maybe I could just patch into the existing duct-work, and remotely (the basement) install a small window unit that only fed the bedroom through the duct .

Sounds like a lot of trouble. I'd rather play with computers than AC units. I do enough of that at work.... :lol:

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Re: What has got into me?

Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:30 am

Bluefront wrote:So I've spent the last few weeks building/quieting my new SFF computer. I'll be using it as a spare, located in the bedroom, as an occasional browser-machine in the middle of the night.....maybe watching some TV on it.

Now it's been cool here in St Louis......I have yet to use the central AC. The other day it got warm enough to turn on the little window AC in the bedroom. This usually runs all summer at night, keeping the bedroom somewhat cooler than the rest of the house.

I immediately realized this little AC unit is much more noisy than the SFF ever was, even when it was stock (noisy). So why did I just put all this work into the SFF. No way it could ever bother me with the AC on. I won't even hear it till next November.

I'm more convinced now, this quiet thing is a plague. :lol:
Panasonic makes the most quiet of the A/C's for the home. I sell appliances :D

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:53 am

I think I heard the Panasonics when I was checking out available window ACs. But like picking computer components, there's more to it than just the noise factor....

The cost factor...

The will it fit factor....

The power consumption...

The physical arrangement of the output vents...

The filter setup and ease of cleaning...

How far does it stick into the room....

Is it available locally, immediately.....

The controls of the fan and compressor....

Remote control.....

Is it a "name" brand.....

Length of warranty....

Etc.....

After a while, after looking at countless models, you find the one you deceided on is now OOS. :cry:

It's a pain to make a choice, but I'm happy with my Whirlpool.....even though it took a few mods to satisfy me.

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Post by frosty » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:15 pm

Go with a swamp cooler puts the fan outside the home.

~El~Jefe~
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Post by ~El~Jefe~ » Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:56 pm

Also note: if you go too small like 5000 btu's for an ac, its normally made by a smaller company and all will sound as loud, which is rather loud. you need to hit like 8 to make sure that the brand is really that brand. (opposite for GE, panasonic makes some of the smaller-ish ones for it and can be found cheaper)

Friedrich makes the best besides panasonic. nothing lasts as longer or blows as cold/strong. they make a new quiet series this year (it has the ugly GFI plug on it, if not, its last years), this new series is supposedly quiet. costly pieces though, a clear 2x more than another brand, they just last like 20+ years and fit the same holes as 30 years ago.

just a random AC recommendation and tip thing. I sell these boys

If you really want quiet, theres something called a "split" I havent sold them yet but the idea behind them is the compressor is external, has a copper pipe that goes in the wall, and a blower in the room, its central air for one room. very snazy.

lm
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Post by lm » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:51 am

How about letting the temperature raise by a couple degrees? The human body adapts perfectly to a hotter temperature in just two weeks or so. Then the AC could run slower/less.

Bluefront
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Post by Bluefront » Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:10 am

Heh....in the summer I keep the house about 26/27C, close off all the unused rooms, and do everything possible to keep the heat down. (My utitity bills are too high to keep the whole house cool)

This little room AC unit keeps the bedroom about 22/23C.....I also have a ceiling fan going. Cooling the house this way lowered the electricity bill almost 10%...compared to what it used to be.

Everybody has a different tolorence for heat as well as noise. Mine is low for both. :lol:

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