sound damping pads

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:08 pm

has any one used camping matts (stuff you out under your sleeping bag) as sound damping pads to line the inside of a case with... and how good is it compared to like that egg crate foam padding

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:40 pm

Tried some... it's too hard compared to soft foam like egg-crate stuff. I still got some vibrational transfer. Just go to a craft store. You can get softfoam for about $3.

Trunks · Post by **Trunks** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:58 am

I used some foam rubber sleeping pad (camp pad), for building Hard drive holding frames. It was a reasonable vibration isolation for a machine moved around enough not to want to do a suspension.
I attempted to use some as case insulation with no real luck. I think things that are sticky all over (because they really add mass) were better.

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:13 am

so going with the egg crate stuff or sumthing like that thats softer works better that what i tought just wanted to check becuase i have a ton of the camping mats

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:21 am

i was also wondering if differnt colors will increase sound damping. kinda like how black warms up faster and how stealth bombers are black because it doesnt bounce radar waves back as much and iv noticed that almost all sound dampening kits are black or is that so it macthes the case and doesnt stand out as if it where pink or sumthing and what are some other things that you can use other than the kits that are like $70

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:03 am

i was also wondering if differnt colors will increase sound damping

no. sound is absorbed by the foam because the irregular surface of the foam breaks up the wavefront of the sound wave; colour doesn't come into it.

how stealth bombers are black because it doesnt bounce radar waves back as much

I think they're black because they mostly fly at night and to dissipate airframe heat; it's ferrite particles in the paint that absorbs the radar waves:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_te ... bing_paint

Centie · Post by **Centie** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:06 am

Black coloured things do absorb at atleast all visible wavelengths (~ 400-700nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum, and usually do so at wavelengths outside of this too. That's why they heat up more, and look black.

Sound is a logitudinal pressure wave though, not EM, so the colour has no affect on it's absorption. Although I remember a discussion a while ago about different pigments in plastic affecting sound properties of fans..

Incidently the foam in my case is powder blue.. black is so passe

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:20 pm

thanks guys. this is my 1st silent build and im trying to make it as quiet as possible while spending the least amout. spcr is the best pc forum if found all though its mainly for silencing there alot of other usefull info to

Trunks · Post by **Trunks** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:21 pm

PopCorn wrote:what are some other things that you can use other than the kits that are like $70

This is a popular question. I have been very happy with acustipac(SP?) but is not cheap.
What kind of case do you have? It really depends on what kind of sound you are treating and how quite your stuff already is.
Everyone has had luck with different things. I would say the cheapest things that work well are flooring products. Vinyl sticky tile and carpet pad. Both lack â€œgeometryâ€

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 1:28 pm

i have a p180... nothing in it yet though imwait till ihave the money to buy the Asus Crosshair. the hdd that will be in it will be 2 maxtor 40gig in a raid 0... having said that i havent decided on what heatsink/fan combo im gonna use bu tit has to be beefy because im gonna be overclocking a dual core