Hi
I made a custom Isolation Cabinet (65x80x80centimeters!) for my AUDIO STUDIO... (Absolute silence please!) I will be putting in this iso box 2 towers and various noisy hard discs & audo video gear...
I plan to mount 2 'temperture controlled' fans on the inside back top and will probably have them both blow air out... with a couple air intakes at the bottom. I 'm playing with the idea of making some sort of soft innerlined tube or wooden right angle 'chimney' on the outside to further isolate any fan noise...
So I'm new here & I have many questions that are probably answered 10000 times in 1000 ways but here they are all at once:-P
+ Is there some posts or sites relating to 'build your own' BIG Iso Cabinet?
+What large quiet fans would one recommend? (HA!)
Papst, Evercool, Enermax, Panaflo, Verax?...
So many articles & posts... I'm a fan newby & now I'm just confused. Are they all good?
+ Is there one that is the quietest, temperture controlled and not $100!
+ Where to buy em?...
+ Do ya think 2 would be enough?
+Is it better to use 2x 120mm or would 2x 80mm most likly be fine and quieter? Are 120mm type generally noisier then80mm... or do they just move slower?
+ Is it fine to tap the power from the internal towers HD power pins ? What if the damned thang crashed or fried while I was home sleeping?!
This is a studio environment so they are on ALL the time.
+ So how / where can one get cheap but quality power supplies for the fans?..
+ Ummm, what am I forgetting?.
Mucho Thanks World!!
rrrRand
(edited size)
Need fans+ for custom Isolation Cabinet (65x80x80cm!)
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
Need fans+ for custom Isolation Cabinet (65x80x80cm!)
Last edited by rrR on Wed Dec 17, 2003 3:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Ralf Hutter
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MikeC
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Hey box makers. I went down this path a couple of times. You may find old threads by me here... no idea under what names. A few thoughts from an old hand:
1) Make at least 1 90 degree turn in each tunnel through which the air should enter or exit
2) Line the tunnels with a layer of sound absorbant stuff
3) Keep the cross section of the tunnel at least 25-50% bigger than that of the fan.
4) If there are large panels not supported in the center, add mass damping or stiffening or both
5) suspend the fans with elastic or similar somewhere in the inside 1/3 of the tunnels. 2x120mm s are a better idea for 2 systems in one box. Probably the mininum. You may need 2 for intake -- at the bottom front for each of the PCs.
6) make sure that the actual PCs are pretty quiet. No way a sound containment box will eliminate noise from a normal (loud PC). And ensure that its in/out vents are wide open
7) If you can, find a way to float the PCs inside the box rather than have them sit directly on the wooden box. Ideal would be a stiff platform stably suspended on damped springs of some kind. You will also need to raise the box on something reasonably resilient to keep the noise down.
Lots more, but there's a start. You can see it will take more work that you might have thought. Noise has a way ot getting through stuff; a muffled noise is sometimes much more annoying that a quiet unmuffled noise -- if you understand the difference.
Hint: You don't have to do this to get super quiet. I haven't used my 100 >pound vault/tunnelled medite board chamber in nearly 2 years. Don't need to -- my PCs are all now <20 dBA/1m.
1) Make at least 1 90 degree turn in each tunnel through which the air should enter or exit
2) Line the tunnels with a layer of sound absorbant stuff
3) Keep the cross section of the tunnel at least 25-50% bigger than that of the fan.
4) If there are large panels not supported in the center, add mass damping or stiffening or both
5) suspend the fans with elastic or similar somewhere in the inside 1/3 of the tunnels. 2x120mm s are a better idea for 2 systems in one box. Probably the mininum. You may need 2 for intake -- at the bottom front for each of the PCs.
6) make sure that the actual PCs are pretty quiet. No way a sound containment box will eliminate noise from a normal (loud PC). And ensure that its in/out vents are wide open
7) If you can, find a way to float the PCs inside the box rather than have them sit directly on the wooden box. Ideal would be a stiff platform stably suspended on damped springs of some kind. You will also need to raise the box on something reasonably resilient to keep the noise down.
Lots more, but there's a start. You can see it will take more work that you might have thought. Noise has a way ot getting through stuff; a muffled noise is sometimes much more annoying that a quiet unmuffled noise -- if you understand the difference.
Hint: You don't have to do this to get super quiet. I haven't used my 100 >pound vault/tunnelled medite board chamber in nearly 2 years. Don't need to -- my PCs are all now <20 dBA/1m.
Hi and THANKS for REAL info from an experienced pro!
Yea, I'll float the 2 towers somehow...
which will be 1 G4 & 1 G5 PowerMac.
Plus I have external discs and a few audio video devices...
This is an audio studio!
I'll definitely line those air tunnels and suspend the fans...
Right angle, right.
Still wonder if intake fans are necessary...
2x 120mm fans to start and add more if necessary later I guess...
So what brand? (ha!)
Power them from?! I suppose I should get a separate power-supply for em... hmmm maybe I can use an old scsi case and tap its power?..
Don't want to rely on the towers always being on... though they probably will be.
Temperature controlled Fans can be self regulating no?
What else?
THANKS!!!
rRand
Yea, I'll float the 2 towers somehow...
which will be 1 G4 & 1 G5 PowerMac.
Plus I have external discs and a few audio video devices...
This is an audio studio!
I'll definitely line those air tunnels and suspend the fans...
Right angle, right.
Still wonder if intake fans are necessary...
2x 120mm fans to start and add more if necessary later I guess...
So what brand? (ha!)
Power them from?! I suppose I should get a separate power-supply for em... hmmm maybe I can use an old scsi case and tap its power?..
Don't want to rely on the towers always being on... though they probably will be.
Temperature controlled Fans can be self regulating no?
What else?
THANKS!!!
rRand
Hey Mike!
I did a search of your posts for more info on making a great iso box BUT you have way toooo many!
So, please can you give me relevant post links or elaborate on the fan questions I wrote... sorry if they seem redundant of the million other posts but what can ya say as far as my big box?
Thank you very much from a fan newby!
rand
I did a search of your posts for more info on making a great iso box BUT you have way toooo many!
So, please can you give me relevant post links or elaborate on the fan questions I wrote... sorry if they seem redundant of the million other posts but what can ya say as far as my big box?
Thank you very much from a fan newby!
rand
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MikeC
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- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Contact:
Here's one thread -- there's a link to one of the boxes I built. I would build it differently now. The bend on the top exhaust vent was 180 degrees. Not good, too long and too narrow.
Anyone built a wooden box to surround their noisy pc?
And... NO noise cabinet
You should look up Noren Products, Sound Construction & Supply, and other isolation cabinet makers for ideas.
Also, for an alternative, look up Mirar's site for his wooden box case. Not a cabinet for his PC, but a case custom made from wood to house the components, with a "form factor" that is totally unique. (just search for mirar here...)
Anyone built a wooden box to surround their noisy pc?
And... NO noise cabinet
You should look up Noren Products, Sound Construction & Supply, and other isolation cabinet makers for ideas.
Also, for an alternative, look up Mirar's site for his wooden box case. Not a cabinet for his PC, but a case custom made from wood to house the components, with a "form factor" that is totally unique. (just search for mirar here...)
Wow - interesting threads there mike, thanks - but tbh thats a lot of work, lol.
My project is much less intensive - atm the cabinet is built except for the back panel, and just like that its doing a great job. The main aim was to cover 2 messy pcs plus yards of wires and boxes and end up looking like normal furniture
Ive used a 600mm (60cm) sink base unit with two beech 300mm doors, a top like this chap heres got (bnq do sell it but I couldnt find it) and of course a couple of knobs.
Right now I only used the top 2" of the leg (that the rest of the leg would screw into) so it looks like a normal floor cupboard and intend to castor mount it at some point. Without the back its not really any less noisy but it looks much nicer, and its early days yet.
I intend to focus on the PCs in the cabinet and reduce their noise first - my 7000A, additional fanmates and a papst turned up yesterday
, now waiting on the northbridge coolers, arctic vga, chipsinks, temp module and some 'flos and ill be mod happy again.
My project is much less intensive - atm the cabinet is built except for the back panel, and just like that its doing a great job. The main aim was to cover 2 messy pcs plus yards of wires and boxes and end up looking like normal furniture
Ive used a 600mm (60cm) sink base unit with two beech 300mm doors, a top like this chap heres got (bnq do sell it but I couldnt find it) and of course a couple of knobs.
Right now I only used the top 2" of the leg (that the rest of the leg would screw into) so it looks like a normal floor cupboard and intend to castor mount it at some point. Without the back its not really any less noisy but it looks much nicer, and its early days yet.
I intend to focus on the PCs in the cabinet and reduce their noise first - my 7000A, additional fanmates and a papst turned up yesterday
, now waiting on the northbridge coolers, arctic vga, chipsinks, temp module and some 'flos and ill be mod happy again.
visit siliconacoustics.com for quiet fans
Also, skinned melamine foam w/ .8NRC and 1" thick at mcmaster.com (search melamine) along with good vinyl sound reflecter
Use an isolated PSU: Isolate it from the rest of your system if possible. (though it doesn't look like you are doing this, it's still a possibility)
Also, skinned melamine foam w/ .8NRC and 1" thick at mcmaster.com (search melamine) along with good vinyl sound reflecter
Use an isolated PSU: Isolate it from the rest of your system if possible. (though it doesn't look like you are doing this, it's still a possibility)