Fan Controller makes Panaflos louder?

H

hokatichenci

Gawd
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Oct 28, 2004
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So I picked up 4 panaflos for my stacker 830 a while back, and they were a little on the loud side at night for sleeping, so I decided to pick up a fan controller (Vantec 3.5" thingymajig, PWM I guess). So now when the setting is at the minimum (7v I think?), the panaflos sound just like they did before. But when I crank it up its like I've got a room full of deltas. Is this how panaflos are supposed to work? It's a little disappointing I can't actually make them any quieter with this fan controller :(
 
Bump incase anybody knows about how the voltages work on the Panaflos, they whine like crazy when turned on to max!
 
i wouldnt use those vantec fan controllers. i bought one myself, and they have very good looks. mine made annoying electric static noise when i turn fans down. i dont use it anymore.

as for the panaflos, i get that same static noise when i turn them down using 7V line from my psu. i dont know why this noise keeps haunting me from all directions.

bottom line, toss out both vantec and panaflos and get yourself some other quiet fans. thats what i am going to do
 
Taking a reading from the voltage (DC) on it shows 12v constant no matter where it is. Is this right? I though it adjusted the voltage to lower speeds.


***EDIT*** that was without a load on it, with a load it goes from about 9v to 12v. So at full voltage they are running 12v which is really loud, but pushes an intense amount of air (especially with all 4 running at full). Running them at 9v is still sort of loud, but significantly more mild while still pushing decent air. Nowhere near as quiet as my Scythe fans though...
 
I believe the static noise is bearing noise from the fans. I have 2 sanyo denki 120mmx38mm and when I turn the fans down to 7v's, the fans start to buzz/click a bit. I've also experienced this with my 92mm Panaflo and Vantec stealth fans although its worse on the Denki's.
 
120mm Panaflos are noisy fans, even at low speeds they rumble because of their crappy ball bearings. Only people who never owned them seem recommend them.

You could just wire them up to a 5 volt line instead of the 12 and they'll be alot quieter and push a reasonable amount of air. Though even at that speed they were too noisy for me because of the annoying rumbling.
 
well, in spite of some of the idiocy that people are spewing, panaflo fans are solid in their performance range, which is decidedly higher than yate loon and other quiet fans.

they are also long-lived, take a pounding, and have strong motors that perform well in restrictive applications.

panaflo fans don't even have normal ball bearings: they use a combination of magnetic levitation and oil filled bearings.

the noise you you are hearing is not bearing noise.

it's a whine that the motor control circuits produce in response to running at different switching frequencies and voltage than they are intended for. it's a common problem that affects more than just panaflo fans. the sudden jumps in fan speeds that you get as you adjust the control dial are another manifistation of the same thing.

PWM based controllers (like the vantec) are worse for it than linear conrollers. you can smooth the PWM switching with a cap across the fan terminals, but i'm just too lazy to do the research to find the correct cap for the job.
 
DFI Daishi said:
well, in spite of some of the idiocy that people are spewing, panaflo fans are solid in their performance range, which is decidedly higher than yate loon and other quiet fans.

they are also long-lived, take a pounding, and have strong motors that perform well in restrictive applications.

panaflo fans don't even have normal ball bearings: they use a combination of magnetic levitation and oil filled bearings.

the noise you you are hearing is not bearing noise.

it's a whine that the motor control circuits produce in response to running at different switching frequencies and voltage than they are intended for. it's a common problem that affects more than just panaflo fans. the sudden jumps in fan speeds that you get as you adjust the control dial are another manifistation of the same thing.

PWM based controllers (like the vantec) are worse for it than linear conrollers. you can smooth the PWM switching with a cap across the fan terminals, but i'm just too lazy to do the research to find the correct cap for the job.
Click to expand...
The rumbling I used to hear from my 2 Panaflo 120mm is mechanical. If I spin the fan blades manually with my finger, I can start to hear the rumbling.

Whatever the cause, they are unduly noisy compared to other fans and do not offer a good noise/performance ratio. That I can say without any shadow of doubt.
 
i own a couple of the Panaflos in various sizes, all Hydrowave bearing. They are great; they have some the best noise cfm ratios and with a fan speed controller like a sunbeam rheobus, they undervolt without any added noise. Never even knew they had older versions without the hydrowave bearings....
 
Thought I would post up about my problem since I just got my sunbeam rheobus in, the noise is still there exactly as it was with PWM.I think I'm just going to try to get bigger fans that are a bit quieter (i'm looking for a yate loon 140mm supplier atm).I have to admit when undervolted the panaflos are incredibly quiet, but at max voltage they have an outrageously loud whine to them.
 
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