Way to Quieten Down a Gigabit Rackable Switch?

[kjv1611]

I got my hands on a bunch of enterprise-level computer/network equipment a while back, and just recently had the time to mess with some of it.

I had one gigabit switch that tried to just blow up on me - apparently had capacitors popping all over the place, as it sounded like popcorn whenever I plugged it up.

And I probably found at least one other to be dead as a dornail.

Anyhow, one of them - an HP gigabit switch with either 24 or 48 ports on it - seemed to work great. So, I've been using it for a while, though I usually just leave it off if I'm not specifically needing it. What I found was that it sometimes will start flashing yellow, to say it's got some issue, and network connectivity is no more, though the fans are still going... a quick power off and back on (via a switched surge protector), and it's back running again.

Anyhow, the whole reason I wanted to post this topic was to ask - has anyone had any practice with modding a network switch to turn the loud fans down, or either replace them with something else? When I do have that thing going, it's the loudest PC/network piece of hardware running, bar none - and it is LOUD.

If I remember when I get home, I'll go look at it again, and get the model# and such off it in case that helps any.

It's not a terribly big deal - after all, I got it free, and it does all I need it to do 99% of the time.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[wahnula]

Sometimes you can get a case fan that reduces the noise...see Zalman, Nexus and the like with ball bearings, or a fan speed adjuster like the Zalman.

Sometimes nothing you can do will help...see "cavitation" (remember, air is a liquid). My TiVo (old school) has a fan placed in such a way that it is impossible to quiet it down, even with a premium high-$$$ fan. It's placed so close to the vent holes that no matter what I use the racket is created by the air flow itself, not the fan. Good luck.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[xwb]

I don't know if this will work.

Could you do something like how the rock bands with their loud music use sound wave cancellation. They have the noise out of phase with each other so the audience get the loud noise but it is quite quiet behind the speakers. Well, that is the principal and I know it works.

I don't know if it is possible to get the noisy fans from your blown up switches and run them against each other to cancel the noise. I don't know how to work out the phasing so that you actually get noise cancellation.

 

[BadBigBen]

The small fans that are in these switches have to move a lot of air, in so doing the run at high speed, in server environments this is no problem, as the noise pollution is stifled by sound mats in/on the walls etc. ...

if you are a bit shop savvy, e.g. using drills and metal cutters, etc. then I would take the top case off, get a 120mm fan draw the mounting holes and the air intake hole onto the cover, cut out the air intake and drill the mounting holes... then remove the small fan and connect the 120mm fan to where it was attached...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[kjv1611]

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. For now, it's not really the most important thing, just a "like" or "want to", so I'll probably just deal with it for now, and if I get some spare time, I may tinker with pulling it apart, cutting, etc. ... Why not, it WAS free after all.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[NFI]

You could try fixing ducting to the back of it and leading it out of the room or somewhere - I tried that with a very noisy, ancient Compaq server once and it made a surprising difference to the noise...

 

[kjv1611]

NFI,

If I get the time to mess with it during the winter, I could very well try that, and just stick it out a window...

But I don't know if I'll actually get around to it or not.

And I was just talking to a friend the other day, and in doing so, I remembered something I couldn't BELIEVE I had forgotten before! I've got a whole stack of switches and hubs I got at the same time as this one. I've already tossed at least 2 or 3, b/c they were shot. What had me banging my head was I actually didn't think to pull the fans from the bad switches! I might could have used the fans from those in place of the noisy ones in the one I'm using... maybe. Oh well. Last I can remember from testing, the one I'm using did seem to be the loudest. 1 sounded like popping firecrackers like crazy, and put off a bunch of smoke when I tried it - it was my other Gigabit lan option. The others just did nothing, or were too slow to even think about - 10T on a couple.

However, I do think I still have a stack left that I've not even messed with. I'll have to see if the work, and pull the fan(s) from one or more that don't work, and do some testing later on.

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[kjv1611]

Just as an update here... I have so many other projects, things to do, that I ended up just picking up a new D-Link 8 port Gigabit switch, and I'm just leaving the other there as a spare, maybe future tinker toy.. we'll see. :0)

--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

 

[mscallisto]

If you do need a fan I've found this link to be very good IMHO

I've used them from time to time and was satisfied with their service.

http://www.thermalfx.com/merchant2/

sam