Fan noise testing for lights, please...(aka, the Radions are too loud)

[CaptainOver]

As noise can be a deciding factor in many people's purchases, it would be very helpful if BRS could include some sort of noise testing for lights/pumps, etc. Decibels at 2 meters away or something like that.

For context:
I'm replacing 3 old XR15 Gen 3's with the new Gen 5's because I was sick of the fan noise. Everyone talked about the new Gen5 fans being custom designed for better cooling, and being able to run them at 40-50% due to the better spread. So I bit the bullet and replaced them, and uggh, the fans kick on and off constantly at 45% intensity with a much louder and more annoying sound than the Gen3's. I'd return these and swap for Kessils, but MD won't take returns on the Radions.
Thanks!
Doug

 

[Mical]

That sucks. I have 6 Kessils and they're 3-5 years old and as quiet as new. I do use canned air on them every couple of months. But sorry to hear your new lights are noisy. Have you contacted Ecotech?

 

[CaptainOver]

That sucks. I have 6 Kessils and they're 3-5 years old and as quiet as new. I do use canned air on them every couple of months. But sorry to hear your new lights are noisy. Have you contacted Ecotech?

Yep, just waiting to hear back from them.
It seems like the fans really don't have a "low" mode. The noise almost seems to be the same whether I'm running at 50% or 100% intensity - so hopefully they can fix it with a firmware update to allow the fans to run really low for some constant cooling.

 

[Highgrade]

I can definitely say the G5s are louder than the G4s. Mine continue to rev up and down throughout the day. Average room temp is 68 degrees. I understand the G5s have options to change the fan usage/percentage but I would think that changing the default fan settings would shorten the life of the G5s. I hate to see what the G5s do in the summer once its a bit warmer. Personally there's nothing quieter than a Kessil A360x. Which I suspect the new AP9X would be similar.

 

[CaptainOver]

I can definitely say the G5s are louder than the G4s. Mine continue to rev up and down throughout the day. Average room temp is 68 degrees. I understand the G5s have options to change the fan usage/percentage but I would think that changing the default fan settings would shorten the life of the G5s. I hate to see what the G5s do in the summer once its a bit warmer. Personally there's nothing quieter than a Kessil A360x. Which I suspect the new AP9X would be similar.

I haven't seen any settings other than the one that prevents the fan from ever turning off. Not quite what I had in mind.

 

[Highgrade]

I haven't seen any settings other than the one that prevents the fan from ever turning off. Not quite what I had in mind.

In Mobius >Devices>lighting>Max Fan Speed (allows you to change the %). Also under the Advance tab or devices there is the fan shutdown (enabled/disabled) along with the fan speed %

 

[CaptainOver]

In Mobius >Devices>lighting>Max Fan Speed (allows you to change the %). Also under the Advance tab or devices there is the fan shutdown (enabled/disabled) along with the fan speed %

I wonder if you have a different version of the app? Mine only has the fan shutdown enabled/disabled on the device page.

 

[Highgrade]

I wonder if you have a different version of the app? Mine only has the fan shutdown enabled/disabled on the device page.

 

[CaptainOver]

Great...So it looks like there are different iOS and Android versions of Mobius...
I'm missing EcoSmart Live right about now...

 

[zoomonster]

Uh yeah was wondering about that... my android app only has the smart fan switch. When I first turned them on and the fans ran they were a little loud and one had and odd sound to it, Waiting to see how that pans out. In the meantime a full featured Android app would be nice.

 

[Ross Petersen]

Anyone hear back from Ecotech on the fan noise? Mine are constantly blowing...

 

[CaptainOver]

Unfortunately not. After a bunch of tries, I gave up on them.
I've now unplugged the fans in the units and added low profile 80mm PC fans over the intake. I put them on a USB potentiometer and can ramp them up/down as needed. Much quieter now - but disappointed it was necessary.