Quiet LEDs?

[Artisan]

I'm building a 93 rimless cube setup and had purchased 2 Artctic-t247 lights for it. Unfortunately, the fan noise from two of them is a bit too loud. The fans are 12v 90mm x 15mm fans with an amperage of 0.7 or 0.07. I can't remember exactly. At any rate, I did some shopping for quieter fans, but they don't seem to exist. Has anyone found a quieter solution or can anyone recommend a brand that is or close to being silent? 30 x 30 x 24 / SPS heavy tank.

 

[KoleTang]

Look in to high end computer fans such as Noctua. You may find something that fits.


Edit: You may be able to jimmy something like this into the 90mm fan area. This one comes with a quiet adapter which restricts the power in (lowering fan speed and noise. Claims to reduce noise to 13dBA from 17). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...HHJR7OGEGkEz_6nlk20I3hoCwuDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds


Fan speed, blade shape, vibration pads, and bearing quality are all factors in noise.

 

[BlueZreef]

Maxspect Razr doesn't have cooling fans, quietest light by default lol!

Otherwise I'd search for some updated quiet fans as mentioned above

 

[Artisan]

Thanks, man. Yeah, I've looked for high end fans, but I really couldn't find anything decent. I'm especially concerned that the fan won't run a high enough cfm because the heat sink is pretty small and air flow is really restricted. Then there's the amperage issue, but I really don't know how much of a difference that will make. I sent an email to the manufacturer a week ago, but haven't heard back from them yet. Hopefully someone here will have the info.

 

[Artisan]

Honestly, I haven't looked into the Maxspect Razr yet. Mainly because the new Gyre seems to be getting some pretty low quality reviews, but maybe I should give them a another look.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Passive cooling is by far the quietest. That said it does have its limits on the number and type of LEDs.

Active cooling with a simple fan blowing down on an open heatsink is very quiet.

Enclosed fixtures with variable speed fans and proper flow management are also very quiet.

If your fixture did not manage the airflow to reduce noise there may be little you can do to quiet it down.

Bill

 

[Bbaz123456]

Will your lights be exposed? Probably since you are worried about noise. If you are handy you may be able to rig up some sort of air filter that would look ok. I have a large fan over my lights that I took out of an old xerox copy machine that has a filter that completely muffles all the sound of the fan. It is on the exhaust side of the fan so it does not work to filter out dust just noise. But be careful not to restrict airflow too much.

 

[Artisan]

Bill - The flow is restricted quite a bit in these lights. The fan is mounted face down between the heat sinks with very little room for flow. I'd have to measure again for a precise number, but there's only about 10-15mm of space for the air to flow out from under the fan. Not efficient at all, but still, I think most of the noise is from the fan itself rather than actual air flow.


Bbaz123456 - Yes, these lights are going over a 30 x 30 rimless cube so they will be visible I did try a quick experiment using a paper towel as a filter, which did reduce the noise as you suggested, but then I worry about restricting the flow of air and overheating the light.


I suppose I could modify the lights or build my own from scratch, but I just won't have the time for it in the next few months. If anyone has a light suggestion please feel free to speak up. I'd prefer LEDs of course.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Are you sure the fan is 90mm? If you can try to find a thinner fan.

As a rule of thumb you want the thickness of the fan to be less than the space beneath it. This will keep back pressure down.

Bill

 

[AdamNC]

Maxspect Razr doesn't have cooling fans, quietest light by default lol!

The 160watt model has 2 fans, never on but I covered my fixture once to see what the fans sounded like and they were very quiet for fans.

 

[Artisan]

Bill - I'm sorry, you're absolutely right. Good catch! It was actually 80mm x 15mm. There are thinner 10mm fans, but I couldn't find any 10mm or 15mm fans that were specifically engineered to be silent or at least quieter. On top of that I'm not sure how many CFM these fans need to run and the amperage seems unusual.

Bbaz123456 - I tested your theory of using a filter with a single sheet of paper towel. It does reduce the noise some, but the unit starts to get hot with both channels set at 75%.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

You might want to give this one a try

Evercool 80mm x 10mm Fan (EC8010M12CA) - FrozenCPU.com

Let us know the results if you do.

Bill

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Also if its hot to the touch its too hot.

Thermal management is key to LED Fixture performance.

Bill

 

[Artisan]

The 160watt model has 2 fans, never on but I covered my fixture once to see what the fans sounded like and they were very quiet for fans.

Thanks for your input. I have a feeling I would need 2 of their lights to light my cube properly. That's gonna hurt.

 

[Artisan]

You might want to give this one a try

Evercool 80mm x 10mm Fan (EC8010M12CA) - FrozenCPU.com

Let us know the results if you do.

Also if its hot to the touch its too hot.

Thermal management is key to LED Fixture performance.

Bill

Thanks Bill. I did look at that one, but it's rated at 27.3 dBa, which may be louder than what the light comes with. As fixture remains cool to the touch as long as you don't try to pre-filter the air going into the fan. Although, I don't think that airflow through the fixture is what causes the noise problem as much as the fan itself.

 

[AdamNC]

Thanks for your input. I have a feeling I would need 2 of their lights to light my cube properly. That's gonna hurt.

Ideally yea you'd probably want 2 of the 27" models for full coverage if your doing sps. Or 1 27" with 2 t5 bulbs on either side to supplement. Mine covers a 30"L x 12"W x 18"H nicely.

 

[Artisan]

Ouch. At that price point I might be better off with two Kessils or 2 Radion G3 Pro. Does anyone know how those might compare noise wise?