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PANAFLO FBA08A12L
Ambient noise at the time of testing was 18 dBA.
| Brand |
Panaflo |
Power Rating |
0.068A / 0.82W |
| Manufacturer |
Panasonic / NMB-MAT |
Airflow Rating |
24 CFM |
| Model Number |
FBA08A12L |
RPM Rating |
1,900 RPM |
| Retail Availability |
Yes |
Noise Rating |
21 dBA |
| Bearing Type |
Hydro Wave |
Header Type |
bare wires |
| Hub Size |
1.46" |
Starting Voltage |
4.9V |
| Frame Size |
80 x 80 x 25 mm |
Number of Samples |
18 |
|
Voltage
|
Noise
|
RPM
|
CFM
|
Power
|
|
12V
|
24 dBA@1m
|
1900 RPM
|
30 CFM
|
0.82W
|
|
9V
|
~19 dBA@1m
|
1400 RPM
|
21 CFM
|
0.65W
|
|
7V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
1050 RPM
|
15 CFM
|
0.55W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
670 RPM
|
8 CFM
|
0.37W
|
|
@10 CFM (5.2V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
710 RPM
|
10 CFM
|
0.40W
|
Ah, the infamous Panaflo L1A. We have a soft spot for these fans — for
a long time they served as SPCR's de facto reference fan thanks to their reasonably
smooth character (in the good samples) and easy availability on the internet.
The development of the "Silent Computing" market sector marked the
end of the Panaflo's reign — once manufacturers started paying attention
to noise, it became much easier to find quiet fans, but, for us, the Panaflo
was with us at the very beginning. It's still not a bad choice, especially if
you're not willing to pay a premium for retail markup.
Panaflo is dead and gone now — the brand was folded into the conglomerate
that is NMB-MAT some time ago — but the longevity of this fan is such that
there are still quite a few floating around on the internet. Panasonic made
a lot of these fans, and most of the ones that individual users
can buy are overstock (or sometimes bad stock) that was originally intended
for the OEM market. Panaflo is something of a legend, and there's a lot of interesting
and obscure knowledge about it floating around on the net. In fact, Dorothy
Bradbury is somewhat of an unofficial expert on these fans. This is a company
that sold Panaflo fans exclusively (they now carry only NMB-MAT), and Dorothy
Bradbury herself has left a few gems of knowledge floating around on the SPCR
forums.
Panaflo fans were manufactured in several different factories, and for a long
time the quality control at the Japanese factories seemed to be better than
those in other countries, leading to a very specialized demand for "Japanaflo"
fans by silencers who snubbed the more widely available Chinese-made models.
Perhaps because the fan was so widely known, it eventually developed a reputation
for having a large amount of sample variance (in addition to the "country-of-origin"
variance observed above). In particular, users who bought the fans in bulk began
to notice that the noise quality seemed to vary by box, leading some to theorize
that the variation was caused by rough shipping practices, and was not inherent
to the fans themselves.
This Panaflo fan uses Hydro Wave bearings: A modified sleeve bearing (similar to
FDB bearings) that is not vulnerable to damage when operated in a horizontal
orientation. This is what made the Panaflo so attractive when it was first discovered.
It has the flexibility (and longevity) of a ball bearing fan, but its noise
character is smoother than most ball bearing fans.
There were two popular Panaflo models that SPCR recommended: Low speed and
medium speed versions of the same basic fan. Both fans sounded quite similar,
and we've stockpiled a large number of each over the years. We tested both models,
but we will deal with the low speed version first. We tested a total of 18 samples
that we had on hand.
The low speed model was more or less inaudible at 5V and just barely audible
at 7V. The noise character was not quite as smooth as the Nexus or Scythe models
that we looked at, but it wasn't bad, especially in the better samples. Lesser
samples tended to buzz a bit more, and some developed a chuffing sound at low
speed. On the whole, the noise character remained a deep throaty growl that
"wobbled" a bit, but mostly lacked the sharp clatter that many other
fans produce.
Although classed as a low speed fan, the Panaflo has a higher top speed than
the other quiet fans that we've recommended. At 9V, it produced about the same
noise and airflow as the Nexus does at 12V, although the Nexus sounded a bit
smoother. At 12V, a touch of motor whine was clearly audible, but it was still
quiet enough that many may find it worth the sacrifice for the ~50% increase
in airflow between 9V and 12V.
Noise Recordings
PANAFLO FBA08A12M
Ambient noise at the time of testing was 18 dBA.
| Brand |
Panaflo |
Power Rating |
0.124A / 1.49W |
| Manufacturer |
Panasonic / NMB-MAT |
Airflow Rating |
32 CFM |
| Model Number |
FBA08A12L |
RPM Rating |
2,450 RPM |
| Retail Availability |
Yes |
Noise Rating |
28 dBA |
| Bearing Type |
Hydro Wave |
Header Type |
bare wires |
| Hub Size |
1.46" |
Starting Voltage |
4.3V |
| Frame Size |
80 x 80 x 25 mm |
Number of Samples |
11 |
|
Voltage
|
Noise
|
RPM
|
CFM
|
Power
|
|
12V
|
31 dBA@1m
|
2340 RPM
|
37 CFM
|
1.28W
|
|
9V
|
23 dBA@1m
|
1780 RPM
|
28 CFM
|
0.97W
|
|
7V
|
~20 dBA@1m
|
1360 RPM
|
20 CFM
|
0.78W
|
|
5V
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
850 RPM
|
12 CFM
|
0.53W
|
|
@10 CFM (4.6V)
|
<18 dBA@1m
|
750 RPM
|
10 CFM
|
0.43W
|
This is the medium speed version of the low speed Panaflo reviewed above.
It needs no further introduction, so comments will be limited to differences
between the two fans.
As a general rule, the medium speed models seemed to have more issues with
buzzing and chuffing than the low speed models, and it was harder to find a
really good sample among the choices we had. That said, we'd be hard pressed
to tell the difference between the low and medium speed models if they were
running side by side at the same speed. In fact, the sample variance within
each speed category was probably larger than the variation we heard jumping
from slow to medium.
Most users will find that the choice between low and medium speed will probably
be dictated by purpose and availability. Where a large margin of safety is required,
the medium speed model is capable of providing quite a respectable amount of
airflow if required, but it won't be quiet while doing so. The low speed model
is better suited to situations where a finer grain of control is desired or
with an automatic fan controller that occasionally pushes the fan to full speed.
It reasonably quiet throughout its operating range, while the medium speed version
is best kept to 9V and below.
Another thing to consider is that users who want to supply the fan with 5V
and leave it are better off choosing the medium speed version. Both versions
are effectively inaudible at 5V, but the medium speed provides more airflow
and starts more reliably at this voltage.
Noise Recordings
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