My HDD Silencer & Cooler (w/Plans)

Silencing hard drives, optical drives and other storage devices

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TheMuffinMan
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My HDD Silencer & Cooler (w/Plans)

Post by TheMuffinMan » Thu Jan 23, 2003 6:30 pm

I just finshed my HDD Cooler & silencer. The computer now makes no noise!

I'll edit this with a picture of the final product as soon as I can get decent lighting.

(Image size total is 44 KB, BTW)

Before:
Image

The Plan:
Image

After:
Coming soon...

Gandalf
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Post by Gandalf » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:29 am

Looks interesting though I wonder whether that fan does any good .. I doubt cardboard does a good job transferring heat :P

pingu666
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Post by pingu666 » Fri Jan 24, 2003 8:12 am

similer to what i did
but mine only covers 4 sides :( case isnt wide enuff :/ soundproofed the mobo tray and behind as best i could, it helps...
hd will get warm, mine does compared to just hangin, where its just above ambient..

powergyoza
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Post by powergyoza » Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:57 am

You're gonna need an intake vent in your shoebox.

Corrugated cardboard (the one with the wavey inside) won't conduct heat as well as solid cardboard. Try an use solid cardboard if you can. And make it as tight fitting as possible.

And this will contradict my 1st statement. Try to have as few openings as possible because sound will find its way through those holes! (click to see article)

jhh
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Post by jhh » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:06 pm

if it works it works, but I'm wondering how that fan can move air at all - with it to get in.

Does your HDD suport SMART? If so I'd suggest visiting here http://www.hddtemperature.com/hddt_check.exe and clicking run

TheMuffinMan
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Post by TheMuffinMan » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:08 pm

I reversed the fan...it's blowing air in, and the hard drive is noticably cooler. My hard drive does support SMART, but not temp monitoring. I will probably buy a temp probe tomorrow.

powergyoza
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Post by powergyoza » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:17 pm

Now that I think about it some more, I like your idea of "double boxing it" and having space between each box.

Factoring in the computer case, you've effectively created a "triple box" for hdd silencing. I wish I had that much room to work with though. My 2 Maxtors are quite cramped in my Antec 1040 case.

jhh
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Post by jhh » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:19 pm

yep, blowing in should help, with it blowing out I think all you'd be doing is lowering the air pressure in the box and therefore making it more difficult for air to get into it.

it's the same old problem of when you let the air in you let the sound out. It might help to feed flexable plactic tubes to the top of the drive for the cool air to get sucked in through, if they bend round a bit they'll attenuate the sound while still letting air in. I say this might help, but if it works fine already there's no point bothering.

TheMuffinMan
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Post by TheMuffinMan » Sat Jan 25, 2003 1:02 pm

Finally, temps

With the fan blowing in:
Center Top of HDD: 100.8 F
Center Bottom of HDD: 103.2

jhh
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Post by jhh » Sat Jan 25, 2003 4:13 pm

ah. Off the top of my headlooks fine. I only work in degrees C, but I think teh danger point for a HDD is somewhere around 50C, which I think is ~130F

Is it an American thing to still work in degrees F?

TheMuffinMan
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Post by TheMuffinMan » Sat Jan 25, 2003 8:55 pm

jhh wrote:ah. Off the top of my headlooks fine. I only work in degrees C, but I think teh danger point for a HDD is somewhere around 50C, which I think is ~130F

Is it an American thing to still work in degrees F?
The thermal sensor only displays degrees F...

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Sat Jan 25, 2003 10:27 pm

Does it strike anybody as odd that only we Americans still use the English system of measurement? :wink:

jhh
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Post by jhh » Sun Jan 26, 2003 6:41 am

more odd still is that the metric system had been established for decades when we english still saw fit to invent an inferior standard.

pingu666
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Post by pingu666 » Sun Jan 26, 2003 2:48 pm

nah it was before wasnt it?
the french started the metric stuff i belive
well at least for lengths and liquid..

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Sun Jan 26, 2003 6:49 pm

No, the "English" system goes back to the middle ages. The metric system was invented in th 19th century. (by a frenchman, no less)

jhh
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Post by jhh » Sun Jan 26, 2003 7:19 pm

Well, sure, you can trace the origins of the imperial system waaaaaay back as long as people have been measuring things against their feet but the standard we know today was only formalised in 1824 and 1878, whereas most people place the first 'proper' metric system around the end of the 18th century, since then the only major revision is in the second (which used to change every year)

ps sorry to be such an ot bore.

[/i]

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Sun Jan 26, 2003 8:35 pm

Any new knowledge is good knowledge.

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