Sunbeam rubber fan mounts work, no tools required. Honest!
Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:14 pm
Right now I have Sunbeam rubber fan mounts on the 120mm exhaust fan in my #1 computer, sitting to the left of my 19" LCD monitor. I mounted them today, and it's good thing they come in a package of 16 because I busted some as part of an experiment/learning exercise. The point is, I mounted these in a filled, operational computer with no special tool(s) - just fingers!
In a second chassis, I have the SPCR favorite fan mounts - but I had to mount them with the case empty, had to pull the PSU out of the way, and needed long-nose pliers. I could have mounted them in a working computer if I had this special tool.
Sunbeam rubber fan mounts here, EAR/Acousti fan mounts and (US) here.
After successfully mounting a fan using the EAR/Acousti units, I ordered the special tool yesterday from Harbor Freight (the tool isn't that special, any tool shop carries it). I decided that since everybody (including me) agreed that the Sunbeam mounts flat didn't work, I'd expend the useless parts finding out why they didn't work. Instead, I wound up discovering that they were easier to mount than the EAR part. Here's what I discovered:
With the EAR mounts, one first installs them on the chassis. Then you pull them thru the fan ears. In a working computer, there usually isn't room to reach the bottommost units without the special pliers. Aside from that, installation is straightforward and problem-free once you realize the mounts really stretch!
I wound up installing the Sunbeam mounts on the fan first . I just used my fingers to pull the rubber thru the fan ear, pulling at a 40 degree angle or so. If you try to pull straight, the thing will break. With a little practice (a coupla broken units), you can pull these into place on the fan easily. Hint: the rubber stretches a great deal more than you would think!
The reason the Sunbeams can be installed in a filled computer chassis with no tools now becomes obvious: next the fan is placed inside the case with the rubber mounts protruding thru the chassis holes. All the important action now takes place outside the chassis!
You now use your eye (very important!) and fingers to pull the mount into place in the chassis fan hole. The rubber has to be pulled at a ~40 degree angle, and you can see the edge of the important part of the rubber coming thru. This is the easy part of the mounting process; placing the rubber on the fan is the hard part.
That's it!
Now the question is which is the better mount, since the rubber is obviously stiffer on the Sunbeam part. This would have to be discovered by experiment, using a suitably noisy (e.g. ball bearing) fan. The fan mass needs, for optimum results, to be matched to the elasticity of the rubber. I have no idea which is best. For instance, it's possible the EAR would be best on a 100g fan, and the Sunbeam best on a 175g fan (e.g. Papst).
In other words, it's conceivable that the Sunbeam is actually the better-performing unit in addition to being installable in a built-up computer with no tools. Or not.
Who has a suitably noisy fan, both Sunbeam and EAR mounts, and enough of a curiosity bump to carry this to the next level?
In a second chassis, I have the SPCR favorite fan mounts - but I had to mount them with the case empty, had to pull the PSU out of the way, and needed long-nose pliers. I could have mounted them in a working computer if I had this special tool.
Sunbeam rubber fan mounts here, EAR/Acousti fan mounts and (US) here.
After successfully mounting a fan using the EAR/Acousti units, I ordered the special tool yesterday from Harbor Freight (the tool isn't that special, any tool shop carries it). I decided that since everybody (including me) agreed that the Sunbeam mounts flat didn't work, I'd expend the useless parts finding out why they didn't work. Instead, I wound up discovering that they were easier to mount than the EAR part. Here's what I discovered:
With the EAR mounts, one first installs them on the chassis. Then you pull them thru the fan ears. In a working computer, there usually isn't room to reach the bottommost units without the special pliers. Aside from that, installation is straightforward and problem-free once you realize the mounts really stretch!
I wound up installing the Sunbeam mounts on the fan first . I just used my fingers to pull the rubber thru the fan ear, pulling at a 40 degree angle or so. If you try to pull straight, the thing will break. With a little practice (a coupla broken units), you can pull these into place on the fan easily. Hint: the rubber stretches a great deal more than you would think!
The reason the Sunbeams can be installed in a filled computer chassis with no tools now becomes obvious: next the fan is placed inside the case with the rubber mounts protruding thru the chassis holes. All the important action now takes place outside the chassis!
You now use your eye (very important!) and fingers to pull the mount into place in the chassis fan hole. The rubber has to be pulled at a ~40 degree angle, and you can see the edge of the important part of the rubber coming thru. This is the easy part of the mounting process; placing the rubber on the fan is the hard part.
That's it!
Now the question is which is the better mount, since the rubber is obviously stiffer on the Sunbeam part. This would have to be discovered by experiment, using a suitably noisy (e.g. ball bearing) fan. The fan mass needs, for optimum results, to be matched to the elasticity of the rubber. I have no idea which is best. For instance, it's possible the EAR would be best on a 100g fan, and the Sunbeam best on a 175g fan (e.g. Papst).
In other words, it's conceivable that the Sunbeam is actually the better-performing unit in addition to being installable in a built-up computer with no tools. Or not.
Who has a suitably noisy fan, both Sunbeam and EAR mounts, and enough of a curiosity bump to carry this to the next level?