Do fans TICK?

Control: management of fans, temp/rpm monitoring via soft/hardware

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mo786
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Do fans TICK?

Post by mo786 » Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:06 pm

I have an Orange Nexus fan at the lowest setting - am I going crazy or do they make VERY faint random ticking sounds? The fan can spin freely so I am imagining its something inside...?

I cannot think of any other noise sources in my room or in my PC because everything else is fanless.


I ahve a Zalman FanMate slowing it down - research has shown that power management for fans may cause ticking - any ideas?/

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:37 pm

The tick/click due to PWM is very regular. Zalman Fanmates don't use PWM, so your random "tick" has nothing to do with the fan controller.

Does something like a loose wire occasionally swing into contact with the rotating fan blades?

mo786
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Post by mo786 » Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:04 pm

i dunno - i am baffled

i am 99% sure its coming from the computer - i dont have anything else in my room that is on or moving - the only thing in my pc is the case that moves (i have a phantom 350w psu and a ninja cooler with no fan)

the nosie is VERY faint - its like a very numb ticking sound - its fairly quick and random it comes on and off - i am sure its not a noise coming from outside because its been happening for a whiel day and night (its 4am now where i am and tis still happening randomly - its dead quiet outside and everything else in the house is off!)

Could it be my CRT monitor? The monitors PSU makes a slight buzzing sound but I don't thin kthe noise is coming from there because i am sure i would be able to hear it much clearer because of how lcose i sit to the monitor...

driving me crazy!

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Sun Nov 26, 2006 9:30 pm

mo786 wrote:the nosie is VERY faint - its like a very numb ticking sound - its fairly quick and random it comes on and off - i am sure its not a noise coming from outside because its been happening for a whiel day and night (its 4am now where i am and tis still happening randomly - its dead quiet outside and everything else in the house is off!)
Um. It's winter here in KF. I use electrical heat, and the thermostat or heater or both make random clicks as they randomly turn on or off. :?:

fmriguy
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Post by fmriguy » Sun Nov 26, 2006 10:24 pm

I have a Scythe fan (the one that comes with the Ninja) that makes a very quiet, rapid ticking sound, but I've never heard of a Nexus making that sound...perhaps it was damaged in shipping? Did it start all of a sudden or ever since you installed the fan?

Maybe you could try stopping the fan with your finger (placing it on the hub to slow it down) when you hear the ticking and see if it stops. That way you can at least be sure it is the fan.

jaganath
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Post by jaganath » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:16 am

I think it's the PSU; because the Phantom is fanless you can hear all the little electrical noises that would usually be covered by the fan noise.

mo786
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Post by mo786 » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:30 am

well this is odd...

its not the PC!

I was lying in bed at night at 5am and I could still hear the noises so they sound like they are coming from inside the house...i am thinking maybe the attic because its a bit random the way its just appeared!

i hope there isnt some sort of creature up there!

as someoene else said i hope it some sort of electrical nosie to do with the central heating (tho i dont have a heater connected to the ch in my room)

cpemma
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Post by cpemma » Mon Nov 27, 2006 1:10 pm

Death Watch beetle. Don't worry about it. :twisted:

Devonavar
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Post by Devonavar » Mon Nov 27, 2006 8:42 pm

Glad you found the problem ... but yes, fans can tick. In fact, I've even encountered a ticking Nexus, though this is not the norm. Nexus seems to have some issues with sample variance...

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