Macintosh SE 80mm fan upgrade

[markyb86]

So the 60mm fan in the SE is making a lot of noise, like its off center or needs an oil job or something.

When it comes to repairing computers, Usually I'll use what I have lying around first before trying to pay money.

First I was going to just make a bracket from plexiglass (And I did, but drilling holes in it FUBAR'd it. :'( :'( :'( I even dremel'd out an apple for a fan grill.. what luck having brittle plexi.)

What I came up with next was cut apart an ATX PSU, for the sheet metal AND fan.

All I did was snip off the old fan (left enough wire on fan in case I change my mind), and soldered this guy on.

It fits pretty snug in there, maybe 1-2mm away from the video board. I put electrical tape on the side of the bracket in case vibration makes them touch. I don't want a grounding issue.

I also had to remove the fan shroud from the back case.

Well, it did quiet down the noise I was hearing. Now to do something about the 20MB HDD.. whirr whirr whirr.. ugh. )

Next project is to see about some retrobrite materials, while I wait for this USB>Serial dongle.

 

[James1095]

I've been thinking of replacing the fan in my SE/30 with a temperature controlled type, or adding an external fan controller. While not as cheap as free, nice quiet fans are not super expensive and the controlled ones are nice since they only spin up fast when things get too hot.

 

[markyb86]

I did think about a temp sensor controlled one.

At least the mount is there now for a 80mm fan which are easier to find. (Future upgrade!)

 

[markyb86]

EDIT:

:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

[Bunsen]

fan in the SE is making a lot of noise, like its off center or needs an oil job or something.

Peel back the sticker on the hub half-way and there's a hole in the center for oil. Use a single drop of sewing machine oil, or if you don't have that, vegetable oil should work.

 

[markyb86]

Hmm.. Thank you. Maybe I will lube it up and put it in the Plus.. :b&w:

 

[James1095]

I've never had much luck oiling them, seems like once they get real noisy, the bearings are already shot and the oil just quiets them down for a few weeks. It's worth a shot though.

 

[trag]

I know one goal in this project was to spend little to no money, but I thought I'd mention that fan grills are available from places like Digi-Key for a nominal sum.

But your solution doesn't stick out as much as a grill does, and it was free. Great work. It looks terrific.

 

[markyb86]

Thank you!

Also I do have a couple grilles, but I needed the side piece too, to connect it to the analog board.

However, opening the back up a little wider might not be too bad of an idea? Don't know how I feel about cutting the outside of the case though. It's working for now

 

[tt]

Interesting hack...going with a bigger fan makes it easier to go quieter since you can run at a lower RPM to move the same amount of air. I just recently replaced a noisy stock 60mm Canon fan with one (NMB ~$ 8) from DigiKey and while not silent, it is much better. Adding rubber mounts/gaskets might help a little with the acoustics. I am trying out a "specialty" replacement for another analog board I am tinkering with that is fairly quiet (slightly lower RPM) but like mentioned earlier, is more expensive.

 

[CC_333]

Hi,

Does anybody have any experience with this fan?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835191005

Based on the specifications, it should be fairly quiet.

Very nifty hack, by the way!

c

 

[tt]

JDW says it is quiet but does not seem to push as much air through as compared to a stock fan. I sort of doubt the CFM rating they claim since RPM is the most dominant factor for most of these types fans. Based on his experience, it seems like a fine alternative, but I would rather run the system cooler (in theory) and sacrifice sound levels a little bit. At some point a higher CFM probably stops helping air flow and cooling due to the constrictive vent/grill in the back case.

 

[Bunsen]

Don't know how I feel about cutting the outside of the case though. It's working for now

I don't know how this would work for room or airflow, but could you add some vent holes under the Mac where it won't be visible?

 

[markyb86]

I certainly don't see why not?

The very bottom might not do much as there is a metallic shield in between the case and the logic board, but it wouldn't hurt to put some vents under the chin on the front?

I also thought about putting some slots in the handle area so they arent visible but would allow heat to escape like on the plus. :b&w: