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Fusion 150 - SILENT AT LAST!!!
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After reading through the (VERY!) long Fusion 150 thread last January BEFORE purchasing a unit, i knew what i might be in for, but took the plunge anyway - as many other have said - cost v. functionality is unbeatable!
My unit was whisper quiet, updated 1st night to latest firmware and never missed a beat. However, after about 3-4 weeks, the fan got very noisy! It was actually audible over fairly loud TV!! I read through the noise posts on here and tried all possible solutions - I thought i would share the success of each one with the forum!
1. Upside Down Mouse Mat - placed under the fan opening, this did nothing for me at all - in fact, it made it a little louder if anything!
2. Stopping the fan (paper / match into fan holes). Obviously silent as it stopped the fan completely - unit got much warmer and there were frequent glitches - blocky recordings; unit hang-ups. Knowing a little about electronics, i decided stopping the fan with power to it isnt the best idea anyway........
3. Blocking the Fan Holes - taping over the holes silences the unit very well and allows the fan to keep running, circulating SOME air through the side vents of the unit. Worked well for 4 weeks or so, but then the unit seemed to lock up on recording / playback etc. similar to when the fan was stopped - again, the unit was warm to touch.
4. Change Fan Position - involves opening the box up and voiding the warranty, but because everything else is 100% on this unit, i decided to go for it! Simply open the box, dismount the HDD assembly and swap the fan from being mounted UNDER the aluminium HDD mount plate to in between the alu plate and the HDD itself. I needed to space the fan by 2mm to stop the blades catching the HDD. This WORKS PERFECTLY, is whisper silent and keeps the unit the same temp. 2 weeks in and no problems at all!!!
IN CONCLUSION: it seems that various reports on this forum might work for some and not for others. It does seem that the only real solution is to remount the fan, allowing excellent air flow but without the noise. For people who have the units in their bedroom and only use for recording, disconnecting the fan might still be the only option - i however use the unit day in day out for live TV, recording and playback etc. and because of this, it is apparent that the fan does need to be used! The 55deg C limit on the Maxtor drive is a MAX temp, but even getting close to it does seem to exponentially increase the risk of errors.
Hope that helps you all!! Back to my silent, fault free 150 now to record the snooker!! (If that hasnt put the kiss of death on it.......... :cool: )
Jon.
My unit was whisper quiet, updated 1st night to latest firmware and never missed a beat. However, after about 3-4 weeks, the fan got very noisy! It was actually audible over fairly loud TV!! I read through the noise posts on here and tried all possible solutions - I thought i would share the success of each one with the forum!
1. Upside Down Mouse Mat - placed under the fan opening, this did nothing for me at all - in fact, it made it a little louder if anything!
2. Stopping the fan (paper / match into fan holes). Obviously silent as it stopped the fan completely - unit got much warmer and there were frequent glitches - blocky recordings; unit hang-ups. Knowing a little about electronics, i decided stopping the fan with power to it isnt the best idea anyway........
3. Blocking the Fan Holes - taping over the holes silences the unit very well and allows the fan to keep running, circulating SOME air through the side vents of the unit. Worked well for 4 weeks or so, but then the unit seemed to lock up on recording / playback etc. similar to when the fan was stopped - again, the unit was warm to touch.
4. Change Fan Position - involves opening the box up and voiding the warranty, but because everything else is 100% on this unit, i decided to go for it! Simply open the box, dismount the HDD assembly and swap the fan from being mounted UNDER the aluminium HDD mount plate to in between the alu plate and the HDD itself. I needed to space the fan by 2mm to stop the blades catching the HDD. This WORKS PERFECTLY, is whisper silent and keeps the unit the same temp. 2 weeks in and no problems at all!!!
IN CONCLUSION: it seems that various reports on this forum might work for some and not for others. It does seem that the only real solution is to remount the fan, allowing excellent air flow but without the noise. For people who have the units in their bedroom and only use for recording, disconnecting the fan might still be the only option - i however use the unit day in day out for live TV, recording and playback etc. and because of this, it is apparent that the fan does need to be used! The 55deg C limit on the Maxtor drive is a MAX temp, but even getting close to it does seem to exponentially increase the risk of errors.
Hope that helps you all!! Back to my silent, fault free 150 now to record the snooker!! (If that hasnt put the kiss of death on it.......... :cool: )
Jon.
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Comments
I posted re using a mouse mat under the unit.
Here are a few more details:-
The mouse mat should be thin enough to leave a space (for air) under the unit. The one I used was covered in black foam on the reverse side and this is the side that should face up.
Slide the mat under the unit from the front left and gradually move it to the right. As is starts to go under the fan air slots I found that the fan noise reduced and also changed pitch. Continue sliding to the right until you are happy with the reduced noise and lower pitch.
In my case, the 150 was housed on a hard shelf (as most are I would think) and this reflected the fan noise which was acoustically damped by the mouse mat.
I would be interested to know if this works for anyone else.
Your solution is much better but more ‘risky’ and as you say could affect the warranty.
That said, if my unit continues to work without any problems I will be tempted to try your solution.
Were you able to reposition the fan without any problems?
Can you provide photos to make it easy to understand what changes you made?
Did you need any special tools?
Roger
In response to your post, yes, my unit is mounted on a solid (glass) shelf and i also used a mousemat of the same make-up - i.e. black foam. I have read on here that sometimes just moving the fan a fraction makes a big difference (turbulence near the fan cut outs i think) - so maybe yours was always a little better to start with - good info though for others to try!
Only tools i required was a Torx driver / attachment and a Phillips driver. The case screws are quite tight to loosen (all Torx) and the 3 x Phillips HDD screws are v simple to remove. The actual HDD is mounted to the Aluminium plate by another 4 x Torx screws with rubber mountings.
I had no problems repositioning the fan - it is mounted using metal self-tappers and my HDD assembly was fixed to the casing using Phillips screws.
The fan can be repositioned and the same screws re-used for fixing. I tested mine 1st time with the case off and the fan was catching the HDD very slightly - EVEN LOUDER!! I just put a very thin foam spacer (or rubber washers would work) between the HDD and Alu plate (near the screws)to space it apart by 1-2mm, thus solving the problem.
Start to finish 15 minute job, taking MUCH CARE around the HDD cables etc. In fact, mine is now much neater inside, as i had a wonky HDD and the cable was trapped and twisted underneath the HDD assembly! Unfortunately, i took no photos during the process, BUT if i do ever need to open it up again, i will post. It is VERY self explanatory when you are in there, as its just 1 big PCB and a HDD assembly!!
Hope that helps!!
Jon.
Thank you for the additional info.
Roger
I have noticed that a number of fusion owners on this forum are still complaing about fan noise.
Why not try repositioning it as described by jonds in his/this post (assuming you are otherwise happy with the unit).
Although the fan noise on my unit was not that bad, after repositioning it my unit now runs whisper quiet.
Unlike jonds I did not need to ‘space’ the fan from the HDD. I suggest you spin the fan by hand to make sure it can run free before reconnecting the unit and switching. on.
I did not have a camera available at the time so I could not take step by step photos but if you are use to messing about with the inside of a PC you will feel at home.
I also raised the feet (approx double the height) to allow more air to flow under the unit so it is now runs both cooler and quiet.
Hope this helps and needless to say make sure your Fusion is disconnected from the mains before you start work.
Roger