Quieter Fan Mod for Behringer EP2500

[collo]

What a great idea.....

[CZ Eddie]

Thanks to this thread, I picked up the 24v FBA08A24L1A from arrow dot com for about $19 including second day air (I was in a rush). I have less than ten posts here, so I can't post the direct link to arrow.

Installing the fan was one of the easier things I've done lately.
Results are very good. The EP2500 is not what I would consider "silent". But the fan is inaudible from more than a few feet away, or at my sitting distance. I can only hear it when I walk right past it.

I would do this mod again. And it's safer than going with a 12v fan.

[Jailer]

Just got done with the fan mod myself. Got the one from newark that was posted earlier in the thread.

With my bad hearing I have to stick my ear right next to the front of the amp to even hear it running and I can barely hear it at that. The stock fan could be heard from my seating position about 10 feet away. Again, my hearing is not too good.

The glue can be sliced through in short order without heating it. Soldered up the new fan and all is good.

I did do something a little different than others. I used some metal foil tape (the real duct tape) and sealed off the gap between the fan shroud and heat sink. I also mounted the fan blowing out the rear so it draws air from front to back now. It has been sitting idle for about a half an hour now and the air coming out the back feels just slightly warmer than ambient. The top of the unit is stone cold except the area directly over the heat sink. That area is only slightly warm to the touch.

It just didn't make any sense at all to me having the fan blowing from the back to front, gaps in the heat sink, blowing hot air all around the inside of the amp and heat soaking all the other parts. This way the fan draws air through the front of the heat sink and blows ALL that hot air out the back.

UPDATE!

Watched a movie for a bit. The air coming out of the back of the unit is now very warm. Good indication that it is pulling a lot of heat from the heat sink. The top of the case is warm to the touch directly over the heat sink and still cool to the touch everywhere else.

I'm happy.

[Sonnie]

Coolerguys has a good selection of fans.... http://www.coolerguys.com/80.html

MECHATRONICS #A8025S12D for $4.25

• low noise design
• Sleeve Bearing
• 12V DC thermal protection type
• PBT UL94V-0 frame and impeller
• DC Brushless

SPECS:
Model - A8025S12D
Size - (80 x 80 x 25mm)
3.15 x 3.15 x 0.98 inches
Bearing options: Sleeve Bearing
Connector - 3 Pin/2 wire w/10" lead
Speed - 1500 RPM
Noise - 20 dba
Air Flow - 25 CFM

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

So is the newark the most commonly used 24v?
Seems easier to use a 24v than switch to a 12v.

These suckers are fairly loud, lol.

[Sonnie]

You know... when I was looking at those coolerguys fans, I was not even paying attention that a 24v was required. I have not looked, but they may have one, but the Newark should work just fine.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Some people do use 12v pc fans, but they change resistors or something...beyond my knowledge, lol.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

My newark fan didn't come with a clip on the end of the wires, can I use the factory clip after removing the old fan?

[kouack]

of course you can

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Thaks, do you just splice into the existing wires just before the plug and then solder the connections?

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Wow, what a differnce!

[WmAx]

E-A-G-L-E-S wrote:

So is the newark the most commonly used 24v?
Seems easier to use a 24v than switch to a 12v.

These suckers are fairly loud, lol.

The Panaflo model is most commonly recommended, because after a long series of attempts at resistor mods and fan replacement, the Panaflo was found to be the lowest noise option in a certain extended length thread concerning Ep2500 fan options, and by a significant margin, based on my imperfect memory.

-Chris

[SubMan]

Could you try two 12VDC fans in series (along with some series resistance to reduce the fan speed for quieter operation)??

[CZ Eddie]

Don't mess around with 12v or series or anything else odd. Just do it right the first time.

What I quoted below is all you need. It is absolutely innaudible from three feet away in an absolutely silent room.
Get your refridgerator going or the A/C and you can't even hear this fan with your head right next to it.

CZ Eddie wrote:

Thanks to this thread, I picked up the 24v FBA08A24L1A from arrow dot com for about $19 including second day air (I was in a rush). I have less than ten posts here, so I can't post the direct link to arrow.

Installing the fan was one of the easier things I've done lately.
Results are very good. The EP2500 is not what I would consider "silent". But the fan is inaudible from more than a few feet away, or at my sitting distance. I can only hear it when I walk right past it.

I would do this mod again. And it's safer than going with a 12v fan.

[expresso]

hi - i just changed out my fan from a QSC GX5 amp - i put in the panaflow model 24 volt - low speed -

works excellent in terms of noise - i cant hear it at all now - almost wonder if its working -- i did check it before i closed the amp - it worked - i just spliced the wires because i didnt have and cant find the 2 pin connector -

i have a guestion if anyone would know - does this fan spin the same speed all the time ? or does it speed up as more volts are sent to it when the amp gets hotter ?

i hope this fan is enough to keep it from shutting down or doing any damage - i am using it for HT use and music - i do listen to music loud at times - but not for that long - has anyone had issues when using this low speed fan ?

thanks

[Hunter844]

Wish I had already did this...got my sub going tonight. Still have some finish work to do yet but I thought I'd go ahead and try this baby out. Sounds real good WHEN you can hear over this EP1500 stock fan.

Needless to say I got the FBA08A24L1A on order from Digi-key. I guess I'm gonna take apart on old sub and run my new sub off an old amp till the part arrives...I gather running it without a fan is a no no even at light load.

EDIT:

Got the fan in and installation was pretty easy. Fan mod cut the noise in half...still audible from about 8 feet away but tolerable. No louder than my PS3.

[azgreenb]

Are there any concerns with running a fan at ~1/2 the CFM and Back pressure? I don't know the circuit, but unless the circuit is looking at the temp, this mod would seem to put internal components in jeopardy.
Anyone have this mod installed and more than a couple months of use to put my mind at ease before performing the mod.
I think I am going to talk to a couple of reps from work and see if they can find a closer match to the original fan with less db's.

[Hakka]

Have any Aussies done this mod, if so where did you get the fan from?

Thanks.

Hakka.

[digital desire]

So how has this been working for everyone else?

I can tell you, it was not good for me. I would eventually get red clip lights (these also come on when it starts to temp out) and then it would mute for a few seconds and comeback online. The first error for me was reversing the flow. When I used the "improved" fan with it blowing cold air in to the sinks, it worked 95% better. I would still get an occasional red light and the corresponding mute. I really thought it was some weird clipping problem, but it would happen sometimes with no audio present.

The fan I got from digi key draws quite a bit less power, and thus moves much less air.

Putting the original fan back in completely eliminated the problem. Now, I drive it pretty hard into a single 12" sub, but even lightly over time, the problem would show up.

Now I just have to move the amp into my shop area and run long wires.

[Sonnie]

Never had any issues with the Digi-Key fan here... ran it for about 18-19 months (now sold) on a pair of 15's. Rodny got his at the same time and has ran his on 4 x 15's since (almost 2 years) and he has not mentioned any issues... and he just installed the same fan in my new EP2500 last week. We will see how it works out for us.

[shogo33]

Just did mine,using 80mm 24vdc @21db fan. Removed the screws, spliced the wires (fan came with bare wires), and joined the connectors to the plug. All in all, 35min job. the EP2500 is now a lot quieter than using the original fan, and thats with the cover off.

[gtvben]

For the aussies, RS components stock the papst fan stock # 299-1403. Awaiting my EP2500 will let you know after i mod mine with this fan.(papst part #8414NGL 1500rpm 12db 24vdc).

[digital desire]

I returned it to stock, and now have ZERO problems.
I did have to move 20' away into another room however.
I have since beat the holy snot out of it, and it chugs along graciously.

If any of you ever see a red light, and you doubt it is clipping, you have to increase its breathing!

The amp (any amp) generates a LOT of heat, even more so with an amp of this magnitude. The fan is the only way to get rid of it in this design. There are no convection forces at work like a conventional amp. I feel very lucky to have figured it out before I let any magic smoke out.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Well, the newark fan has worked flawlessly for me for ~4 months. Not once have I heard the fan from seating position and not once have I had any clipping or overheating.

[digital desire]

I'm sure that for many, or most even, it works.

I just want everyone aware that there is a potential for problems. If you see red, you know where to start looking.