I don't know if it's just my fan or it's installed incorrectly, but the noise it makes is absolutely louder than the printing noise. Is there a way to reduce this noise or does the fan need to be replaced?
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Reduce the noise generated by the base fan?
Reduce the noise generated by the base fan?
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My fan solution.
I've been using this for awhile now. It works great. It's simply a 120mm x 120mm 12V 2000rpm fan that came off an old computer case. I have it hooked up to my own power supply (it being 12V and all). The air cushion feet are the things you find in a cd-rom drive if you take one apart. I set my printer up on blocks and slid this directly beneath the main board.
The heat sink fan is a little tricky. If rests up against the print head mount or the part fan shroud it makes a horrible noise. I managed to position it's wire so it's not getting pulled into either of those. Still it sometimes makes some different LOUD grindy whiney noises when I 1st turn the printer on. I found if I flick it a few times it gets quiet and seems to spin properly.
A 40mm fan guard and a thin sheet of foam - the base fan now makes less noise than the hot-end fan!
I plan to print a base that will house a cpu or psu fan. Might happen sooner than I'd planned. Right now I have to wear earplugs when I'm printing. Not sure I can withstand it much longer. I also want an exit for the USB cable.
Both fans are bothering me!
Why does the hot-end fan have to spin when nothing is being printed??
I added some oil to mine which seems to have help somewhat. The oil came with my laser cutter so, unfortunately, I can't be more specific. The fan is still rather loud, but now I can actually hear the motors.
To add the oil you'll have to remove the fan. Carefully lift the sticker (if you mess it up just replace it with some aluminum tape or whatever). Then add 2 or 3 drops on the bearing. Maybe tap it and spin it around a bit to work it in. Before replacing the sticker (tape), make sure you clean the area with alcohol or acetone (or whatever you like to clean oil).
Oh, and make sure you don't over-tighten the fan.
It's ridiculously loud, right?!
I have been thinking of getting a Noctua fan to replace it. They're much, much quieter, but they don't have an option for a 24v. They do have a 5v version that might be able to run off the positive provided one of the end stop plugs. You could check the MKS Gen L v2.0 pinout to see if this is possible.
*Disclosure: I'm not using the included mainboard so I haven't checked.