Well, having left the printer on overnight to knock out an urgent print for a friend, I’ve discovered that, it’s a little on the noisy side!
The Wanhao D9 has FOUR fans! (yep, FOUR)
One 60x60x15mm fan in the power supply and Three 40x40x10
Two of these…AAA HZHZ 4010 MS 24V DC 0.10Amp fans
One on the extruder, right by the number 7, top yellow arrow
This one is the fan that cools the extruder block
The Bottom fan is a different model in some printers a xxxxxxxxxxxx, it’s the one that powers the blower (which has been suggested is a sub-optimal design, and will be subject to a future upgrade)
And, in the power supply a DOCENG DC Brushless Fan – FD216015-SH1 DC 12V and either 0.18A or 0.13A depending on where you find the part – YES, it’s a 12V fan (inside a 24V power supply!)
Alternate current draw on this identical looking fan below!…..
Listening to the printer, it really sounds like most of the noise is coming from the two fans inside the control unit – the 60mm fan in the power supply and the 40mm one in the enclosure
I may well need to research some replacements for these! Also will research alternate methods of cooling, as larger fans run slower for the same volume of air
Another possibility also – alternate power supplies – the existing power supply is a Meanwell LRS-350-24, a 350.4 watt, 24Volt power supply…it may well be that a larger power supply, or a more expensive / efficient one can run cooler and therfore quieter
Some specs for this 60mm fan……..
- Connector:XH2.54-2P
- Dimensions: 60X60X15mm
- Air flow:24.66CFM
- Rated Voltage: DC 12V
- Rated Current: 0.12±10% Amp
- Rated Speed: 5400±10%rpm
- Noise: 28±10%dBm
- Bearing Type: Sleeve
- Cable Length: 18cm
Doing some preliminary googling on the suitable replacements –
the 40x40x10 fans – though this one’s been reported as noisier, it’s MUCH better quality
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/G4010H24B-RSR/1570-1079-ND/5209776
and for the 60mm one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gelid-Silent-Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing/dp/B008S1HNPS
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1Y4ARG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.ebay.com/itm/401292972764
I’ll need to try to find some research on quietness vs speed vs cubic volume airflow!, I remember back from my old PC overclocking days that there isn’t really that much difference between the sound the actual fans make, if you run them slower, they make less noise…if you run them in a different enclosure, they make less noise.
There’s a superb white paper I found for a USA based company that’s quantified some fan noise measurements….for me a key takeaway from this blog shows that
- the meanwell fan location is less than optimal – facing directly above and so close to the PCB it’s generating a lot of noise
- the meanwell stamped fan grille / finger guard is creating noise
http://www.us.tdk-lambda.com/media/292253/tdk-lambda-blog-090117.pdf
So, long, waffley summary….the printer is LOUD, and it can be quietened…
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