Sliencing my damn cabinet!

[darthbane2k]

I've had my arcade cabinet completed for a few years now,but one thing continues to bug me - the noise! The PC fan at the back of the cab is so loud, and playing a game late at night is annoying. Is there anything I can do to reduce the fan noise, other than replacing the fan itself?
If there is a product I can use, please consider that I live in the UK.,

[BobA]

Look up PC Fan Controller on google and I am sure you will find a simple one that suits your needs.   You can also try a resistor in series with the fan controller.   Unfortunately this usualy is a trial and miss method.  Probably a 1W for power dissipation but the ohms depend on your current draw and what you consider a suitable sound level..  If you can find a power rehostat (variable resistor) you can set dial in the settin you need.  Another option is to use 1/2 amp diodes such as the 1n4001 in series with the controller.  Each diode will drop the voltage 0.7V.  You put them end to end until the fan slows and starts reliably at a lower sound level.

More complicated fan controlers are easily built but will take more time such as the link below.
DIY

[Guaranos]

I ended up going fanless on one cabinet for that very reason.  Some of the mini-ITX boards are designed to operate without a fan.  That, combined with a laptop-style power supply and a compact-flash to IDE adapter led to a silent machine.  Check your specs.  Maybe you can get away with a gigantic heat sink instead of the fan.

Another thing, make sure your fan is attached securely.  If it's vibrating around, it's going to make more noise than it should.

[Joystick Jerk]

Are you talking about a fan mounted on the cab itself, or a fan on the computer chassis inside. If it's the former, you don't need a fan on your cab. Monitors don't get hot enough to need one, and a computer has it's own fans, assuming it's still in it's case.

Which is another point. I really hate the advice that people take the parts out of their PC's case and mount them directly on the cab. WRONG! PC's are designed with the PC case in mind. The fans are placed in the case to promote proper airlfow. If you run a PC without the case, your certainly goint to shorten it's life as it'll get much hotter than normal. And adding a fan onto the cab itself won't help, as the inside is so large that airflow will disperse and won't be strong enough. The only reason arcades had bare mobos mounted on the cab was that they weren't very processor intensive, and the chips never got very hot.

If you must have a fan on your cab though, you might as well replace it with a quieter fan. SilenX makes some very quiet fans, as does Panaflo, Vantec, and Enermax. Search for "case fan shootout" or "case fan roundup", and you'll find loads of reviews on the net.

[Buddabing]

Maybe look at the SPCR list of recommended fans or fan controllers.

[SavannahLion]

If it's the former, you don't need a fan on your cab. Monitors don't get hot enough to need one, ...

<SNIP>

And adding a fan onto the cab itself won't help, as the inside is so large that airflow will disperse and won't be strong enough. The only reason arcades had bare mobos mounted on the cab was that they weren't very processor intensive, and the chips never got very hot.

Well... I obtained a Hang-On cab that has a fan mounted at the very top most position around the back. I got this cab sans monitor, but there is clear evidence it got too hot inside since the smoked acrylic is warped right where the monitor should be. (I haven't tested the fan yet. Too low on priority list.)

IRT to OP

I don't know how your cab is designed, but other solutions to try (along with regulating the fan speed).

Use a larger fan, look for one with baffles or a silencing design. A small fan spinning at a high RPM is going to sound a lot louder than a much bigger fan spinning at a low RPM while pushing the same, or greater, amount of air.

Visualize slicing the cab in half and look at how air might flow through the cab. Is there a shelf that might trap hot air?

One idea I've never really had the chance to try. If the sound comes from the fan vibrating too much (at that point I replace it, but meh) try deadening the sound using rubber stand-offs to absorb the vibrations. Commonly used with noisy HDD's. Another is to line the inside of the cab with sound baffling, like the foam "egg cartons" used in studios. I don't know how this will affect heat trappings, which is why I never really applied it to anything noisy (not a cab yet). I also don't know about any static electricity that might be generated by the foam.

[deadkenndys1105]

Before buying a fan controller try taking off the fan if your PC doesn't really need and is in a cool spot.  If you need the fans just get those rubber spacers they make for them.  They will sometimes cut down a lot of noise.  I need to take my fans out of my mame cabinet because they are a bit loud and there really not needed because I have it really opened up.

[RayB]

Has anyone tried lining the cab sides (interior) with 1" foam? (spongey kind).  Or even egg crate style foam.  In theory it should really dampen noise.

[Joystick Jerk]

True, but that would really only dampen the sound actually coming from within the cab. If it's a fan mounted on the side of the cab, it would be just as noisy with or without internal sound dampening.

[Kremmit]

Maybe look at the SPCR list of recommended fans or fan controllers.

Echo that.

Maybe look at the SPCR list of recommended fans or fan controllers.

Really.  There's an echo in here.

The guys on the forums over there know more about quieting a computer than anybody, anywhere.  If you really want to silence the thing, that's who to talk to. 

[SirPeale]

First, check the fan itself and see if it's dirty.  That'll cause noise.

It could also need lubrication.  Peel off the sticker.  There should be a small rubber plug.  Pop it off and drop a single drop of three-in-one oil in there.  Replace the rubber plug.  If any oil gets out, wipe the surface with some cleaner.  Then put a piece of tape over it (duct tape will work okay).

[torez]

Alot of noise genarates that little fan on the video card.  You can buy an aftermarket cpu heatsink with a large fan.  It will make a big difference.  In my case it's Zalman CNPS7700-Cu cpu cooler that costs around $50.  This big fan partially cools video card as well, so I used the included Fan Mate 2 fan speed controller with the video card fan to lower the rpm.  CPU fan is controlled by my mobo AI Booster program (ASUS) and spins at about 1150 rpm.  In normal mode I have trouble hearing any noise from my pc.  Well, I have $150 Antec Phantom 500W power supply that is one big heatsink, so the backup psu fan never turns on.
Gotta tell you, as I spend alot of time on my computer, the money invested to quiet it down was well worth it.  I have 3.2 GHz Prescott that is known to run hot.  New cpu cooler lowered my cpu temperature by about 8-10 degrees and it runs at more than half the rpm (much bigger fan and heatsink).

[Sensei]

or you could simply turn up the volume on the game 

Just kidding.

Good Luck