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Flex 8600M, Mechanical Noise

KC9KZM
KC9KZM Member ✭✭
in FLEX-8000 Signature Series

Hello all: A search of the 8x00 discussion groups indicates that some are experiencing noise/vibration issues. Here is a description of what I am experiencing:

The noise sounds a lot like a spinning type hard drive when the head is in the"seek" mode. I initially thought that the radio ( 8600M) had a spinning hard drive installed, but given the prevalence of SSHDs today, I concluded that would be unlikely.

The noise manifests itself after the radio has been running for an hour or so, and until recently, has not been intrusive. The noise changed to a much louder version of the previously described. I powered down the radio and let is sit for an hour. Powering back up the usual sound reappeared followed by the noisier version.

A look inside revealed the following:

The fan rotor appeared to be free of any contact with other components and rotated freely. However, the blue Ethernet cable in front of the rotor does have the potential to make contact as it is loosely secured. With the fan running at normal speed the ribbon cable in front of the rotor flutters. None of the previously described seem to be related to the noise; in fact there was no abnormal sounds when running with the cover off . Tapping various parts of the mechanical structure with a finger produced no rattles etc. Tapping the motor area of the fan to cause an axial displacement of the rotor produced a pronounced rattle as if a **** bearing were missing. Additionally, tapping in the vicinity of what I assume is the antenna tuner circuit board produced rattling of the toroid inductors.

I tidied up the loose cables and installed the top cover and powered the unit up. After running several hours the non intrusive "hard drive" sound reappeared but the louder version of the same has not.

My take away:

I believe that there could be better attention to wire/cable management . Also, I believe an upgraded fan is in order. I have several similar sized fans on the bench here and none have perceptible axial play in the rotor assembly or rattle.

That all said, I find the performance of the radio to be remarkable.

Fingers crossed……

73,

KC9KZM

Comments

  • Arnold Goldman
    Arnold Goldman Member ✭✭

    see my comments on fan noise ; mine sounded like the fan hitting the cabinet; i had to sent my 8600M back and it took about 6 weeks to fix now it is ok but frustrating just like my initial 6600M had to go back FOUR times under warranty; have a good holiday

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭
    edited November 28

    Thanks for the comment Arnold. Unfortunately the noise has returned after letting the radio run all night. I dread packing the radio up, shipping it , and waiting, waiting, waiting for it to be resolved. I am convinced the fan is the problem as it appears to be the only "active" mechanical device in the radio. Also, the fan does not appear to be of a quality one would expect of a radio in this price range. If I knew the fan specifications I would replace it with a high quality unit- something like the fan I have here on the bench-cast Al frame, dual ball bearings, rated for 67,000 hrs continuous service. Of course that would be done after the warranty expired.

    In lieu of the above I could just use headphones….

    73,

    KC9KZM

  • Henkka
    Henkka Member ✭✭

    KC9KZM,

    My 8600M had exactly the same symptoms. I sent it back to FlexRadio and they fixed it under warranty. After repair all works nice and quiet. Great customer service.

    73

    Henkka OH5KNL

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭

    Hello Henkka. Thanks for the information. I wonder what was done to fix the issue ? I can't imagine that the repair would be beyond the capabilities of a skilled ham. I hate the idea of having to go through the ritual of packing and shipping the unit. Looks like it's help desk time…

    73,

    KC9KZM

  • Henkka
    Henkka Member ✭✭

    They changed new fan and since then no noise/vibration issues anymore. I think it was worth the wait to get the fan fixed and be back on the air.

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭

    Thanks, good to know.

    73,

    KC9KZM

  • Erik Carling EI4KF
    Erik Carling EI4KF Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited November 29

    Being in the USA, I'd agree with Henkka and you could send it Flex for repair under warranty. Being in Europe, with the repair centre not knowing anything, I did it myself. It's a 10 minute job.

    brave_Ngh0FnGoQK.png

    I did add NOCTUA NA-SAVG2 chromax.black Anti-Vibration Gaskets and Noctua NA-SAV4 Silicone Anti-Vibration Fan Mount

  • Arnold Goldman
    Arnold Goldman Member ✭✭

    as i said above it took aproximately 6 weeks to fix; just frustrating like my 6600M 5 years ago had to be sent back FOUR times under warranty; was dead out of the box; LOVE the radios HATE the frustration; my tgxl is back in service dept after being left on overnight it has to be reset to work; was looking forward to finally using the tgxl and pgxl remote with my maestro but still can't !!; was sent back over 2 weeks ago and was told they would get to it hopefully this week; I know it is OUT of warrant but the wait seems a bit tool long; i can work on my old collins and efj boatanchors but not this; stay safe everybody

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭

    Hello Erik is this the fan you installed in your radio ?

    https://www.noctua.at/en/products/nf-a14-industrialppc-2000

    When installed in the radio does this fan's speed vary like the OEM fan, or does it run at at a constant speed ? My assumption is that there is a speed controller circuit in the radio that varies the speed. From the part number shown in your attached image, it appears that this fan is not the PWM unit. Am I correct ?Also, was the installation pretty much "plug and play" ?

    This the type of fan that should be installed from the factory. The existing fan does not appear to be very robust and given the fact that there have been many instances of problems I am curious as to how long these things will last (beyond the warranty).

    Thanks for the information Erik, it was very enlightening. It's great to see you have the Ham spirit !

    Hello Arnold. Your experience sounds terrible ! This is why I'm so reluctant to ship the unit in. A fan swap is a trivial endeavor here.

    It is an unfortunate trade off that these "state of the art" radios, with their exceptional performance, are exceptionally difficult ( impossible ?) to repair by the user. I still have a couple of Kenwood hybrids that I keep around; repairability, longevity , durability, and they perform pretty good too.

    Given the cost of these radios, Flex really needs to step up their game and 'sweat the details". I've read things like poor quality of the labeling (screening or what ever process is used) of the pushbuttons on the front panel of the M models. The buttons on my radio appeared well used right out of the box, I just tolerate it.

    And so it goes…..

    Again, thanks for all the input !

    73,

    KC9KZM

  • Erik Carling EI4KF
    Erik Carling EI4KF Member ✭✭✭✭

    Yes it is.

    Yes it does. I believe that so long as you fit a 3 pin fan all is good. PWM confused me - but I was advised to fit this fan and it works. You should probably check this with Flex first. I get 1100 RPM normally, 1300 RPM under load when temp reaches about 50C and in extreme cases speed goes to 1650 RPM. I saw similar with the original fan although that one had an almighty rattle at max RPM.

    Yes plug and play. Same size as original so easy to swap. But do note I also added the noise suppression parts just for belt and braces.

    According to various EU club reflectors / chat rooms, many Flex 8000 series owners have replaced the original with this fan. One such is Mathias DD5MD who I think would not mind if you asked him about it for a second opinion md @dd5md .de (take out spaces added so his email does not get spammed).

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭

    Big thanks Erik !

    I know what I need to do.

    73,

    KC9KZM

  • Mike-VA3MW
    Mike-VA3MW Administrator, FlexRadio Employee, Community Manager, Super Elmer, Moderator admin

    This is a warranty issue. Please open a support ticket.

  • KC9KZM
    KC9KZM Member ✭✭

    Support ticket has been opened !

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