I cleaned my 6500's two fans today and they where really quite dirty, They even had dog hair in them. I was surprised at how much crap was in them. Now I read there are two fans in the FPGA? I wonder if they need to be cleaned as well? Anyone know for sure?
Thanks in Advance for an answer!
Thanks in Advance for an answer!
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Posted 3 years ago
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I've never had top off mine but can tell you those fans are freaking irritating. Would love to go in and properly heat sink those devices so there's no fan, but we all know this voids the warranty.
The fan on the TX PA is understandable, but it's also very intermittent.
N4GA
The fan on the TX PA is understandable, but it's also very intermittent.
N4GA
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I bought them in Spain on an online retailer of pc components. In the US www.newegg.com has great prices and selection. You can select the size and noise level.
These are the ones I bought https://www.overclockers.co.uk/noiseb...
But you can get better ones on Newegg.
http://m.newegg.com/Product?itemNumbe...
These are the ones I bought https://www.overclockers.co.uk/noiseb...
But you can get better ones on Newegg.
http://m.newegg.com/Product?itemNumbe...
(Edited)
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Wrong link above. This is the correct one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA85V36V6251&Tpk=9SIA85V36V6251
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA85V36V6251&Tpk=9SIA85V36V6251
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By the way these are Fans for the Expert SPE Amplifier, I don't want people to get confused and think these are for the Flex radios. Also, about the expert amp, it has a "Contest ON or OFF" setting that engages the fans at higher RPMs from the moment you turn the amp on if it is in the ON setting. I find that annoying and I normally have that OFF.


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So we can compare, I wonder if FRS would tell us which fans are used in our rigs. For all I know, my 6300 may already have 'quiet' fans.
Tim - W4TME, Customer Experience Manager
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We use several different manufacturers. I would like to stress that we use the quietest fans at the required CFM rating. Replacing the fans with an alternate will void your warranty. The fans for the FPGA and DSP/ARM are not user accessible.
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Tim if FlexRadio Systems is already using the quietest fans at the required CFM rating on the market why is FlexRadio Systems then not considering a different thermal control method... a heat pipe in combination with a smaller less noisier fan for example??
BTW I hope that there are no fans in the Maestro and if there are these fans are as quiet as those used in my Macbook Air.
BTW I hope that there are no fans in the Maestro and if there are these fans are as quiet as those used in my Macbook Air.
(Edited)
Rob N4GA
Just kidding.
You are lucky!
Winston VK7WH
Peter Kirsop
Alex - DH2ID, Elmer
internal fans.
This reminds me of quite a shock I got some thirty years ago, when my friend Dave let me use his ham station, a Drake line, at Patrick Henry Village, near Heidelberg. The U.S. Army headquarters (USAREUR) were at Heidelberg then, now they are at Stuttgart...
Well, Dave had this Drake line with a big amp, and I was then not licenced for HF in Germany, so he gave me permission to use it, and off he went after some errant. I worked quite a lot of stations this way, using a special callsign, as PHV was extraterritorial. After a while the amp gave off a great lot of brown and smelly smoke and sparks. I was quite afraid that I had broken something, but when Dave came back, he just laughed and said " That's because of our cat, who likes to lie on the warm amp, whick sucks in his hair. About two to three times a year the amp burns off all the hair and dust, no worry..."
So you just wait for the 6500 to clean itself ;-)
Steve K9ZW, Elmer
Ouch!!
BTW Was likely not far away at Sandhofen about the same time, but with no Amateur Radio access.
73
Steve K9ZW