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Crypto Mining Shed Noise Reduction Project
Welcome back to the Hobbyist Miner Channel! As many of you know, I have a home crypto mining shed where I currently house various mining equipment. The loudest piece of hardware that I have in my shed is the L3 Plus ASIC Miner – it screams louder than all the rest. This miner is used for mining Doge and Litecoin and today I’m going to show you how I reduced the noise level it produces. This tutorial will cover replacing the loud stock fan in the power supply unit with a quieter Noctua fan, making the entire system run much quieter.
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Replacing the Fans in the L3 Plus Miner
The L3 Plus Miner is notorious for its loud fan noise, which can be very disturbing for homeowners and neighbors alike. To combat this problem, I replaced the stock fans with Noctua Fans, which are not only smaller and skinnier but also much quieter. These fans effectively maintain the temperature of the miner while producing significantly less noise in comparison to the original fans.
Warning: Choose the Right Fan Voltage
Before you proceed with replacing the fan, ensure that you choose the right Noctua fan voltage for your power supply. There are two different models available – a 5-volt fan and a 12-volt fan. Check the old fan for the voltage requirement before purchasing a replacement fan to avoid any compatibility issues.
Opening the Power Supply Unit
To replace the loud stock fan, we’ll first need to open up the power unit. This will involve removing various screws, being cautious of any old, rusty ones. Once the power supply is open, you can take a look at the condition of the interior components. In my case, the unit was quite dirty with what seemed like “smoker dust”. After taking out the old fan, I cleaned the power supply unit as best as I could.
Installing the Noctua Fan
Next, install the Noctua fan into the power supply unit and secure it with screws. Be aware that the Noctua fan rotates at a lower RPM and has a lower CFM than the stock fan. This means that it provides significantly less airflow through the power supply. While this reduces the noise level, it may also have an impact on the overall cooling efficiency of the system, so it’s essential to monitor the temperatures closely after performing this modification.
If you feel that the Noctua fan does not provide enough cooling for your needs, you may want to consider upgrading to an APW7 power supply, which is not only more efficient but also quieter.
Testing the Noise Reduction
After installing the Noctua fan and reassembling the power supply unit, it’s time to test the noise reduction. In my case, the miner produced a much quieter hum with a decrease in noise from 78-79 dB to 74 dB. The high-pitch ASIC noise was no longer noticeable, and I was comfortable placing the modified miner back in my shed.
Conclusion
Overall, this noise reduction project was a success, and the L3 Plus Miner is now much quieter than before. Keep in mind that this modification may impact the cooling efficiency of your miner, so be sure to monitor temperatures closely and consider upgrading to a more efficient power supply if necessary. If you have any suggestions, advice, or feedback, please leave a comment below.
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨:
🔹Noctua NF-A4x20 5v 3Pin Fan https://geni.us/NoctuaSmall5v
🔹Noctua NF-A4x20 12v 3 Pin Fan https://geni.us/NoctuaSmall12v
🔹Noctua NF-F12 3000 RPM 120mm Fan https://geni.us/NoctuaFans
I replaced all the fans in my Dell PowerEdge server with about 10 of those Noctua fans. It did the job of quietening my server, but unfortunately at heavy CPU load, my server would thermal shutdown which was really annoying. Good fans be might not move enough air to keep things cool at full load, particularly in servers
My bitmain power supply is using Foxconn PLA040H12N 12v 0.49A 4cm, 16000 rpm. Very loud high pitch. I'm using an LM2596 stepdown DC to DC converter with a stock fan. Adjust the converter potentiometer to lower the voltage so that the fan slows down. The result is that the high-pitched sound is reduced a lot and the wind flow is quite strong. I've tried the Noctua NF-A4x20 12v, it doesn't produce a strong enough air blow compared to the built-in fan which lowers the voltage.
My wife doesnt complain about noise, but that electric bill tho. Yeah.
Cover plate off PSU, cut holes, mount bigger fan(s) on the side 🙂
Not going to lie I’m just here for the drama. Did you save your marriage or not?😂
Dude this hits home. My 2 s19's drove my wife nuts. Luckily I printed some shrouds like Fruits & associates and threw ac infinity fans on them & all noise issues were solved. Great recommendation from you a few months ago. Loving these fan upgrades.
My gpu’s be like 😶🌫️
Great video. Thanks for the tutorial. Yeah I would assume with moving less air or CFM that power supply is going to heat up.
I would not worry about the psu exhaust near the intake of the L3. Cooling is more about flow than about temperature. I do injection molding and I always want my inlet water to my mold to equal my outlet water in terms of temp and that I am running as many GPM flow as possible. Likewise with air the more CFM the more times i can turn over the volume air I am cooling.
You know.. talking during a sound test is usually not recommended… lol and typically for a sound comparison, it's generally a good idea to not have any other miners on when doing so. I bet you any money that the PSU fan db difference is actually more like 20-40 db.
THM great content, I know you already know this but the innosilicon PSU was never meant to be used with the L3, the 6pin are the same and the PSU voltages range are the same however the PSU air low is setup for the innosilicon D9, A9 and A6 back to front .. I would change the air flow direction that PSU only need a small amount of air flow to keep cool anyways.
Buy her an asic
Working too much and hard
Buddy
Just turn the fan around. So all the intake is on the front.
Great video! I've got a few of the screaming Innosilicon psus. This will help alot! 👍👍
You should be able to flip the psu fan to make it exhaust the same as the L3..
Great video Hobbyist the wife loved the title! 😂especially since I have my second S19j pro coming lol
i run mine off a server psu its quiet and hiveos makes it use less and i just leave at normal clocks so its not loud.
Great video, just a quick warning, when working on power supplies you should always make sure that the capacitors inside of it are discharged. If don't, you could frie your PSU if you short anything with your screwdriver or evenworse you could get schocked.
An easy way to do this is:
1) Turn off the system
2) Unplug the power cord from the wall
3) Try to turn on you system with your power wall unplugged from the wall
I Call it the Angry Bee Hive Sound
great video and I guess if the heat remains good in the PSU, then leave it?
You can just flip the fan around. It will actually cool better. The only reason it pulls air in the current direction is due to being based on a standard server power supply.
Maybe just get an ATX so you don’t risk burning your house down to be cheap lol
I know a guy who makes custom cables
I wouldn't want to be married to someone who doesn't support me in any way
I guess the PSU doesn't really output much heat compared to the main boards.
If the PSU's out is sucked back in by the main fans, and all the hot air is exhausted on the same side of the asic, it must help with the hot/cold aisles design in the big farms. just a thought.
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Can’t you just flip the fan and have it intake from the front and then it won’t blow in the L3
Great video
Hahah nice title