The cooling FAN is VERY NOISY and runs at FULL SPEED (?) all the time even if it is COLD.

[dannybergen]

I just received a WEB-888 unit running software version : v2024.1001, built Oct 1 2024 00:10:43. The fan is VERY VERY NOISY and indeed annoying ,making the use of the unit a real pain for myself and other people in the same room. It look like the software makes it run at full speed, all the time even if the room is cold. At start, just running EMPTY, it shows a high temperature from the first second:

" Zynq7010: cpu0 cpu1 1% 0% usr | 1% 0% sys | 98% 99% idle, 35°C 95°F 667 MHz Network (all channels): audio 0 kB/s, waterfall 0 kB/s (0 fps), http 0 kB/s, total 0 kB/s (0 kbps)".

I have my doubts that the temperature sensor is well calibrated (is it?).

Furthermore: the FAN runs all the time, obviously when not strictly needed, as no regulation takes place (on/off; slow/high/speed).

Is this a software issue, or a software + hardware issue (bad unit)?

Otherwise the unit is stellar and the web interface quite responsive.

Thanks!

[littlebear0729]

I have the same request. Sometimes the cooling fan is not necessary when it is cold enough. It would be better if the fan can switch on/off, or the speed can be adjusted.

I've just got used to sleeping with the fan noise 😆

[fei666888]

The fan is directly powered by 5V and cannot be adjusted by software.

If you want to reduce the speed, you can connect a resistor of about 10 ohms in serial to the power line of the fan. Specifically, cut the red wire, and connect a resistor of 10ohm in serial, which can effectively reduce the speed and eventually ​​reduces the noise.

[G8JNJ]

My fan has also gone noisy after a few days use.

However, if it has been noisy from the start, check that there are no stray "blobs" of glue catching the fan blades when they rotate.

In addition, the fan should ideally be sucking air out of the enclosure to assist natural convection. If you intend to swap the fan, I'd suggest mounting it on the outside of the case, with the airflow reversed and with a fan guard fitted.

By mounting it on the outside you improve the spacing between the board and the fan, which creates a larger plenum chamber, and allows the fan to run more efficiently.

[dannybergen]

I contacted the seller who immediately contacted the factory which responded immediately: Here is the original text and translation: " _正常情况下风扇噪音是很小的，请在不通电的情况下拨动一下风扇，观察一下转动应当没有阻力。为了防止主板的散热片松动，风扇边缘有个海绵，可以确认一下是否会与叶片出现摩擦 Under normal circumstances, the fan noise is very small, please dial the fan without power, and observe that there should be no resistance to rotation. In order to prevent the heat sink of the motherboard from loosening, there is a sponge on the edge of the fan. You can confirm whether there will be friction with the blades.

如果是，可以拆开重新安装下海绵 If so, you can disassemble and reinstall the sponge. Alibaba Translation_ "

With a picture of the incriminated fan with a sponge added. On the picture a sponge can be seen between the blades. On my unit, no sponge is visible.

I am a bit reluctant to embark on surgery in a new unit..... I feel as described by the web-888 designer/Producer that the fan has been a last minute modification implying some shortcuts in term of usability.

I am tempted just to cut the red cable or install a variable resistor.

[G8JNJ]

I'd agree, I think the fan was an afterthought.

I removed the bit of foam from mine, as it was distorting the plastic fan moulding and making things worse. I don't know why it should be required to hold the heat sink in place, and it wasn't really helping with the cooling either.

My fan seemed to be free running, with no obvious obstructions or friction, but there were some tiny blobs of glue just inside the fan assembly, near the top of the hole in the metal case, that were very close to the edges of the fan blades.

I carefully picked these out with some tweezers., and the noise was slightly reduced, but I think the main issue is due to the poor quality fan bearings, and the amount of play in them.

With the lid off, and just the fan running, the level of "rasping" noise changes depending on the angle the fan is held at. I tried adding some very light grade machine oil to the bearing, but this didn't make any difference.

[dannybergen]

I confirm that removing the small piece of foam glued to one of the corners of the fan inside of the case of my Web-888 'somewhat' contributes to lowering the noise produced by the fan, but not sufficiently to remove the constant annoyance of a badly design cooling system. Something should be done about it as it affects the usability of this otherwise excellent appliance. Some feedback from the designer/producer would be welcome and users should be offered a mostly silent fan as a replacement.

[dannybergen]

The vendor has agreed send me a new fan. So let's wait and see...

[howard0su]

We added a section to our user manual on how to troubleshooting fan noise, although it will not solve the problem on this thread: https://www.rx-888.com/web/guide/fan.html

[dannybergen]

Epilogue: I received a new fan from the vendor. It is almost totally silent. Huge improvement from the first installed fan.