PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle  

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

please upload a record.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

@max-distortion

Unfortunately, I do not have a high-quality microphone.

I have attached it as recorded by my phone.

PSU Noise 01

Note that this is with the hotend fan off, and the part cooling fan off.  The printer has been completely idle for hours.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

Posted by: @joshua-1

Just got my Prusa MK3S kit version all set up and running a couple days ago, and print-wise it's running like a champ.

However, I'm not sure if it was doing it the first 1-2 days, but my Power Supply (PSU) is now making a constant sound like coffee percolating-  a sort of constant electronic hum, with constant, irregular differences in the noise, similar to coffee percolating, or perhaps similar to the arm of a mechanical hard drive randomly seeking to different sectors.

It makes this sound whether the printer is idle, or under load.  (both extruder & bed pre-heating bed)

It's not incredibly loud, but it's loud enough I can hear it from across the room 15 feet away without straining, and it's annoying to sleep in the same room as it.  🙂

 

Any thoughts on this?  Is this normal?  Did I receive a 'bad' PSU?

I would write to the Prusa chat. Login with your account and select eshop. After 2 seconds on the rigth bottom appears the chatwindow. Maybe you should dissable first your addblocker.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

After speaking for a Customer Support person ("Steve") on the Prusa store, we came to the conclusion that it is coil whine.

However, I was a little surprised that it is "perfectly normal" to have coil whine that is pretty loud.  (It's quieter today, but yesterday it was literally louder than my extruder fan!)

Anyways, figured I should update this in case people stumble on it in the future.......

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

my psu does some noise too in the first days. it sounded like a day at the beach 😀
actually its quit most of the time. maybe the condesators have to get some time to calm down.

but when its needs all his power, you can hear it working. i wil try to record the noise.

otherwise, in standby its quit.

in your case i would ask Prusar for an exchange. you´ve bought a 1000€ printer with high quality parts and not a cheap chinese build ripoff!

Cheer up!

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

I have the same sound, but only after a print is finished. If i move the z-axes a little bit, then the sound disappear! Its strange

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

I have the same sound ... that is for 1000 Euro really not okay. Not one of my other PSU has it. I would understand that a FAN can turn on when its needed while it prints, but to have always this noise even if the printer isnt printing and is in idle... thats not okay.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

I must agree, that is not ok.

I would order something like this, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTJE3L4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just in case, prusa's power supply fails. mine went belly up after 1 yr and I replaced it with that.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

Coil whine is USUALLY not harmful, it is just coils in certain components resonating, this can be due to them not being fixed to the board correctly, or just a noisy coil.

You could get back in touch with chat via EShop and complain about the noise again, say you want a replacement.

It is very annoying, and certainly a case could be made for replacement.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

@swiss_cheese

Waow you make me hope*ironic off* 🙂 ... damn this is a new printer .. and they said they make a test of all electronics before they ship them out.  I hope everything went well in future 🙂 Thanks for your link and feedback 🙂 So far i also had also absolut no problems with Meanwell and have them in 2 of my 3 printers.

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

@clarmrrsn

Thank you for your feedback. What ppl in forums told me most was :

If it is the power supply brick it means that the windings in the PS were not adequately wound nor glued and will never go away. If anything as it ages, it may get even louder. I would let Prusa know and have them send out a new PS for you. There's no way of fixing this unless you rewind and glue it yourself which isn't a thing a human normally does.

But i am sure they will exchange it, because nobody wants such a noise beside especially on a total new 3d printer which has NO FAN 🙂

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

@ste-ki

So far, my experience with Prusa has been good, no real complaints, and aside from my very first PSU dying after 1 year I haven't had any unexpected failures, (I have three MK3 style printers). I posted the Mean Well link because it's what I replaced my PSU with while I waited weeks to get a new one from Prusa <-- (I had to buy it from them, they did not offer to replace it). the Mean Well has been chugging away ever since, three years and no signs of trouble, it also got rid of an annoying ticking noise that the Prusa power supplies were making at that time, so I left it hooked up and in use. I have not been disappointed. also it was less then half the price of the one Prusa sold me.

anyway I felt it was worth mentioning,

Swiss_Cheese

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

@swiss_cheese

yes i got the message that i get a new PSU, i think because its only some days since i have it. Still have some toc toc noises and dont know how to fix them when it prints diagonal, but i hope i will find the solution soon 🙂 I am sad that you dont got a replacement i have to say. Even PSU have warrenties from the manufacturer. I also have very good experience with my Meanwell PSUs so far.  Thanks for sharing your experience. I will keep the link from you for the case of the case 🙂 Thanks again for the nice answer. So i know what will happen when it comes again to a PSU problem 🙂

RE: PSU sounds like percolating coffee when idle

Same here.  Sounds like a teakettle when the water is coming to a simmer.  Like you said, it goes away for a bit if you move the X or Z axis, but comes back to a simmer right after.  Also goes away briefly after hitting the reset button.

Thanks for the link.  Will keep it in case the PS decides to go.