Fanless PSU  

Re: Fanless PSU

Hi Andrew

My printer's PSU was fanless from when it was delivered. I don't think there is any problem replacing the PSU with whichever one you want, as long as it is specified at a minimum of 200 Watts @ 12 Volts.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

Your Prusa's PSU?

Re: Fanless PSU

Yes, my Prusa i3 original. No fans on the PSU. Just an extruder fan and a part fan.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

How odd. I bought my Prusa i3 original in 2016-01 and mine came with a fan.

Edit: apparently PSU with a fan is an improvement to prevent burn out, but I tell you I don't like it one bit.

Re: Fanless PSU

Generally PSUs with fans are the better option and the fan should only be working when needed.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

My PSU fan is always on. My Prusa has always resonated badly. I placed it on a sheet of foam, no joy. I printed and fitted the recommended anti-vibration mounts, no joy. I then combined the ant-vibration mounts and foam, no joy, then I placed a large thick sheet of glass under both and hey presto. No all I have to do is eliminate the as much fan noise as possible and the PSU is the prime candidate as it's a howler!

Re: Fanless PSU

Well, eBay would be a good source for a replacement (12V, 20A). Cost about £20.

You should check and adjust the voltage before installation.

I guess you could ask suppor (shop pages, live chat) if they could supply one if you wanted to stay "original". It it really is very noisy, you may even get them to ship a FOC replacement.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

For sure, I could buy off eBay or source elsewhere, but I thought I'd ask here first. I'm now chatting with support ...

Edit: ... and support here is outstanding, very much above and beyond expectations, so I have every confidence any kinks I highlight will be quickly ironed out.

Re: Fanless PSU

How odd. I bought my Prusa i3 original in 2016-01 and mine came with a fan.

Edit: apparently PSU with a fan is an improvement to prevent burn out, but I tell you I don't like it one bit.

Thats odd, I got my second one the 12th of this month, and mine doesn't have a fan. (I know my first from December didnt either) Though i actually wouldn't mind having one that has one (as my print room isnt always the coolest, specially in the summer.

Re: Fanless PSU

Sounds like a statement is needed from Prusa to explain the inconsistency.

Re: Fanless PSU

Yes, according to Jakub (support) they have had a shipment of PSUs with fans which are apparently proving quite reliable.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

Well, I appear to have ended up with a fan based PSU between the two fanless shipped to erron.w. I don't think enough time has elapsed to establish reliability, moreover, I'm more concerned about noise and less concerned with reliability if only 1-2 /100 fail. I'd prefer not to have a fan as it's as cold as a penguins arse here.

Re: Fanless PSU

Andrew

Just think of the fan as distributing surplus heat around your cold room...

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

Rumbled! 😀

Re: Fanless PSU

Well, I appear to have ended up with a fan based PSU between the two fanless shipped to erron.w. I don't think enough time has elapsed to establish reliability, moreover, I'm more concerned about noise and less concerned with reliability if only 1-2 /100 fail. I'd prefer not to have a fan as it's as cold as a penguins arse here.

Seeing as how they use these machines to print all the parts for our machines, i'd bet they have been testing the PSU's with and without fans on their own printfarm 🙂

Re: Fanless PSU

That may be the case, but I'd hazard a guess that it's all been happening in a climate controlled farm room which doesn't reflect real world use. On one hand "Specially optimized firmware for quiet printing" and on the other a move from fanless to fanned, cancelling out the gain.

Re: Fanless PSU

I've ordered up a sound level meter, which I hope will be here at the beginning of next week.

Re: Fanless PSU

Andrew

Sorry, but I really don't know where you are wanting to go with this.

If you had used the previous noisier version of firmware then you would now be very happy with the fan noise levels.

If the fan noise is really such a distraction, then instead of purchasing a sound level meter, you really should have invested in either some materials to box up the printer which would have provided other benefits in addition to reducing the sound levels, or a fanless PSU or even a replacement fan.

Personally I believe what we have from Josef and his team represents exceptional value for money, even more so when you take into account the superb support that is available.

When I got into 3D printing, I purchased a cheaper Chinese clone. Guess what. It was not cheaper at all. There was absolutely no support available whatsoever. It took me so many hours trying to get the printer working that it would have proved much cheaper to pay more in the first place. I also spent more than the cost of that printer in spare and replacement parts.

After what I have been through, to hear that someone is now buying a sound level meter just to prove how noisy his PSU fan is does sound rather ludicrous.

The fact that Josef is constantly striving to improve and perfect the printers he supplies should not be criticised in any way. Josef has very kindly published his hardware and software designs so that any one of us can take what he and his team have developed and make our own amendments in order that the printer performs as we want it to.

If you have any thoughts regarding improvements to this printer that you would like Josef to consider, then simply email him with those thoughts. He is always open to anything constructive.

Again, I do strongly believe that this product represents the best value in 3D printers available anywhere in the world and that we should be very grateful to Josef and his team for the efforts they put in to ensure that we are happy with what we have purchased.

Peter

Re: Fanless PSU

Peter,

> Sorry, but I really don't know where you are wanting to go with this.

Why would you need to know?

I opened this thread asking, “Has anyone replaced their fan based PSU with a fanless one, and if so, with what and where from?” and so far I’m the only one with a fan based CPU to post in this thread.

Odd that I should be the recipient of a fan based CPU when another ordering before and after me has received fan-less ones and no other with a fan based CPU has so far commented.

> If you had used the previous noisier version of firmware then you would now
> be very happy with the fan noise levels.

Advertising suggests a quiet printer, mine quite frankly is not and I care not what went before, I only care about what passes now and what could be done to improve it for that's what we should all be interested in.

If you add a fan based PSU to your Prusa then you may form the opinion the difference made by the firmware was subsequently drowned out.

> If the fan noise is really such a distraction, then instead of purchasing a
> sound level meter, you really should have invested in either some materials to
> box up the printer which would have provided other benefits in addition to
> reducing the sound levels, or a fanless PSU or even a replacement fan.

Neither sound sound deadening nor box is an objective measure.

> Personally I believe what we have from Josef and his team represents exceptional
> value for money, even more so when you take into account the superb support that
> is available.

Am I disputing this?

> When I got into 3D printing, I purchased a cheaper Chinese clone. Guess what.
> It was not cheaper at all. There was absolutely no support available whatsoever.
> It took me so many hours trying to get the printer working that it would have
> proved much cheaper to pay more in the first place. I also spent more than the
> cost of that printer in spare and replacement parts.

I’m not surprised. I decided to skip that step and order a pukka Prusa first.

> After what I have been through, to hear that someone is now buying a sound
> level meter just to prove how noisy his PSU fan is does sound rather ludicrous.

Well, you’re thinking is wrong. You are jumping to conclusions.

> The fact that Josef is constantly striving to improve and perfect the printers
> he supplies should not be criticised in any way. Josef has very kindly published
> his hardware and software designs so that any one of us can take what he and
> his team have developed and make our own amendments in order that the printer
> performs as we want it to.

It doesn’t help Josef or Prusa if people say bugger all where it matters.

> If you have any thoughts regarding improvements to this printer that you would
> like Josef to consider, then simply email him with those thoughts. He is always
> open to anything constructive.

I chatted with Josef last night and found him very receptive and I suggested an alternative to the anti-vibration mounts for his consideration.

> Again, I do strongly believe that this product represents the best value in 3D
> printers available anywhere in the world and that we should be very grateful to
> Josef and his team for the efforts they put in to ensure that we are happy
> with what we have purchased.

My findings led me to this conclusion during due diligence research and I commended Josef last night for the outstanding level of support that goes above and beyond expectations and I also thanked him for what he’s done for 3D printing.

Knowing what I know now, it could be £50 cheaper, but I’m OK with that as Josef
needs to make a living and pay his very helpful and attentive staff.

> Peter

Andrew