Fan noise from the DANTE card

[Nemydom]

Is there any way to temporarily disable DANTE card, without physically removing it? The reason is the fan noise from the CARD. Yes, it’s not super loud, but if I only use DANTE from time to time, what is the point to run the fan all the time the console is operating?
If there is no way, could you please add this option into the next os update? Many thanks

[tourtelot]

I don’t have a Dante card in front of me, so these are general thoughts which I have used to quiet noisy fans.

A couple of choices here. First, there are, perhaps, quieter fans available on the market that will directly replace the fan on the card. Next, the proper resistor in-line with the V+ lead to the fan to reduce the voltage and slow the speed of the fan. If you are handy with a soldering iron and a drill, a small switch mounted in the card front that will disconnect the V+ wire to the fan when flipped.

Now, all fair warning here. I am not sure how the Dante card reacts to overheating. It could simply shut down with no throughput but no damage. It could throttle back throughput until the temperature returns to “normal” values. Or it could blow up and never work again. In my experience, most manufactures put in cooling fans that will keep the component temps in range at the maximum working parameters of the device. Most times, a slowed down fan is plenty to keep the average component happy. If you install a switch the trick will be remembering to turn it on again when you don’t need the ultra quiet.

Final thoughts; seems to me the the fans in my SQ6 are much noisier than the fan in my Dante card, but not too noisy for me, even in the control room of a recording session. I did need to put resistors in all the fans of my Cisco SG300 switches. Now those suckers were noisy.

D.

[Søren Steinmetz]

When ever the console is on, the Dante card will be operational and thus need at least some cooling (less than when utilized though)

The only way to disable it would be tio unmount it from the console prior to boot.

[Nemydom]

“The only way to disable it would be tio unmount it from the console prior to boot.”
I expected this, that’s why I asked A&H to add the option to disable the cards into the next OS update. I think it is very logical: what is the point to run the fan if the card is not used?
Also, that would be very silly to physically unmount the card every time you don’t need it: the connector may be damaged one day!
By the way, my DANTE fan is way louder than the SQ internal fans… well, not that loud to consider its change, but still very annoying.

[Vanceg]

I just wanted to chime in here and say I have this same issue using the SQ series in a studio environment. One of the reasons I like the SQ5 was that it’s internal fans are very quiet. WHen I installed the Dante card – the fan noise is now quite audible (not horrible, but audible).

I’m figuring that eventually I’ll figure out a fan that is a direct replacment for the one on the dante card, but quieter, and replace it.
If anyone here happens to find a good replacement first – I’m all ears.

[Author]

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