Korad KA3003D (Tenma 72-10480) power supply - start up voltage spike

[Terry01]

I have the Tenma 30v 5A model of this PSU, it's been a great wee unit for the year or two I've had it. I got it new when I started out with electronics. I have noticed the fan getting a little bit louder lately. I've given it a check and blow/hoover out so there is nothing foreign in there. I would like to replace the fan with a silent one, or as near to silent as possible. Now I have noticed it I think I hear it more than i normally would anyways if that makes sense?

Does anyone know offhand which fan I need to replace the "noisy" one in it now? I really could use someone who knows better than me to guide me a little. I have never replaced one of these before and know when it comes to mains powered stuff it's for sure better to ask and get it right first time than try myself and fluff it and find out the hard way I as wrong.

Any help will be much appreciated!

[Mr. Scram]

I have the Tenma 30v 5A model of this PSU, it's been a great wee unit for the year or two I've had it. I got it new when I started out with electronics. I have noticed the fan getting a little bit louder lately. I've given it a check and blow/hoover out so there is nothing foreign in there. I would like to replace the fan with a silent one, or as near to silent as possible. Now I have noticed it I think I hear it more than i normally would anyways if that makes sense?

Does anyone know offhand which fan I need to replace the "noisy" one in it now? I really could use someone who knows better than me to guide me a little. I have never replaced one of these before and know when it comes to mains powered stuff it's for sure better to ask and get it right first time than try myself and fluff it and find out the hard way I as wrong.

Any help will be much appreciated!

The original model has a bit of a peculiar heatsink setup which causes most of the noise. Users who swapped the fan report not much improvement. I understand the later model has a different heatsink, so that might actually benefit from a different fan.

[Terry01]

Thanks for the help.
I did notice that mine has the back plate of the fan bolted on to the rear of the unit and the front plate of the fan has a large heatsink bolted on to it so maybe it's the older model. I can take a photo tomorrow and post it up for you to see. It's not hellish noisy but now it's caught my attention it annoys me! Silly eh?

[Mr. Scram]

Thanks for the help.
I did notice that mine has the back plate of the fan bolted on to the rear of the unit and the front plate of the fan has a large heatsink bolted on to it so maybe it's the older model. I can take a photo tomorrow and post it up for you to see. It's not hellish noisy but now it's caught my attention it annoys me! Silly eh?

I got my information from the video below. There's another guy reporting a good improvement with a similar modification in another video, so YMMV.

https://youtu.be/Hmc-2NBIzts

https://youtu.be/fgdS_3ZApIQ

[Terry01]

Interesting results!
1 is a waste of time and 1 is a good bit quieter. I'll order up a new fan and give it a go. Even if it turns out to be no good at least I can say I tried to quieten it down and I can moan like crazy about it and kick it now and then! Even call it "a P,O,S fan"!
I can hardly moan and whine about it if I don't at least even try to fix it right?
It may even turn out that mines is the type to benefit from a new fan and end up silent.

We'll see! I'll post my results when I've replaced it and let anyone who has the same problem know if I think it's worth the time or not. I doubt it but maybe a better fan will be what works. The first guy who tried it, his fan was blootered in hot snot. That can't be good for the fan either.

[ziplock9000]

Interesting results!
1 is a waste of time and 1 is a good bit quieter. I'll order up a new fan and give it a go. Even if it turns out to be no good at least I can say I tried to quieten it down and I can moan like crazy about it and kick it now and then! Even call it "a P,O,S fan"!
I can hardly moan and whine about it if I don't at least even try to fix it right?
It may even turn out that mines is the type to benefit from a new fan and end up silent.

We'll see! I'll post my results when I've replaced it and let anyone who has the same problem know if I think it's worth the time or not. I doubt it but maybe a better fan will be what works. The first guy who tried it, his fan was blootered in hot snot. That can't be good for the fan either.

You may want to have a look on a computer builder / modder forums around the internet. They know more about quiet, high throughput, efficient etc fans on there than anyone else really.

[Andreas]

Hello,

I am using this fan to reduce the noise:
https://www.reichelt.de/arctic-housing-fan-f8-tc-80-mm-ac-fan-f8tc-p131300.html?

the temperature sensor is fixed to the cooling plate.

with best regards

Andreas

[Terry01]

Hello,

I am using this fan to reduce the noise:
https://www.reichelt.de/arctic-housing-fan-f8-tc-80-mm-ac-fan-f8tc-p131300.html?

the temperature sensor is fixed to the cooling plate.

with best regards

Andreas

Does this fan reduce the noise by a fair bit? Also do you have the older model or the newer one?

[Andreas]

Hello,

at least at low temperatures / low power operation.
So for me it works good.

Another known mod is to place a 47uF capacitor across the fan.
But this did not reduce noise in my case sufficiently.

What do you mean with old / new model?

with best regards

Andreas

[Terry01]

Hello,

at least at low temperatures / low power operation.
So for me it works good.

Another known mod is to place a 47uF capacitor across the fan.
But this did not reduce noise in my case sufficiently.

What do you mean with old / new model?

with best regards

Andreas

Thanks for the help. 
I'm sure the rear board design was changed at some point. I think the way the heatsink is attached or something like that. I'll look out where I read that, it may even have been someone here who told me that.