Products > Test Equipment
Hacking the Siglent 2k+ Cooling System and Mount
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balnazzar:
Hi Fellas.

Like many others, I'm looking with some interest at the 2K+ now that there is that promotion in place. I'd have preferred a dead-silent, fanless USB scope, but a 350 MHz, four channels USB scope with all those options (among which a well-implemented FRA) is nowhere to find.. You have to shell out 3X that price.

The scope has a 92mm fan which I believe is the same as the SDS5K's: acoustically bearable.
One thing that I don't like at all, however, is that the scope has a negative pressure cooling system. That is, the fan blows the air OUT of the scope's back (picture below), and fresh air is suckled in from the side vents. These vents are vitually impossible to filter.
I have opened a lot of desktop and laptop computers whose cooling systems were built with the same logic, and I can assure that even in clean environments, the interior will become a nightmare of dust and grime within just a few months. This leads to a number of problems, for example the heatsinks' efficiency would be greatly reduced.

I don't want this to happen, so I want to to invert the airflow, turning the interior of the scope into a positive pressure room. The fan will blow fresh air from the back, and it will exit the scope from the lateral vents. A standard 92mm/100mm demciflex fine-mesh filter will keep ~>95% of the shit out of the scope, and it's easy to clean. I do always this with my computers, and it works flawlessly.

If you look at the pictures below (Dave's teardown), you will notice that the fan would blow directly upon the major heatsinks, so such a solution would actually be beneficial for keeping the temperatures in check even during southern Italy's hot summer days.

The only thing I'm worried about are the electrolytic capacitors on the left. I don't know their temperature rating (do you??), but with the airflow in its default configuration, they are struck by fresh air as soon as it enters the scope. In my positive-pressure config, however, they will get air which will be slightly warmer, having hit the motherboard before hitting them..
 
What do you think??

P.S.: Another thing to note is that the scope's stock fan is a 1600 rpm (@12V), 22 dB fan. The standard Noctua 92mm fan is rated for 17 dB at 1600 rpm (9V with the included resistor). As such, the Noctua produces a slightly inferior airflow, but a superior static pressure. Or, one can run the Noctua at 2000 rpm (without the resistor), having the same level of noise as the stock fan (22 dB) but with greatly superior airflow and pressure.



balnazzar:
Now that I look at the pictures more attentively, I'm noticing another thing.. Due to the positioning of the motherboard AND the side vents, a lot of air (I think maybe the majority of it) will get *under* the motherboard itself. What's in there, apart from the screen?
bdunham7:
I've had mine for a year and there's no discernable dust inside.  I have cat and there is dust on the outside, so I don't have a sterile environment.  The scope really doesn't get warm, the only part that puts off any discernable heat is the screen backlight.  I doubt any of the capacitors or heat-sinked parts are running more than a few degrees over ambient.  The stock fan on mine moves very little air, so I wonder if it is already slowed down.  It seems pretty quiet to me as well, I can just barely hear it from 10 feet away if there is no other noise around.

I suspect you can do whatever you want and it will be fine.
balnazzar:

--- Quote from: bdunham7 on November 03, 2022, 08:53:01 pm ---I've had mine for a year and there's no discernable dust inside.  I have cat and there is dust on the outside, so I don't have a sterile environment.  The scope really doesn't get warm, the only part that puts off any discernable heat is the screen backlight.  I doubt any of the capacitors or heat-sinked parts are running more than a few degrees over ambient.  The stock fan on mine moves very little air, so I wonder if it is already slowed down.  It seems pretty quiet to me as well, I can just barely hear it from 10 feet away if there is no other noise around.

I suspect you can do whatever you want and it will be fine.

--- End quote ---

What you report about the temps is reassuring. And yes, if the fan is the same as the SDS5K's one, it's reasonably silent (although not dead quiet). Maybe swapping it with a Noctua won't be necessary.
But I have to turn it upside down and filter the air intake, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night. I'm a bit obsessive about such things.
Martin72:
Obviously... ;)

Some things:
This is not the fan from the 5000X, it´s fan is controlled - The one from the 2000X+ not.
The fan is not really loud but in very calm enviroment it´s hearable.
I´ve owned the scope 2yrs and in this time not a single dust crumb were "landed" inside.
Nevertheless I´ve changed the fan for a more silent one, link/pics following.

EDIT:

Pic of the final assembly, link to it you can find in the threadlist in my signature...,

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