Behringer XR18 internal fan mod

[@joeemenaker]

I’m really curious to see all of the EM noise you just introduced into all of your channels. Crank the input gain up on an input, set the fader gains to unity, and look at the RTA for the main output.

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

Zero noise..in terms of additional noise the a noise floor with everything cranked as you state.. Nothing different from disconnected vs connected. The only issue for noise would be the fan itself in a silent studio environment. Its subtle, but there. However, I use this unit for live events only. Those outdoor summer events can get this thing pretty toasty. My other one is in studio. No fan on that one.

[@michaelwesterlund5729]

Great idea. Thanks! How and why did you determine which end to draw air through? Maybe power supply us on fan side. I have not opened up yet.

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

I determined it by the only available space to stick a little fan..of which is the fake fan hole side.

[@mikey38632]

@@PaulGibbonsMusic that "fake fan hole" makes me wonder if a fan was in the design, but nixxed in favor of costs or just lacking the need for one. Seems like a justification was made somewhere late in the design process. Cool video.

[@larslengberg]

Thanks for the video! Must admit I have not kept an eye on the temperature of my Midas MR18... Do these units always run hot? Or just under heavy DSP (FX) usage? Did you do any such tests/investigations before your little fan project?

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

Just plonked it in. haha! It definitely does not get as warm to the touch on the casing as it used to. Good enough for me!

[@k.stanaitis6491]

5V fan?

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

yep.

[@allenhoekstrajr]

I thought about this. But I also thought I saw a header for a fan. That fan you used covers half the hole in the center.

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

@@allenhoekstrajr regardless of the perceived restriction...it works. It moves air and cools things down. Not many options internally to mount a fan. I recently reversed it as well to draw air in through that small hole rather than out. Equally as effective. There is enough flow that you can also feel the draft push out of the input jacks and side vent.

[@allenhoekstrajr]

@PaulGibbonsMusic Note that I'm not trying to say anything bad about what you did. I appreciate it and am glad to hear I wasn't the only one looking for a solution. I also appreciate that you confirmed that it works effectively. Do you think more/better airflow would be better or do you think with this mod that it's more than enough?

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

@@allenhoekstrajr oh I didn't think you were saying anything bad! Scrutinizing is definitely accepted and required for the best ideas to come fourth. :) For me, this mod was all I needed. Before this mod, I would point a small 10" floor house fan at it. It was probably more effective as the airflow would encompass the entire housing with much more 'thrust' and convection, however, who wants to point a big fan at it every time? hehe. These units are fine without the fans for the most part. My reasoning for doing this was primarily due to literally performing in Penticton in 40 degree (Celsius) weather with this XR18 cooking in the heat.(Literally the steel casing could fry an egg!) I knew it was only a matter of time for heat failure so I figured why not. A buddy of mine fried his XR18 power supply because he always left the unit in his little gator case when operating, blocking any venting from the side ports. (most inputs were used as well, so no flow through empty input jacks, and he had no fan mod either). I have 2 xr18 units, one without a fan and one with. I have run them both simultaneously. The one with the fan is significantly cooler to the touch. So, in conclusion (lol) anything is probably better than nothing? :)

[@SkylerMills]

does this affect the channels at all?

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

nothing different for me. Software updates and Ios updates are the real worry! LOL

[@johnfisher2206]

I bought a bigger ac fan and glued it on the other side. So now i need to plug 2 ac cords everytime i use the XR.

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

Hence why I like the little 5v fan idea. Just a small amount of air movement suffices IMO.

[@johnfisher2206]

@@PaulGibbonsMusic i mean, no extra work to do, no need to open the casing, strip the wires, etc...

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

@@johnfisher2206 haha for sure. Prior to this mod...a I just pointed a regular household fan at it. Haha

[@johnfisher2206]

@@PaulGibbonsMusic if it works, do it! Hahaha...

[@jorge4733]

Hello, I have an XR16 with the same chassis, which after several hours of operation begins to become silent for no reason, do you think this mod could help? thank you.

[@PaulGibbonsMusic]

hmm.. that's a tough one to discern whether its a heat issue or some other issue with the unit. I would try a simple test.. point a normal house fan at your xr16 and run it like normal to see if it goes silent as you state. The fan will push air through the unit as well as around the metal casing, definitely cooling it more than normal. If this does seem to solve it, I see no reason not to do this mod if cooling helps.

[@dmorrone111]

Doing this today!!! Thanks!!!

[@AndiBmetal]

Great