How to Install Pinball Monk Fan and Review

Cary shows you how to install this mod to your modern Stern Spike 2 system.
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[@tlspindler]

This isn't a money play at all... the fan Stern has installed meets the engineering spec for cooling for their power supply and moves more air to keep the power supply cool under worse case conditions. It probably is the same cost or more expensive than the fan supplied in the Pinmonk kit. For the home environment, this fan seems completely adequate but no way would Stern ever use this fan and warranty the supply.

[@nickatmacomb8965]

I agree on this one. I know the air moving the newspaper wasn't the most scientific test, but it proved a point. The old fan blew the paper away and the new fan barely budged it. It was pathetic. Sometimes I hear the fan but its minor and at least I know it is working!

[@Talon75407]

Not for me, if I can hear the fan, then I know it's running and I know my supply is being cooled. If a quiet fan dies I won't know an then the supply overheats and dies. To each their own. #1 cause of power supply failure is dead fans causing components to overheat. I did check the datasheet on the PS, and it does have built in OTP OLP OVP so keep that in mind when your game powers down, could be getting hot because the fan died.

[@WesleyB420]

These fans are very reliable and have a 70k hour MTBF...that means you can run it for 8 years straight without turning it off and that is when it may fail. Lightning is more likely to strike your house during that time and fry the power supply than the fan actually failing.

[@richm.7373]

I have a couple of these pinmonk fans and have been procrastinating the installation. Maybe this will motivate me to finally install them 🫤 Great video Cary, thanks! Appreciate what you do and look forward to more videos.

[@brunogaspar3977]

I actually value mods for the functionality not just for aesthetic purposes 👍 Great vid PS.: I also have the “precious” syndrome 😂

[@robertmachen4364]

Pinball Monk makes some really nice mods. His attention to detail is excellent. I do not have this particular mod but have many others made by PM. Highly recommend. Thanks for the vid Cary.

[@charlesp3764]

Thanks for the demo. I will be getting one for sure. AAA+

[@brianjoiner-o6f]

Thanks Cary Just updated fan. Great instructions. Can't wait for you to see glue job on your Foo Machine!

[@CaryHardy]

I already dealt with it. There was a heavier amount in Foo's PSU than the Jurassic Park one in this video.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

Bear w me here: I just slid into my mid-50s, a lifelong pinhead, but new to ownership & all the concomitant tendrils (incl. hexes & migraines & mega cash outlay) that’re baked INTO ownership. That said, Cary showed up at the *perfect* time for me-I can’t enumerate the times & ways in which he’s both HELPED/guided me already (tools, tech, products) AND saved me from comin to grief by falling into mega holes w punji sticks in em! 😮‍💨 I just bought not only this _STFU_ fan for my spankin-new JP Premium, but the magnetic nut drivers from Titan 5 mins ago … 🤔 and almost every product he recommended in his updated cleaning/maintenance vid. And _none_ of this to mention the help from his friggin _Patreon_ thing! 👀 Mucho gracias, pachuco! 🫡😄

[@CaryHardy]

Very kind of you to say. Love you long time.

[@Mo_Ketchups]

@@CaryHardy Five dollars is all my mom allows me ta _spend._ 🥳🤙

[@danyatchyshyn5459]

Thanks for the video, doesn't apply to me since I don't have a newer machine. This is just good info to have, and I wanted to help out the channel.

[@CaryHardy]

Thank you!

[@PinballEddie]

Another great video\tutorial. Just got me a Deadpool today and this is my first Spike machine and was thinking “Oh it can’t be that bad from what what everyone says” and man it scared the 💩outta me and I immediately ordered one of these…then you upload this video, I like it when things come together. Take care Cary and great live steam\chat earlier this week.

[@PotentialEnder]

It wasn't that the original one wasn't super loud. But it was how it would spin up and down at random. Not a consistent sound. Installed the Pin Monk fan and forget its on sometimes.

[@NickChristopher-mq3gl]

Thanks. I just ordered one. Heard you talking about it on the Flip n out live steam you were on today. So I googled and bought one. Yes my JP drives me crazy when that fan comes on. Even when I play the game it would annoy me. Looking forward to installing this mod. Bought a few other mods they offered. Thanks.

[@travissouders1327]

Thanks for this. Excellent guidance and so much quieter!

[@ps3man8581]

Awesome video!!! Whats your power situation like to be able to have all the pins running concurrently? Do you have dedicated circuits run?

[@CaryHardy]

Nothing special. The games don't pull too much current to blow the breaker.

[@ps3man8581]

@@CaryHardy Good to know! I just started my collection this year and have been anxious to have more than one pin on at a time. Thanks for replying and please keep up the amazing pin videos!!! :D

[@adamstar7516]

@@ps3man8581 You don't need to worry until you have about 10 machines all on at once.

[@stevekwilson4842]

Monk is in all my Stern pins. My machines are on in our TV room, so these fan are a must!!!! Great work Cary!

[@michaeljkasnter]

Would never in a million years install this Fan, I have a difficult time getting Stern to honor warranty issues, I certainly don’t want to give them a reason to deny a claim

[@robbymovick465]

Hi Cary Would you know if flipper cooling fans would work on pulp fiction. Pinmonk has CGC remakes listed on thier site just not pulp fiction. Thanks if you know Mr Pinmonk hasn't answered his E-mail yet

[@pinmonk]

I didn't see your email for some reason. Yes, the ZEN kit for CGC works on Pulp Fiction. Thanks for your interest!

[@robbymovick465]

Ordered & thank you. I sent an E-mail from a link on your website FYI

[@robooze5656]

I've never had a problem with the sound of the fan.. at least I know it's working. Something with the data east sound boards. You can hear a buzz though the speakers when in demo. Now they have a fix for that too. I have no problem with either. With most games going to the house market now...people will complain about everything.

[@darscot]

Cary does ASMR :)

[@frauenhm]

Should point out in video to have the fan's label facing "out" so people don't install it backwards (if that's a mistake people could make?)

[@CaryHardy]

It's mentioned in the directions to do that. I didn't verbally say it but you can see how I faced it.

[@afattori316]

Thanks Cary! I bought some a few months ago and some how got thrown out. Bought two more again and now installing them. Thanks for these how to videos. Especially the pinstadiums!

[@TiltingT]

Definitely whisper quiet.. any issues as far keeping the power supply cool?

[@CaryHardy]

If the supply was getting hot I would definitely include that in the video. lol.

[@TiltingT]

@CaryHardy I would think so! 😆 I have heard several of the guys from league talking about getting them but were hesitant and were wondering the same thing so I thought i would I ask so I could tell them what your experience has been with them. Thanks again for all the great content and info !

[@2105Bajza]

You gotta do the paper test after you install! I have 4 of these on my games and install one on each new game!!

[@adamstar7516]

Cary, what is that gluey type 'goop' and what's it there for?

[@CaryHardy]

It's just to hold the cable in position. No other purpose.

[@adamstar7516]

@@CaryHardy Cheers 👍🏼

[@MarcosMartinez-mw8ki]

Just got an Iron Maiden Pro and the jet sound was bothering me and found this vid, thanks. Does anyone know if less airflow from the Monk will damge the supply in the ling run? I also have a Walking Dead Pro and never heard a fan. Did they use a different fan or is it possible its not working? Thanks!

[@CaryHardy]

walking dead was a different system. The way the power supply works is that it keeps the system at a certain temperature. The pinmonk can't move as much air as fast, so it will run more often, but you won't hear it anyways.

[@MarcosMartinez-mw8ki]

Thanks for the quick reply. Im going to order it. Hope it lasts because tne only way to find out if it fails is frying things up. Maybe its checked off in test mode? Thanks!

[@CaryHardy]

@MarcosMartinez-mw8ki the system is designed to power the game off when it reaches a certain temperature. So, even if the fan fails - the system should protect itself. Pin Monk states he has never had a fan fail though.

[@MarcosMartinez-mw8ki]

Very good to know. Peace of mind helps alot. Thanks again!

[@charlesrowland9955]

What's the RPM on each?

[@CaryHardy]

I'm not seeing that particular data being available on Pinball Monk's website and I'm sure Stern won't have their data available either.

[@WesleyB420]

the new one is a 4700 rpm (5.5 CFM) and the old one is 9500 rpm (11.3 CFM)

[@michaeljkasnter]

He must be bored to go thru all this. Call me crazy but I bought the pinball machine to play it, not work on it.

[@michaeljkasnter]

How do you know its working if you can’t hear it ?😂

[@CaryHardy]

Dang. 3 comments on 1 video? Nice! You know it's working because the failure rate is currently zero percent and IF the fan fails the worst that can happen is the game will shut down to keep the PSU from over heating.

[@shu943]

Thanks for the video,too helpful.

[@marks92127]

An important comment. The stock motor was made by NMB, a high quality Japanese motor company that supplies motors to the medical device and automotive industries. The replacements I've seen are inexpensive units from small companies that don't specialize in high-risk systems. The difference in blower speed/capacity (CFM) should be very telling and concerning. The original power supply design team specified a high-power and high-quality motor to reduce average temperature and extend mean-time-to-failure. Running a low-quality, low-speed motor for a longer period of time may be "enough" to prevent failure, but it will result in higher average CPU temperature, and reduced mean-time-to-failure. The engineers who designed the system are not stupid, they are aware of the noise, and chose it for a reason. To be fair, installing a low-speed and low-quality motor is probably less of a risk for a home machine getting occasional use in a well-controlled environment. Each there own - just don't think that this is a no-compromise option.

[@pinmonk]

This post is full of such ridiculous assertions and made-up facts with no relation to reality, I had to clear some things up. First, anyone with time in the game has witnessed that Stern's first consideration isn't quality, but PRICE. How little can they pay, and how much can they charge? As long as the fan in the power supply meets their minimum quality level at the price they want, it's a-ok. Case in point: NMB isn't the only fans that have run in the Meanwells. They also interchangeably use CCHV/Powernex, which are even cheaper, louder and are so bare bones, the serial numbers are ink-stamped on the labels with an old-time inker. CCHV does use some NMB parts in their fans, but it's clear from the interchangeability, PRICE is the #1 consideration. Given that Stern's customer base is now 70% home users by Stern's own admission, a loud industrial fan made for 24/7/365 operation in loud environments where more noise from the fan doesn't matter is ridiculous. The fans I sell are customized at the factory to my specification with custom heat shrinked wire length so they fit perfectly in the power supply. I don't know where you got the idea this was some no-name fan from a small company. I tried dozens of fans when making the DIY instructions before settling on a SUNON, which I continued with for the kits. The company's revenue is approaching half a billion USD annually and is the leader in the electronics fan space. So, yeah, check your sources of information. On the temperature claims - first, the meanwell has a built in failsafe in the event of a fan failure that just turns the power supply off to prevent damage, so worst case in a catastrophic failure, the power supply turns off. All the Stern meanwell power supply needs from a fan is to keep the temperature internally below 122F, and ideally 104F. If the reduced airflow of the quiet fan means that it has to run longer or even all the time to keep the temp at or below 122F, it's irrelevant because you can't hear it anymore and the quiet fan is rated at over 7 YEARS if you run it 24/7/365. The fan keeps the power supply "in the zone" just like the loud NMB and PowerNEX fans - you just can't hear it. This mod will be 6 years old next month (7 years if you count the time I field tested it on route before release). With THOUSANDS of installs (I released it as a DIY project before making kits also available), there have been ZERO power supply failures due to heat or fans failing in home or commercial operation (I sell to operators, too). That's a substantial amount of proof to refute pretty much everything you posted.

[@oscarhood7404]

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[@neilkrenos3609]

First