Silencer Box for NI PXI/PXIe Chassis

[mrkvolf]

Hello All,

we have NI PXIe-1078 (with 2 fans) in the office. It's quite noisy (50dBA).

50dBA are also limit of acoustic emissions for creative headwork given by norms and law in our country.

I would like to ask if you know some effective solution:

- hand-made silencer box

- cheap silencer box to buy

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NI PXIe-1078

http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/373204c.pdf

Acoustic Emissions

Sound Pressure Level (at Operator Position)

Tested in accordance with ISO 7779. Meets MIL-PRF-28800F

requirements.

Auto fan (up to ~30 °C ambient) ........... 49.9 dBA

High fan.................................................. 65.4 dBA

Sound Power

Auto fan (up to ~30 °C ambient) ........... 59.3 dBA

High fan.................................................. 74.1 dBA

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[DStavilaNI]

Dear Marek_V,

     Unfortunately NI doesn't have a ready made solution for this kind of a PXI enclosure.  There are however a couple ideas that you could try

( https://forums.ni.com/t5/PXI/Is-there-a-way-to-reduce-PXI-1002-Chassis-fan-noise/td-p/106384 ) :

1. The best way to reduce noise on a PXI chassis is to fill all empty slots with filler panels.

2. Another solution is to replace the fan with a quieter one, or swap it for one with a thermistor. You can find fans out there that fit in the standard opening that have thermistors, so that they run high speed when the chassis is hot, and low speed otherwise - however, this might void the warranty.

3. You could look for a manufacturer that is building this kind of industrial enclosures - but this might prove to be the most expensive solution : for example http://www.bco-inc.com/bcoRuggedPXIPlatform.htm

4. You could build a custom ( non-expensive ) enclosure using acoustic isolation materials, somewhat similar to a soundproof PC cabinet.

    You can get some ideas by watching this video, dedicated to silencing a vacuum cleaner - it proves to be quite effective. 

                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd2nhNf9Tp8

     Regards,

Denis