Nortel 5520-24T-PWR gigabit switch- How to reduce the noise?

Hardware Enterprise Gear
1

These switches are found on eBay for around $50 each and provide 24 Gigabit ports with PoE.

Inside the case, there are 6 Delta Electronics EFB0412VHD-R00 that crank out 32.5 dB each.
(The left side of the switch is the intake and all 6 of the fans are on the right.)

I looked up the specs on these fans and linked them here- https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/delta-electronics/EFB0412VHD-R00/603-1401-ND/2560525

They are 40x40x20 mm fans. The air flow they pump out is 10.1 CFM (0.286m³/min). The static pressure is 103.6 Pa. I’m assuming these fans were chosen with those specifications in mind, and noise wasn’t even a consideration.

I’ve considered replacing the fans with Noctua 40x40x20 mm fans but then noticed the speed and pressure differences. There are the NF-A4x20 PWM ( http://noctua.at/en/nf-a4x20-pwm/specification ) and the NF-A4x20 FLX ( http://noctua.at/en/nf-a4x20-flx/specification ).

It appears the air flow is about 1/2 (9.4 m³/h= 5.532631 CFM) but the pressure is much lower (2.26 mm water= 22.16303Pa).

It’s 14.9 dB though which cuts the sound of the switch in half.

I’m not going to be giving this switch a workout in a home environment (will likely power just an Aruba instant access point and 3-4 security cameras), so I’m wondering if this mod is feasible.

Any thoughts?

2

Here is a link.


Is this the exact one you have?

Are you powering it with 48VDC, or 120Vac?

Is using a single rack unit a constraint?

From the data sheet: http://www.uninet.com.tr/docs/5520%20brosur.pdf
It is designed to run continuously with room temps between 0 and 40 C. (Page 15)

3

Since this switch was designed to be rack mounted and capable of staying within temp specs under full load, my first attempt would be to disconnect some of the fans in the chassis and see if that quiets things down. There is the possibility that it has a warning alarm if it doesn’t detect all the fans, which would be annoying. Then you could try replacing the fans.

4

Are you able to look at the temperature?

5

That’s the one I have. It will eventually be plugged into a power supply with 120 volt outlet, if that’s what you mean.

6

I’m waiting on a serial cable so I can log into the switch using Putty. Once I set up the initial configuration, I should be able to use web management to check the temps, but not right now.

7

Are you putting this in a rack or just on a shelf or something?

8

I’m planning on putting this in a rack, but currently it’s not in use, and I haven’t acquired the rack yet.

I plan on grabbing a Dell R510 and R710 though and racking those up as well.

I wanted to get the network up and running before I do anything else. This switch will be connected to a Dell Optiplex 980 running pfSense. I won the auction on the Dell for $83 and should be here in 3 days.

9

You might be playing whack a mole here if you are looking to quiet all of these enterprise devices. Server and network rooms are loud by nature, and little thought is put into making most enterprise gear quiet. Might be easier to try and build an enclosure with some soundproofing than to mod each piece of hardware. As long as you have cold air going in the front and a way to vent it out the back, this could be a good option.

10

I read some accounts on /r/homelab of people who modded these with Scythe Mini KAZE ULTRA fans. This was before Noctua released their 40x40x20 mm fans.