steve-soar Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I've just bought a Hartke HA 7000 amp. It's in prestine condition, sounds brilliant, works perfectly but the fan is way too loud. Would I be able to change it for a quieter one? Has anyone else done this to their Hartke amp? Is it do able and if so how and with what replacement? Any info or help would be great. Cheers Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 1, Ring him (Mr H) on his cell fone number in the US (check one of the comics for it) tell and he may do something about it....(like send you a replacemnet....?) 2. Actually changing it shouldnt be hard if you know what youre doing. Get a new one from RS spares in the correct dia... Before you go diving in with soldering iron and cutters, have you tried to work out why its noisey, (and do you mean electrically or ambient)? If its just noisey (ambient) it could be the blades are mucky or the housing/cover is bent. Anything closer to the blades than it should be will cause excess noise. You can give it a damn good clean with vacuum cleaner and paint brush. If its electrical noise, bin it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Could also be mechanical noise of the knackered bearing variety, in which case, a replacement fan is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Do you know if its louder than another Hartke? The reason I ask is that the fan on my 3500 was always noisy, to the point where it couldn't be used for recording if there was anything miked up in the same room. Cheers, Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 [color="#0000FF"]Could also be mechanical noise of the knackered bearing variety, in which case, a replacement fan is needed. [/color] Yep your right of course! I forgot that one, thanks....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 [quote name='Alun' post='110969' date='Dec 30 2007, 02:27 PM']Do you know if its louder than another Hartke? The reason I ask is that the fan on my 3500 was always noisy, to the point where it couldn't be used for recording if there was anything miked up in the same room. Cheers, Alun[/quote] +1 on that - my 3500's fan is noisy... and it gurgles.. and it hisses unless i turn off the eq... hmm, oh well - at the volumes i use it at (matching up to a loud drummer), none of that matters.. i don't use it in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Yeah live it was fine but quite intrusive for teaching and unusable for recording. Cheers, Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted December 30, 2007 Author Share Posted December 30, 2007 (edited) It's dead loud. Mechanically and amplified. Haven't taught with it yet but it sounds like the air conditioning in a Dominican Republique Brothel. Edited December 30, 2007 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 [quote name='Alun' post='110969' date='Dec 30 2007, 02:27 PM']Do you know if its louder than another Hartke? The reason I ask is that the fan on my 3500 was always noisy, to the point where it couldn't be used for recording if there was anything miked up in the same room. Cheers, Alun[/quote] I had the same problem with my HA3500 and if I was playing quietly at home practicing, the fan was really off-putting because the noise from it was at a certain pitch that clashed with standard concert tuning! Maybe it just objected to my playing? But seriously, for such an industry standard amp, it's a major design flaw! It was the main reason I got rid of the Hartke and went for a GK 700 RB, which is as quiet as a mouse in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Hey you fellas, it sounds like a trait going on here..... I suggest you ring the man on his cell fone and tell him..... Tell him its not acceptible.. (FYI my Mesa fan is hardly audible, infact my Fender hums louder than the fan even at 'practice in living room' levels ). PS--- Brothel A/C? I wont even ask how you know..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyhatman Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Yep. Ditto with my HA3500. Noisy bugger. Its OK when gigging but you can really hear it otherwise. Good idea to give it a clean. Thanks. Mind you at gigs it breaks the silence at the end of the number caused by the distinct lack of applause! Hope the Dominican Republique Brothel gig was a good payer ... or did you spend it all on something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 Could you not just go shopping at your nearest PC outlet, buy a quiet fan and replace it? I am assuming here that it's a bog standard 12v fan, and of standard 60, 80, 120mm sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted December 31, 2007 Share Posted December 31, 2007 [quote name='Buzz' post='111575' date='Dec 31 2007, 05:41 PM']Could you not just go shopping at your nearest PC outlet, buy a quiet fan and replace it? I am assuming here that it's a bog standard 12v fan, and of standard 60, 80, 120mm sizes.[/quote] In an ideal world, yes, you'd be right. However, there's no guarantee that the Hartke fan is "off the shelf". You'd need to check the obvious voltage and physical dimensions. Also important is the capacity of the fan (i.e. how much air it can shift per minute). You need to be sure that any replacement fan is powerful enough to do teh same job as the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchboy Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Hey guys, I'm having the exact same problem with my 3500. Seams to me it's broken bearings, or some other mechanical problem in the fan itself, since im not expieriencing any electrical, only a whining/ grinding noise. A temporary solution for the problem in my amp is wiggling the head about a bit. Since I'm getting fed up with that, I'll be replacing the fan. In case anyone of you is planning the same thing, It's important to know that you'll have to you get a 24v fan, as the more common 12v variety will probably fry upon impact. Another possible problem is that the fan in my amp is rated at 3.5 watts, the normal 24v fans available in PC shops only go up to 1.7 or 2 Watts max. I'll try it anyway, and post the "results", if any of you are still interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 The writing's on the wall for the fan in my 3500 also, it is very (mechanically) noisy from cold but after about a minute the noise disappears. Will try getting a drop of oil into it if I can, otherwise I guess I'll replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanP2008 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Most cheap fans (and it *will* be a cheap fan) have plain/sleeve bearings - basically the shaft runs in a bush, and one or the other gets worn and starts to rattle - it often happens quite quickly too. Better fans have ballrace bearings. The fans in those amps are almost certainly a standard size - why would they go to the cost of a custom fan whilst China Inc is knocking them out for tuppence for PCs? You need to take the amp apart, check the size, check the supply it runs from (5V/12V/Mains...) and identify a decent replacement. The better/quietest fans are "DC brushless" types. The other variable is that some fans are intended to move lots of air, and some are intended to be as quiet as possible, and needless to say move a lot less air. I think it is possible to find fans for PCs that have temperature sensors with them, that speed up the fan as they sense a temperature rise (a "good thing" (tm)) Usual suspects - Maplins, Farnell, RS onliine etc... Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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