Fan noise reduction possible?

[Max M.]

I totally understand there is a mega computer in a matchbox and that it gets bloody hot, and has to be cooled...
But as the engineers at RED are used to create miracles, a much more silent fan would be really nice.

When shooting, it's really noticeable when the camera is recording and when in standby mode, so for shooting documentary, it's quite annoying your subject notices when you start or finish a recording, because they become more aware of what is being recorderd. When shooting narrative, if you would want to steal a shot, it's also quite noticeable. And when in a silent room it's just a bit annoying to have the sound of a vacuum cleaner the whole time :)

So I have no idea if it's possible, but when RED will start the Dragon update later this year, it would be really nice if they somehow would find a way to maybe also upgrade the fan to a much more silent one? No idea if it's possible given the size of the epic, but nonetheless is would be really nice :)

[paulherrin]

quick fix... set your fans to manual mode and keep them consistent... for most conditions, i'd compromise between 50-75% - just keep an eye on your temp and adjust up as necessary ;)

other than that, not sure if anyone's tried switching out the fan... i'm pretty sure it's a standard size and there are companies that specialize in silent fanmaking...

i'd be all for less noise, but it is what it is at this point. and totally worth it. would obviously be nice to minimize the camera's presence in a lot of situations.

[Les C.]

Outside, it's not going to matter much, but inside ....

Maybe an official RED external 8" fan that would force air into the camera from a long tube (which somehow reminds me of the duct works in the movie 'Brazil')?

Of course, doing that now would simply turn the blades of the existing fan, whether it were powered or not, and create the same noise.

But, if the fan could be bypassed in some fashion?

[Marc Wielage]

The camera's going to shut down if the internal electronics aren't kept to a certain point. I'm told that 25% is tolerable, even for interior close ups, reasonable acoustics, and good boom mikes.

Bear in mind the camera is doing a herculean job at shoving massive amounts of data through a pipe. The faster processers get, the more they heat up; this is just a fact of modern physics.

[paulherrin]

25% is hardly noticeable to me. whether that is enough to keep your camera at optimal temperature in every situation - i can't say.

it is not out of the question to come up with an alternative cooling system that replaces the current fan. not sure how red feels about that... they might be working on other options or allowing 3rd party/DIY, but i'm not sure. i would contact them directly if you're thinking about making any modifications.

[Max M.]

I'm just hoping they are also working on improving this element of the epic. I understand it's probably hard, but if you can make a 6K sensor, then a silent fan seems quite easy in perspective :)

[paulherrin]

wind makes noises when it blows against things... kinda hard to get past that one.

[Marc Wielage]

wind makes noises when it blows against things... kinda hard to get past that one.

There's also the possibility of liquid cooling, which is done with all kinds of hot-rodded desktop computers. But that would require a redesign of the camera, a larger case, and lots of modifications, which I think are not practical right now.

I know of situations where multiple 3D rigs have been used on an interior scene, and the sound people went nuts because now they were suddenly dealing with 4 or even 6 sets of fans. One fan is not terrible; six fans is a big issue, especially in a 20'x30' room.

[Patrick Tresch]

He is talking about seamless transition between standby mode and recording mode.

I think the 50-70% setting for record and standby could do the trick If the environment allows it : temp and sound level...

Pat

[paulherrin]

yeah, some ramping would be nice, rather than just the on/off deal