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Thread: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

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    Noob Ge0's Avatar
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    Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    Hey all,


    I was going to pull this amp apart to replace a noisy fan so I thought this would be another good AMP GUTS post.





















    While in there I noticed the electrolytic caps on the power supply output were swelling and about to blow. It appears one of them already popped. No surprise here. The amp has been in service for over 12 years. I wonder how much ripple there is on the supply rails now that the capacitors are failing.






    To be continued


    Ge0
    Scanspeak - Dynaudio - Helix - Bose

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    Re: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    Might as well order more caps and tag it onto my fan order.


    The caps that are in here are some cheaply made Korean brand I have never heard of. On top of the normal specs of capacity and operating voltage you need to also pay attention to operating temp range, life time rating, ripple current rating, and of course case size. With all of this info at hand I can order replacements from suppliers I know and have experience with like Nichicon and Kemet.











    I have replacements on order. I'll update this post once they arrive.


    Ge0
    Scanspeak - Dynaudio - Helix - Bose

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    Re: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    Which manufacturer fan do you intend to use on this upgrade?

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    Re: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    Quote Originally Posted by robert_wrath View Post
    Which manufacturer fan do you intend to use on this upgrade?
    I suspect I will probably use this brand. It came highly rated and was available on Digikey. Better bearings than the original cheapo. I grabbed 8 of them to refresh all my DC Ref amps.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Ge0
    Scanspeak - Dynaudio - Helix - Bose

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    Re: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    That looks like a fun project.
    I've been trying to avoid fans while amp shopping, but now I find myself with some RF compact Power amps at the top of my list for other reasons... It'll be interesting to see if your replacement fans are truly lower noise.
    How were the stock fans when they were new?

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    Noob Ge0's Avatar
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    Re: Zapco DC Reference 500.1 noisy fan replacement plus bonus footage

    Quote Originally Posted by geolemon View Post
    That looks like a fun project.
    I've been trying to avoid fans while amp shopping, but now I find myself with some RF compact Power amps at the top of my list for other reasons... It'll be interesting to see if your replacement fans are truly lower noise.
    How were the stock fans when they were new?
    The DC Reference amps come with cooling fans built in. Part of the design. They run at low speed and were very quite for a n umber of years. But then the bearing were starting to go out on them. They were beginning to howl and whine. That's why I went fan shopping to find replacements. Luckily this is a standard size so there were many options available. I've had the parts in for over a week to fix the amp. But, I've been too busy making drawings and posting pictures of my build to get to this. Maybe in a week or so. I'll need the amp by then...

    The amp is going to be buried under the cargo floor of my vehicle. Even if the new fans were louder I would never hear them. However, they had the lowest dB rating per RPM I could find from the supplier I bought them from. They should be good.

    Ge0
    Scanspeak - Dynaudio - Helix - Bose

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