Yeah, that's a common one around here. In fact if I go for too long without hearing a sentence that starts with "ok, what the hell..." I know I'm probably not thinking hard enough.
Here´s the latest WTH around the house. I needed a fan to cool down some electronics, your typical 24/7 device scenario. But, if there's one thing that drives me absolutely nuts, it's fan noise. Especially when you're trying to think, having something that sounds like the turbine on a A320 sitting next to you doesn't really help.
So I tried different positions, stepped down the voltage to around 7V, and the thing was still loud. After pondering for a while, I finally figured it out. This fan was making an annoying hum thanks to the device case: being plastic, it's naturally rigid and amplifies high-pitched vibrations. Kind of like the body on a violin. So the solution was to put something that wouldn't vibrate at high frequencies in between.
After searching the house over, I finally settled on something unorthodox. I cut out a couple of bubbles from bubble wrap leftovers and placed the fan on them. Problem solved. Neither air nor plastic wrap conduct enough vibration to make the plastic case hum, so the only noise left over is the whoosh of air as it enters the case... which is really not that bad.
Eventually I'll have to find something to replace the plastic bubbles, since they come loose and blow away after a while. Maybe I can get some soft rubber feet at the hardware store, or maybe get one of those silicone baking sheets and cut a couple strips from it. Thing is, you have to get the material consistency just right, or the high-pitched hum goes right through.
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