Rubber spray on the inside of a case?*UPDATE*

[Zedtom]

I've got a ATX mid-tower case made by Premier, (whoever they are), that produces an annoying rumble and vibration due to the air turbulence inside the case. I switched out the intake and exhaust fans with some Vantec stealth fans,and its quieter, but still the rumble is there. I don't notice the sound when I remove the side panel, so I figure that its an air flow issue. There are no large obstructions and I'm using round cables as well as zip ties on the power supply wires. Right now I've got a phone book sitting on top, and that seems to stop the vibration.

My question is: Can I spray some aerosol rubber on the inside of the top of the case? Would some felt or some such material stop the vibration? Has anyone come across something inexpensive that would work? I looked at those Dynamat sheets at Cartoys, but they're way too expensive for what you get.

*UPDATE*- see my post at the end of this thread...thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[OulOat]

Paxmate for 10.50 plus shipping.

 

[Drewpy]

If you can identify the source of the vibration placing a felt tab there would probably take care of your problem. Pax-mate and Dynamat are designed to absorb sound, the aren't neccesarily designed to stop one piece of metal from vibrating against another. However their sheer weight compared to a computer case panel often accomplishes this.

If you could spary the aerosol rubber around the edges of the case where the side panel contacts, then you will likely be able to eliminate the unwanted vibreation you are having. This way the case will fit tightly together and not vibrate. It would require some pretty deft masking to not get it all over the place though.

 

[Zedtom]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll probably order some of those Paxmate strips.

 

[SuperPickle]

Well, that stuff looks pretty cool, except I worry about it's ability to dampen vibration 'cause it looks pretty light. It'd probably absorb some fan noise though too. My case hummed alot so I came across some rubber sheeting made by Firestone. I believe it's used to patch seems in rubber roofing. Anyway, it's about 3/16" thick, comes in rolls, and is pretty heavy. That cuts the vibes pretty well, but not completely so I'm considering doubling up the layers. Might be able to find it at a good-sized hardware store. FWIW...

 

[OulOat]

Paxmate doesn't absorb sound, it deadens the vibrations thus reducing noise.

 

[Drewpy]

Really, cause they call it "acoustic absorption mat" in the site you linked to. And another excerpt from that page "The more you cover with pax.mate the more the sound absorption."

They also claim that it "Stops case vibrations". I have a hard time believing that since its made out of "soft cellular foam". Unless that foam is jammed between the two parts that are vibrating against each other.

 

[OulOat]

Originally posted by: Drewpy
Really, cause they call it "acoustic absorption mat" in the site you linked to. And another excerpt from that page "The more you cover with pax.mate the more the sound absorption."

Different sites have different names for it. If you got to xoxide they call it sound damping mats.

They also claim that it "Stops case vibrations". I have a hard time believing that since its made out of "soft cellular foam".

Then you must also have a hard time believing in the sound dampeners that a huge industrial supplier like mcmaster sells. If you look at all the different varieties sound absorbing sheets they sell, none of them come in anything under 1 inch thick. The only thing that comes in 4 mm thickness, and surprising resembles Paxmate, is the Adhesive-Back Damping Sheets they sell which just absorbs vibrations.

 

[Drewpy]

Well if you are refering to the "Adhesive-back Damping Sheets" on page 3240 of their catalog (second product from the bottom) then I really don't know how you can compare it to paxmate.

The product in the link is made out of asphalt or thermoplastic. I don't see anything refering to a product made out of 4mm of foam. As I said earlier earlier, is the products weight is great enough it will dampen vibrations. Paxmate made out of "soft cellular foam" does not strike me as being a dense material. Last time I fell on pavement it hurt, if I were to get hit with a roll of paxmate I don't think I'd be in pain. The weight of the material plays an huge roll in its ability to dampen vibration. Conversely, it is a materials design that is important in its ability to dampen noise.

You say that xoxide calls it sound damping mats. I am not doubting the ability of the product to reduce sound, although I admit that I've never used it. It just isn't going to stop vibrations effectively, which is what Zedtom is having a problem with if you'd read the first sentence of his post.

I've got a ATX mid-tower case made by Premier, (whoever they are), that produces an annoying rumble and vibration due to the air turbulence inside the case.

Key word here being vibration. Because it goes away when he removes the side panel. If the problem were noise, the noise levels would be lower with the case side in place, rather than removed. Since his condition is the opposite, it is vibration that is the problem, which the Paxmate will not efficiently solve.

 

[Zedtom]

The vibration seems to be isolated to the top of the case. My suspicion is that there might be a manufacturing defect in the thickness of the metal. Its really more of a nuisance than anything else. I've usually put together systems with Enlight cases, but I bought this Premier 'cause I liked the visual appeal. As I said before, I've got a phone book on top, and that cancels out the annoying sound. I'm not going to devote my time to making this box perfect...I just think I got a lemon.

 

[SharkyTM]

you might wanna drill out the rivets that hold the top on, and take it off, bend the rivet tabs in a little, and screw it in tight. Always does the trick for me. On my Lian-Li, it was SO perfectly cut that the side panels actually only contacted the top, not the bottom. they rattled a little, so i had to bend them a weeeeee lil bit to hold 'em in tighter.

 

[Zedtom]

Okay, I think I solved my problem.

I bought a large mouse pad, (about 24" X 18"), and cut it to fit on the inside of the top of my case. I applied it with double stick tape. I put the case back together, and ta-da! the vibration and rumble are gone.

I was looking for a cheap solution to my problem, and this seems to work.

 

[Mallow]

lol, nice.

 

[Fallen Kell]

hehhe.... nice hack

 

[deerslayer]

If it works it works Good cheap solution!