Blackmagic Forum

We are using a Multiview16 on the set of a three camera shoot.

Nobody has expressed concern about the vision delay but the noise from the box is very loud.

Any chance of improving this?

+1

Just bought one. It is far too noisy for having in a FOH production rack, so I just bought a very expensive brick.
I'm quite disappointed.

I have the Multiview 4 - fan very noisy - almost unusable in a small studio environment.

After some experimenting there is a way to cure the problem.

The fan speed needs to be reduced - yet still produce enough air to keep the processor cool.

I did this by inserting a 6v 1W zener diode in series with the 12v vole lead feeding the fan.

This drops the voltage to the fan to 6v - it still passes enough air over the heatsink.

Ive used this solution for many many hours without any problems - and its as quiet as a mouse - well almost.

It will of course invalidate your guarantee but this is not an issue for me...!!!

Also don't put it in a rack with 2 other teranex devices next to it.. As it will get killed by heat of the others..

This is done to get enough airflow that 3 devices can racked up to eachother.. I agree they could take a different brand with lesser sound.. But that makes the difference between a $3 fan and a $15 fan..

I was shocked by the noise of the fans, too when I unpacked it and switched it on.
Since we need to unit either way, I decided screw the warranty and take a look inside.
The fans are on the affordable side of things (which I think is fine, BMD works on good bang for the buck), we will replace them with Noctua ones by the end of the week.

Will keep you posted.

Quick update:
We replaced the stock COFAN fans with Noctua fans today.
You need two of these (Noctua NF-A4x10 FLX) and one of these (Noctua NF-A4x20 PWM).

Unfortunately, the connectors don't fit so you need to get the soldering iron out.
The process is pretty straightforward with the 3-pin fans: solder the colors together (red, yellow, black) and you're good to go.
The 40x20mm Noctua comes with a slight twist, though.
You need to connect them like this:

Code: Select all

Smartview Cable | Noctua Cable | Description
--------------------------------------------------
Black           | Black        | Ground
Red             | Yellow       | +12V
Yellow          | Green        | RPM Speed Signal
Blue            | Blue         | PWM Signal (+5V)

Noise is noticeably less, but it's still not silent.
Some of the noise seems to stem from ventilation holes on the left.
Maybe we'll cut those out, soon.

Enjoy

Thanks Mathias!