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isolation box for a rack mount server

post #1 of 4
7/28/12 at 12:02pm
Thread Starter 
hey guys,

i have a server that's incredibly loud.

the servers dimensions are
Quote:
• Height: 89 mm (3.5 in.)
• Width: 442 mm (17.4 in.) including bezel
• Depth: 508 mm (20 in.) max.
• Weight: 15.88 kg (35 lb.) fully configured without PCI cards (two-disk option)
• Weight: 16.87 kg (37.2 lb.) fully configured without PCI cards (four-disk option)
Enclosure
• Fits into standard 19 in.-wide rack
• Rack kit includes 19 in. four-post
• Additional rack kits available: 19 in. two-post; 23 in. two-post; 600 mm x 600 mm;
and 19 in. four-post slide, adjustable

i'm thinking about making an isolation box that would reduce the noise to atlesst the levels of pc with loud fans.
right now i'm about doing something like this : http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7862/bafflebox2interior.png but maybe with a door that would allow easy access but im not sure if this is a good design.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/79253-50-isolation-rack.html this seems like a perfect box for me but i'm not really sure how the bafles work as seen here : http://www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/low-end-theory/22649d1153959789-50-isolation-rack-07-10-06_1541.jpg there are narrow strips of wood near the fans, are they important in reducing noise? should they be so small?
also is the box's height important? i wouldn't need about 60% of the height if its only for space.


so if anybody has any designs that would be great. also what kind of wood and dampening material would be best for this?
Edited by newbie1911 - 7/28/12 at 12:06pm
Pepe Silvia
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Pepe Silvia
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post #2 of 4
7/29/12 at 2:40am
not making sense of the pic you drew... are you using a 2U chassis and cutting a bunch of holes on the top to mount 38mm thick fans blowing air in? maybe you should include a pic of what the chassis looks like 1st. ALL rack mount server i've worked with in the past have front intake and rear exhaust. if you are building an isolation box you should take that airflow characteristics into consideration.

a well vented while insulated isolation box actually can do alot for nose. but not easy to build and is HUGE in relative size. but the question is do you actually NEED an isolation box? what is your application that you need to retain the server fans inside the rack mount chassis? you can easily replace the fans with regular fans and have a quieter box to begin with. servers are built/validated under the assumption that it will run at peak load 24/7 and under adverse conditions. why are you using a server to begin with? biggrin.gif
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post #3 of 4
7/29/12 at 10:55am
Thread Starter 
i made a rough design of what i'm thinking of doing :

side view:
red is the wooden case, green are atx boxes, blue is the server and yellow are the fans, arrows are supposed to represent airflow

front view:

perspective view:

this might be a better way to sort the atx and server boxes:


the whole thing would be 94 centimeters or 37.007874 inches high, a total of 12 or 6 80x80 mm fans depending on the airflow needed.
any suggestions?

as for switching out fans, even the power supply has an annoying whine so that wouldn't work.
and the server is just a regular 2u rack server. i need it to run 24/7 and don't have any remote place to put it.
Pepe Silvia
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Pepe Silvia
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post #4 of 4
7/30/12 at 1:19am
the box is WAY too small. you need to account for at least 3 inches of fiberglass insulation on all internal surface(without blocking airflow) if you are trying to build a isolation box.(unless you have high budget and are able to buy the much more expensive acoustics foam. but that will still require some space) you will also need intake fans for the box with air filters to supply the system inside with clean airflow.

the overall design of the case is not bad, however you should consider the directionality of the sound exiting the box (intake and exhaust ports should face away from your ear) this means you may do well to put another 180 degree turn on either the intake or exhaust side of the box so both intake and exhaust ports are facing the rear of the box. (alternatively you want to make the exhaust port facing up but away from ears.)

you are essentially building a HUGE muffler. you might want to look into the designs philosophy behind muffler design and maybe apply some of that in the overall design. other consideration is the fact that you will need to mount the front of the box on a hinge for physical access to the machines. that means additional insulation and locking mechanism to ensure good acoustic seal.

as i mentioned before, it might be easier if you give a reason as to why you need the server fans in there to begin with. i'm assuming this is not a home machine and is actually designed for business use?
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