Fan Solution for the DM3200

[cmaffia]

I've always wondered why the Tascam engineers decided that the DM4800 needed a fan but the DM3200 didn't. In any event, I've come up with a simple fan solution for those who have the 2SeeMY card.

By using a USB PC fan which draws its power from the unused USB port on the 2SeeMy card, you can significantly cool down the innards of your DM3200. I Velcro'd the fan upright pointing towards the DSP chips so that both the DSP board and the LCD get direct airflow. I then clipped a few of the vents on the rear right of the mixer so I could snake the fan's USB cable through and connect it to the 2SeeMy USB port.

**Note that if you don't have a 2SeeMy card you could still cool down your DM3200 as the USB fan I referenced below comes with a USB power supply. Connect the wallwart to your power strip/rack and voila!

Here are the parts I used:

AC Infinity Multifan S1, Quiet 80mm USB Fan
http://www.acinfinity.com/component-usb-fans/multifan-s1-quiet-usb-cooling-fan-80mm/

USB Type A Female to USB Type B Male Printer Adapter Converter
http://www.amazon.com/Generic-Type-Female-Adapter-USB_A_F-USB_B_M/dp/B000AA2SMS

The LCD screen area which usually gets pretty heated is barely warm to the touch now even after 4 or 5 hours.

 

[waterstrum]

How cool is that!
Excellent!

 

[cmaffia]

Yep! Another reason to buy the 2SeeMy card if your're not using the USB port. If you think about it, that USB port could be used for a variety of things if you use your imagination.

 

[Arjan P]

Nice one! But is there really a heating problem that needs solving, I wonder? I don't recognize the heated LCD area and have my DM mounted without a surface below it so it is in free air. Still got the dreaded lines though on my first screen...

 

[cmaffia]

Glad you asked Arjan! My second DM frequently gets the "Audio has stopped" error which is due to the DSP board is overheating. Some chip sets are less reliable than others at certain temperatures. Tascam usually replaces the DSP card (or the mixer) when the warranty is still valid. Being that my mixer is no longer under warranty, the DPS card costs $509. Rather than replacing the card, RedBus suggested that cooling the board down might resolve the issue. I've had the mixer in use for 32 hours now and haven't seen the error yet! Another advantage is the LCD is getting cooled down as well which may lengthen its lifespan. When you compare the heat coming from the LCD vents to the master DM3200 which doesn't have a fan (yet), it's at least 1/3 of its temperature. Also the fan is very quiet so you barely hear it.

 

[Arjan P]

Ah, I see. Well that's a great way to avoid buying that DSP card, then. BTW, you say "I Velcro'd the fan upright pointing towards the DSP chips so that both the DSP board and the LCD get direct airflow." Does that mean the fan is below your board, or inside?

There's a guy in the DM24 forum who did a whole array of fans behind the LCD, but I guess that's different from your approach.

 

[cmaffia]

The fan is internal and in an upright position pointing at the 2 DSP heat sinks about 3 inches away. Once you close the case, the LCD controller board is just as close. In fact you can feel a little breeze coming out of the LCD vents. It's quite cool to the touch even after several hours of operation. I'm going to install the same solution in my Master DM next week. Cooling things down can prevent future issues.

 

[Gerk]

That's a great idea. I just had mine installed in a custom desk and I'm thinking that I might want to add some forced air cooling into the equation so this gives me some ideas