Product category: Fans and Blowers
News Release from: Sunon | Subject: MagLev motor fans
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 17 May 2004
Sound quality is key
measure of fan noise
By focusing on optimising sound quality - rather than just volume - MagLev motor fans provide the ultimate quiet life for end equipment users
For decades, friction and noise have been root defects for conventional fan motors. The operation of a general fan relies on the principle of like poles repelling each other. But, in the absence of any rotational control, gravity causes the fan blades to vibrate and shake during operation. After a period of time, the bearings become seriously worn by the shaft and assume a horn-like shape at both ends.
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 17 May 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Mechanical noise appears, and consequently, product lifespan is reduced.
The Sunon MagLev motor fan is the world's first cooling fan to use magnetic attraction to obtain a consistent 360-degree operation orbit.
This results in a product with zero friction and no contact between the shaft and the bearing during operation.
This MagLev orbit technology was patented in 1999 by Sunonwealth Electric Machine Co.
These features result in a fan with a low acoustic noise level, high-temperature endurance, and longer lifespan.
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Especially in the area of acoustic noise, Sunon reckons it leads the industry in its endeavours to provide the best sound quality for a cooling fan.
Sunon conducts a complete sound quality analysis programme, and all Sunon MagLev motor fans adopt this measurement to meet the needs of end users in pursuing better sound control.
The analysis focuses on four key parameters of sound quality: loudness, tonality, roughness\fluctuation strength and sharpness.
For decades, engineers have conducted sound pressure and sound power tests to inspect a cooling fan.
Many people have always thought that a lower dB(A) of a cooling fan represents a better sound quality.
The trends for ranking a cooling fan's sound quality today, however, are not so simple.
For example, cooling fans may have the same 1dB(A), but be of different level in loudness, tonality, roughness and sharpness, all of which determine the difference between good or bad sound quality.
Therefore, achieving good sound quality of a cooling fan not only requires reducing overall noise dB(A), but also pursuing the best balance of the four parameters of sound quality.
For digital devices, manufacturers not only need the lowest possible noise volume but also the best sound quality to make their end-user feel comfortable.
As a result, within years sound quality testing will replace the sound pressure test and become the standard for fan noise measurement.
The patented MagLev design is based on magnetic principles and forces that not only propel the fan but also ensure stable rotation over its entire 360 degrees of movement.
Using the attraction of the magnetic levitation force, MagLev eliminates the wobbling and shaking problems of general motor fans.
With this new technology, the MagLev fan propeller is suspended in air during rotation so that the shaft and bearing do not come into direct contact with each other to create friction.
The result is a new and improved fan with a low noise level, high temperature endurance, and long life.
Since the fourth quarter of 1999, when Sunon first introduced the MagLev Motor Fan, over 60 million units have been shipped to renowned manufacturers all over the world.
Substantial contributions have been made by Sunon's MagLev motor fans to various industries and products that require high-level heat transfer, such as notebook computers, servers, projectors, and stereo systems.
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