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iand avatar image
iand asked

Multiplus II / Quattro II noise vs. original Multiplus / Quattro

I've seen there have been several reports of high noise levels with the MP II -- and I assume Quattro II will be the same, given the construction. I have to decide shortly which to fit in a narrowboat; the newer versions have lower idle power drain and have better performance at high ambient temperatures, but being a lot taller are more awkward to fit in -- will have to be laid flat instead of mounted vertically.

If the new ones are noisier -- maybe due to steel case amplifying vibration from transformers as well as fan noise? then this might push me towards the older versions. Victron said earlier that the internals (switching hardware and firmware) are the same, just repackaged with big single transformers, so probably no difference in future upgrades feature set -- but the lower idle power (38W spec for 48/10000 compared to 60W, which I know is sometimes exceeded) is tempting...

Has anyone directly compared noise levels of the new and old models, especially the bigger ones?

Multiplus-II
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harmvic avatar image harmvic commented ·

Noise from the transformer can be a very annoying 50Hz buzzz, 24 hours every day. (in the multiplus2 48/5000) . The fan is no problem when you sleep, It won't be on I presume.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWViXyILlsw

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2jIfDpwPjM

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3 Answers
Rob Duthie avatar image
Rob Duthie answered ·

hi


Go the fan mod section forum you will find some answers there.

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iand avatar image
iand answered ·

I've read all the posts complaining about MP II noise and fan mods (and I'm an electronics engineer who understands about this), what I'm trying to find out is if the MP II (and Quattro II) noise is worse than the original MP/Quattro or they're both equally bad (with the standard fans and control).

I can't find any answer to this -- is there one that I've missed?

(there is -- of course -- no noise level in the datasheets to show any difference...)

Making fan mods (replacing fans, adding PWM filter) is likely to give me issues with warranty, since the unit will be supplied and fitted (and guaranteed) by the boat builder.

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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie commented ·
Hi

Yes the steel case does reasoant more, With the fan mod i did made it so much more quiter, as the PWM in these units runs at 25Hz very low so you will hear this growning noise when the fans run at lower speeds. I chanfged the fan to slimmer designed one and fitting vibration mounts and just fitted a small cap 47uf across the fan terminals and that's it. peace and quite.

Victron need to change there PWM to a higher rate then it will be OK.

Regards

Rob D

NZ

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maa avatar image maa Rob Duthie commented ·

Hi Rob,

Thanks for sharing your technique.

What type of capacitor exactly would you have the RS reference?

Can the solder of the capacitor be done directly in the plastic connector or does it have to be done on the wire? Closer to fan or connector?

Does the capacitor make sense with the black and red wires?

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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie maa commented ·
Hi Maa

Any capacitor from any supplier will do as per the main thread on the Multiplus fan issue.

47 to 100 uf at 63v electrolyic type, i just cut the lead and leave about 25 to 50mm lenght and solder the cap in parallel with it and heatshrink the lot to seal it.

Regards

Rob D

NZ

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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ Rob Duthie commented ·
Someone I know tried this on a newer MP2, the cap popped after a couple of minutes. Anyway, turns out that just replacing the fan with a more delux model made a sufficient improvement. The latest gen multis with the new fan seems to solve the issue, having put the two variants side by side.
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Rob Duthie avatar image Rob Duthie nickdb ♦♦ commented ·
They wired the cap the wrong way around or wrong voltage type? go figure.
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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ Rob Duthie commented ·
Not in this instance, no.


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iand avatar image iand nickdb ♦♦ commented ·
Is the noise fix just a new fan model (which one?) or have Victron improved the horrible PWM drive, either by adding filtering (a quick'n'dirty bodge) or using proper HF PWM?
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nickdb avatar image nickdb ♦♦ iand commented ·
Can't say for certain but the annoying pulsing is gone.
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maa avatar image maa Rob Duthie commented ·

Hello,

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer me.

I admit that the terms you use are unknown to me such as "electrolyic", I would be very happy if you could send me the reference from RS that you use because I am afraid of making mistakes and to choose I prefer a brand quality.

Then if I understood correctly, you solder one terminal of the capacitor to one of the wires of the fan and the other terminal to the other wire, the capacitor forming a sort of bridge between the 2 wires?

For information the reference of my fan is :

SUNON MEC0252V3-000U-A99

Good for you

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seb71 avatar image
seb71 answered ·

but being a lot taller are more awkward to fit in -- will have to be laid flat instead of mounted vertically

If the space is really that cramped, I would choose the one which can be installed vertically.

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iand avatar image iand commented ·
It will be installed with additional external cooling fans anyway, possibly inside an enclosure with cold air blown in from outside the boat at the bottom end of the unit.


The older units have considerably higher non-load power drain (and have been reported to exceed this e.g. 100W for 48/10000 compared to specified 60W) and also worse high-temperature derating than the new ones.


I also suspect the new ones are more likely to get any software/feature upgrades since they have a more powerful CPU, and could be supported for longer.


I do wonder if the steel case on the new models (cheaper than aluminium on old ones) is also worse for noise and hum since it could respond to magnetic fields from the transformers.


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