Rigol DS1052E Fan Modification | |
August 2015
Rigol DS1052E DSO ~ Fan Modification
Comparison of the fansThe existing fan is marked GLOFN GFA06015H12H. Although I haven't been able to verify this for myself, apparently, it's specifications are:60 x 60 x 15mm. 5500rpm at 12v DC. The airflow is 34.2m3/h and it makes 36.5dB of noise. I found a fan on eBay which out-performs the one fitted. Here's a direct link to KabelPoint - the supplier in Germany but a search for "Xilence 3Pin Molex 12 Volt 22 dB" easily finds it on eBay. According to the KabelPoint website, the fan's specifications are: 60 x 60 x 12mm. 2100rpm at 12v DC. The airflow is 50m3/h and it makes 22dB of noise. Getting at the fanOpening the case means breaking the "Warranty void if seal is broken" sticker. Your choice!
![]() ![]() But, by far, the most difficult part is pulling the case clear of a plastic bezel surrounding the IEC power socket. Even the official Service Guide advises: "Remove the cover at the power socket forcibly" (Page 5-4). The inner metal back panel is easily unclipped once the two hex pillars attached to the RS232 socket have been removed. The existing fan is terminated in a standard 2-pin JST-XH plug. As I had a few left over from a project, I was able to solder one to the new fan's red and black wires. The blue speed sensor wire from the new fan isn't used so I slid a length of heat shrink sleeving onto the leads and 'trapped' the blue wire under it. I tried the 4 x 5mm Torx self-tapping screws that are used to mount the fan before I fitted it in place and, as they seemed really tight, I slightly enlarged the four holes in the fan using a 4.7mm drill. I decided to leave off the plastic bezel around the IEC socket when I replaced the outer cover. It seems to be more for appearance than anything else but makes it a real pain to get the cover off with it in place and, knowing me, the cover is quite likely to be off a few more times now that the waranty is void anyway.
I don't have any decent temperature-measuring equipment capable of taking measurements with the covers back on so had to rely on both fans' specifications to a large extent. However, I put the DSO's processors through their paces displaying two traces with Alternate timebase settings, displayed a REF trace from Channel 1 while calculating an FFT trace for Channel 2 and left it running for several hours without a hiccup in a room at around 22°C.
Official Rigol Demonstration Video - Part 1
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