Great video! I just want to clarify some things if anyone is looking for fans other than the Noctua one mentioned. The CFM is not as important as the static pressure in this situation because the fan is blowing air over a heatsink. The stock fan has a static pressure reading of 33.3Pa (3.395mmH2O). The Noctua fan being used is 1.65mmH2O (while using the LNA). The fan being used in the Panda Cam video is 1.68mmH2O. So the aftermarket fans, while quieter, are not cooling the light as much. From the youtube videos I've seen, it seems like this isn't an issue and the light is only slightly hotter. But these are also controlled, indoor environments. If you plan on using this light outdoors, this may be an issue. I only say this so someone doesn't get a different fan such as the Noctua NF-S12A FLX and use the ULN (ultra-low noise adapter) giving it 65.8CFM (barely lower than the stock fan at 69CFM) at 7.4dBA. While that seems like a great idea and is super quiet, the static pressure is only 0.51mmH2O which is almost 1/7th of the static pressure of the stock fan. I don't think that the fan would push air effectively over the heatsink and could cause the light to overheat. All that said, I will be buying this light and testing the Noctua A12x25 FLX. That is the same fan mentioned in this video but comes with a low noise adapter (LNA) and an ultra-low noise adapter (ULN). Using the ULN instead of the LNA allows me to go from 1.65mmH2O, 49.7CFM, and 18.8dBA to 1.05mmH2O, 37.9CFM, and 14.2dBA. I will report back to see if using the ULN instead of the LNA and losing another 17% static pressure makes a difference. As it is, the A12x25 with the LNA already has a little more than half the static pressure of the stock fan. But being 10dBA quieter is great, but being able to go down another 3dBA would be awesome. I only do indoor shoots anyway, so the ambient temps will be controlled to begin with. Again, in this situation, static pressure is much more important. Low static pressure means the air will essentially bounce back off the heatsink and not flow through it, therefore not cooling the light. I hope to see how low I can push it for my use cases since I would use this light when recording classical musicians.
I got the light and installed it with the A12x25 FLX and used the ultra low noise adapter. It's whisper quiet. I put it at 100% with a 32in neewer octobox with the inner and outer diffusion, and then ran it for 3.5 hours and it didn't shut off. I am not sure if it would shutdown if it overheat but it seemed to work fine and didn't get too hot. It is warm but nothing was hot to the touch. I don't know if I would recommend that setup for everyone. But for my uses I will keep it with the ultra low noise adapter. The fan with the regular low noise adapter is "louder." Loud enough to hear it (very quietly), but I love that it is whisper quite with the ULN adapter. I would imagine that this will shorten the lifespan but I'm willing to take that risk. If anyone knows where is the best spot to test the temperature of the device, I will gladly test it vs the stock fan
@@_gregvalencia Hey Greg! I got the FS 300 a few months ago knowing that it would not be super silent but the noise really push me back from using it… I came across a few videos and I noticed your comment. Could you give me your feedback 4 months after your replacement? I’m looking to do the same thing you did ☺️ (I’m French btw if I did some English mistakes) thanks
@@CarinaChatel hey! Still going strong with the A12x25 FLX and the ultra low noise adapter. On my shoots I’m running it between 70%-100% and for a minimum of an hour but it’s usually turned on for 3-6 hours or more with no issues. I don’t even think about the heat and it’s super quiet. I do recordings of opera singers with piano for their website/auditions so having things as quiet as possible is important to me. If you’re doing interviews or something with close mics that aren’t near you could probably use the regular low noise adapter if you’re worried about the loss in fan performance. But so far it’s be totally fine for me! I do also always run my audio through isotope RX to pull out even more of the noise floor. But that noise is usually from the room air conditioner. There was only one shoot I’ve done in a really well treated room where I don’t think I did that
@@CarinaChatel also I’m not sure if it matters for heat but I am using the Angler Quick-Open Deep Parabolic Softbox V2 (60") with this light on these shoots. Although I don’t recommend it under you are using a c-stand with sand bags. It’s a lot of weight for this light and a stand that isn’t all metal. A smaller soft box would be more recommended
Joshua - Thanks for making the video and taking the time to record Before and After noise levels using quality audio gear. This video has made me feel more confident about getting this light now that I know we can lower its operating noise.
Hi man, great video. Just got couple of Forza 300B's and was bit taken aback by the fan noise. Have you any idea (or anyone else) if this fix could be done on the Forza 300B?
Dude. Fantastic video. Quick question about the adapter... It's says it's out of stock (everywhere, not just Amazon) Any ideas for alternatives to avoid splicing etc?. Thanks man
On paper that fan would be almost 1 degree of magnitude quieter and cool slightly better than the noctua fan mentioned. The noctua fan with the low noise adapter measures 18.8dBA, 1.65mmH2O (static pressure), and 49.7CFM. While the silent wings 3 measures 16.4dBA, 1.79mmH2O, and 50.5CFM
I changed the fan and new one has quite lower noise but with ambient temperature of 22C, I got around 45C on the exit grid from the coolant at 100% power. With stock fan, I have around 40C at 100% power and the air flow is almost double, but the noise is for sure 2x-3x stronger. Until what themperature is recommended to use the lamp ? (I know it will shut down by itself if overheats)..
Joshua ty for sharing this video to make this light quieter! I appreciate it!
Great video! I just want to clarify some things if anyone is looking for fans other than the Noctua one mentioned. The CFM is not as important as the static pressure in this situation because the fan is blowing air over a heatsink. The stock fan has a static pressure reading of 33.3Pa (3.395mmH2O). The Noctua fan being used is 1.65mmH2O (while using the LNA). The fan being used in the Panda Cam video is 1.68mmH2O. So the aftermarket fans, while quieter, are not cooling the light as much. From the youtube videos I've seen, it seems like this isn't an issue and the light is only slightly hotter. But these are also controlled, indoor environments. If you plan on using this light outdoors, this may be an issue.
I only say this so someone doesn't get a different fan such as the Noctua NF-S12A FLX and use the ULN (ultra-low noise adapter) giving it 65.8CFM (barely lower than the stock fan at 69CFM) at 7.4dBA. While that seems like a great idea and is super quiet, the static pressure is only 0.51mmH2O which is almost 1/7th of the static pressure of the stock fan. I don't think that the fan would push air effectively over the heatsink and could cause the light to overheat.
All that said, I will be buying this light and testing the Noctua A12x25 FLX. That is the same fan mentioned in this video but comes with a low noise adapter (LNA) and an ultra-low noise adapter (ULN). Using the ULN instead of the LNA allows me to go from 1.65mmH2O, 49.7CFM, and 18.8dBA to 1.05mmH2O, 37.9CFM, and 14.2dBA. I will report back to see if using the ULN instead of the LNA and losing another 17% static pressure makes a difference. As it is, the A12x25 with the LNA already has a little more than half the static pressure of the stock fan. But being 10dBA quieter is great, but being able to go down another 3dBA would be awesome. I only do indoor shoots anyway, so the ambient temps will be controlled to begin with.
Again, in this situation, static pressure is much more important. Low static pressure means the air will essentially bounce back off the heatsink and not flow through it, therefore not cooling the light. I hope to see how low I can push it for my use cases since I would use this light when recording classical musicians.
Thanks so much for this helpful info
I got the light and installed it with the A12x25 FLX and used the ultra low noise adapter. It's whisper quiet. I put it at 100% with a 32in neewer octobox with the inner and outer diffusion, and then ran it for 3.5 hours and it didn't shut off. I am not sure if it would shutdown if it overheat but it seemed to work fine and didn't get too hot. It is warm but nothing was hot to the touch. I don't know if I would recommend that setup for everyone. But for my uses I will keep it with the ultra low noise adapter. The fan with the regular low noise adapter is "louder." Loud enough to hear it (very quietly), but I love that it is whisper quite with the ULN adapter. I would imagine that this will shorten the lifespan but I'm willing to take that risk.
If anyone knows where is the best spot to test the temperature of the device, I will gladly test it vs the stock fan
@@_gregvalencia Hey Greg! I got the FS 300 a few months ago knowing that it would not be super silent but the noise really push me back from using it… I came across a few videos and I noticed your comment. Could you give me your feedback 4 months after your replacement? I’m looking to do the same thing you did ☺️ (I’m French btw if I did some English mistakes) thanks
@@CarinaChatel hey! Still going strong with the A12x25 FLX and the ultra low noise adapter. On my shoots I’m running it between 70%-100% and for a minimum of an hour but it’s usually turned on for 3-6 hours or more with no issues. I don’t even think about the heat and it’s super quiet. I do recordings of opera singers with piano for their website/auditions so having things as quiet as possible is important to me. If you’re doing interviews or something with close mics that aren’t near you could probably use the regular low noise adapter if you’re worried about the loss in fan performance. But so far it’s be totally fine for me! I do also always run my audio through isotope RX to pull out even more of the noise floor. But that noise is usually from the room air conditioner. There was only one shoot I’ve done in a really well treated room where I don’t think I did that
@@CarinaChatel also I’m not sure if it matters for heat but I am using the Angler Quick-Open Deep Parabolic Softbox V2 (60") with this light on these shoots. Although I don’t recommend it under you are using a c-stand with sand bags. It’s a lot of weight for this light and a stand that isn’t all metal. A smaller soft box would be more recommended
Joshua - Thanks for making the video and taking the time to record Before and After noise levels using quality audio gear. This video has made me feel more confident about getting this light now that I know we can lower its operating noise.
My pleasure, Mark. Happy to help!
that's awesome. good to know that it's using a simple 120mm fan!
Bro you’re an engineer 👷♀️ wtf lol I wish I could do this
That’s what I needed! Thank you
Happy to help
Good job!
Thanks for the video.
Many Thanks for your video.Regards Alan. Bristol Broadcast Engineering in the UK
Hi man, great video. Just got couple of Forza 300B's and was bit taken aback by the fan noise. Have you any idea (or anyone else) if this fix could be done on the Forza 300B?
Thank you for making this, is the 60 CFM number on the new fan with or without the LNA attached?
I believe it's stock without the LNA
You're welcome. As stated before, I believe that is the stock number prior to the LNA attached...
Dude. Fantastic video. Quick question about the adapter... It's says it's out of stock (everywhere, not just Amazon) Any ideas for alternatives to avoid splicing etc?. Thanks man
Awesome 👍
Great review! Would the Be Quiet Silent Wings 3 Case Fan 120mm do as i is supposed to be even quieter?
You need a high static pressure fan (radiator fan) rather than a case fan as it needs to force air through the lamps heat sink to work effectively
On paper that fan would be almost 1 degree of magnitude quieter and cool slightly better than the noctua fan mentioned. The noctua fan with the low noise adapter measures 18.8dBA, 1.65mmH2O (static pressure), and 49.7CFM. While the silent wings 3 measures 16.4dBA, 1.79mmH2O, and 50.5CFM
I changed the fan and new one has quite lower noise but with ambient temperature of 22C, I got around 45C on the exit grid from the coolant at 100% power. With stock fan, I have around 40C at 100% power and the air flow is almost double, but the noise is for sure 2x-3x stronger.
Until what themperature is recommended to use the lamp ? (I know it will shut down by itself if overheats)..
Have you done an overheating or heat test yet?
I used the FS300 a few weekends ago at 100% full power for about 90 minutes with no issues to report...
@@joshuamallett9180 that's awesome to hear, I'm about to do the same process!
Any idea if this works the same with the FS-200? I haven’t seen this mod on anything other than the 300.
Hey have u figured out which fan would for in the fs200?
@@yoilylevi2615probably the same fan, housing and everything else is same as FS-300, I have both.