Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
By jimfowler Sat Jan 12, 2013 2:10 pm
i replaced the original (and relatively noisy) fan with this: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... =48&lng=en

and it is whisper quiet. dimensions are identical to the original. two quick solders and you're up and running.

there are a bajillion fans out there and as many conflicting reviews...just wanted to share my personal experience.
By rogue scrunt Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:16 pm
thank you for sharing this information.
User avatar
By feline1 Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:28 pm
it's well worth doing - the original MPC4000 units had case fans that were noisy enough to be annoying.
By SP1200 Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:32 pm
Hi there,

Thank you for the info - did u changed it recently? Just to know if everything works after longer time - you know now it works and in a month it can burn the mainboard :)

Of course i asume it has all the identical technical specification to the orginal one.

I am now using the 4000 for a month and must say i love it more and more, and more i use it more simplier it seems. At the beginnig after switching from 2XL i was like.. oh my god what is this all the screens, butons, functions, but after some days spended with the maschine i am happy to find my final solution / at least for some years :) /

back to topic.. after switching form the ´ quiet dvdplayer like 2XL ´i was litle bit upset with the nosie of the ´ PC tower like ´ 4000 - the fan after slowering it down in the OS is okey for me but the hard drive especialy the vibrating noise is on the edge of what i need to hear when making music on monitors / on headpohones when i work at night is OK /.. i have the BLUE one wihich suposed to have a quieter fan but im really looking forward to do the ´century leap :arrow: an SSD and if it works ok this noctua fan it will be then heaven for me :smoker: i am just litle bit curious about the word you used - soldering - as i am an technical antitalent and dont want to fu&@ it up.. so it needs some extra holding points? so no 1:1 solution?

THANK YOU FOR any info!

ps: I am defeinitly a LOUD fan of the 4000 :D
User avatar
By Coz Thu Jan 17, 2013 2:43 pm
SP1200 wrote:technical antitalent




That's a completely made up term but I know EXACTLY what you mean! :nod: :lol:

I can't help you on either the fan or the SSD, but you do know about spinning the hard drive down (No Spin in load), right? It's almost too obvious to mention but you may have overlooked it. 8)
User avatar
By feline1 Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:17 pm
SP1200 wrote:Hi there,

Thank you for the info - did u changed it recently? Just to know if everything works after longer time - you know now it works and in a month it can burn the mainboard :)


I changed it about 8 years ago.
YMMV
By jimfowler Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:09 pm
between the SSD and new fan the MPC4K is now quiet enough to work on in even the quietest environments. also, zero vibration since the fan is now the only moving part.

as far as fan specs - the flow rates are about the same and i can't imagine the electrical specifications being too far from each other. i anticipate no problems.

regarding the soldering - the noctua fan comes with three wires (hot, ground, speed sensor - red, black and yellow respectively). the mpc only supplies hot and ground. so, you need to cut and splice the new fan into the existing wiring. piece of cake. anybody halfway competent can perform the work. worst case scenario you could take it to an electronics shop.
User avatar
By JUKE 179r Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:50 pm
This fan mod is what I was planning on doing next for my MV8000. Finding a replacement 80mm fan to splice into the old fan seems pretty easy...
http://mvnation.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14538
By SP1200 Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:35 am
To COZ: yes i find that function in the LOAD menu - but it doesnt stop the drive spinning through the proces of playing the sequencer and arangment.. the drive still working / dont know if realtime loading there is the RAM for it / but defenetly still spinning/vibrating from time to time..

to JIMFOWLER - Hi jim :nod: i see i will need your tips for sure!
IF u can send me links for the exact product you have fitted inside the 4k /fan,ssd/
include all the cables, extension or adapters needed i would be very thankfull for it.
If there is a commerecial problem to send it here - you can write a PM.

So you have a quiet/passive 4000 that work flawlessly? I read here on the forum of some SSD problems that you have to everytime after switching ON - locate the SSD, but for me if it will not affect the performance of the unit it is not a problem at all if i get insteda a quiet ´whisper in a wind´ kind of the 4k - the BEST MPC ever made :smoker:

Thank you very much for your responses everybody here i really appreciate your kind help
User avatar
By Coz Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:11 am
SP1200 wrote:To COZ: yes i find that function in the LOAD menu - but it doesnt stop the drive spinning through the proces of playing the sequencer and arangment.. the drive still working / dont know if realtime loading there is the RAM for it / but defenetly still spinning/vibrating from time to time.




That's probably your fan. I get occasional fluctuations in fan speed that lasts for a split second, but it's enough to cause a slight vibration.

As far as I know, 'No Spin' completely stops the drive until you go into Save or Load.
By SP1200 Fri Jan 18, 2013 12:49 pm
As far as I know, 'No Spin' completely stops the drive until you go into Save or Load.

..I have to try this becasue i am sure the drive still spining / it is not a vibration of the fan / the blue model has a queit fan and when slowed through OS - it is not a big issue
for me - i could live with it - but this is defenitly a hardisk behave.. nevermind
i will change it for this quality one and defenitly instal an SSD

and maybe i am just pampered form the 2kXL - if i jumped on the 4k first i would take it as it is..

all in all - i love the maschine anyway so really it is just a ´perfection´ of already
a good product.. :smoker:
User avatar
By feline1 Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:12 pm
:lol: obviously the "No Spin" option simply stops the drive spinning when its idle (i.e. you're not loading or saving something) - you can't read from or write to the drive unless it's spinning
By U3 Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:22 pm
jimfowler wrote:i replaced the original (and relatively noisy) fan with this: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=prod ... =48&lng=en

and it is whisper quiet.


Hi Jim,

What do you mean by whisper quiet?
In a dead quiet room with no noise (no computer etc) exactly how loud is it while your next to the mpc?

Ive been researching all these fans and how loud they are and flow rates,reviews etc etc for toooo long now..

Was going to get this one its got slightly better noise specs, but i like your one better:
http://www.quietpc.com/afdp-6025b

U3
User avatar
By feline1 Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:03 pm
I basically cannot hear my MPC4000's fan in a quiet room unless I go round the back and put my ear against the grille.

It sure as hell wasn't like that when I bought it in 2002.
By jimfowler Sat Jan 19, 2013 2:41 pm
@ U3 - it's not as quiet as it is when the machine is off ; ) but it's real close. i don't have an spl meter but for reference i consider my (brand spankin' new) macbook pro (non-retina display) to be dead quiet and the mpc is now just a wink more audible than that. and for what it's worth it's not the fan i'm hearing, it's the moving of air. the noctua fan comes with adapters that slow the fan speed down (via inline resistor, i believe) so you could try that.

@ SP1200 - here's a parts list (atestarrr found these, not me - he gets credit)

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-m4-2-5-In ... rucial+ssd

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-SATA-Drive-In ... de+adapter

http://www.amazon.com/SILVERSTONE-SDP08 ... er+3.5+bay

you'll need to remove the cd drive from the chain in order to have the ssd show up without having to search for it.