External cooling of wdmcex2

[birdyx]

Because of an error message about a not working fan,  i was looking for a solution. 

I don’t know if the fan is really out of order,  or just a system hiccup. 

I was looking for a external solution,  because the internal fan and it’s print output is difficult to reach. 

When i was looking for a fan with controler on the Net,  i remembered i had an old notebook-cooler. 

This cooling unit is almost ideal for this purpose. 

It has special fans that are made for a wide stream of cold air,  that can be set to very quiet noise, that is hardly noticed. 

I have the wdmcex2 and 2 backup disks, and a wdmc white. 

The cooling surface is big enough to cool all these heating products at the same time. 

You have to level the surface,  because for a notebook it is made slanting,  low in front and higher in the back. 

Now I have a temperature that’s  much lower when streaming,  and I don’t have to rely on the (not or to late) working internal fan. 

And the noise  is  adjustable by yourself and your own chosen max. temperature. 

And it uses a cheap USB power supply. 

For me it is a temporary solution until WD is willing to give the internal fan back to us. 

For now i have cooler disks that will last longer. (even the Red hdd version) 

And is not very expensive,  even when bought new. 

[Trancer]

Thank you for sharing. It’s always good to find out new ways to address unexpected situations.

[MrqDude]

Thanks for sharing your solution.

It’s a shame, pathetic actually, that people have been compaining about the EX2 heat since at least July of 2014.  We have been asking WD to give us the ability to set the fan-start temperture lower (e.g., so the fan starts to operate at a lower temperature).  Qnap and other NAS vendors allow you to set the fan start temperature in their firmware but not WD.

Here is a link to the discussion that has raged on for almost a year.

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-My-Cloud-EX2/Question-regarding-the-FAN-used-by-WD-My-Cloud-EX2/m-p/771843/highlight/true#M881

[birdyx]

Yes,  let us not forget why we have to think of these stupid solutions! 

Because the wdmcex2 fan is not working properly. (or not at all) 

In the middle of the wdmcex2 is situated a small fan,  in a position that’s pointing upwards in more or less 45 degrees. 

For a small fan to cool reasonable,  you need a fast rotation. 

And the faster the rotation., the louder the noise you hear. 

So the only reason I can think of,  why WD hardly uses the fan in the wdmcex2,  is to prevent the noise you get when working. 

I think the fan is programmed to only start if there is immediate danger of overheating. (and killing the set) 

Not to spare the internal hdd’s on the long run, and to make them last longer. (it’s not in their interest) 

Looking at other NAS products,  I see big fans in the back of the case,  that probably rotate relatively slow. 

And so they produce little noise,  with also a lower heating point when starting up! 

It’s a choice! (but not mine!) 

Why not give the OWNER that choice?