YouTuber replaces Noctua fan with 15 mini fans in 'Fanhattan Project'

YouTuber Major Hardware replaced a single Noctua fan with 15 Noctua-colored 30 mm mini fans, using 5V motors similar to those in a UFO. He 3D modeled the base of the Noctua NF-A12x25, fitted a plastic dome to slot the small fans, and found that 15 offered a similar surface area to his 110 mm fan.

The first prototype cracked a motor mount because it lacked an antivibration pad. The second model fixed those issues and routed the motor wires around the base so they wouldn’t interrupt airflow. Major Hardware called the build “basically a meme of the A12x25,” while a top comment renamed it “The Fanhattan Project.” When powered up he said, “It’s moving quite a bit more air than I expected.

It sounds like a bunch of angry bees.” The assembled fan registers 73 decibels, with nearly no peaks or troughs — reasonably close to the sound of a dishwasher or vacuum cleaner. That level of noise is a clear trade-off for the unusual design.

major hardware, noctua, nf-a12x25, 15 fans, 30mm fans, 5v motors, 3d model, fanhattan project, 73 decibels, antivibration pad