Insane & cheap silent air pump

[J. H.]

Hi I was thinking of attaching a florescent light ballast to an air pump (I have 3 I am not using) to silence it. the ballasts run at very high hertz so you can't see them blink. this should make a silent airpump - all I need are 4 wire caps.
Is this a good idea?
will the high voltage blow the airpump?
will it even pump at such high speed?
Anything else?

 

[Yoimbrian]

I'm not sure I agree with your logic.

Fluorescent lights flicker at about 120 hz so we can't see it flicker. I don't see how that applies to sound.

If you applied the same logic to noise, it would just be higher frequency noise. Maybe instead of individual pulses it would sound like a consistent note, but I don't see how it would ever go silent.

Unless I'm missing something I'm guessing you'll destroy your air pump. And if you don't fry the air pump, I highly doubt it would have the impact you want of being silent.

Let me know if you try...

 

[brent245]

It's not the power supply that makes the noise in the air pump, it's the noise of the pump physically pumping air, no way around it. A better way would be to put the pump in a wooden box with foam padding on the inside. I actually have mine hanging inside my stand by a couple rubber bands. It seems quieter that way than sitting on a solid surface.

 

[J. H.]

thanks. I've hung my airpump in a Styrofoam box before. It helps. I guess it won't work. I should have thought about it more before. I wanted it quiet enough that I could hide a nano in my dresser and not get caught.

 

[Drstrangelove]

I tried to follow but I also see no link between a florescent light ballast and an air pump.

Sound in the air is carried by waves which emanate from a vibrating object. The pump vibrates internally, sending energy to the exterior of the pump and then into into the surface it's on which pushes the air, or to the exterior of the pump which then pushes the air.

In either case, you can dampen the sound by putting certain materials around the pump (which de-amplify sound by absorbing the energy without much vibrating), like a pad, towel, cloth or liquid. Stiffer material (like a box) works, but it can also vibrate and then transmit sound, although some of the energy is lost merely in moving the walls of the box (thus dampening the overall sound.)

 

[J. H.]

I tried to follow but I also see no link between a florescent light ballast and an air pump.

You are right. I don't know what was thinking. The ballast will just raise the pitch of the sound. I have tried the other tricks, but they would not be sufficient, as the point is to hide a small tank in a dresser silently.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Just use a small internal filter for it.

Having said that, why do you need to "hide" a tank in a dresser? I think you will definitely have some moisture issues.

 

[J. H.]

Having said that, why do you need to "hide" a tank in a dresser? I think you will definitely have some moisture issues.

The whole thing is now moot. I had wanted to start a picoreef and thought that I would not be allowed to, but I just got permission to set one up provided I pay for the electricity it draws.