Multiple FR10 owners have reported that the control box fan is unacceptably loud — significantly noisier than FR5 controllers of the same generation. One user described it as "insane loud". Customers will notice and complain. This is a known issue affecting certain hardware revisions.
Why is it so loud? Three generations of cooling
Fairino has gone through 3 generations of cooling design:
| Gen 1 | Silent, low-power ventilators | Caused overheating in high-temperature environments. Quiet but insufficient. |
| Gen 2 | High-flow fans | Fixed the overheating but extremely noisy. This is what most affected FR10 users have. |
| Gen 3 | Temperature-sensor-controlled fans | Fans slow down when temperature is low. Best of both worlds — quiet at idle, full speed only when needed. |
Even within the same controller type (e.g. three FR5 control boxes), noise levels can differ significantly — one user reported 2 quiet units and 1 very noisy unit of the same model.
Community workaround: bigger enclosure + slower fans
One user solved this by relocating the controller into a Small Form Factor (SFF) computer case:
- Removed the controller PCB from the original Fairino enclosure
- Mounted it in a bigger SFF case with better natural airflow
- Connected the original small fans to 5V via the USB port instead of 12V — this reduces fan RPM and noise dramatically while still providing some airflow
- Added an 80mm case fan in the front of the SFF case for supplemental cooling
Result: much quieter, adequate cooling for development use. This is a "quick and dirty" solution — not recommended for production without proper thermal testing, but works well for labs and R&D environments.
Official fix: Gen 3 upgrade
Ask your distributor about upgrading to the Gen 3 temperature-controlled cooling. This may be available as a retrofit kit. Contact Fairino Europe support for availability and pricing.
Note on FR10 vs FR5
The FR10 controller generates more heat than the FR5 due to higher power requirements for the larger motors. The same physical control box housing may be used for both, which is why the FR10 needs more aggressive cooling (= more noise in Gen 2 hardware).