I updated some links...please give me a hint when another one fails...

Just in case anyone is still interested.

The Kronos is working for years now with very low fan throughput and no noise at all. You only hear it with an ear directly on the case.
I also use a newer ~100GB SSD without any problems, this may reduce heat.

I guess disabling the fan would also work (at least here in Germany), but you never know...

If you want to give it a try,  I would prefer to establish a defined passive air flow from bottom to top (stack effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_effect) and probably from right to left through the main electronic parts by adding some holes at appropriate places (easy for the bottom sheet metal, more of a problem at the other end, I guess nobody wants to put them on the front panel).

a forum thread about fan improvement

look here for experiences in improving fan noise:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=65348&postdays=0&start=0

This is only for discussion of solutions, please start reading from the first posting!

system update to version 1.5 available mid october

look at:

http://korg.com/go.aspx?kronos_system_version

"available for download in mid-October of 2011 at www.korg.com/kronos."

"support for Korg USB pad controllers such as the nanoPAD2, and support for installing additional RAM."

those improvements are wishes already discussed in the community,
looks like they are hearing the crowd?

link to some hardware discussion

here you find a related hardware discussion:

http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=62718

links to similar images/posts

you find similar images at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115875517633445371569/PORDENTRODOKORGKRONOSINSIDEBOARDS?feat=email

(EDIT: this link doen's work any more, please simply use Web-Search (e.g. "Korg Kronos Inside") to find images and videos)

this still works:

http://si7-lab.blogspot.com/2011/06/opened-part-1.html

photos from inside

I removed the bottom cover from my Korg Kronos 61 to see why the fan generates so much noise. So I took some photos, have a look here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/XGn6k8GMH74jNsYg9
(EDIT: finally updated after years :-))

fan noise

well, the fan is very very loud in my Kronos.

I read somewhere, the 61 key models are generally louder than the others. This may result from the more solid case, because of the weighted keyboards.

First I assumed, the fan would be one of those small atom chipset fans (40mm x 40mm x 10mm) which rotate very fast at about 4500 rpm. I have one in my server and it sounds just like the Kronos fan. In my server I use the linux fancontrol software to make it more quiet.

But it is a 60 x 60 fan, which is located at the 30gig SSD.
The Kronos fan seems to rotate at full speed. When booting the Kronos, the fan turns more quiet for some time, so software control seems to be possible, but seems to be unused by the Kronos software.


A SSD never gets near to warm (I read on the net), so why do we need the fan at this place?

The Intel D510MO(B) board has a big passive heat spreader covering both CPU and chipset.
The board is designed for fanless use, but then the case has to fulfill some conditions to get enough air flow through the cooling fins.

I think, the fan should provide some air flow from the right of the case with the motherboard to the left where we have no hot devices at all.

The power supply is also on the right, but doesn't get much air flow from the fan.

I could imagine a better solution for this situation. I think the board should get more cooling and the SSD doesn't need any.

I tested disconnecting the fan, which seems to heat up the motherboard, may be too much.
Over the test period of some days this worked so far, but I have to mention that we have about 20°C here in Germany, may be the result would be worse with a higher room temperature.

May be a better fan could be placed near the motherboard and then operated at some lower speed.

(EDIT: see my photos from inside in another post)