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Home Recording Studio Cooling System

A Baccalaureate thesis submitted to the School of Dynamic Systems

College of Engineering and Applied Science University of Cincinnati

in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Science

in Mechanical Engineering Technology

by

Christopher Berchtold

April 2013

Thesis Advisor: Muthar Al-Ubaidi

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................... II

LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. III

LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. III

ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... IV

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1

RESEARCH ..........................................................................................................................1

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE WHITTAM ........................................................................................................... 1 PRIDIOM DUCTLESS SPLIT AIR CONDITIONER ............................................................................................... 2 EDGESTAR WHISPER QUIET AIR CONDITIONER............................................................................................. 2 WHISPER ROOM WITH VENTILATION PACKAGE ............................................................................................. 3 INTERVIEW WITH DOUG WARNER................................................................................................................. 3

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ...................................................................................................4

SURVEY SUMMARY...................................................................................................................................... 4 CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 5

PRODUCT FEATURES AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................................6

ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................7

PRODUCT DESIGN .............................................................................................................8

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................................................... 8 DESIGN SELECTION.................................................................................................................................... 10 REFRIGERATION FLOW DIAGRAM ............................................................................................................... 10

THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS ................................................................................... 11

LOAD CALCULATIONS................................................................................................................................ 11 CONVECTION CALCULATIONS .................................................................................................................... 12

FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY ................................................................................... 13

TESTING AND PROOF OF DESIGN ................................................................................ 16

TESTING .................................................................................................................................................... 16 PROOF OF DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................... 17

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................... 18

SCHEDULE ................................................................................................................................................. 18 BUDGET .................................................................................................................................................... 18

REFERENCES.................................................................................................................... 19

APPENDIX A – RESEARCH ...............................................................................................1

APPENDIX B – SURVEY WITH RESULTS .......................................................................1

APPENDIX C – QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT ...................................................1

iii

APPENDIX D – PRODUCT OBJECTIVES..........................................................................1

APPENDIX E – SCHEDULE ...............................................................................................1

APPENDIX F – BUDGET ....................................................................................................1

APPENDIX G – BILL OF MATERIALS ..............................................................................1

APPENDIX H – REFRIGERATION FLOW DIAGRAM .....................................................1

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 - Ductless Air Conditioner .......................................................................................2

Figure 2 - Whisper Quiet Air Conditioner ..............................................................................2

Figure 3 - Whisper Room ......................................................................................................3

Figure 4 - Customer Importance and Current Satisfaction ......................................................4

Figure 5 - Concept #1 ............................................................................................................8

Figure 6 - Concept #2 ............................................................................................................9

Figure 7 – Refrigeration Flow Diagram ............................................................................... 10

Figure 8 – GE In-Window Air Conditioner .......................................................................... 13

Figure 9 – Right Side of Unit ............................................................................................... 13

Figure 10 – Top of Unit ....................................................................................................... 14

Figure 11 – Front of Unit ..................................................................................................... 14

Figure 12 – Final Assembly ................................................................................................. 15

Figure 13 – Convection Coils .............................................................................................. 15

Figure 14 – Test Chamber ................................................................................................... 16

LIST OF TABLES Table 1 - Relative Weight 5

Table 2 - Engineering Characteristics 7

Table 3 - Decision Matrix 10

Table 4 - Key Dates 18

Table 5 - Budget 18

iv

ABSTRACT

Voice over workers today are facing a big problem that is tough to solve and that is

overheating. When a person is in a small space with acoustic insulation around them to cut

out outside noise and reverb within the space, with very little ventilation, it becomes very

hot. This is distracting to the voice over worker and prevents them from doing long sessions

within their home studio. Air conditioners today can’t be used because the space their

designed for is way too large and are never truly silent. If a new product was made that was

completely silent when cooling the recording space, voice over workers could focus more on

their work and not on cooling off.

The majority of those surveyed stated that extremely quiet, easy to use, and affordable

were the most important features of the design. Putting together the voice of the customer

and the engineering analysis created two potential designs to cool the recording space

silently. Through engineering design tools, the unit with the compressor and condenser in the

unit was selected.

The cooling system was designed to target the customer’s needs. Most of the

components were acquired from where I work at Cincinnati Sub-Zero. After working there

for many years, finding what components would be used and designing how they would be

assembled was an easy task. The only components that were ordered were the convection

coils and the pump. Once all of the components were acquired, the fluid system was easily

assembled, but the refrigeration system required someone with higher brazing knowledge to

make the seals water-tight.

For testing, a 4ft by 4ft by 7ft chamber was made, out of 2 by 4’s and RV insulation

panels. The convection coil was installed to the top of the chamber, and hoses were run to the

unit. A thermocouple and a microphone were placed inside of the chamber. They would

measure the temperature and noise within the chamber. Acoustic insulation panels were

placed next to the microphone to cut out the sound of the unit, and get a truer reading of the

coil.

The convection cooling system was very effective, cooling the space far faster than what

was stated in the Product Objectives. It also met the sound requirements; being quiet enough

to be used in a home recording studio.

Home Recording Studio Cooling System Christopher Berchtold

1

INTRODUCTION

One of the problems facing voice over workers today is overheating. Most of the voice

over community record in their home rather than a studio, but to do this, they must silence

everything. The reason for this is because the home recording studio is sound treated (like a

movie theater), not sound proofed, and outside noise still gets in. The A/C unit is the first to

be turned off, then anything else that is being captured in the recording. Once silence is

achieved, they can finally begin recording, but now it becomes hot in the room and is very

distracting. People in the voice over industry would benefit greatly with a cooling system that

is completely silent.

RESEARCH

INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE WHITTAM

George Whittam is a 1997 Virginia Tech Grad with a Bachelor’s in Music and Audio

Technology, and a Minor in Communications (1). He is the owner and founder of ElDorado

Recording Services, and has been building home studios for voice over talent in the LA area

for years. He felt that the project is one that is needed, and agreed that a cooling system with

no moving parts in the recording space is the best way to go.

According to George Whittam, there’s nothing on the market that completely satisfies

the cooling needs of the voice over worker. The units are never as quiet or silent as what the

recording requires, even if they claim to be so. In a normal recording, the vocals are

normalized, which means that at the point where the voice is the loudest is set to 0dB.

Anything higher than that causes clipping and distortion in the playback. The noise floor in a

recording is what is heard when the voice over worker is not speaking. It’s an industry

standard that the noise floor for a home recording studio should be somewhere between -

50dB and -60dB. In an actual recording studio, the noise floor can be as low as -75 to -80dB.

The space used to record in a home studio is usually only 4 ft wide by 4 ft deep by 7 ft

high, just enough space for them to stand. The walls are covered when acoustical foam to

absorb any sound to prevent it from bouncing around and entering the microphone. This is

called “room sound,” and is very undesired in the recording. This foam adds to the

overheating problem. A/C units today, even if they are close to the noise floor requirement,

are designed for a large room, such as a family room, and are overkill for the voice over

recording space.


2

PRIDIOM DUCTLESS SPLIT AIR CONDITIONER

The Ductless Air Conditioner, as seen in Figure 1 (2), is designed to conserve energy

and to be quieter than most A/C units. With the condenser outside, most of the noise is out of

the work space. A problem with this is the unit is too large for the recording space; meant for

a larger room. Another problem is the refrigeration lines go through the walls to the outside,

which can be done for the voice over worker who lives in an apartment.

Figure 1 - Ductless Air Conditioner

EDGESTAR WHISPER QUIET AIR CONDITIONER

EdgeStar Whisper Quiet Air Conditioner, Figure 2 (3), is designed to be portable and

quiet, but yet still being able to cool a 475 sq ft space. After speaking with a few voice over

people who have used this product, they have said the noise floor is around -30 to -35dB.

This is a problem because the industry standard is -50dB minimum. Another problem is this

device is meant to cool a 475 sq ft room, which is greatly oversized for the recording space,

only being about 16-25 sq ft.

Figure 2 - Whisper Quiet Air Conditioner


3

WHISPER ROOM WITH VENTILATION PACKAGE

For voice over workers who don’t want to acoustically treat their room, they purchase

the Whisper Room. The Whisper Room is a modular box that can be built inside of a home,

and the interior walls are covered with acoustic foam. The box is sealed off from the outside,

keeping a lot of noise outside of the work space. Because of this, the box gets hot inside, so

there is the Ventilation Package, Figure 3 (4). This is as quiet as a A/C unit can get, because

it was designed for voice over workers, but air flow can be still be heard in the recording.

Figure 3 - Whisper Room

INTERVIEW WITH DOUG WARNER

Doug Warner is a Long Form Narration Reader and an Advertisement VO (5). He has

had training with Creative Voice Development Group specializing in “Conversational Copy

Reading and Delivery.” He said that there can’t be refrigeration lines running through walls

because not all voice over workers are able to do this. Some of them live in apartments, or

renting, and can’t drill holes in the walls. Also should be able to remove the system and take

it with them if the person moves. Another thing that should be kept in mind is that not all

recording spaces are in closets, some of them might be in a sectioned off part of the room. It

should be able to mount to anywhere, and not to a specific location.


4

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

SURVEY SUMMARY

After interviewing George Whittam and Doug Warner, certain words and phrases were

listened for to use in a customer survey. Such phrases as: Extremely Quiet, Easy to Use, Easy

to Install, etc. This Home Recording Studio Cooling System Customer Survey was put onto

surveymonkey.com, and then posted to a voice over group on Facebook. Five surveys were

answered, where they were asked to rate the importance of functions and features of the

Home Recording Studio Cooling System, as well as their current satisfaction with A/C units.

The scale of importance and current satisfaction was from 1 to 5, where 1 was low

importance/un-satisfied and 5 was high importance/greatly satisfied. Below, in Figure 4, is a

bar graph showing the differences between the customer’s current satisfaction and the

importance of features.

Figure 4 - Customer Importance and Current Satisfaction

The bar graph showed the need for improvement in several areas, such as: being

extremely quiet, fast to reach temp, easy to install, and easy to use. Being extremely quiet is

the most important; where everyone said the importance was a 5.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Importance

Current Satisfaction

Customer Importance and Current Satisfaction


5

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

The results obtained from the survey, shown in Figure 4, were placed in a Quality

Functional Deployment sheet to determine the true design weight of all surveyed items. The

relative weight of these items is a combination of customer importance and the designer’s

multiplier. The designer’s multiplier was the influence the designer had on the design

knowing that if they provided some features at a greater or less importance, they could sell

the product more. This was the only influence the designer had on the direction of the design.

Table 1 shows the customer requirements and their relative weights.

Table 1 - Relative Weight

Customer Requirements Designer’s

Multiplier

Relative

Weight %

Extremely Quiet 1.1 25%

Affordable 1.0 15%

Fast to Reach Quoted Temp. 1.1 15%

Easy to Install 1.0 14%

Easy to Use 1.0 13%

Safe 1.0 9%

Able to be Re-installed Easily 1.1 8%


6

PRODUCT FEATURES AND OBJECTIVES

The following is a list of product objectives and how they will be obtained. The product

objectives will focus on cooling the recording space in a home studio (which is generally 4’ x

4’ x 7’) and be completely silent.

1. Extremely Quiet 25%

a. No moving parts in the area being cooled

i. No forced air or noise from a fan

ii. Reducing noise below -40 dB

b. Using copper tubing on ceiling of area being cooled

i. Cooling thru convection

c. Cooling System to be hung in windowsill

i. Parts that make noise being outside to reduce noise in the work space

2. Fast to Reach Quoted Temp. 15%

a. Refrigeration & Convection Calculations

3. Affordable 15%

a. Between $200 and $500

4. Easy to Install 14%

a. Customer to be able to install unit

i. To be installed such as a modern in-window AC Unit

b. Single tool installation

c. Fewer loose parts to attach

5. Easy to Use 13%

a. On/Off switch

b. Varying levels of cooling

i. From 60OF down to 40

OF

6. Safe 9%

a. All components shielded from weather and climate

b. All refrigeration lines soldered water tight

c. Water tight connecters and hosing between window unit and coil

d. Window unit to be secured safely to window

e. Coil to be safely secured to ceiling of the cooling area

7. Able to be Re-installed Easily 8%

a. Hoses connecting coil and window unit able to be disconnected

b. Window unit able to be removed from the window

c. Coil on ceiling able to be removed easily and safely


7

ENGINEERING CHARACTERISTICS

Using the customer requirements, physical aspects of the system were determined and

analyzed. The different aspects of the design received their weights from the customer

requirements they affect. For example, the engineering characteristic of cooling time affected

most of the customer requirements and very important, so it is on the top of the priority list,

as seen in Table 2.

Table 2 - Engineering Characteristics

Engineering Characteristics Relative

Importance

Cooling Time 19%

Standard Components 15%

Material 15%

Coil Temperature 12%

Size 11%

Cooling Area 10%

Installation Time 8%

Manufacturability 7%

Weight 3%


8

PRODUCT DESIGN

During the Product Design phase, two tasks were completed: first was creating the design

alternatives, and then the second was the design selection. After the design alternatives were

drawn up, they were weighted in a decision matrix. The product objectives were used to

calculate the weights. These weights are weighted in importance of fully satisfying the

customer.

DESIGN ALTERNATIVES

Figure 5 shows Concept #1 where all of the components are one unit. It would be

installed in a window and chilled water would run to a coil inside of the recording space. The

coil would cool the air through natural convection. The unit would be able to be installed in

any window in a house or apartment, and the common user would be able to install it. One of

the drawbacks it may allow more outside noise in. The unit may need to be installed in a

different room than the recording space.

Figure 5 - Concept #1


9

Figure 6 shows Concept #2, same idea as Concept #1, but compressor, condenser, and

fan are installed in an outside unit away from the window. This would place the noisiest

components away from the room so the unit would be able to be installed in the same room

as the recording space. The drawbacks are there would be two units, not every window in a

house or apartment could be used, a service person would need to install it, and the longer the

refrigeration lines to the window unit the less efficient it would be.

Figure 6 - Concept #2


10

DESIGN SELECTION

To decide on which concept should be used, a Decision Matrix (Table 3) was created to

weight each of the design features. The design features and their weights were taken from the

product objectives.

Table 3 - Decision Matrix

Criteria Weight Concept #1 Score Concept #2 Score

Extremely Quiet 0.25 7 1.75 9 2.25

Fast to Reach Quoted Temp 0.15 9 1.35 7 1.05

Affordable 0.15 9 1.35 5 0.75

Easy to Install 0.14 9 1.26 3 0.42

Easy to Use 0.13 7 0.91 7 0.91

Safe 0.09 9 0.81 9 0.81

Able to be Re-installed Easily 0.08 9 0.72 3 0.24

Total 8.15 Total 6.43

Overall, Concept #1 had a better score. A few key features that made it stand out from

Concept #2 were Affordable, Easy to Install, and Able to be Re-installed Easily.

REFRIGERATION FLOW DIAGRAM

Using what I know from Thermodynamics and Thermal Environmental Systems, and

from Working at Cincinnati Sub-Zero, I was able to design the refrigeration flow diagram. It

is a two stage system that uses R-410A for stage one, and a liquid chilled system using anti-

freeze for stage 2. The sectioned off area that has the compressor, condenser, and condenser

fan is already together in an in-window air conditioning unit I will be using. The coil on the

right will be the convection coils in the desired cooling space.

Figure 7 – Refrigeration Flow Diagram


11

THEORETICAL CALCULATIONS

From the research, George Whittam had said that an average recording space is 4ft x 4ft x

7ft. The conditions will be assumed to be the worst case for the recording space. For the

room temperature, assuming it would be 80oF. Worst case scenario for items that put off heat

inside of the recording space would be: a person, a light bulb, and a computer monitor. For

the insulation surrounding the recording space, it will be assumed to be an R-value of 2.

LOAD CALCULATIONS

Average Cooling Space: 4’ x 4’ x 7’

Outer Cooling Space Temp: 80o

F

Temp within Cooling Space: 70o

F

Items within Cooling Space that put off heat:

• Person (400btu/hr)

• Light Bulb (204btu/hr)

• Computer Monitor (273btu/hr)

Temp Difference = 10o

F

Square Area of Cooling Space = 128ft2

R-value for insulation = 2

U = 1/R = ½ = 0.5btu/hr ft2

F

Qo = (0.5btu/hr ft

2

F)(128ft2

)(10o

F)

Qo = 640btu/hr

Qtotal

= Qo + Q

P + Q

L + Q

C

Qtotal

= 1517btu/hr

*Adding 15% Safety Factor


12

Qtotal

= 1745btu/hr

We can now take the Qtotal

= 1745btu/hr and use it to size our compressor and our coil.

CONVECTION CALCULATIONS

As = Qtotal / [ h ( T )] = (1745btu/hr) / [ 2.3 btu/hr ft2 F (10

oF)] = 75.89ft

2

Will assume diameter of copper piping = ¾”

C = d * pi = ( ¾” * 3.14159 ) / 12 in/ft = 0.196 ft

Length of copper piping

L = As / C = 75.89ft2 / 0.196ft = 387.19 ft

To make sure this calculation was correct, I used a software at where I work,

Cincinnati Sub-Zero, to tell me what coils I should use and how many. The software said I

would need 5 coils, 3 feet wide, with 14 rows.


13

FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY

Most of the components I would need were already in this air conditioner show in Figure

8. The Bill of Materials and list of components can be found in Appendix .The face plate was

removed and so were the controls. The expansion device and the evaporator coil were

removed as well. All that was left was the condenser coil, condenser fan, the compressor, and

the electrical components.

Figure 8 – GE In-Window Air Conditioner

A sheet metal piece was bent and added on the front of the unit for the 2gpm pump

and the anti-freeze reservoir. A heat exchanger was acquired from work and was mounted to

a wood block, as seen in Figure 9.

Figure 9 – Right Side of Unit


14

A liquid sight glass and expansion valve were also acquired from work and installed

in between the heat exchanger and the condenser coil. The liquid sight glass can be seen on

the left side of Figure 10, and the expansion valve can be seen in the center. For water tight

copper pipe brazing, the unit was taken to Cincinnati Sub-Zero and a refrigeration shop work

was paid off the clock to do this.

Figure 10 – Top of Unit

Piping ran from the anti-freeze reservoir to the pump, to the heat exchanger, out to the

coil, and returning back to the reservoir. As seen in Figure 11, ½” brass couplings and hose

barbs were used to easy connect and disconnect the hoses to the unit.

Figure 11 – Front of Unit


15

A metal cover was then made using 22ga steel. Cut outs were made in the cover for

the refrigeration lines, tank access, the controller, and the pump switch. When the unit is

plugged in, power will be given to the controller. When the switch is turned “On” power will

be given to the compressor and condenser fan, and the controller acts as a switch turning

them on and off.

Figure 12 – Final Assembly

The five coils were brazed together (as seen in Figure 13), again by a refrigeration

shop worker from Cincinnati Sub-Zero. They were then mounted to the top of the test

chamber.

Figure 13 – Convection Coils


16

TESTING AND PROOF OF DESIGN

TESTING

The testing methods were minimal. After the assemblies were complete, a test chamber

was built. It consisted of two parts: a bottom part that was 4ft by 4ft by 4ft, and a top part that

was 4ft by 4ft by 3ft. These parts were made out of a wooden frame and covered with RV ½”

insulation. The coil was installed to the top part using (2x) 2 by 4’s across the top. The top

piece was then set on top of the bottom piece, bolted together, and hoses were run from the

coil to the unit, as seen in Figure 14.

Figure 14 – Test Chamber

Then a thermal couple was placed inside the chamber and another outside of the

chamber. A lamp was placed in the chamber as a heating load. And decibel reader was also

placed inside and outside of the chamber.


17

PROOF OF DESIGN

The temperature within the test chamber was 65OF and reached it in only 20min. The

decibel reader read 62dba outside of the chamber and 40dba within the chamber, but all of it

was coming from the unit itself. So a microphone was placed inside the chamber and

measured the volume. Acoustic insulation was placed next to the microphone, in between it

and the unit to try and get a truer reading of the coil. It read that the coil volume is between -

39dB and -42dB, which meets the requirements. The noise was a dripping sound within the

coil; air was within the system. The reason for this was because I ran out of anti-freeze. If

there was more anti-freeze in the reservoir, the air would be taken out of the system, and the

dripping sound would also be taken out.


18

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SCHEDULE

The project schedule begins on November 23, 2012 with the completion of Concept

Sketches. The project timeline covers 22 weeks and ends April 17, 2013 with the

presentation of the final report. The Key Dates can be seen in Table 3, full schedule can be

seen in Appendix E.

Table 4 - Key Dates

Key Dates

Concept Sketches 11/23/12

3D Model Design 01/07/13

Finalize Design 01/16/13

Purchase Components 02/08/13

Final Assembly 02/18/13

Final Testing 03/12/13

Design Demonstration 04/17/13

BUDGET

The Forecasted Amount, as seen in Table 4, shows how much was budgeted to build

one prototype of this system. The Actual Amount will be added at the finalization of the

project.

Table 5 - Budget

Materials, Components, or Labor Forecasted Amount Actual Amount

Frame/Cabinetry $80 $70

Refrigeration Components $200 $350

Hoses & Fittings $100 $30

Electrical Components $30 $50

Relays & Switches $20 $10

Misc. Services/Parts $40 $20

Total: $470 $530


19

REFERENCES

1. Whittam, George. [interv.] Christopher Berchtold. Cincinnati, September 10, 2012.

2. Pridiom 24000 BTU Ductless Air Conditioner. Mini Split Warehouse. [Online] [Cited: 09

28, 2012.]

http://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/index.aspx?pageid=315964&prodid=4957478.

3. AP13000W - EdgeStar 13,000 BTU Whisper Quiet Air Conditioner. EdgeStar. [Online]

[Cited: 09 30, 2012.] http://www.edgestar.com/EdgeStar-13000-BTU-Whisper-Quiet-

Portable-Air-Conditioner-White/AP13000W,default,pd.html?cgid=Home_Air_Quality-

Portable_Air_Conditioners.

4. WhisperRoom Sound Booth Models. WhisperRoom Inc. [Online] [Cited: 10 01, 2012.]

http://www.whisperroom.com/sound-booth-models.php.

5. Warner, Doug. [interv.] Christopher Berchtold. Cincinnati, September 15, 2012.

Appendix A1

APPENDIX A – RESEARCH

Interview with George Whittam, Owner and Founder of ElDorado Recording

Services.

He is a 1997 Virginia Tech Grad with a Bachelor’s in Music and Audio

Technology, and a Minor in Communications.

Possible areas of innovation in Studio Recording: Using a cooling system

where the area that is being cooled has no moving parts, and any moving parts

(if required for the system) to be outside of the room.

Felt that my project is one that is needed, for when the recording space gets too

hot, the voice over worker becomes distracted by it, makes it incredibly hard to

work. Doesn’t know of any products on the market that completely satisfies the

cooling needs of the voice over worker.

Important to look up and study: Ductless Air Conditioning Systems and

Whisper Rooms.

Interview with Doug Warner, Long Narration Reader and Advertisement VO

He has had Voice Over training with Creative Voice Development Group,

LLC specialized in “Conversational Copy Reading and Delivery.”

Possible areas of innovation in Studio Recording: Can’t have pipes running

through walls for not all VOs are able to (some might live in apartments,

renting, etc.), and to have it removable if the VO moves and wants to take it

with them.

Important to remember: not all recording spaces VOs use are enclosed rooms.

His recording space is a sectioned off part of his room, using a corner and 2

large sheets of Auralex Foam. What I’m making should be able to mount

anywhere, not to a specific location (i.e. just a closet).

Appendix A2

Pridiom Single Zone Ductless Split Air Conditioner With

Heat Pump 24,000 BTU 208/230 VOLT

Inverter ductless air conditioners provide consumers with

cooling and heating solutions that are environmentally friendly

utilizing R410A refrigerant. Conserve energy by cooling or

heating only the spaces where you are. Inverter heat pump

technology constantly adjusts output to maximize comfort and

minimize energy cost. Includes remote control for ease of

operation. Features dehumidification mode, auto swing louvers,

auto-restart, sleep mode and low ambient operation.

Temperature display on indoor unit. Installation kit includes

25’L line set, 25’L connecting wire, 7’L condensate tubing and

wall sleeve.

Price: $1949.99

Problems: Unit is too

large for the space used

for recording (which is

usually 4’ X 4’ X 7’). The

cooling power coming

from it is meant for a large

room, not a closet space.

With the fans forcing air

out of the unit into the

space, it is much louder

than desired.

http://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/index.a

spx?pageid=315964&prodid=4957478

09/28/12

http://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/index.aspx?pageid=315964&prodid=4957478

http://www.minisplitwarehouse.com/index.aspx?pageid=315964&prodid=4957478

Appendix A3

EdgeStar 13,000 BTU Whisper Quiet Portable Air

Conditioner

This particular portable air conditioner is unlike other units in

that it operates with considerably lower noise levels. But don’t

let that fool you, as it uses 13,000 BTU power to effectively cool

rooms as big as 475 sq. ft. in size. This combination makes it

ideal for any application, including nurseries, bedrooms, offices,

and other areas where disturbance must be kept to a minimum.

Additionally, the EdgeStar AP13000W can supply any space

with cooling comfort all day for about $1.10, making it not only

one of the quietest but also most energy-efficient units available.

Price: $799.99

Problems: Even though

it is a “quiet” A/C unit,

personal experience from

Voice Over people have

told me that it is still

about -30dB to -35dB.

The noise floor for a

recording (when there is

nobody talking into the

mic) should read between

-50dB and -60dB. Also,

bit of an overkill, cooling

a space of 475 sq ft, when

VO’s only have a 16-25

sq ft area that needs to be

cooled.

http://www.edgestar.com/EdgeStar-13000-BTU-Whisper-Quiet-Portable-Air-

Conditioner-White/AP13000W,default,pd.html?cgid=Home_Air_Quality-

Portable_Air_Conditioners

09/30/12

http://www.edgestar.com/EdgeStar-13000-BTU-Whisper-Quiet-Portable-Air-Conditioner-White/AP13000W,default,pd.html?cgid=Home_Air_Quality-Portable_Air_Conditioners



Appendix A4

Whisper Room with Ventilation Package

Standard WhisperRoom™ Ventilation Systems are quiet.

However, the airflow noise is still slightly audible inside of a

WhisperRoom™ sound isolation booth. This noise can be

eliminated by the installation of a VSS. The number of VSS

units needed depends on the size of the WhisperRoom™ model.

One VSS is required for each Standard Ventilation System. Each

VSS consists of two additional exhaust ducts, with hoses and

adapters, linked in-line between the standard exhaust duct and

the remote fan unit (RFU).

Price: $4,579.99

Problems: The air

conditioning system for

the Whisper Room is as

quiet as any A/C unit can

get, because it was

designed for Home Studio

Recording, but the air

flow can still be heard

slightly. Also, the low fan

speed and design of the

ductwork generate low

tones that the microphone

still picks up, but Voice

Over people just deal

with it in any way they

can. Some turn off the

system (but then it gets

hot), and some block off

the vent with acoustic

foam with holes in it (and

again, gets hot).

I have searched for bladeless air conditioners and for convection air conditioners, and have

found nothing. The only kind of convection unit I have found is for heaters, such as a home

radiator heater. The only systems that I have to go off of are the so called “silent” air

conditioning systems. But from what I have been told by people in the voice over industry,

they are quiet for a normal home, but for a small recording space, they’re too overpowered

and too loud.

I have also found that the way of measuring for the noise floor in a recording. When the

audio is normalized, which means the highest peak becomes zero, the points at which nobody

is talking, it should read between -50dB and -60dB. This is the standard for any home studio;

recording studios can actually reach -70dB.

http://www.whisperroom.com/sound-booth-

models.php

10/01/12

http://www.whisperroom.com/sound-booth-models.php

http://www.whisperroom.com/sound-booth-models.php

Appendix B1

APPENDIX B – SURVEY WITH RESULTS

HOME RECORDING STUDIO COOLING SYSTEM

CUSTOMER SURVEY

This survey is for customer feedback. With it, the HRSCS will be able to conform to the

features that are seen to be most desirable. Thank you.

How important is each feature to you for the design of a new Home Recording

Studio Cooling System?

Please circle the appropriate answer. 1 = low importance 5 = high importance

Avg

Safe 1 2 3 (2) 4 (3) 5 N/A 3.6

Extremely Quiet 1 2 3 4 5 (5) N/A 5.0

Fast to Reach Temp 1 2 3 (1) 4 (4) 5 N/A 3.8

Easy to Install 1 2 3 (1) 4 (1) 5 (3) N/A 4.4

Able to be Moved 1 2 (1) 3 (3) 4 (1) 5 N/A 3.0

Easy to Use 1 2 3 4 (3) 5 (2) N/A 4.4

Durable 1 2 3 (2) 4 (3) 5 N/A 3.6

Compact 1 2 3 (2) 4 (3) 5 N/A 3.6

Easy to Adjust 1 2 3 (1) 4 (2) 5 (2) N/A 4.2

Is Energy Efficient 1 2 3 4 (2) 5 (3) N/A 4.6

Reliable 1 2 3 4 (2) 5 (3) N/A 4.6

Affordable 1 2 3 4 (1) 5 (4) N/A 4.8

How satisfied are you with the current Silent Cooling Systems?

Please circle the appropriate answer. 1 = very UNsatisfied 5 = very satisfied

Avg

Safe 1 2 3 (3) 4 5 N/A (2) 1.8

Extremely Quiet 1 2 3 4 (2) 5 N/A (3) 1.6

Fast to Reach Temp 1 2 3 (1) 4 5 (1) N/A (3) 1.6

Easy to Install 1 2 3 (3) 4 5 N/A (2) 1.8

Able to be Moved 1 2 3 (3) 4 5 N/A (2) 1.8

Easy to Use 1 2 3 (2) 4 (1) 5 N/A (2) 2.0

Durable 1 2 3 (2) 4 (1) 5 N/A (2) 2.0

Compact 1 2 3 (1) 4 (1) 5 (1) N/A (2) 2.4

Easy to Adjust 1 2 3 (3) 4 5 N/A (2) 1.8

Is Energy Efficient 1 2 3 (1) 4 (1) 5 N/A (3) 1.4

Reliable 1 2 3 (1) 4 (2) 5 N/A (2) 2.2

Affordable 1 2 3 4 (3) 5 N/A (2) 2.4

How much would you be willing to pay for this product? $50, $100, $100-$200 (1),

$200-$500 (3), $500-$1000 (1),

$1000-$2000

Appendix C1

APPENDIX C – QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT

Siz

e

Sta

ndard

Com

ponents

Weig

ht

Mate

rial

Manufa

ctu

rability

Cooling A

rea

Insta

llation T

ime

Cooling T

ime

Coil T

em

pera

ture

Custo

mer

import

ance

Desig

ner's M

ultip

lier

Curr

ent

Satisfa

ction

Pla

nned S

atisfa

ction

Impro

vem

ent

ratio

Modifie

d I

mport

ance

Rela

tive w

eig

ht

Rela

tive w

eig

ht

%

Extremely Quiet 3 3 9 3 5.0 1.1 1.6 5 3.1 17.2 0.25 25%

Affordable 3 9 9 9 4.8 1.0 2.4 5 2.1 10.0 0.15 15%

Easy to Install 9 3 3 9 4.4 1.0 1.8 4 2.2 9.8 0.14 14%

Easy to Use 1 3 4.4 1.0 2.0 4 2.0 8.8 0.13 13%

Fast to Reach Quoted Temp. 3 9 9 9 3.8 1.1 1.6 4 2.5 10.5 0.15 15%

Safe 1 3 1 1 1 3.6 1.0 1.8 3 1.7 6.0 0.09 9%

Able to be Re-installed Easily 3 1 3 3 3.0 1.1 1.8 3 1.7 5.5 0.08 8%

Abs. importance 2.07 2.95 0.60 2.77 1.33 1.87 1.54 3.67 2.24 19.0 67.7 1.0 1.0

Rel. importance 0.11 0.15 0.03 0.15 0.07 0.10 0.08 0.19 0.12 1.0

Home Recording Studio Cooling System9 = Strong3 = Moderate1 = Weak

Appendix D1

APPENDIX D – PRODUCT OBJECTIVES

Product Objectives

Home Recording Studio Cooling System

The following is a list of product objectives and how they will be obtained. The product

objectives will focus on cooling the recording space in a home studio (which is generally 4’ x

4’ x 7’) and be completely silent.

8. Extremely Quiet 25%

a. No moving parts in the area being cooled

i. No forced air or noise from a fan

ii. Reducing noise below -40 dB

b. Using copper tubing on ceiling of area being cooled

i. Cooling thru convection

c. Cooling System to be hung in windowsill

i. Parts that make noise being outside to reduce noise in the work space

9. Fast to Reach Quoted Temp. 15%

a. Refrigeration & Convection Calculations

10. Affordable 15%

a. Between $200 and $500

11. Easy to Install 14%

a. Customer to be able to install unit

i. To be installed such as a modern in-window AC Unit

b. Single tool installation

c. Fewer loose parts to attach

12. Easy to Use 13%

a. On/Off switch

b. Varying levels of cooling

i. From 60OF down to 40

OF

13. Safe 9%

a. All components shielded from weather and climate

b. All refrigeration lines soldered water tight

c. Water tight connecters and hosing between window unit and coil

d. Window unit to be secured safely to window

e. Coil to be safely secured to ceiling of the cooling area

14. Able to be Re-installed Easily 8%

a. Hoses connecting coil and window unit able to be disconnected

b. Window unit able to be removed from the window

c. Coil on ceiling able to be removed easily and safely

Appendix E1

APPENDIX E – SCHEDULE

TASKS Oct

14

-20

Oct

21

-27

Oct

28

- N

ov

3

No

v 4

- 1

0

No

v 1

1 -

17

No

v 1

8 -

24

No

v 2

5 -

Dec

1

Dec

2 -

8

Dec

9 -

15

Dec

16

- 2

2

Dec

23

- 2

9

Dec

30

- J

an 5

Jan

6 -

12

Jan

13

- 1

9

Jan

20

- 2

6

Jan

27

- F

eb 2

Feb

3 -

9

Feb

10

- 1

6

Feb

17

- 2

3

Feb

24

- M

ar 2

Mar

3 -

9

Mar

10

- 1

6

Mar

17

- 2

3

Mar

24

- 3

0

Mar

31

- A

pr

6

Ap

r 7

- 1

3

Ap

r 1

4 -

20

Ap

r 2

1 -

27

Work on First Draft 7

12

Work on Final Report for Seminar 16

20

Concept sketches to advisor 23

27

Proof of Design Agreement 23

27

Refrigeration Flow Diagram 5

7

Refrigeration BOM 7

6

Electrical Schematic 12

20

Electrical BOM 14

6

Cabinet Design & BOM 7

6

Design Report 16

31

Oral Design Presentation 16

31

Purchase / Manufacture Parts 8

3

Assembly 18

3

Test/Modifications 12

3

Proof of Design to Advisor 15

Tech Expo 4

4

Work on Final Report 24

Oral Project Presentation 17

Christopher BerchtoldHome Recording Studio

Cooling System

Appendix F1

APPENDIX F – BUDGET

Materials, Components, or Labor Forecasted Amount Actual Amount Frame/Cabinetry $80 $70

Refrigeration Components $200 $350

Hoses & Fittings $100 $30

Electrical Components $30 $50

Relays & Switches $20 $10

Misc Services/Parts $40 $20

Total $470 $530

Appendix G1

APPENDIX G – BILL OF MATERIALS

ITEM I.D. NO. QTY. DESCRIPTION MANUFACTURERMFG' PART NO. UNIT PRICE TOTAL PRICE

48022 1 PUMP LITTLE GIANT $112.05 $112.05

00902 1 BODY, TEV SPORLAN EQ-ODF $23.45 $23.45

P- 1 CARTRIDGE SPORLAN QC-00 $0.00 $0.00

02534 1 THERMAL ASSY SPORLAN KT-45-ZN $12.28 $12.28

03040 1 SIGHT GLASS SPORLAN SA-12S $5.79 $5.79

P- 1 AIR CONDITIONING UNIT G.E. AET05LQ $100.00 $100.00

$0.00

$0.00

FITTINGS & MISC PARTS $0.00

17320 1 COUPLING, 3/8" $0.37 $0.37

18011 1 TEE, 1/4" $3.33 $3.33

18300 1 TEE, REDUCING, 3/8" x 3/8" x 1/4" $5.20 $5.20

05050 2 SERVICE PORT $2.37 $4.74

18106 2 REDUCER FITTING, 3/8" x 1/4" $1.09 $2.18

18110 1 REDUCER FITTING, 1/2" x 3/8" $1.23 $1.23

18500 1 ELBOW, 1/4" $1.53 $1.53

08075 2 HOSE BARB, 1/2NPT x 1/2" HOSE $1.13 $2.26

$0.00

$0.00

COILS $0.00

00332 5 FIN COIL HEATCRAFT $56.01 $280.05

$0.00

$0.00

$554.46

BILL OF MATERIALS

==================================================================================================================================================

===========================================================================================================================================================================================

Appendix H1

APPENDIX H – REFRIGERATION FLOW DIAGRAM

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