Anti-Vibration CPAP Mounts 1

In contrast to most existing CPAP mufflers and silencers, I aim to focus on mechanical noise (first), rather than flow noise.

The WS7040 in the M0 is right behind the front skirt and isn’t tucked away under a cover, behind the printer, like it was on my V2. Working with it made me realize how much quieter it is mid-air than rigidly mounted to a printed case or a tube adapter, which makes perfect sense.

Moreover, I was cleaning my PC water cooling loop the other week after almost five years of heavy daily use. This made me realize I’ve already applied the same (widely used) principles when designing my D5 pump mount that I should be using here, for another BLDC pump.

The design plan:

• Minimizing the surface area and mass of the things rigidly mounted to the CPAP.
• Placing a clamping ring at the height of the imbalance in an effort to constrain the movement to a single horizontal plane.
• Mounting the ring to rubber bushings that are compliant in XY, but relatively firm in Z.
• Making a barely compressed, thick foam gasket that provides a seal around the edge of the intake.
• Putting a thick case around (not touching) the vibrating mass with potentially sound-deadening material on its inside.

None of this is new or groundbreaking, but hopefully, this implementation will change some CPAP-skeptic minds on the noise issue.

In Part 2, I’ll be focusing on the potential choices for the BOM and the first working prototype.