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I broke one of the blades of the fan and that's making the x-box vibrate. Other than that it works fine and I can still print at a very low flow rate and a lot of noise. Will replacing the blades, not the whole fan work?
Found this and how to replace on thingyverse:
It will work, but likely with reduced performances: designing blades is not an easy task and the ones you can print will not be as good as the ones designed for that specific fan.
Overall, do it for fun before you replace the fan anyway.
IF your fan has symmetrical blades (unlikely), another option is to break the opposite blade to balance the fan.
It's a standard part. You can find fitting replacement fans easily by searching for the dimensions and the voltage. It's better to use a molded part as it is smoother and lighter than any FDM printed one.
If you want to play then print new blades; if you want to print then swap the fan - but pay attention to: Voltage, current draw, rpm, fan thickness, etc.
Note: most fans are built to be disposable/replaceable. They are never built to be repaired, and as yet, nobody has succeeded in replicating the efficiency/balance/effectiveness of commercially available blades via 3D printing - and many in the Drone world have tried and died!
If you decide to replace, ideally you want EXACTLY the same fan as a replacement - even if it costs more than something similar. When you get seasoned, you can upgrade and improve, but until then, similar is not good enough...
