TiVo Community Forums Archives - Exact same Quantum drive TWICE the HEAT

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

Exact same Quantum drive TWICE the HEAT
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: MikeWood

So I did a disk copy backup to an exact same model Quantum 40Gb LCT20 drive from my new Sony T60. I put it in and powered it up. It works fine. After a few hours it was at 73C when it used to run at 50C. I popped the hood to check the fan. It was connected and when re-inserting power cord the fan spun up.

I re-installed the original and it ran happily at 50C again. Any ideas? Makes my upcoming installation of the Maxtor 80Gb more daunting!

Thanks,
Mike.

Posted by: hutchca

50 Degrees seem awfully hot to me. I have dual Quantum AS drives and mine only runs at 40.

Are you sure you have good ventilation around your TIVO? Is yours an SA or Combo? What's the room temperature? Make sure nothing is blocking the fan in back or the intake vents just under the front panel.

Both drive may be the same but there is obviously a difference. Your new drive may be bad. I have seen drives with a bad chip where the chip gets extremely hot. I actually burned myself badly touching a shorted out chip.

You didn't mention whether the new drive ran hotter than the old one. Just that the TIVO ran hotter with the new drive in it. CAREFULLY check the drives while their running and see if the newer drive is hotter. Be carful, 73C is hot enough to burn you.

If the new drive isn't hotter you've probably got some kind of ventilation problem when that drive is installed.

------------------
"long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be" Waters/Gilmore

Posted by: MikeWood

Unit is the DirecTV Sony T60.

When I took it apart it seemed like the hottest component was the drive. I have the drive plugged into my PC today to see if it gets hot. When I did the copy it did not seem any hotter that the original Quantum drive.

Just seems strange unless it is a bad drive but only exhibits its heat problem when inside the TiVo not when its attached to my PC.

I think more ventilation is required for these puppies anyways. Mine is inside a closed cabinet (with many holes in the back panel). Combined with the A/V receiver heat it is time for a fan to move the air out of the cabinet. Just have to find a brand of fan that is quiet. I wonder if Frys will let me take a 12V battery in for listening to them :-)

Posted by: Fifty1Ford

Try ventilating the whole cabinet before you mess with the Tivo.

Fry's has some 112v AC fans that are quite nice. (and cheap ~$12.00)
All you would have to do is hook up a normal dimmer switch to adjust the fan speed.
As it is AC you don't need to worry about a power supply and such.

I've done the same to my little cabinet and it made a world of difference.

Fifty1Ford

Posted by: Worf

Make sure it's a "florescent" compatible dimmer switch, or made to control fan speeds otherwise it might not work as well as you'd want it to, or prematurely burn up the fan...