Tip: Reduce lockups... Keep your STB well ventilated

[txdude]

These Moto STBs get pretty hot and need adequate ventilation to prevent problems. The same was true with my STB from Comcast.

Make sure you have a reasonable amount of space above your STB. Also try not the keep it in a closed cabinet if possible and never put another component on top of the STB.

 

[vurbano]

These Moto STBs get pretty hot and need adequate ventilation to prevent problems. The same was true with my STB from Comcast.

Make sure you have a reasonable amount of space above your STB. Also try not the keep it in a closed cabinet if possible and never put another component on top of the STB.

I disagree, This box runs very cool in my opinion. I would NEVER EVER risk leaving my Hughes e86 HIRD reciever on all night. That model gets so hot it would hurt your hand to touch it after just a few hours. This one is extremely cool compared to what I have experienced.

 

[txdude]

I disagree, This box runs very cool in my opinion. I would NEVER EVER risk leaving my Hughes e86 HIRD reciever on all night. That model gets so hot it would hurt your hand to touch it after just a few hours. This one is extremely cool compared to what I have experienced.

Well naturally a receiver is gong to run hotter than an STB, I agree. But when I said "hot" I didn't mean it in the literal sense as in "to the touch", I meant hot in terms of the STBs tolerance for temperature. This STB does get warm and build up of that heat is going to cause problems. There is a reason that the top of this STB looks like a giant grate

 

[fayrich]

My definition of a receiver and STB are the same. I agree with vurbano. The V* STB does run a lot cooler than my Hughes E86 D* unit.

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

Does anyone know of a good venting fan or fan assembly for a DIY install? I am concerned that my HT rack is too warm.

 

[txdude]

My definition of a receiver and STB are the same. I agree with vurbano. The V* STB does run a lot cooler than my Hughes E86 D* unit.

Hehe... I guess I read vurbano's post too quickly. I thought he was referring to an A/V Receiver with a powerful amp. My mistake

In any case I know that overheating can cause problems with "receivers" as I had a Moto STB from comcast that had to be replaced because I was stubborn and put a dvd player on top of it even though the owner manual says not to do that. It didn't get much warmer than Voom's STB does, but not having it ventilated well for a couple of months made it start acting weird and the PQ degraded as well. As soon as the STB was replaced my problems were gone and I never had that same problem again. I was specifically told by the tech that replaced it that everyone he had seen with similar problems had another component on top of their STB. He said this was causing them to overheat and eventually led to damage of the STB.

TC_Lauderdale: Is your HT rack totally enclosed?

 

[fayrich]

Absolutely right about heat causing damage. For that reason, I never installed the glass doors on my component cabinets(of course my wife didn't like that). As for a small cooling fan, try Radio Shack.

 

[TC_Lauderdale]

I'll try Radio Shack, yes my Rack is enclosed with the exception of some venting holes I have made in upper and lower areas behind the units. When operating the equipment, I always leave the glass door either open or ajar. I learned the hard-way after frying my first DVD player last year. I was hoping that someone here had installed a ventilization fan themselves and could offer some tips.

 

[Walter L.]

No fan is needed. Just follow these 2 rules: 1) don't put any other equipment directly on top, 2) make sure that your rack has enough ventilation (a good rack typically has a grid on the back or front door)

 

[DarrellP]

I just put up a wall mounted rack so all of my gear is open to the air. I have my JVC DVHS deck on the bottom with the Voom STB on top of it. On the next shelf up is my DVD player with the Dish 6000 on top of it. Top shelf has my projector so everything that produces heat is spaced out from each other.

My first Dish receiver, the 3000 got hot as a pistol and came with a warning about not placing anything on top of it.

 

[Walter L.]

Hey DarrelP, OFF-TOPIC: what happen with your projector???

 

[madpoet]

I'd love a wall rack, but the killer is my receiver... 38 pounds. I've yet to find a wall AV Rack deep enough and rated for that kind of weight.

 

[DarrellP]

I actually mounted my receiver up above the projector, I have about a 1' indent into the wall up there and I put a small shelf sticking out about 6" to hold the front feet, so the wall is actually bearing the weight of my receiver (which weighs about the same as yours). My wall where the gear is mounted is about 12' high and I have a vaulted ceiling that is highest at the wall behind me. The indent is about 9' off the floor, indents about a foot, is about 5' wide and runs up to the ceiling. I think it was made for displaying flowerpots or doodads but I prefer my receiver up there.

 

[DarrellP]

She's Broke!

Hey DarrelP, OFF-TOPIC: what happen with your projector???

Hi Walter, I went to power it on Wed night and nothing. I took a look at the status light while powering on and heard a funny rattling noise, the bulb blipped then went off. I talked to Boxlight tech support and they think a fan is misbehaving, causing the bulb to not fire. I have around 400 hours in 120 days on this thing and they told me they would replace the bulb if necessary, so that's good news.

Where in Portland are you?

 

[Walter L.]

DarrelP, I'm sorry to hear the bad news, I hope you get it back soon. Good luck!!
I'm about 13 miles west of downtown Portland (near Hillsboro)