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View Full Version : HR21-700 seems to be "winding up & down"...

syphix
05-31-09, 10:16 PM
My HR21-700 seems to have a constant "wind up" then "wind down" sound. Almost like the hard drive (or fan?) is spinning up and down, over and over again. It does it in standby and when on. How can I determine if it's the fan or hard drive?? Without any visual problems (i.e., shows record fine, etc.), would D* be willing to swap out this box?? It's in the bedroom, and the sound is VERY annoying!
carl6
05-31-09, 10:53 PM
The hard drive should always be spinning, so it is likely the fan that you are hearing. I don't think DirecTV would replace it for that reason, but you can always call and ask.
syphix
06-01-09, 08:41 AM
Yeah, I'm kinda figuring it's the fan, as the spin-up of the hard drive is louder and more of a quick whine when the box starts up. Is the fan supposed to be starting and stopping every 30 seconds? The temp of the box is 120...is that too high for an HR21-700?
Stuart Sweet
06-01-09, 08:45 AM
That's an ok temperature. Possibly the fan is coming on and turning off to maintain that temp.
Rich
06-01-09, 01:01 PM
That's an ok temperature. Possibly the fan is coming on and turning off to maintain that temp.

I just checked a 21-700 and a 21-200 and both are 109 degrees. 120 degrees seems kinda high for a 21 and if the fan is not running constantly something is wrong. I don't know what the upper limits for the 21s are, but Earl said that the 20s was 123-126 degrees. In any event, with the temp that high the fan should be constantly running.

Somehow I doubt if the fan motors have thermal cutoffs. Never seen a motor that small with one. The only other thing that would make the fan cycle is the hard drive's temperature sensor.

My 23-700 is running at 115 degrees and the fan appears to be running constantly. The 23 is in a relatively tight cabinet compared to the 21-700 and the 21-200, so I guess that accounts for the higher temperature. All three HR's fans appear to be running constantly.

Rich
Rich
06-01-09, 01:05 PM
My HR21-700 seems to have a constant "wind up" then "wind down" sound. Almost like the hard drive (or fan?) is spinning up and down, over and over again. It does it in standby and when on. How can I determine if it's the fan or hard drive?? Without any visual problems (i.e., shows record fine, etc.), would D* be willing to swap out this box?? It's in the bedroom, and the sound is VERY annoying!

If the fan is bad, why wouldn't D* give you a replacement? The fan is a very necessary component as far as they know.

Rich
Doug Brott
06-01-09, 01:39 PM
My HR21-700 seems to have a constant "wind up" then "wind down" sound. Almost like the hard drive (or fan?) is spinning up and down, over and over again. It does it in standby and when on. How can I determine if it's the fan or hard drive?? Without any visual problems (i.e., shows record fine, etc.), would D* be willing to swap out this box?? It's in the bedroom, and the sound is VERY annoying!

One suggestion as I find this often the case with PCs .. Disconnect the unit, take it outside and blow it out with some canned "air" .. It's conceivable that there is enough dust buildup that the fan needs to cycle more often to try and cool the unit. Dust does a good job of holding in heat when all you want to do is get it out.