[thekochs]

Just wonrdering if 127 degrees farenheit is OK level for HR20 ?

 

[hasan]

Just wonrdering if 127 degrees farenheit is OK level for HR20 ?

There's been a lot of discussion in other threads about this. The consensus seems to be that 127 isn't bad and that the HR20 does not have a heat problem.

That being said, it was too hot for my "comfort zone". Mine was running 127 out in the open on a vertical equipment rack with plenty of space for ventillation. I bought a "cool pad" laptop cooling unit that has two fans (I think it's a Targus) and 4 USB ports. I just set it it UPSIDE DOWN (so it would draw heat out of the vent slots on the top of the the HR20). It is dead quiet and is AC powered (not USB). It dropped the temperature 20+ degrees and it now holds about 105 +/- 2 degrees and I feel a lot better.

My concerns are long term reliability and with nearly all electronics (and especially hard drives), cooler is better.

I obviously don't use the USB ports...I got the unit for its dual cooling fans and an additional nicety is that it is silver, matching the HR20. It was too expensive. I paid about 50 bucks for it...I think you can get the same thing hunting around a bit for half that.

 

[tstarn]

Just wonrdering if 127 degrees farenheit is OK level for HR20 ?

I got the two-fan Targus model from Walmart online and I do use the USB port to power it. Mine runs from109-118. I didn't invert mine either, because on mine, the fans are reversed and the air blows out a slit in the back of the pad. It's called a chill mat.

 

[tstarn]

There's been a lot of discussion in other threads about this. The consensus seems to be that 127 isn't bad and that the HR20 does not have a heat problem.

That being said, it was too hot for my "comfort zone". Mine was running 127 out in the open on a vertical equipment rack with plenty of space for ventillation. I bought a "cool pad" laptop cooling unit that has two fans (I think it's a Targus) and 4 USB ports. I just set it it UPSIDE DOWN (so it would draw heat out of the vent slots on the top of the the HR20). It is dead quiet and is AC powered (not USB). It dropped the temperature 20+ degrees and it now holds about 105 +/- 2 degrees and I feel a lot better.

My concerns are long term reliability and with nearly all electronics (and especially hard drives), cooler is better.

I obviously don't use the USB ports...I got the unit for its dual cooling fans and an additional nicety is that it is silver, matching the HR20. It was too expensive. I paid about 50 bucks for it...I think you can get the same thing hunting around a bit for half that.

Why is it obvious that you don't use the USB port? Are you worried it might affect the machine? I use them and they do provide power.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

127 is the normal operating temperature for the unit.

 

[ITrot]

Phew... good to know, just got mine today and its 120 plus

 

[jimbo713]

129 degrees for me!! :flaiming

 

[PoitNarf]

129 degrees for me!! :flaiming

Constant 131 since day 1. :eek2:

 

[hasan]

Why is it obvious that you don't use the USB port? Are you worried it might affect the machine? I use them and they do provide power.

No, not at all. Mine is AC powered...the USB is nothing more than a 4 port hub, unpowered. It has a wall wart that goes in the AC line to provide power for the fans. There are other units that are powered by the USB port, and I would have no reservations about using them in the back of the HR20.

The IMPORTANT issue here is to EXTRACT heat from the unit. DO NOT BLOW AIR IN. However one needs to mount the cooling pad (up or down), make it so the fans are PULLING hot air out the top of the unit, taking advantage of the convection cooling patterns already designed into the HR20.

I don't like the idea at all, of putting a cooling pad UNDER the HR20 (as is the "natural mode" for a cooling pad for a computer). In the absence of other design decisions, heat rises...let it do it's thing, just help it along. Anything else could produce eddy currents which could result in "dead air" places inside the unit...a VERY bad idea. This is unlikely to happen if all you are doing is accelerating the natural ventillation patterns with an exhaust fan on top.

I know I'm far more concerned about heat than most people. Indulge me, it's a harmless and relatively inexpensive obsession.

 

[Chimpo414]

I am using an old laptop cooler that's too small for my new laptop. It pulls air out of the unit and plugged in the usb. Dropped the temp from 123 to 107.
Figured might as well put the cooler to good use instead of laying around

 

[hasan]

I am using an old laptop cooler that's too small for my new laptop. It pulls air out of the unit and plugged in the usb. Dropped the temp from 123 to 107.
Figured might as well put the cooler to good use instead of laying around

A man after my own heart! Mine went from 127 to 105 +/- 2 deg and I'm happy.

At first, when I got really crazy, I had a 5" box fan with my homebrew speed control on it, and I got it down to 95 degrees! Of course, being homebrew, it was ugly as sin, covered in dirt and had wires running all over the place. (not to mention noisier than the coolpad) The laptop coolpads are actually quite aesthetically pleasing. Mine is silver and matches the HR20 perfectly.

 

[lguvenoz]

Have any of you guys had issues with the HR20 and has the additional cooling helped????

 

[hasan]

Have any of you guys had issues with the HR20 and has the additional cooling helped????

Very few issues in 2.5 weeks, but no MPEG-4/HD Locals here and that may be the source of some issues.

I did the fans to contribute to long term equipment life, not because there was something terribly wrong with the thermal design of the H20 in the first place.

I have seen no posts that indicate a thermal design problem.

 

[pcates]

Mine runs 129 and I have no problems. So turn the heat up!

I don't know where the temperature sensor is and what it's accuracy it is but the value is going to be close PCB\Component temperature and not ambient air. Some sections may be cooler, some may be hotter. Internal IC temperatures could be hotter and they will be rated for 70 to 85 C. The boxes are in a fairly controlled environment so thermal stresses of heating and cooling should not be a problem. Is cooler better - probably - will it make a difference over the life of the box - probably not. If there was a temperature sensor in everything you own you would probably be surprised at how hot the ICs and PCB can be getting.

 

[hasan]

Mine runs 129 and I have no problems. So turn the heat up!

I don't know where the temperature sensor is and what it's accuracy it is but the value is going to be close PCB\Component temperature and not ambient air. Some sections may be cooler, some may be hotter. Internal IC temperatures could be hotter and they will be rated for 70 to 85 C. The boxes are in a fairly controlled environment so thermal stresses of heating and cooling should not be a problem. Is cooler better - probably - will it make a difference over the life of the box - probably not. If there was a temperature sensor in everything you own you would probably be surprised at how hot the ICs and PCB can be getting.

I'm not aware of one longitudinal study of hard drives or solid state devices vs. temperature that would agree with your assertion that reducing the temperature of the operating environment by nearly 20% does not improve mtbf of virtually all components that produce or are subject to heat stress.

Cooler is better (short of downright chilly), period. Is it needed? Probably not.
Will it help? Almost certainly in the long term, at least that's what most thermal design research shows. And, no...I'm not surprised at how hot components get....gee maybe that's why I like fans! The issue isn't the absolute temperature (although that can be concerning), it's how much can the temp be reduced by the simple and inexpensive addition of a fan.

Of course, if you're looking at the lifetime of the box to be 2 or 3 years, I'd agree...probably not worth doing, except for your mental health, especailly if you're thermally rententive like me.

 

[tstarn]

Have any of you guys had issues with the HR20 and has the additional cooling helped????

I have had only the BSOD issue, which is the blank screen frozen at 0:00 when trying to play something from MyVOD. Other than that, none of the other issues. Until today, when I started getting a blank screen/frozen box requiring a reset.

But mine is running at about 110-115, so the fan is having a good effect. Hasan's idea to mount the fan is good, but way too much trouble. Also, as he says, it's probably just some weird obsession. When I touch the top of my unit, it's cool.

 

[thekochs]

Well, great feedback. 127F is about 58Celcius. Most/All components in Consumer Electronic equipment are rated 0-70C. Thus, I'm gathering if there have been no heat issues on this box then you should only worry if you are seeing 150F+.

I agree cooler is better....especially ICs on HDD control boards but these designs have gotten much better on heat in recent years.

 

[MercurialIN]

I'm so glad that this thread was opened. I was curious as to what the "proper" temp was for the HR 20 I am used to seeing the temp listed in celcius on the stupid R 15 (I don't know how to convert that to farenheit, I'm mathmatically "challenged") so I was surprised to see the HR 20 lists the temp in farenheit, much prefer this. Anyway my HR 20 seems to average between 124 up to 127 in a glass fronted component cabinet with a somewhat opened back. So I'm glad to know this range is normal.

 

[HD-1080p]

How are you guys getting the Temp. are you just laying a thermometer on the unit or is there a thing in the menu that shows. The temp. Sorry for the dumb question.

 

[MercurialIN]

How are you guys getting the Temp. are you just laying a thermometer on the unit or is there a thing in the menu that shows. The temp. Sorry for the dumb question.

I am just going to the quick menu, then setup and clicking on the top menu item highlighted on the left, info and test I think, and scroll down and you will see temp. It's not a dumb question by the way.