Space between HR21-200 in a rack.

2166 Views 18 Replies 8 Participants Last post by DBSNewbie, Sep 14, 2008

al4

Discussion Starter · Sep 13, 2008

How much space should I leave between components?

Reason I ask is that the HR21-200 and the TiVo HD are slightly less than 2U. If I want more than one quarter of an inch clearance between the top of them and the shelf for the next item, I'd have to move it up another U, and I have a 16U rack - it can get full fast. If I am fine with .25 inch clearance - I'll save 2U (one for DVR, and one for TiVo HD). However if they are too close they might overheat and cause me problems.

Any thoughts or experiences?

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

Alebob911

· #2 · Sep 13, 2008

They say to provide ample space for cooling, My suggestion would be to try it and see. If you have no issues with watching it, then things should be good. I have and HR20-700 and it runs hot and I know that the HR21-xxx were designed to run cooler. I put a laptop cooler on top of my HR20-700 because it was way to "warm".

al4

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 13, 2008

Quarter of an inch probably doesn't satisfy the "ample space".

Alebob911

· #4 · Sep 13, 2008

Can you add rack fans?

spartanstew

· #5 · Sep 13, 2008

I would never put 1/4 inch clearance between my components, especially a DVR or Receiver.

al4

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 13, 2008

Alebob911 said:
Can you add rack fans?

I probably could in the back.

I always put the TiVo HD in standby and will be doing the same for the HR21. Not that it makes much of a difference.

Alebob911

· #7 · Sep 13, 2008

As long as you can keep the components cool with active cooling and the temp in the info screen shows that it is working, you should be good.

I agree with spartanstew wit the 1/4 inch but if you have active cooling and it can do a good job getting rid of the heat then it should work.

DBSNewbie

· #8 · Sep 13, 2008

I have 6 HR20s in racks (side by side within one enclosure) with a couple of fan assemblies to force the hot air out. I have the receivers spaced 1U apart and the average temp of the enclosure is around 81-83 degrees. The enclosure has openings on the very bottom for cooler air to come into.

In my opinion, if the receivers were placed right on top of one another it may get a little too hot for them, unless you have proper cooling.

Another thing you have to take into consideration are the other pieces of equipment going into the rack. If you are going to install an AV Receiver or Separate Amps, those will definitely generate a lot of heat, which will make active cooling much more imperative, regardless of rack space placement of the D* receivers. Companies such as Middle Atlantic have thermal management calculators on their websites, which can assist you on how much cooling your particular rack will need based on the equipment going into and the size of your enclosure.

I hope this helps.

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DBSNewbie

· #9 · Sep 13, 2008

al4 said:
I probably could in the back.

When placing fans on the back of the rack, you must be certain that the fans are actually blowing the air out of the enclosure completely. If the fans are just on the back rail of the rack, it will just circulate hot air throughout the enclosure (like a convection oven).

For proper ventilation, there must be vents on the bottom for cool air intake, and exhaust fans on top to force the hot air out.

Chaser_M

· #10 · Sep 13, 2008

If either of my units get too hot and overheats, I have the protection plan and they can come out and replace it. Any recorded program worth keeping is burned to a DVD. You can drive yourself crazy being constantly concerned about heat.

thekochs

· #11 · Sep 13, 2008

DBSNewbie said:
I have 6 HR20s in racks (side by side within one enclosure) with a couple of fan assemblies to force the hot air out. I have the receivers spaced 1U apart and the average temp of the enclosure is around 81-83 degrees. The enclosure has openings on the very bottom for cooler air to come into.

Where did you get the faceplates for around the HR20s ?......look like nice fits and I would like to get some. Also, can you provide link to the rack vents and also fan unit ? Are these 19" standard rack faceplates ?

The 83C is the ambient in the unit.....curious what the HR20 temps show ?

Also, your rack looks nice but some black HR21s for the HR20s...that would be sweet.

al4

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 14, 2008

I went ahead and left the 1U of space between shelves. Would have looked nicer, and saved me 2U but I'm not dying for rackspace at the moment.

The front is closed (glass door) and it has an Harman Kardon AVR-247, along with a PlayStation 3 and an Oppo DV-980H so I do have some components creating heat (mainly the first two).

Carl Spock

· #13 · Sep 14, 2008

Heat and water - you've got to keep those two away from electronics.

I'm always a fan (no pun intended) of active cooling.

DBSNewbie

· #14 · Sep 14, 2008

thekochs said:
Where did you get the faceplates for around the HR20s ?......look like nice fits and I would like to get some. Also, can you provide link to the rack vents and also fan unit ? Are these 19" standard rack faceplates ?

The 83C is the ambient in the unit.....curious what the HR20 temps show ?

Also, your rack looks nice but some black HR21s for the HR20s...that would be sweet.

The custom rack shelves are made by Middle Atlantic. They make cut-out faceplates (RSH Custom Rackshelves) to the exact dimensions of just about every component out there. If your component is not in their database, you can send them the specs and they will custom cut it for you. Takes about a week.

The fans (UQFP-4DRA) are also by Middle Atlantic.

As far as the Silver Components, yes, black would have been nice... but I really wanted to have OTA and would have had to use up 6 more Rack Spaces to put in AM21s for each receiver.

On the other hand, Middle Atlantic does make faceplates and other rack accessories, such as fans, vents, and blank panels in brushed anodized silver, so it would make a great match to the HR20. But then again, I have other components in another rack enclosure on the other side of the entertainment center that are black, so that would have clashed with the overall look of all the racks.

In regards to the internal temps of the HR20s, normally the -100s run about 93 - 95 degrees and the -600s run around 120 - 121 degrees. The cool thing is (no pun intended) that the Middle Atlantic units' fan speed is based on the ambient temp. At 80 degrees or below, the fans do not move. Once it goes above 80, though, the fans kick in and the hotter it gets, the faster the fans move. So for a brief moment, while the fans are cooling down the enclosure, the HR20s temps go down about 2 -3 degrees, respectively.

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DBSNewbie

· #15 · Sep 14, 2008

al4 said:
I went ahead and left the 1U of space between shelves. Would have looked nicer, and saved me 2U but I'm not dying for rackspace at the moment.

The front is closed (glass door) and it has an Harman Kardon AVR-247, along with a PlayStation 3 and an Oppo DV-980H so I do have some components creating heat (mainly the first two).

Do you find yourself having to leave the door open when you are running your AVR, or is there an ample opening for the heat to escape out of the back or something?

Like you said, AV Components generate lot of heat. In an enclosed cabinet, the temp in the enclosure can reach upwards of 95 degrees and with your D* receivers in there with other components, it could get a little too hot if you leave the doors closed with all the equipment running.

Christopher Gould

· #16 · Sep 14, 2008

DBSNewbie said:
I have 6 HR20s in racks (side by side within one enclosure) with a couple of fan assemblies to force the hot air out. I have the receivers spaced 1U apart and the average temp of the enclosure is around 81-83 degrees. The enclosure has openings on the very bottom for cooler air to come into.

In my opinion, if the receivers were placed right on top of one another it may get a little too hot for them, unless you have proper cooling.

Another thing you have to take into consideration are the other pieces of equipment going into the rack. If you are going to install an AV Receiver or Separate Amps, those will definitely generate a lot of heat, which will make active cooling much more imperative, regardless of rack space placement of the D* receivers. Companies such as Middle Atlantic have thermal management calculators on their websites, which can assist you on how much cooling your particular rack will need based on the equipment going into and the size of your enclosure.

I hope this helps.

can we get a pic of your whole rack. the 6 dvr's are pretty slick.

DBSNewbie

· #17 · Sep 14, 2008

Christopher Gould said:
can we get a pic of your whole rack. the 6 dvr's are pretty slick.

That is the whole rack

... At least on that side of the entertainment center. There are six D* receivers in both of the left side cabinets and a Denon AVR-5308CI and Denon 3800 BDCI Blu-Ray Player on the left half of the right side cabinets. The other half is a set of pull-out drawers for DVD storage.

Please see post #27 from this thread for a pic of the overall setup.

Right side enclosure below:

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thekochs

· #18 · Sep 14, 2008

DBSNewbie said:
The custom rack shelves are made by Middle Atlantic. They make cut-out faceplates (RSH Custom Rackshelves) to the exact dimensions of just about every component out there. If your component is not in their database, you can send them the specs and they will custom cut it for you. Takes about a week.

Looks like they just do the whole shelves ? I have shelves....wanted faceplates only...do they just do faceplates ?

DBSNewbie

· #19 · Sep 14, 2008

thekochs said:
Looks like they just do the whole shelves ? I have shelves....wanted faceplates only...do they just do faceplates ?

Yes. You can order just the faceplates...

Check out this PDF file from Middle Atlantic's website. Towards the bottom of the PDF, it shows that the Part Number for just the Face Plate is the model number of the custom rack shelf followed by "FACE".

By the way, what brand of Rack Shelves are you using? Since the RSH Custom faceplates are cut out to the exact millimeter, if not more precise than that, installing the face plate on a different brand of rack shelf may present a problem if the component sits a tad higher or lower (in relation to the Rack Space Screw Locations) depending on the thickness of the shelf, itself. I guess you can put shims on the feet of the component if it does end up lower than desired, but you won't be able to do anything if it's too high (other than filing-off the top opening a bit, but you will lose the clean-cut look)

Also, the Middle Atlantic RSH Rack Shelves have adjustable "tabs" towards the rear, which prevent the components from sliding back, so that it is always flush with the face plate. Without those tabs, every time you press a button on the component, especially a "light-weighted" D* receiver, it may cause it to be pushed back and be "out of line" with the face plate. If needed, clamps are also available to securely hold the component down (mostly used for RV and Marine applications, where there is constant movement) in place.

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