# Bolt noisy fan - options?



## Sky747

Hi everyone,

I recently upgraded my TiVo Premiere XL4 to the TiVo Bolt. I enjoy everything about the a bolt except the loud noise coming from the fan. I can be all the way across the living room and still hear the fan going. I must say it is one of the loudest piece of equipment I've ever had.

I see that other users in the forum are reporting the same issue.

I'm wondering whether mine is excessively loud and whether I should ask for a replacement unit. Otherwise, could anyone comment on the fan noise for the Roamio? I may choose to replace the Bolt with the Roamio instead until the Bolt Pro, or something else comes along.

Thank you in advance.


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## aspexil

I've seen the reports from other users about a loud fan on the Bolt. Ours is quiet. We can't hear the fan at all. Tivo must have have had a bad batch of fans.


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## Sky747

aspexil said:


> I've seen the reports from other users about a loud fan on the Bolt. Ours is quiet. We can't hear the fan at all. Tivo must have have had a bad batch of fans.


Thank you. Another user had the same issue on the TiVo forums and asked for a replacement unit which was not nearly as loud.

I'm going to request a replacement through Amazon and will post an update here.


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## Sky747

I received a replacement unit from Amazon and it is as noisy as the original. Either Amazon received a bad batch of units, or I'm just more sensitive to the noise. Or, the BOLTs are simply noisier.

I'll just live with it for now and hopefully the upcoming model(s) will be quieter.


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## aaronwt

Every TiVo DVR with a fan makes noise. There is no way around it. I can hear a fan in any TiVo, from over fifteen feet away, in a quiet room.


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## eric102

Mine seems to make less noise when I set it on its edge leaning against a wall with the fan openings facing out (away from the wall). The case is cool to barely warm that way, where as when I had it in a cabinet on its feet with the fan openings down the case got very hot. Its on the floor carpeting when its on its edge so maybe that helps a bit also rather than the sound resonating off a hard surface.


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## tomhorsley

Poke around these forums some. I saw someone who came up with the ultimate solution: Mounting a large diameter Noctua fan outside the case (I presume with holes added for air flow). Noctua fans are amazingly quiet. I've taken to replacing all fans with Noctua fans if I can get a Noctua the correct size (unfortunately there are a lot of sizes they don't make).


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## lessd

aaronwt said:


> Every TiVo DVR with a fan makes noise. There is no way around it. I can hear a fan in any TiVo, from over fifteen feet away, in a quiet room.


Do you know if the Bolt has fan speed control built in like the rest of the TiVo line, when first booting up my Roamio the fan makes a lot of noise until the speed control takes over around the middle of the boot up.


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## aaronwt

lessd said:


> Do you know if the Bolt has fan speed control built in like the rest of the TiVo line, when first booting up my Roamio the fan makes a lot of noise until the speed control takes over around the middle of the boot up.


I thought the Bolt did the same thing.


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## lessd

lessd said:


> Do you know if the Bolt has fan speed control built in like the rest of the TiVo line, when first booting up my Roamio the fan makes a lot of noise until the speed control takes over around the middle of the boot up.





aaronwt said:


> I thought the Bolt did the same thing.


That the question I am asking as I don't have a Bolt, if the speed control was not working on some Bolts, that could be one answer as to why some sound like a jet, and others Bolt owners have low fan noise.


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## zubinh

My Bolt + is making some rough sounding fan noises, not loud but sometimes loud enough. What do you guys think of putting a very quick squirt of WD-40 on the fan?


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## s.pearce0188

My fan I can hear on my BOLT ️but it's not loud per say and it's doesn't bother me at all; plus there is no ill effects from it as in regards to function or heat etc

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fcfc2

zubinh said:


> My Bolt + is making some rough sounding fan noises, not loud but sometimes loud enough. What do you guys think of putting a very quick squirt of WD-40 on the fan?


Although I have seen some reports of moderate success by carefully pealing back the label on a fan and placing a small amount of oil in the small hole usually found there, I would suggest you skip a quick squirt of oil in and around the fan. It would be hard to control and just as likely spray lubricant on other electrical components with unknown results.
Usually a replacement fan can be found online/Ebay by simply checking the fan size, voltage, and number of pins on the connector.


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## zubinh

Thank you for the advice.


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## mswlogo

The Bolt fan is way to noisy. RoamIO and Series 3 HD are MUCH quieter.
I returned my Bolt. Because of this and other issues.
Don't waste your time oiling a brand new fan.


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## Bruce24

FWIW: 

I setup my renewed Bolt yesterday and found the fan noise to be way to loud. I initially set it up on the desk in my office and thought it was load, but thought/hoped when I tucked it in my AV cabinet I wouldn't notice it. Well that didn't happen. It is by far the loudest piece of AV equipment I have. I can hear it as soon as I enter the room. With the Premier XL4 it is replacing I have to be within a few feet to hear it. 

I called Tivo and they are sending me a replacement. Hopefully it will not be as noisy.

-Bruce


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## aaronwt

Bruce24 said:


> FWIW:
> 
> I setup my renewed Bolt yesterday and found the fan noise to be way to loud. I initially set it up on the desk in my office and thought it was load, but thought/hoped when I tucked it in my AV cabinet I wouldn't notice it. Well that didn't happen. It is by far the loudest piece of AV equipment I have. I can hear it as soon as I enter the room. With the Premier XL4 it is replacing I have to be within a few feet to hear it.
> 
> I called Tivo and they are sending me a replacement. Hopefully it will not be as noisy.
> 
> -Bruce


Yes. it must be defective. The fan should not be that loud. I've used five Bolts at home and the fan was nowhere near that loud.
Although I can hear the fan in any DVR from over fifteen feet away in a quiet room. The same goes for the hard drive. When many people I know can't hear them from several feet away. I can still hear the fan or hard drive from several times that distance.


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## Bruce24

aaronwt said:


> Yes. it must be defective. The fan should not be that loud. I've used five Bolts at home and the fan was nowhere near that loud.


Tivo sent me another one which I just happen to setup today, it is might more quiet than the original one I received.


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## Doc Holiday

I find the Bolt fan spins faster and is hence slightly louder than my Roamio fan was. The Bolt is also warm to the touch and heats the shelf underneath it. The ODT according to the system information is 63C, which is plenty acceptable for the processor - but I still don't like it. I really can't imagine cutting holes in the bolt and externally mounting a fan. I ordered a Lepa Lepad Notebook Cooler V17 from Amazon that should be here this weekend. It's a laptop cooler that has adjustable fan speed and a switch to turn off the LED light. I am betting that if the Tivo is cooler, the internal fan will slow down and it will be quieter.


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## aphoid

Since I upgraded my Bolt's HD (then replaced it since I'd bought one of the ill-suited SMR 4 TB models), I suspect my warranty is kaput. I bought a 50mm computer fan that purports to be one of the quieter ones, and I will probably try to install it in the coming weeks.


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## aspexil

I'll just state again our Tivo Bolt has been here since it was released and zero noise issues. Would not know it was in the room. This is in our living room and it is about 15 feet away from us.


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## Doc Holiday

Everyone has different opinions and sensitivity when it comes to noise levels. I wouldn't call the Bolt noisy, but it is louder than my previous Tivos (DirecTV, Premiere and Roamio). And it does run hotter. From 15 ft away, I normally wouldn't be able to recognize it over ambient noise during the daytime.


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## aaronwt

Doc Holiday said:


> I find the Bolt fan spins faster and is hence slightly louder than my Roamio fan was. The Bolt is also warm to the touch and heats the shelf underneath it. The ODT according to the system information is 63C, which is plenty acceptable for the processor - but I still don't like it. I really can't imagine cutting holes in the bolt and externally mounting a fan. I ordered a Lepa Lepad Notebook Cooler V17 from Amazon that should be here this weekend. It's a laptop cooler that has adjustable fan speed and a switch to turn off the LED light. I am betting that if the Tivo is cooler, the internal fan will slow down and it will be quieter.


My Bolts have showed between 58C and 65C for over a year now. Both with 4TB drives in them. And they have both been fine in my use. They have not needed any extra cooling.


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## rmansfield

Ugh. Finally got my TiVo Bolt Plus. The fan sounds like a non-stop child's toy machine gun. It didn't make any noise until I manually restarted it. Now, it won't quit making the noise. I closed my bedroom door last night so I couldn't hear it, thinking maybe it would cool down and the fan would stop. No luck. From this thread, it sounds like there's no solution other than to return it.


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## compnurd

I have had two bolts 3 feet away from me in my office the last few days and i cant hear them at all


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## jff6791

rmansfield said:


> Ugh. Finally got my TiVo Bolt Plus. The fan sounds like a non-stop child's toy machine gun. It didn't make any noise until I manually restarted it. Now, it won't quit making the noise. I closed my bedroom door last night so I couldn't hear it, thinking maybe it would cool down and the fan would stop. No luck. From this thread, it sounds like there's no solution other than to return it.


Try this: Mine was noisy out of the box on powerup but after turning it upside down to install the cable card and back upright it quieted down and remained so far.


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## altbg

Just received my new Bolt last week and damn that fan is noisy compared to my old Tivo HD. It definitely is not running smooth, almost like it's hitting something. I'm tempted to open up the Bolt but I have a feeling that that would void the warranty.


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## BobCamp1

rmansfield said:


> It didn't make any noise until I manually restarted it. Now, it won't quit making the noise. I closed my bedroom door last night so I couldn't hear it, thinking maybe it would cool down and the fan would stop. No luck. From this thread, it sounds like there's no solution other than to return it.


If it does THAT, there's probably a short somewhere in the BGA of the chipset, causing it to overheat. It's not repairable. Return it.


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## Richard Barg

What are the fan specs for the Tivo Bolt - This link says it's a 50mm x 50 mm fan. TiVo Bolt Teardown i.e. mm and number of pins - Will this work to replace it? Silent Series R2 50mm This has a 3 pin header.


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## macMaven253

Tivo just sent me replacement bolt because of noise, but I'm sending it back, as it's louder than my original unit.


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## BobCamp1

Does it sound like this?






If so, that's normal.


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## aaronwt

Wow! That sounds terrible. That fan sounds defective.


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## BobCamp1

aaronwt said:


> Wow! That sounds terrible. That fan sounds defective.


Mine sounds just like that. But you can't hear it at all more than three feet away from the unit, and it's not loud unless you put your ear right next to the unit.

I'm not saying it's good, I'm saying it's normal so exchanging the Tivo isn't likely to improve the situation.


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## aaronwt

BobCamp1 said:


> Mine sounds just like that. But you can't hear it at all more than three feet away from the unit, and it's not loud unless you put your ear right next to the unit.
> 
> I'm not saying it's good, I'm saying it's normal so exchanging the Tivo isn't likely to improve the situation.


I've had five Bolts and none of them ever sounded that way.


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## RickK

I replaced the stock fan with this unit: Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentFan XS-2 50mm x 10mm Ultra Quiet Fan. It's much quieter. It comes in a 3,000 RPM and a 4,000 RPM version. I got the 4,000 RPM version and the Bolt also runs about 5C cooler than before. Well worth the $11.95.


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## BobCamp1

aaronwt said:


> I've had five Bolts and none of them ever sounded that way.


Well, I've seen two other newer Bolts and they sound like that. I got mine in August.
Tivo must have changed the fan provider at some point to save money. 
Maybe I'll replace it with the one RickK suggested if it gets any noisier.


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## aaronwt

BobCamp1 said:


> Well, I've seen two other newer Bolts and they sound like that. I got mine in August.
> Tivo must have changed the fan provider at some point to save money.
> Maybe I'll replace it with the one RickK suggested if it gets any noisier.


All the Bolts I owned were manufactured within the first two or three months they started manufacturing Bolts. Back in 2015. So if they did switch to a different fan manufacturer, that could certainly explain it.


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## altbg

I just had Tivo send me a new unit since my original one had a really loud fan. The replacement was not as loud, but still very noticeable and annoying. I decided to open up the replacement box and put a new fan in. I got the Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 and wow, what an improvement. The fan is now barely noticeable and the unit runs cooler as well. Tivo really screwed up with the Bolt design and using some cheap crappy fan.


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## steinbch

I had a Bolt+ that I found to have fan noise that was audible (to me) from around 10-12 feet away with the TV off and during quiet parts of shows. I replaced it with the XS-2 fan mentioned above. The noise dropped a bit, but the Bolt+ is still audible to me. For $10, I won't really complain. I'm going to hold on to the old fan in case anything happens to the Bolt+ in the future and I need TiVo to replace it. I'm guessing I'm just more sensitive and the problems that people have had in the past are more due to bad fans...


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## leiff

This Thread is slightly worrisome to me. My first new bolt will be arriving soon. It will be replacing a Romeo basic. My Romeo basic fan was so loud to me I ended up running it without the top lid on and fan completly disabled. With the Romeo I noticed this caused the temps to stay about the same with top off and fan disabled versus top on with fan running


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## kcantrell

leiff said:


> This Thread is slightly worrisome to me. My first new bolt will be arriving soon. It will be replacing a Romeo basic. My Romeo basic fan was so loud to me I ended up running it without the top lid on and fan completly disabled. With the Romeo I noticed this caused the temps to stay about the same with top off and fan disabled versus top on with fan running


Please report back on how loud your fan is. I'm considering purchasing a bolt too, but I am pretty sensitive to fan noise. If you have a smart phone, there are apps that will measure the DBs. If you could measure the sound from a few feet away, and right up next to it, that would be great. That way we could compare quantifiable numbers, and not just someone's point of view. Thanks!


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## aaronwt

RickK said:


> I replaced the stock fan with this unit: Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentFan XS-2 50mm x 10mm Ultra Quiet Fan. It's much quieter. It comes in a 3,000 RPM and a 4,000 RPM version. I got the 4,000 RPM version and the Bolt also runs about 5C cooler than before. Well worth the $11.95.


Thanks.
I just ordered one of the Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 fans(4000 rpm) from Amazon. For $10 shipped it sounds like a good deal. I'll try it in one of the Bolts I'm currently using and if I like it I'll get another.

With all the loud fan noises people are talking about with more recent Bolts, I'm a little worried that the two Bolts I have coming might have issues. But if this fan is actually better, quieter, and moves more air, it should be worth it even when my current fans are not loud.

Any idea what the stock Bolt fan is rated for?
I might try ordering one of the 3000 rpm units to see how that works. But I would want to make sure it's air movement specs are at least equivalent to the stock Bolt Fan.

EDIT: I see that this fan is three pin and the stock fan is two pin. So what did you do to connect it to the Bolt MB?


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## Mikeguy

I'm interested in all your fan results, and I don't mean to rain on any parades, but might it make sense to get the box first, to check it out? For all we all know, the issue (which only was a sometimes issue to begin with) is no longer. Just a thought.


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## aaronwt

Mikeguy said:


> I'm interested in all your fan results, and I don't mean to rain on any parades, but might it make sense to get the box first, to check it out? For all we all know, the issue (which only was a sometimes issue to begin with) is no longer. Just a thought.


Yes. I just cancelled the order and figured I would wait. But I would still ike to knwo what I need to do to conect the three pin fan to the two pin MB.

I do have two spare stock fans I can use anyway. From the Ebay scam Bolts I got in 2015. But if these fans move more air while staying quiet, it would still be worth it. Since cooler should be better.


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## Mikeguy

aaronwt said:


> Yes. I just cancelled the order and figured I would wait. But I would still ike to knwo what I need to do to conect the three pin fan to the two pin MB.
> 
> I do have two spare stock fans I can use anyway. From the Ebay scam Bolts I got in 2015. But if these fans move more air while staying quiet, it would still be worth it. Since cooler should be better.


I enjoy reading y'all's threads here, and so many here like to tinker to improve their boxes--I learn so much. But I just thought, maybe/hopefully the issue is a non-one now.


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## Quaro

There's a lot of 50mm fans you could replace it with, they all cost between 10 and 15 dollars. I have one Bolt heading for a bedroom so I'll be trying one of them if it's a problem.

AFAIK, you can use a 3 pin fan with a 2 pin cable no problem. And many of the fans come with an adapter.

I'd be interested if someone can determine the absolute quietest fan with the best airflow. The difference between the most expensive 50mm fan versus the cheapest seems to be at most 10 or 15 dollars, which for a one time upgrade is nothing. Just get the best.


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## cherry ghost

aaronwt said:


> Yes. I just cancelled the order and figured I would wait. But I would still ike to knwo what I need to do to conect the three pin fan to the two pin MB.
> 
> I do have two spare stock fans I can use anyway. From the Ebay scam Bolts I got in 2015. But if these fans move more air while staying quiet, it would still be worth it. Since cooler should be better.


Just connect it using two pins only. It'll only fit one way.


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## kcantrell

The third pin is for so the MB can get the current speed of the fan. It is usually used to be able to alert when a fan has failed. Since TiVos don't alert on a fan (or anything) failure, I can see why they don't bother with a 3 pin fan.


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## hankuro

Would anyone know if the Bolt+ is more or less noisy than Bolt? Would a larger hard drive require more fan action to cool? 

I have to purchase before 4/10 special upgrade offer ends. I now have a white Bolt and the noise is there and just barely acceptable. Would prefer to get Black (for another $300) because it looks better in my rack - but not if it makes more noise.


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## chrisaj

kcantrell said:


> If you have a smart phone, there are apps that will measure the DBs. If you could measure the sound from a few feet away, and right up next to it, that would be great.


I just received a new Bolt, and I consider it's fan loud, so I searched and found this thread. I downloaded the Android "Sound Analyzer App" by Dominique Rodrigues and took the attached readings: quiet (TiVo off), 6 ft away, and 1 ft away. I did not calibrate the app before my readings.

The files should have the extension .tsv (tab separated value), but that wasn't allowed so I renamed them .txt. Hopefully someone else can duplicate this quickie experiment! One data point isn't very instructive.

I think I'll try purchasing an aftermarket "quiet" fan. It's only ~$10 and less hassle than gambling on a replacement TiVo, and having to re-pair, etc...


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## chrisaj

chrisaj said:


> One data point isn't very instructive.


Quick follow up to my own post... Here's a very quick visualization of the data. I removed a few of the columns for clarity. Left to right: quiet, 6 ft, 1 ft. The time scale on the bottom is meaningless, but each reading is about 6 seconds (I removed ~1 second from the front and ~.5 seconds from the end of each).


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## kcantrell

chrisaj said:


> Quick follow up to my own post... Here's a very quick visualization of the data. I removed a few of the columns for clarity. Left to right: quiet, 6 ft, 1 ft. The time scale on the bottom is meaningless, but each reading is about 6 seconds (I removed ~1 second from the front and ~.5 seconds from the end of each).
> View attachment 28720


Thanks for doing this. I'll do the same for the TiVo HD I have for comparison. Even that TiVo I thought had a loud fan so I got some acoustic absorbing form that I put just behind the TiVo in the cabinet I have it sitting in. It's in my bedroom so I wanted complete silents. The form made a pretty big difference. Wouldn't help the Bolt so much, since the fan points down.

Please do the test again, once you replace the fan.


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## Mikeguy

kcantrell said:


> Even that TiVo I thought had a loud fan so I got some acoustic absorbing form that I put just behind the TiVo in the cabinet I have it sitting in. It's in my bedroom so I wanted complete silents. The form made a pretty big difference. Wouldn't help the Bolt so much, since the fan points down.


Thanks--clever, and something to keep in mind, one way or another.


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## aaronwt

I have a question about the replacement fans. How are people attaching them to the Bolt case? The Fan in the Bolt seems like a proprietary design. That has two screw holes with one one each side. And then one hole is raised up higher than the other one, designed specifically to fit in the sloped Bolt case.

Here are some pictures of it.


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## boettcht

Ugh, so I just got a new Bolt+ and the fan is unacceptably loud. I currently have a Premiere and HD running in my living room and you can barely hear them when it is dead silent in the house. The Bolt+ is super loud, I can hear it clearly 20 feet away. Very disappointed at this fact, TiVo really missed the mark on this, although that subject seems well covered in the forum already. I'm going to give the Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilent Fan XS-1 50mm x 10mm (3000RPM) fan a try, can't seem to find the XS-2 (4000RPM) version anywhere. Should have started here before buying one again, but got the email for the lifetime transfer offer and jumped since my "newest" TiVo is two generations behind.


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## aaronwt

boettcht said:


> Ugh, so I just got a new Bolt+ and the fan is unacceptably loud. I currently have a Premiere and HD running in my living room and you can barely hear them when it is dead silent in the house. The Bolt+ is super loud, I can hear it clearly 20 feet away. Very disappointed at this fact, TiVo really missed the mark on this, although that subject seems well covered in the forum already. I'm going to give the Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilent Fan XS-1 50mm x 10mm (3000RPM) fan a try, can't seem to find the XS-2 (4000RPM) version anywhere. Should have started here before buying one again, but got the email for the lifetime transfer offer and jumped since my "newest" TiVo is two generations behind.


Both versions are available from Amazon. And also free two day shipping with Prime. I actually ordered the 4000rpm version from Amazon but canceled the order a short time later.

I would like to order again, but I need to find out how to attach the new fan to the bolt. Since the Bolt has different locations for the screws than a typical fan does.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## danm628

aaronwt said:


> I have a question about the replacement fans. How are people attaching them to the Bolt case? The Fan in the Bolt seems like a proprietary design. That has two screw holes with one one each side. And then one hole is raised up higher than the other one, designed specifically to fit in the sloped Bolt case.


That appears to be an adapter attached to the fan. You can see the clips on the side.


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## aaronwt

danm628 said:


> That appears to be an adapter attached to the fan. You can see the clips on the side.


Thanks. That does make more sense than having a proprietary fan. I put the spare part Bolt back together and put it in the closet. So I'll take a look at it tomorrow.


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## hankuro

2 comments on noisy Bolts. 

1. Since remote works via RF, can't unit be tucked away out of sight, behind a cabinet in a position where noise is blocked or less obtrusive (but can still ventilate properly)?

2. Isn't the perfect solution for bedroom TIVO a Mini which is completely silent?


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## Mikeguy

hankuro said:


> 2 comments on noisy Bolts.
> 
> 1. Since remote works via RF, can't unit be tucked away out of sight, behind a cabinet in a position where noise is blocked or less obtrusive (but can still ventilate properly)?
> 
> 2. Isn't the perfect solution for bedroom TIVO a Mini which is completely silent?


1. But some people want the pretty, angled Bolt on display as a design element; esp. the white. 

2. Perhaps one is using the Bolt on a standalone basis/apart from a network.


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## kcantrell

hankuro said:


> 2 comments on noisy Bolts.
> 
> 1. Since remote works via RF, can't unit be tucked away out of sight, behind a cabinet in a position where noise is blocked or less obtrusive (but can still ventilate properly)?
> 
> 2. Isn't the perfect solution for bedroom TIVO a Mini which is completely silent?


Regarding #1, yeah, I agree, and that is what I will probably end up doing. Having said that, do you think the designers of TiVo Bolt intended you to have to hide your device to be able to use it?

Regarding #2, there are a lot of cost involved with having a Mini, so it is not a viable solution to the fan noise problem.


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## hankuro

kcantrell said:


> Regarding #1, yeah, I agree, and that is what I will probably end up doing. Having said that, do you think the designers of TiVo Bolt intended you to have to hide your device to be able to use it?
> 
> Regarding #2, there are a lot of cost involved with having a Mini, so it is not a viable solution to the fan noise problem.


1. The designers went for form and marketing (and probably manufacturing efficiency) over function. How good is a design if it makes obtrusive noise in a home theater - or worse a bedroom. 2. A Mini costs $149 with no monthly payment. How is that "a lot of cost"? (Assuming of course that you have an existing Bolt or Roamio). But most people have more than 1 TV. To me the Mini is perfect for a bedroom because they ALL make noise - except the Mini.


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## Mikeguy

hankuro said:


> 1. The designers went for form and marketing (and probably manufacturing efficiency) over function. How good is a design if it makes obtrusive noise in a home theater - or worse a bedroom.


Agreed.


> 2. A Mini costs $149 with no monthly payment. How is that "a lot of cost"? (Assuming of course that you have an existing Bolt or Roamio).


Well, it's an extra $150 to deal with an issue which, well, shouldn't be one.  And if the customer just did the TiVo S2/3-Bolt upgrade deal, it's a $50% bump in the cost (albeit, one now has a Mini).


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## kcantrell

hankuro said:


> 1. The designers went for form and marketing (and probably manufacturing efficiency) over function. How good is a design if it makes obtrusive noise in a home theater - or worse a bedroom.


So, I guess we are all in violent agreement over TiVo designers dropped the ball on this one.


hankuro said:


> 2. A Mini costs $149 with no monthly payment. How is that "a lot of cost"? (Assuming of course that you have an existing Bolt or Roamio). But most people have more than 1 TV. To me the Mini is perfect for a bedroom because they ALL make noise - except the Mini.


Well, I guess I don't just have $150 + tax and shipping, and the cost of setting up MoCA, just laying around to solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. So, yeah, I consider that "a lot of cost."

Will the Bolt and the Mini talk to one another without a router also connected to the MoCA network? If not, then that's additional cost and complexity.


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## hankuro

kcantrell said:


> So, I guess we are all in violent agreement over TiVo designers dropped the ball on this one.
> 
> Well, I guess I don't just have $150 + tax and shipping, and the cost of setting up MoCA, just laying around to solve a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. So, yeah, I consider that "a lot of cost."
> 
> Will the Bolt and the Mini talk to one another without a router also connected to the MoCA network? If not, then that's additional cost and complexity.


You're right. I didn't think about that because my 5 TV locations have hard wired Ethernet.


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## kcantrell

chrisaj said:


> Quick follow up to my own post... Here's a very quick visualization of the data. I removed a few of the columns for clarity. Left to right: quiet, 6 ft, 1 ft. The time scale on the bottom is meaningless, but each reading is about 6 seconds (I removed ~1 second from the front and ~.5 seconds from the end of each).


Okay, I downloaded the app and recorded the db levels in front of my TiVo HD. I'm just going to give the average over 10 seconds LAF readings:
6 feet: 28.81
1 foot: 31.89
0 feet: 40.48 (i.e. the phone was just to the left of the TiVo, somewhat recessed into the cabinet, where it could pick up on the noise coming from the back of the TiVo).

Note, I didn't take the sound absorbing form from the back of the cabinet, and like I said earlier it absorbs a lot of the noise. And, having thought about this, I have had to replace the fan already once, so this isn't the stock fan anyway and I'm guessing I put in a quite fan when I did. The point is, as you can see, you can't hear anything more than a foot away. That is going to be my goal for the Bolt. Wish me luck! ;-)


----------



## Blakeintosh

After trying both a Bolt and then a Mini connected to my bedroom TV, I ended up going with the Mini and putting the Bolt in a closet off of the living room. There are several features on the Mini that makes it perfect for the bedroom. The obvious one, is no fan. Also, the Mini has a single dim light on the front, versus the multiple brighter lights on the front. There is an additional feature on that I discovered after setting it up that is even better than the first two features. I occasionally start a recorded show on the Mini and then end up falling asleep at some point during the playback. At end of the recording the Mini simply goes back to the TiVo Menu and then eventually goes to a dark screensaver mode. When the Bolt finishes playing a recording, it goes back to live TV and runs non-stop, until you wake up and turn it off. After dreaming about the Red Copper Square pan infomercial...I yanked the Bolt out of the bedroom.


----------



## Mikeguy

Blakeintosh said:


> After trying both a Bolt and then a Mini connected to my bedroom TV, I ended up going with the Mini and putting the Bolt in a closet off of the living room. There are several features on the Mini that makes it perfect for the bedroom. The obvious one, is no fan. Also, the Mini has a single dim light on the front, versus the multiple brighter lights on the front. There is an additional feature on that I discovered after setting it up that is even better than the first two features. I occasionally start a recorded show on the Mini and then end up falling asleep at some point during the playback. At end of the recording the Mini simply goes back to the TiVo Menu and then eventually goes to a dark screensaver mode. When the Bolt finishes playing a recording, it goes back to live TV and runs non-stop, until you wake up and turn it off. After dreaming about the Red Copper Square pan infomercial...I yanked the Bolt out of the bedroom.


But, now, be honest: you still bought the pan, didn't you.


----------



## hankuro

Blakeintosh said:


> After trying both a Bolt and then a Mini connected to my bedroom TV, I ended up going with the Mini and putting the Bolt in a closet off of the living room. There are several features on the Mini that makes it perfect for the bedroom. The obvious one, is no fan. Also, the Mini has a single dim light on the front, versus the multiple brighter lights on the front. There is an additional feature on that I discovered after setting it up that is even better than the first two features. I occasionally start a recorded show on the Mini and then end up falling asleep at some point during the playback. At end of the recording the Mini simply goes back to the TiVo Menu and then eventually goes to a dark screensaver mode. When the Bolt finishes playing a recording, it goes back to live TV and runs non-stop, until you wake up and turn it off. After dreaming about the Red Copper Square pan infomercial...I yanked the Bolt out of the bedroom.


Does your closeted Bolt service the living room TV Via RF control?


----------



## Blakeintosh

Mikeguy said:


> But, now, be honest: you still bought the pan, didn't you.


I haven't pulled the trigger yet. I'm waiting for someone to figure out what the hell it's made of.


----------



## Blakeintosh

hankuro said:


> Does your closeted Bolt service the living room TV Via RF control?


That is correct. Since the Bolt remote uses RF to communicate with the Bolt in the closet and IR to communicate with your TV in the room, it works perfectly.


----------



## hankuro

Blakeintosh said:


> That is correct. Since the Bolt remote uses RF to communicate with the Bolt in the closet and IR to communicate with your TV in the room, it works perfectly.


When Bolt is not in a closet but in the room in line of sight are both RF and IR active when communicating with Bolt?


----------



## hankuro

jff6791 said:


> Try this: Mine was noisy out of the box on powerup but after turning it upside down to install the cable card and back upright it quieted down and remained so far.


I wonder if leaving the cable card access door off help with cooling?


----------



## Blakeintosh

hankuro said:


> When Bolt is not in a closet but in the room in line of sight are both RF and IR active when communicating with Bolt?


The Bolt remote always uses RF to communicate with the Bolt, whether it has line of site or not. You can put the remote in IR mode, where it uses IR instead of RF, but there is no advantage to doing that. You can tell which mode the remote is in by the color of the light at the top when you press a button. Amber light for RF mode, Red light for IR mode.


----------



## aaronwt

hankuro said:


> I wonder if leaving the cable card access door off help with cooling?


I don;t see why. The cover for the cable card also has air hole openings.

I ordered two of the BlackSilentFans yesterday. The XS-2 models. I just hope the airflow is in the direction I need it. Because it looks like the clip that goes on the fan can only go on one side of this fan. Instead of a typical fan where it could go on either side. And the fan needs to be placed so the air is pushing out of the Bolt. I only realized that this morning.

I moved a 4TB to one of my Lifetime Transfer Bolts last night. And noticed that fan noise got noticeably louder. This was not the case with my 2015 Bolts. So I decided to order the fans because of that.


----------



## hankuro

Blakeintosh said:


> The Bolt remote always uses RF to communicate with the Bolt, whether it has line of site or not. You can put the remote in IR mode, where it uses IR instead of RF, but there is no advantage to doing that. You can tell which mode the remote is in by the color of the light at the top when you press a button. Amber light for RF mode, Red light for IR mode.


Sorry, I know this is off topic. I want to use both the TiVo remote - via RF - and a universal remote - via IR - to control the Bolt. Are the RF and IR sensors on the main unit simultaneously active so that this is possible?


----------



## aaronwt

hankuro said:


> Sorry, I know this is off topic. I want to use both the TiVo remote - via RF - and a universal remote - via IR - to control the Bolt. Are the RF and IR sensors on the main unit simultaneously active so that this is possible?


yes they are.

I was doing that last night when I moved my 4TB drive to a lifetime Bolt. I had one RF remote I used when I was at my desk. And I was using an IR remote when I was near the Bolt.


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## tomhorsley

I still like the solution that appeared way back in this (or some similar thread). Drill holes in the Bolt case and stick a large Noctua fan on the outside. Heck, the bolt case is so ugly, this would probably improve it.


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## hankuro

tomhorsley said:


> I still like the solution that appeared way back in this (or some similar thread). Drill holes in the Bolt case and stick a large Noctua fan on the outside. Heck, the bolt case is so ugly, this would probably improve it.


For real, Tom?


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## hankuro

aaronwt said:


> yes they are.
> 
> I was doing that last night when I moved my 4TB drive to a lifetime Bolt. I had one RF remote I used when I was at my desk. And I was using an IR remote when I was near the Bolt.


Thank you! It's amazing the kind of help you can get on a forum vs. TiVo tech support directly.


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## tomhorsley

hankuro said:


> For real, Tom?


I used google to dig up the original post: The Bolt that should have been


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## kcantrell

Well, I finally got my Bolt (they went on back order because of the transfer life time service offer) and it appears that TiVo heard our complaints because I can't hear the fan AT ALL! That's the good news. The bad news is, I think it is running HOT. I had put the Bolt on top of my tuning adapter and later noticed it was warm to the touch. I checked the System Information screen and the ODT was reading 72! I then moved the Bolt away from the tuning adapter and the next morning it showing 74! (i.e. it is slowing getting hotter). I did check, and the fan is moving. Should I be alarmed by the high temperature? I ended up buying the NB_BlackSilentFan that was recommended above (or in some thread) in anticipation of having to replace a noisey fan, but now that the factory one is so quiet I don't want to unless the fan they are putting in it now are quiet but at the same time, not doing an adequate job.


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## atmuscarella

kcantrell: That seems very high for a Bolt (not a Bolt+ right?). Just checked my unmodified 1TB Bolt and it is at 59 degrees open shelf with a Roku on top of it. Rooms about 70.


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## idksmy

I installed the BlackSilent fan this morning, started 4 recordings and watched a recording. Max temp was 63. I never conducted the same test with the original fan.


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## kcantrell

Yeah, unfortunately, they sold out of the 1TB Bolts before I decided to pull the trigger, so I had to settle for the 500GB one (i.e. not the Bolt+). Eventually I'm going to convert it to Antenna Only so a Bolt+ wasn't an option for me.

I guess I'll replace the fan in hopes that it will cool down some. I assume downloading shows from another TiVo shouldn't put too much load on it, right? It has been downloading shows from the TiVo it is replacing for the last 24 hours. It's almost done. I might turn it off then, let it cool down, then turn it back on to see A) what temperature it starts out at and B) if the marches back up into the 70 degree range (Ouch!)


----------



## aaronwt

kcantrell said:


> Yeah, unfortunately, they sold out of the 1TB Bolts before I decided to pull the trigger, so I had to settle for the 500GB one (i.e. not the Bolt+). Eventually I'm going to convert it to Antenna Only so a Bolt+ wasn't an option for me.
> 
> I guess I'll replace the fan in hopes that it will cool down some. I assume downloading shows from another TiVo shouldn't put too much load on it, right? It has been downloading shows from the TiVo it is replacing for the last 24 hours. It's almost done. I might turn it off then, let it cool down, then turn it back on to see A) what temperature it starts out at and B) if the marches back up into the 70 degree range (Ouch!)


Yes, transferring a bunch of shows will really get the temps up. Or streaming for extended periods to a mobile device or PC.


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## Quaro

I just switched from ethernet to Moca for a Tivo, and the temp might have gone up by a few degrees. Haven't confirmed it wasn't a fluke but interesting.


----------



## leiff

Quaro said:


> I just switched from ethernet to Moca for a Tivo, and the temp might have gone up by a few degrees. Haven't confirmed it wasn't a fluke but interesting.


I was tempted to use moca just so that I wouldn't see ugly ethernet wires on my floor butt if this is the case I'll stick to my ethernet network because my 420 manufacture date Bolt seems to idle at quite hot temperature already.


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## kcantrell

leiff said:


> I was tempted to use moca just so that I wouldn't see ugly Ethernet wires on my floor but if this is the case I'll stick to my Ethernet network because my 420 manufacture date Bolt seems to idle at quite hot temperature already.


Leiff, what temperature does your Bolt run at? Mine seems to stay around 72. I put it in standby mode, and it dropped to 69 after a few hours. I unplugged it for a few hours and checked the temperature as soon as I could and it was at 39. It slowly marched back up to 72 though. I changed to 4 different channels and watched a show (i.e. tried to make it work as hard as it could) and it stayed at 72.

Does anyone know what the official acceptable working temperature range is? I know the TiVo will shutoff if it thinks it is getting too hot.


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## danm628

My Bolt with a 3Tb Toshiba was at 59 when I checked last night. It was recording two shows and playing back a recording at the time. 

I use Ethernet.


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## idksmy

Looks like the consensus is 60 +/- 3?


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## oryan_dunn

idksmy said:


> Looks like the consensus is 60 +/- 3?


It probably also has slot to do with ambient temp.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk


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## aaronwt

kcantrell said:


> Leiff, what temperature does your Bolt run at? Mine seems to stay around 72. I put it in standby mode, and it dropped to 69 after a few hours. I unplugged it for a few hours and checked the temperature as soon as I could and it was at 39. It slowly marched back up to 72 though. I changed to 4 different channels and watched a show (i.e. tried to make it work as hard as it could) and it stayed at 72.
> 
> Does anyone know what the official acceptable working temperature range is? I know the TiVo will shutoff if it thinks it is getting too hot.


No idea, but out of the seven Bolts I owned, the highest temperature I ever saw with the stock fan was around 67(during warm Summer months with inside temp around 75F). And that was on a flat surface after either a bunch of transfers or streaming to a couple of devices for extended periods.

With a wire shelf the temp was around 60. With the replacement fan and a flat surface, it's around 60. With a replacement fan, and a wire shelf, it was low to mid 50's.

But all you really need to do is raise up the Bolt from the flat surface, several more millimeters, and that will lower your current high temp of 72.


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## BobCamp1

If that's an On-Die Temperature (ODT), the maximum junction temperature is typically at 85 C. The part's datasheet should have that listed.

I usually add a separate temperature IC to my designs to display ambient temperature, because using the ODT as the only temperature reading causes customers to panic. ODT isn't in the same range as ambient temperature.


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## kcantrell

Okay, if case anyone is curious, after replacing the stock fan (a JMC part number 05001A0063, which unfortunately I can't find the specs for) with a Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 (part number: ITR-XS-2, that is a 4,000 RPM with 8.9 CFM flow) the ODT has dropped to 62 when I am watching something and down to 60 when I left it on the "System Information" screen. So, I guess that puts it back into the range of what most other people are seeing. Mine is in a cabinet with an ambient temperature, in the cabinet, of 78.

What I can't understand now is, how were people complaining about fan noise? This stock fan is as quiet as the NB fan I just put in. Although, clearly not as efficient. Is it possible that it got noisy when the ODT got somewhere above 72 and TiVo kicked it into "high gear?"

Side question: What did you use to get the WiFi(?) antenna to stick to the new fan? When I pulled the antenna off the old fan, the doubled sided tape stuck to the fan. :-(


----------



## aaronwt

kcantrell said:


> Okay, if case anyone is curious, after replacing the stock fan (a JMC part number 05001A0063, which unfortunately I can't find the specs for) with a Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 (part number: ITR-XS-2, that is a 4,000 RPM with 8.9 CFM flow) the ODT has dropped to 62 when I am watching something and down to 60 when I left it on the "System Information" screen. So, I guess that puts it back into the range of what most other people are seeing. Mine is in a cabinet with an ambient temperature, in the cabinet, of 78.
> 
> What I can't understand now is, how were people complaining about fan noise? This stock fan is as quiet as the NB fan I just put in. Although, clearly not as efficient. Is it possible that it got noisy when the ODT got somewhere above 72 and TiVo kicked it into "high gear?"
> 
> Side question: What did you use to get the WiFi(?) antenna to stick to the new fan? When I pulled the antenna off the old fan, the doubled sided tape stuck to the fan. :-(


Command strips work.

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk


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## oryan_dunn

kcantrell said:


> Okay, if case anyone is curious, after replacing the stock fan (a JMC part number 05001A0063, which unfortunately I can't find the specs for) with a Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 (part number: ITR-XS-2, that is a 4,000 RPM with 8.9 CFM flow) the ODT has dropped to 62 when I am watching something and down to 60 when I left it on the "System Information" screen. So, I guess that puts it back into the range of what most other people are seeing. Mine is in a cabinet with an ambient temperature, in the cabinet, of 78.
> 
> What I can't understand now is, how were people complaining about fan noise? This stock fan is as quiet as the NB fan I just put in. Although, clearly not as efficient. Is it possible that it got noisy when the ODT got somewhere above 72 and TiVo kicked it into "high gear?"
> 
> Side question: What did you use to get the WiFi(?) antenna to stick to the new fan? When I pulled the antenna off the old fan, the doubled sided tape stuck to the fan. :-(


Units.... I assume your ambient is 25C.

Also, my stock fan had bearing noise. It was a ticking/clicking noise, that while not loud, was noticeable and annoying. The XS-2 is smooth, and probably close in terms of raw fan/air noise, while moving more air. So removing the ticking noise was worth it, and may also be worth it for the airflow upgrade.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk


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## leiff

My new Bolt with 420 build date hovered around 60 Odt. My Fan was too loud for me. High pitch whine also. It seems to about match what my Romeo basic was. I have now applied the same fix for my bolt I did for my Romeo basic. I removed lid and disable the fan. Now ODT hovers around 10 less at 50 ODT and bolt is silent. Looking at the way this bolt was designed I refuse to believe my Bolt will be any hotter with top off and fan off especially since the case was always very hot to the touch. I'd like to hang my topless bolt off the wall vertically on a 90 degree angle so dust wont settle in the box. Would this this bad for the hard drive? If so Another alternative I'm considering is wait until after warranty is up (1 year?) , and with my Dremel cutting a huge the hole in the center of top of the lid and then putting the lid back on and still keeping the fan off.


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## kcantrell

leiff said:


> My new Bolt with 420 build date hovered around 60 Odt. My Fan was too loud for me. High pitch whine also. It seems to about match what my Romeo basic was. I have now applied the same fix for my bolt I did for my Romeo basic. I removed lid and disable the fan. Now ODT hovers around 10 less at 50 ODT and bolt is silent. Looking at the way this bolt was designed I refuse to believe my Bolt will be any hotter with top off and fan off especially since the case was always very hot to the touch. I'd like to hang my topless bolt off the wall vertically on a 90 degree angle so dust wont settle in the box. Would this this bad for the hard drive? If so Another alternative I'm considering is wait until after warranty is up (1 year?) , and with my Dremel cutting a huge the hole in the center of top of the lid and then putting the lid back on and still keeping the fan off.


Interesting. I guess since my fan wasn't keeping up (i.e. my Bolt hovered around 72C ODT) it also wasn't loud. The good news is, the replacement is equally as quiet, but does a better job (i.e. keeping the Bolt around 60C).

As far as orientation of the hard drive, it shouldn't matter. I would put the system where the hard drive is above the system board, since you don't want the hard drive warming up the system board and other components. Yes, I realize that means the system board will be heating up the hard drive, but hard drives are much easier to replace.

Note that dust will still collect, although a lot slower, even with it orientated vertically. So, you might want to keep in eye on it and take a can of compressed air to it ever once in a while.

As far as cutting holes on the top, I think you would still have a dust problem, and it wouldn't be as easy to clear off.


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## V7Goose

kcantrell said:


> The bad news is, I think it is running HOT. I had put the Bolt on top of my tuning adapter and later noticed it was warm to the touch. I checked the System Information screen and the ODT was reading 72! I then moved the Bolt away from the tuning adapter and the next morning it showing 74! (i.e. it is slowing getting hotter). I did check, and the fan is moving. Should I be alarmed by the high temperature?


Yes, I would be alarmed at that temp on an unmodified Bolt (any model).


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## V7Goose

danm628 said:


> My Bolt with a 3Tb Toshiba was at 59 when I checked last night. It was recording two shows and playing back a recording at the time.
> 
> I use Ethernet.


That seems very low with the Toshiba drive, unless you have a better fan installed?

(note that the Toshiba drive pulls twice the current of the stock TiVo installed drives)


----------



## kcantrell

V7Goose said:


> Yes, I would be alarmed at that temp on an unmodified Bolt (any model).


Yeah, I'm starting to think my stock fan was bad, even though it seems to be moving relatively fast. Looks like the ones that aren't "bad" (i.e. keep the temperature around 60C) are loud. The replacement is both quiet and efficient.


----------



## leiff

kcantrell said:


> Interesting. I guess since my fan wasn't keeping up (i.e. my Bolt hovered around 72C ODT) it also wasn't loud. The good news is, the replacement is equally as quiet, but does a better job (i.e. keeping the Bolt around 60C).
> 
> As far as orientation of the hard drive, it shouldn't matter. I would put the system where the hard drive is above the system board, since you don't want the hard drive warming up the system board and other components. Yes, I realize that means the system board will be heating up the hard drive, but hard drives are much easier to replace.
> 
> Note that dust will still collect, although a lot slower, even with it orientated vertically. So, you might want to keep in eye on it and take a can of compressed air to it ever once in a while.
> 
> As far as cutting holes on the top, I think you would still have a dust problem, and it wouldn't be as easy to clear off.


I think you might be confused. Wall mounting the bolt the hard drive and main board will be side by side each other so I don't need to worry about heat. If I wall mounted with bolt connections coming from the bottom of the bolt as I want, the label of the hard drive you will be readable to you as its orientated to you but I didn't think this was good for hard drives orientation


----------



## richsadams

Hi All. Just received a new Bolt+ and when I first plugged it in it was silent. Came into the room this a.m. and the fan has a constant whine as described by others. I can hear the high-pitched sound from 15ft. across the room. It's very annoying. This is while there's no activity (other than buffer recording of course).

I read through this thread and see that folks have either returned their units or replaced the fan. It seems like the replacements either have the same problem or are only slightly better.

So I'm wondering about a few things (and apologies if they were already addressed and I missed them)...

In this and other threads I've noted some folks saying that their Bolt is more-or-less silent. Does that go for the Bolt+ owners too?
Were the replacement units brand new or refurb. (I do NOT want a refurb.)
Is everyone that received a replacement happy?
Is everyone that replaced the fan happy?
Was replacing the fan fairly simple and were there any issues?

Since I haven't paired the cable card yet and our Premiere XL4 is working fine, I'd rather send this one back if I can get a new replacement that is quiet. However if the replacements aren't much better I have no issues with opening the box and replacing the fan.

Again, this is for the new Bolt+.

Welcome everyone's thoughts. TIA!

EDIT: JIC, is this the recommended replacement fan? Amazon.com: Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2: Computers & Accessories


----------



## kcantrell

I'm curious. Can you tell me what the OCT (on chip temperature) is? I ask, because I'm curious if you TiVo is simply being too hot and putting the fan into "high gear." If that is the case you might want to replace the fan with a better one. When I replaced mine, I lowered the OCT by 10 degrees.



richsadams said:


> Hi All. Just received a new Bolt+ and when I first plugged it in it was silent. Came into the room this a.m. and the fan has a constant whine as described by others. I can hear the high-pitched sound from 15ft. across the room It's very annoying. This is while there's no activity (other than buffer recording of course).
> 
> I read through this thread and see that folks have either returned their units or replaced the fan. It seems like the replacements either have the same problem or are only slightly better.
> 
> So I'm wondering about a few things (and apologies if they were already addressed and I missed them)...
> 
> In this and other threads I've noted some folks saying that their Bolt is more-or-less silent. Does that go for the Bolt+ owners too?
> Were the replacement units brand new or refurb. (I do NOT want a refurb.)
> Is everyone that received a replacement happy?
> Is everyone that replaced the fan happy?
> Was replacing the fan fairly simple and were there any issues?
> 
> Since I haven't paired the cable card yet and our Premiere XL4 is working fine, I'd rather send this one back if I can get a new replacement that is quiet. However if the replacements aren't much better I have no issues with opening the box and replacing the fan.
> 
> Again, this is for the new Bolt+.
> 
> Welcome everyone's thoughts. TIA!
> 
> EDIT: JIC, is this the recommended replacement fan? Amazon.com: Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2: Computers & Accessories


----------



## richsadams

kcantrell said:


> I'm curious. Can you tell me what the OCT (on chip temperature) is? I ask, because I'm curious if you TiVo is simply being too hot and putting the fan into "high gear." If that is the case you might want to replace the fan with a better one. When I replaced mine, I lowered the OCT by 10 degrees.


I didn't find an "OCT", but did find the ODT which is 63.

FWIW when I manually reboot it, the fan does go into high for a bit and then it settles into a lower speed...with the annoying noise.

It's sitting on an wide-open glass shelf at the moment so it should have plenty of ventilation.

Hope that helps and thanks!


----------



## kcantrell

richsadams said:


> I didn't find an "OCT", but did find the ODT which is 63.
> 
> FWIW when I manually reboot it, the fan does go into high for a bit and then it settles into a lower speed...with the annoying noise.
> 
> It's sitting on an wide-open glass shelf at the moment so it should have plenty of ventilation.
> 
> Hope that helps and thanks!


Oops, sorry, yes I meant ODT (On Die Temperature). If yours is only 63, then probably not enough to send it into high speed mode. If it was mine to do, I would just replace the fan instead of dealing with replacing the TiVo in hopes that the next one would be better. It is pretty easy to replace the fan. I did mine preemptively. And, they are pretty cheap ($10). Here's the fan I used: Amazon.com: Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2: Computers & Accessories

Note that I have a Bolt not the Bolt+ so you might want to confirm it uses the same fan. As I recall it does, but don't take my word for it.


----------



## richsadams

kcantrell said:


> Oops, sorry, yes I meant ODT (On Die Temperature). If yours is only 63, then probably not enough to send it into high speed mode. If it was mine to do, I would just replace the fan instead of dealing with replacing the TiVo in hopes that the next one would be better. It is pretty easy to replace the fan. I did mine preemptively. And, they are pretty cheap ($10). Here's the fan I used: Amazon.com: Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2: Computers & Accessories
> 
> Note that I have a Bolt not the Bolt+ so you might want to confirm it uses the same fan. As I recall it does, but don't take my word for it.


Ha! Thanks for that. Just the opposite advice I received in this thread. Ugh. 

The more I listen to it the more I think it's the humming circuit board issue or maybe a combination of both.

So when I listen to the fan directly, it has some sound to it, not more than I'd expect really. However when I listen to the front or top of the box there's a distinct humming. It modulates a little bit, but doesn't sound anything like the fan.

Still leaning toward replacement, but...


----------



## kcantrell

richsadams said:


> Ha! Thanks for that. Just the opposite advice I received in this thread. Ugh.
> 
> The more I listen to it the more I think it's the humming circuit board issue or maybe a combination of both.
> 
> So when I listen to the fan directly, it has some sound to it, not more than I'd expect really. However when I listen to the front or top of the box there's a distinct humming. It modulates a little bit, but doesn't sound anything like the fan.
> 
> Still leaning toward replacement, but...


Hmm, I hadn't heard of the humming circuit board issue. While I wouldn't recommend doing this for more than a couple seconds. You could always just stick a paperclip, or something, in the fan to force it to stop spinning. If the noise continues, you'll know it isn't the fan. Note that my Bolt is 100% quiet, even with the original fan.


----------



## richsadams

kcantrell said:


> Hmm, I hadn't heard of the humming circuit board issue. While I wouldn't recommend doing this for more than a couple seconds. You could always just stick a paperclip, or something, in the fan to force it to stop spinning. If the noise continues, you'll know it isn't the fan. Note that my Bolt is 100% quiet, even with the original fan.


Brilliant! (Open palm to forehead) 

I have an aversion to doing anything with metal when it comes to electronics...but a handy toothpick to the rescue.

Stopped the fan cold and absolutely no change...hum is as loud as ever.

Soooo...looks like this one's going home. Just want to be sure they send me another new one and not a refurb.

Thanks for the tip...I would have thought of it once upon a time. Sigh.


----------



## richsadams

Just got off of the phone with TiVo support. I described the noise issue. The CSR didn't seem surprised. He asked me to unplug it and plug it back in to see if the noise was still present. Of course I did that a few times already so one more time won't hurt. The noise is still there. That was all they needed to ship a new box. I asked them to be sure it was a brand new unit and not a refurb and he assured me that since it was within the 30 day full-return window that it would be a brand new unit. Hope so. 

I'll post back regarding any noise issues with the new box.

Cheers for all of the good feedback, it's truly appreciated. :thumbsup:


----------



## opus123

Best of luck to you, hope it resolves. Mine was a fresh/new item from the first 1-in-a-lifetime offer... and it whines (but not audible to me at 15 feet).


----------



## hankuro

kcantrell said:


> ... my Bolt is 100% quiet, even with the original fan.


 If by '100% quiet' you mean 'silent', I don't believe you. Every TiVo I've had for the past 10 years including Bolt and Bolt+ make noise (buzz, whine, whirr). The question is whether or not it is disturbing from viewing position.


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## buildersboy66

It is a wonder why we are paying dearly for a TiVo, returning them for silly exaggerated fan noise is beyond me. I have a 1000GB white Bolt and a Bolt+ and it is not noticeable to me unless a reboot is done. It is my opinion on this subject, please refrain from bully text.


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## hankuro

buildersboy66 said:


> It is a wonder why we are paying dearly for a TiVo, returning them for silly exaggerated fan noise is beyond me. I have a 1000GB white Bolt and a Bolt+ and it is not noticeable to me unless a reboot is done. It is my opinion on this subject, please refrain from bully text.


"Not noticeable to me" = "not disturbing from viewing position". If it was noticeable, it would be disturbing. "Not noticeable to me" does not = "100% quiet" or silent.


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## BobCamp1

buildersboy66 said:


> It is a wonder why we are paying dearly for a TiVo, returning them for silly exaggerated fan noise is beyond me. I have a 1000GB white Bolt and a Bolt+ and it is not noticeable to me unless a reboot is done. It is my opinion on this subject, please refrain from bully text.


Please stop bullying others.

The fan noise isn't typical fan noise, it's very loud. It sounds like something is wrong. And if you pay that much for a product it had better be flawless.


----------



## richsadams

Risking a cross-post here, but wanted to follow up on my earlier "noise complaint".

The replacement TiVo Bolt arrived yesterday. Although without placing them side-by-side I can't be sure but I'd say this one is slightly less noisy, but only slightly. It's the same hum/buzz as the first one had. It's not the fan (stopped it cold and the noise is still present). So it looks like it may be "normal". I can still hear it from 15ft. but luckily it will end up in an enclosed entertainment cabinet. Guess I'm spoiled by the near silence of earlier models...although I skipped right over the Roamio. 

Set it up last night. Took the Motorola M Cable Card out of the Series3 and slipped it in the Bolt+. All of the channels were working again. Went online, the new box was already listed and I copied all of my 138 One Passes over. They appeared (w/o an additional network connection) within about 10 minutes. It started recording right away. Sweet.:thumbsup:

Just got off of the phone with Charter. I called the (855) 757-7328 number. It did sound as if it was the regular support number. The call went very smoothly. When the automated system asked why I was calling I just said "cable card". I was instantly connected with a CSR named Amanda who had no hesitation with helping me. Phew! She asked for the following in this order:

CC Serial Number
CC Host ID
CC Data ID

Once she had that it took a few minutes for her to enter the info and send a signal which caused all of the channels to go black; "not authorized".  A few minutes later they came back and all was right with the world! 

I told her that she did a great job and that I've called before and found folks that weren't nearly as helpful...some not even knowing what a cable card was. She said it was her third time to do it and I told her that she did awesome work! Kudos to Charter on this one.

So long story longer, I guess I'll live with the "noise" and hope that it doesn't affect the performance, now or ever!

The box has been running on an open glass shelf for about 24 hours now, recording normally, etc. The room temp is currently 76 degrees. The ODT is 63. The Bolt is fairly warm to the touch on the top center area. The cabinet it's going into is pretty new with plenty of vents and openings including a vent on the shelf it'll be on. So once it's inside the cabinet and running for a bit I'll check the ODT again. Not sure what the "too hot" number would be, but I'll keep an eye on it. I installed an exhaust fan in another part of the cabinet where the receiver resides. If the Bolt gets too warm I may install another one.

Thanks to everyone here for the feedback and support! :thumbsup:


----------



## hankuro

richsadams said:


> Risking a cross-post here, but wanted to follow up on my earlier "noise complaint".
> 
> The replacement TiVo Bolt arrived yesterday. Although without placing them side-by-side I can't be sure but I'd say this one is slightly less noisy, but only slightly. It's the same hum/buzz as the first one had. It's not the fan (stopped it cold and the noise is still present). So it looks like it may be "normal". I can still hear it from 15ft. but luckily it will end up in an enclosed entertainment cabinet. Guess I'm spoiled by the near silence of earlier models...although I skipped right over the Roamio.


 A new Bolt+ with All In service plan cost $1049. One would think that for that price they would be able to figure out a way to make these units reliably quieter. People (like us) that would be attracted to a TiVo type product, would be the exact same ones that are sensitive to noise.

Putting it into a cabinet (with good ventilation) is a good idea . Mine is in equipment rack behind a clear plexi panel.


----------



## richsadams

hankuro said:


> A new Bolt+ with All In service plan cost $1049. One would think that for that price they would be able to figure out a way to make these units reliably quieter. People (like us) that would be attracted to a TiVo type product, would be the exact same ones that are sensitive to noise.


Agreed.


----------



## buildersboy66

maybe my hearing is going...lol


----------



## BobCamp1

buildersboy66 said:


> maybe my hearing is going...lol


No, it's just that some units don't have the noise. But many of them do.

It doesn't appear to be the fan, but the circuit that's driving it. So stopping the fan wouldn't help. But if you unplugged it, in theory that would take the load off and the circuit would quiet down. Some have stolen power from the USB port using the same fan and it is a lot quieter.

Also, the case is vibrating and making the noise worse. Putting my old Tivo remote on top where the hump is reduces the noise a little bit.


----------



## sfhub

For the buzzing from the PWM fan I think your options are basically to play return roulette until you get one with less noise (understanding that all units have some noise) or you can disconnect the internal fan and connect one of those laptop cooling pads that sit under the unit to the USB port.

Amazon.com: Laptop Cooling Pad, TeckNet Portable Ultra-Slim Quiet Laptop Notebook Cooler Cooling Pad Stand with 2 USB Powered Fans, Fits 12 -16 Inches: Computers & Accessories

You can do the same with the internal fan, but many people don't like to make mods and prefer plug in solutions.

Alternatively you can just live with it. After a while you don't notice it as much.


----------



## hankuro

sfhub said:


> ...or you can disconnect the internal fan and connect one of those laptop cooling pads that sit under the unit to the USB port.


Awesome non-technical solution for people like me (except the part about opening the unit and disconnecting the fan.)


----------



## bkc56

sfhub said:


> ...or you can disconnect the internal fan and connect one of those laptop cooling pads that sit under the unit to the USB port.


I've never had a cooling pad last that long before the fans get noisy or stop spinning. I'm not sure how long one would last running 24x7 under a Tivo.


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## Doc Holiday

bkc56 said:


> I've never had a cooling pad last that long before the fans get noisy or stop spinning. I'm not sure how long one would last running 24x7 under a Tivo.


I have had a Lepa Lepad V17 under mine for 8 months and so far so good. If the fan ever went out, it looks like it would be pretty easy to open the cooler and replace it. The Lepad a15 also has a removable / positionable fan.


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## Martyn Kelly

I have a TiVo bolt and it makes a very high pitched noise. It is so bad that it gives me a headache and over an extended time in the room it gives me a ringing in my ears. My girlfriend cannot hear the noise, so she is not sensitive to the frequency of the noise.
I replaced the fan with the noise blocker fan recommended on this thread. The new fan is very quiet, but the noise that I heard continued. I listened to see if it was the hard drive causing the noise, but it was not.
During this investigation, I disconnected the fan and the noise stopped. When I investigated the further I found that it was not the fan making the noise but the actual motherboard was making the noise, but only when the fan was connected.
I have now disconnected the fan completely and the noise has gone.
I am running with the cover off at the moment, but I guess I will need to get some sort of external fan that runs continuously. 
At least I am now able to be in the same room without getting a headache.

Hopefully the TIVO engineers can see this comment and can come up with a better fix for the issue.


----------



## kpeters59

Probably the Fan Power Supply Circuit is 'ringing' and will need to be replaced for an actual cure.

You might need to have TiVo swap the box...

-KP


----------



## Martyn Kelly

This is my second box already, both have had the same problem.


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## Mikeguy

Martyn Kelly said:


> I have a TiVo bolt and it makes a very high pitched noise. It is so bad that it gives me a headache and over an extended time in the room it gives me a ringing in my ears. My girlfriend cannot hear the noise, so she is not sensitive to the frequency of the noise.
> I replaced the fan with the noise blocker fan recommended on this thread. The new fan is very quiet, but the noise that I heard continued. I listened to see if it was the hard drive causing the noise, but it was not.
> During this investigation, I disconnected the fan and the noise stopped. When I investigated the further I found that it was not the fan making the noise but the actual motherboard was making the noise, but only when the fan was connected.
> I have now disconnected the fan completely and the noise has gone.
> I am running with the cover off at the moment, but I guess I will need to get some sort of external fan that runs continuously.
> At least I am now able to be in the same room without getting a headache.
> 
> Hopefully the TIVO engineers can see this comment and can come up with a better fix for the issue.


Is this a new/newer TiVo box? If so, you might want to contact TiVo for a warranty replacement (if so, I would avoid discussing if others can hear the sound, simply focusing on the fact that _you_ can; I also would avoid discussion of your diagnostics and attempted fixes, for fear of a warranty breach assertion).

And if you want to inform the TiVo engineers, I would post at that website--they do not officially/actively monitor here, and so unknown if they would see your comment here.


----------



## kcantrell

Yeah, I agree with KP, it is unlikely the motherboard is making the noise. I can believe that the power supply, when put under a certain load, would cause it to have a ringing sound. Having said that, you would not be the first person to do what you are doing, which is take the cover off and cool the unit when an external fan. You will need to cool it, however. These things run hot to begin with. Good luck!


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## kpeters59

There is a possibility that you could determine which part is actually oscillating and brace it somehow...be careful!

-KP


----------



## BobCamp1

kcantrell said:


> Yeah, I agree with KP, it is unlikely the motherboard is making the noise. I can believe that the power supply, when put under a certain load, would cause it to have a ringing sound. Having said that, you would not be the first person to do what you are doing, which is take the cover off and cool the unit when an external fan. You will need to cool it, however. These things run hot to begin with. Good luck!


I disagree, I think it's an inductor or a cheap capacitor that's making the noise.


----------



## mswlogo

It's really a shame this is so broken. There are a couple Videos on YouTube that clearly show there is a design flaw in the circuit that drives it.

I'd really like to take advantage of the $99 lifetime transfer but this fan noise is a DEAL BREAKER.

No I really don't want to play Russian roulette to get a good one (And who knows if that will last). I can just play Russian roulette with my Series 3 that it keeps running.

I tried a Bolt a good while back and immediately noticed the horrible fan noise. Series 3 I could never hear. Still running but I know it's days are numbered.
I was checking in to see if it's resolved or not. Looks like it is NOT. Unbelievable.

It's not like it's a $99 Roku or something.






This is even on a Bolt+ and shows how it's silent with an external power supply.


----------



## Doc Holiday

I think the fan speed control method is pulse width modulation. It's a common enough method for fan speed control, but it can result in harmonics and noise from the switching waveform in a two wire implementation like this. Basically the voltage follows a duty-cycle instead of a constant voltage. I think it's safe to say the device is operating as intended. It's really not that loud with the noiseblocker fan. I am pretty sensitive and I rarely notice it.

The Bolt is light years ahead of a Series 3. Even coming from a Roamio the Bolt was a tremendous upgrade. I am happy with it.


----------



## Redoctobyr

mswlogo said:


> It's really a shame this is so broken. There are a couple Videos on YouTube that clearly show there is a design flaw in the circuit that drives it.
> 
> I'd really like to take advantage of the $99 lifetime transfer but this fan noise is a DEAL BREAKER.


This thread has more discussion of fans, the buzzing noise, etc. But in post #210, there is a summary of a way to power the fan from a constant 5V source inside the case. Bypassing the buzzing-noise-producing Pulse Width Modulated speed-controlled fan approach.

sounds like a JET engine taking off!!!

By adding some jumper wires, and using this constant-voltage source, you should be able to eliminate the buzzing noise. This shouldn't be needed, but at least it's an option. And while you're in there, you can change to a quieter fan, if you'd like.


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## LarryAtHome

I found that simply putting a capacitor across the fan power wires eliminated the buzzing sound from the motherboard. I don't know if this will cause any damage to the unit, but it eliminated the buzzing in my unit. I used a 100uF 25V capacitor, as that was what I had and first tried. I have not tried any others.


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## Redoctobyr

Interesting, thanks. I'd wondered about putting a capacitor on the wires to the fan, since that ought to help smooth out the voltage going to the fan. My unit doesn't really buzz, so I didn't worry about it too much. 

I also wondered about putting just an appropriate resistor on the fan output (with the fan disconnected), as a test, to see if it's just the board making the noise, or if the fan contributes as well. With the resistor selected to approximate the fan's current draw.


----------



## John561

It appears a good percentage of owners have noise issues. My bolt was quiet for about a year until it got bumped. It only dropped a few inches, but after that it started getting louder with time. I guess the Bolt stock fan is very fragile. A minor bump seems to make it start making noise. I assume those of you that had noise right out of the box had some rough handling in shipping.

I ordered one of these fans for my unit. It's a good brand name fan that should be quiet for a long time even if it gets a bump or two.

AFB0512MB Delta Electronics | Fans, Thermal Management | DigiKey

The stock Bolt fan has no data available for noise level, RPM, or airflow. But this is one of the quieter models available in that size.

Please don't try any of this if you are not handy with tools and experienced with taking a Bolt apart. This fan does not have a connector so you have to deal with re-using the connector from your bolt fan, or with buying a new connector. Also, it's not obvious how to get the bolt apart. I broke a couple plastic clips getting the cover off it. I'm sure there are instructions in the forum someplace. I don't want emails from people saying I shorted my connector and broke my cover, what do I do now. If you're not confident of your repair skills, don't try it.

And yes, the bolt does have a variable speed fan control - at least two speeds. So keeping it in a cooler place or providing some extra air movement externally should keep the internal fan running at a lower speed.

Lastly, the bent bolt design sucks. It pulls air in the bottom, and then blows it out the bottom right next to the input. So unless you have some other source of airflow that pushes fresh air under the bolt, it is just circulating the warm air around and around again, getting warmer with each cycle.


----------



## Mikeguy

John561 said:


> It appears a good percentage of owners have noise issues. My bolt was quiet for about a year until it got bumped. It only dropped a few inches, but after that it started getting louder with time.


A bit distressing, and frightening, that a bump could do this.

But just to be clear, it appears that a good percentage of owners_ who post here about noise issues_ have noise issues.


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## Doc Holiday

John561 said:


> I ordered one of these fans for my unit. It's a good brand name fan that should be quiet for a long time even if it gets a bump or two.
> 
> AFB0512MB Delta Electronics | Fans, Thermal Management | DigiKey


Delta is a good quality fan, but those fans are not designed to be silent. I have spent literally years trying different fans in my computers. I am sort of a fab snob and use only Noctua or Nexus fans in my computers. I have found the Noiseblocker fans to be similar in loudness and character to those brands. If you don't mind some fan noise, the Delta will be fine. If you really want a quiet fan, then the Noiseblocker is the way to go.


----------



## Luke M

John561 said:


> It appears a good percentage of owners have noise issues. My bolt was quiet for about a year until it got bumped. It only dropped a few inches, but after that it started getting louder with time. I guess the Bolt stock fan is very fragile. A minor bump seems to make it start making noise. I assume those of you that had noise right out of the box had some rough handling in shipping.


As discussed on this thread, the buzzing noise isn't coming from the fan. It is related to the fan PWM operation, but not the fan itself.


----------



## bobwalton

Redoctobyr said:


> This thread has more discussion of fans, the buzzing noise, etc. But in post #210, there is a summary of a way to power the fan from a constant 5V source inside the case. Bypassing the buzzing-noise-producing Pulse Width Modulated speed-controlled fan approach.
> 
> sounds like a JET engine taking off!!!
> 
> By adding some jumper wires, and using this constant-voltage source, you should be able to eliminate the buzzing noise. This shouldn't be needed, but at least it's an option. And while you're in there, you can change to a quieter fan, if you'd like.


That header is not powered. I tried every combination of pins. The fan does not power up.


----------



## viggin

*HELLO TIVO COMMUNITY*

This is an older thread but I wanted to report a BIG SUCCESS using the two techniques described in this thread, to quiet a noisy TiVo Bolt. I had a noisy fan *AND* the circuit board noise.

For the benefit of the community I want to do a little write up pulling the suggestions from different parts of this thread into one post.

*Part 1 - Troubleshooting / Overview / Whole Story*
I first ordered the Panasonic Capacitors. When I got the TiVo pulled apart to put them in, it seemed like the only noise was coming from the fan and not the circuit board. Dang! I set the capacitors aside and ordered a new fan.

I installed the fan carefully and booted the TiVo up. *It was gloriously silent at first (TiVo logo, black screen...) but then as the booting progressed to "We'll be ready in a few minutes..." the noise started again*. At this point I realized that I had both the fan noise and the PWM noise, but the PWM noise is not present when you first plug the TiVo in because the fan is just running at full speed at that time. Before replacing the fan I didn't really run the TiVo with the cover off for long, I only powered up long enough to test the fan.

*Part 2 - Step by Step
Opening the Case:*
There are YouTube videos. Be careful. I ended up breaking a bunch of the internal clips. Oh well. The case has clips and screws and seems secure enough even with the clips broken.
*
Fan:*
I used the fan pointed out in other parts of this thread.
*Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2 4000 rpm 50x50x10mm*
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00839XK5W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

To remove the fan you will need to carefully pull the circuit board (which is an antenna) off the side of the fan. I did this very carefully and was able to re-stick it to the new fan. If it won't re-stick then you will need some double side tape or a 3M strip.

Some folks have reported using 3M strips or glue to mount the fan but this is unnecessary. The stock fan is actually clipped into a little holder that screws into the TiVo case. Once you have removed the stock fan from the case, you can carefully unclip the holder and use it to mount the new fan. You'll have to unclip and kind of "pry" the holder off the fan. I would use a credit card or automotive pry bars (what I actually used) rather than a screw driver, if possible - or even something like a butter knife.

THREE things you need to be aware of - pay attention to the airflow direction.
-1-The fan should be blowing air out the bottom of the case.
-2-Take a moment to make sure you know what corner you want the power cord for the fan to route out of, and what this means for the holder. The screws for the holder are at different heights relative to the case, so the holder can only attach to the case one direction. The fan will fit any way into the holder.
-3-The holder has two "posts" that will go into the screw holes on opposite corners of the Noiseblocker fan (You don't use screws). The tolerances are pretty tight and it can be REALLY FIDDLY to get on.

It took me a few tries, so don't give up, it can be done. The trick seem to be to try and get both corners started at the same time and then try to push the fan down onto those "posts" and into the clips evenly so one corner doesn't get pushed too far down. If it seems to get stuck and bind up on one corner, you may need to carefully pry the other corner back out a little.

The fan has 3 wires under a black sleeving. Near the connector you can see white-red-black. You push the connector onto the TiVo board with the red and black wires seating into the TiVo connector (and the white wire connecting to nothing)

*Capacitor:
Panasonic FR Series 25b 100uf Ultra Low ESR
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072ST7ZRW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
*
The polarity matters on the capacitor! On this type of capacitor, the positive "leg" is longer and the negative leg aligns with a grey stripe on the side of the capacitor.

What I ended up doing was trimming the legs down quite a bit (using nail clippers because I was too lazy to find my wire trimmers LOL), and then carefully inserting the capacitor into the back-side of the connector for the fan. Match the positive side to the red wire and the negative side (grey stripe) to the black wire.

That's it! You should have a much quieter TiVo Bolt.

Much credit to the people smarter than me that figured out what fan to use, and that a capacitor would quiet down the circuit board noise.


----------



## leiff

I might do that in the future if I ever need to run the fan again. I run my bolts in a passive cooling environment no fans running at all


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## Philtho

leiff said:


> I might do that in the future if I ever need to run the fan again. I run my bolts in a passive cooling environment no fans running at all


I was going to say.. Does the Bolt even need the fan or is it just added as a precaution? I've run my Tivo HD since 2006 with the fan disconnected and it's been perfectly fine to this very day.


----------



## Luke M

Philtho said:


> I was going to say.. Does the Bolt even need the fan or is it just added as a precaution? I've run my Tivo HD since 2006 with the fan disconnected and it's been perfectly fine to this very day.


Cover on or off is the question.


----------



## richsadams

I can't say if it's heat related or not, but the HDD on our 3TB Bolt+ has begun to fail after just 2.5 years. IMO the case design just doesn't make sense on a number of levels beyond the silly bent shape. Since the HDD generates the most heat, the fan appears to be on the wrong side. Perhaps they were more concerned with the CPU temps, I don't know.

Our Premiere XL4 is still running just fine, nice and cool. We have a Series3 that still runs like a champ, and it never gets hot either. In fact we've had almost every TiVo and none had a heat or fan noise problem until now.

In any case, our Bolt runs hot and the hottest part is directly above and below the HDD. So I'd say yes, based on the overall poor design - a case that's too small with the fan in the wrong place resulting in inadequate cooling - a fan is a requisite.


----------



## richsadams

Luke M said:


> Cover on or off is the question.


Cover off is certainly an option.


----------



## DeltaOne

richsadams said:


> In any case, our Bolt runs hot and the hottest part is directly above and below the HDD.


Many of us have found the cable card to be the hottest section of a Bolt. The fix is to remove the cable card cover and place a 5.25-inch AC Infinity fan directly below the cable card. The Bolt will run much cooler after this simple fix.


----------



## Mikeguy

richsadams said:


> I can't say if it's heat related or not, but the HDD on our 3TB Bolt+ has begun to fail after just 2.5 years.


Is that with the original 3TB drive that came with the Bolt box when purchased? If so, it is a known Western Digital hard drive issue, including to TiVo, and TiVo has been doing sweetheart replacement deals on the affected boxes, sometimes contacting box owners out-of-the-blue. And so you could benefit from contacting TiVo customer support and explaining the situation.

edit: Oops, just saw your other thread post that you've already done this--good show.


----------



## Philtho

Luke M said:


> Cover on or off is the question.


Cover has been on the entire time.


----------



## Luke M

Philtho said:


> Cover has been on the entire time.


I wouldn't recommend that with the Bolt. Leiff didn't say, but I'm assuming he's running with cover off.


----------



## leiff

Yes, One of my boats has the cover off entirely. It is nailed to the wall high above my head to assure nothing untoward accidentally happens to it. My other bolt I drilled about a 100 holes in the case right above where the heat sink is on the top of the case as seen here. I leave the hard drive compartment slightly ajar for heat to escape here. On this bolt I also have the fan disabled. So no fan noise from either of my bolts


----------



## foghorn2

leiff said:


> Yes, One of my boats has the cover off entirely. It is nailed to the wall high above my head to assure nothing untoward accidentally happens to it. My other bolt I drilled about a 100 holes in the case right above where the heat sink is on the top of the case as seen here. I leave the hard drive compartment slightly ajar for heat to escape here. On this bolt I also have the fan disabled. So no fan noise from either of my bolts
> View attachment 45207


Just shoot it with a bb gun and get over Tivo Miseries


----------



## mrfixit454

Thanks to everyone for the help with the modifications. I installed the 3TB drive, NB fan and Capacitor. Has anyone's NB fan failed? Mine lasted 3 months and sounds like a bad bearing. It whines like crazy when it boots up but settles down to more noise than I would like. It was very quiet when first new. I have a note into the seller for warranty info. Its definently the fan.


----------



## Doc Holiday

I have 3 years and 6 months on my noiseblocker fan and no issues. Got it new from FrozenCPU in Jan, 2017.


----------



## V7Goose

mrfixit454 said:


> Has anyone's NB fan failed? Mine lasted 3 months and sounds like a bad bearing. It whines like crazy when it boots up but settles down to more noise than I would like. It was very quiet when first new.


Your fan noise may simply be vibration from the fan not fitting correctly. I suggest you stick with the stock fan.

I used an NB XS-2 50x50x10 fan in a Bolt for several years, and I found it did virtually nothing to improve the cooling over stock (I left it in because it was not worth the effort to open the case again).

My NB fan sometimes also had the loud noise during boot, then quiet after the fan slowed down. I discovered this was caused by the base of the fan being much thinner than the stock TiVo fan, allowing the fan to vibrate in the clips sometimes. Seems to get worse after some dust builds up in the fan. You can verify this by popping off the small cover ant just touching the side of the fan while it is making noise. Best to stick with the stock fan and simply position a flat blower at the left rear corner of the case outside the box; this will do WAY more to completely cool the Bolt than ANY other option I have found. My Bolt temp stays about 56 with zero other modifications besides just putting the blower on the shelf next to it, even when room temps get in the mid 80s.


----------



## mrfixit454

V7Goose, thanks for the reply..... I changed the stock fan because it was loud... not for cooling purposes. I can hear the NB fan across the room and the Tivo is in an open cabinet. I am about 14 ft from the box. The base of the fan is flimsy as you say and I can change the pitch slightly by pushing on the fan base. I never tried the stock fan wit the capacitor. I guess i can try that while I wait for another fan to come. Upon reboot with cover off, the fan screeched and barely spun as it tried to do its initial high speed boot minute. I had to tap it to get it to spin fast. Just like every other bad fan I have come across in various Tivos and computers for the past 17 years. I'll probably take it apart gain tomorrow and place the stock fan back in.
Thank you


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## V7Goose

The additional information sounds like your specific fan noises are different than mine were. Neither of my Bolts ever had any stock fan noise or noise from the voltage regulator. In fact, the only fan noise I have ever had from my Bolts was the NB fan vibration in the mounting clips.


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## mrfixit454

Saw your post and figured I would crack the case before I responded. I put the stock fan back in with the resistor and its pretty quiet now. Stock fan only had a few weeks of use before I changed it. I think the original noise was the voltage regulator or PWM from the system, it was a whine and it dove me nuts. I just followed suit and put all the mods everyone suggested which where great BTW. Now I hear the fan from my Roamio more than the Bolt  The Bolt was to replace the Roamio in my Living room as I wanted the stream feature but learned about the Bolts short coming with TE4 vs TE3 in regards to transfers, noisy fans etc. Seems there are different scenario for fan noise between users. What I did not know was the Bolt has no AV out like the Roamio's and others... only HDMI. I send HDMI to my receiver and also pipe the output to the Kitchen, garage and laundry room, maybe a bathroom on Superbowl Sunday  I rely on the modulator from Composite (RCA) to Coax to send this signal. I am happy to report that the HDMI can be split with these 2 devices.. I have no affiliation with these companies, just researched this more than the bolt itself 

Monoprice Blackbird 4K 1x2 HDMI 2.0 Splitter, Pigtail, HDCP 2.2, [email protected] - Monoprice.com

and then converted with this

TiVo Remote Controls, DIRECTV Remote Controls, Universal Remote and Remote Accessories

The signal is not the greatest since it gets passed between converter to convertor but it works good enough. Looking back, I probably should have just bought a Tivo Stream for the Roamio but the deals on the BOLTS and service were pretty good a few months ago.


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## Ipecactus

I've done both the fan mod and the resister mod and the Bolt is a little too loud at night. This particular Bolt is installed vertically on a wall of my truck camper with the ports facing up. I'm seriously considering pulling the fan and cutting some vents into the thing but I'm concerned that it may overheat. The TC gets into the 90's sometimes. Also the way I have it mounted the top of the case is almost touching the wall, so there won't be a lot of airflow that way.

Any ideas?

Edit: I should also add that I've replaced the drive with a solid state drive and there is no cable card.


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