# External Cooling Fan



## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

I bought this for my Bolt+

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWH4FL4/ref=emc_b_5_t

The question is: where do I place it? Underneath my Bolt+?

Thanks!


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

This looks OK?


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

thyname said:


> The question is: where do I place it? Underneath my Bolt+?


I'd say underneath...and also take the door off the Cable Card slot. In my experience, taking the door off the cable card slot will lower the temp 4 to 5 ºC (almost 10 degrees ºF).

We took the door off...and are using a cheap laptop cooling fan underneath the Bolt. Temps are just under 50 ºC.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Try behind the Bolt, blowing air out the front.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

JoeKustra said:


> Try behind the Bolt, blowing air out the front.


I think I will leave it as is (see my picture above).

The temperature dropped to 55 degrees C now (per the System Info page)


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

thyname said:


> I think I will leave it as is (see my picture above).
> 
> The temperature dropped to 55 degrees C now (per the System Info page)


The vent on the Bolt is on the left side and blows air out this vent. Therefore your external fan should be situated to pull air downward. I have similar setup, tivo elevated, fan underneath blowing down and my temp is usually about 48 degrees.


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

UCLABB said:


> The vent on the Bolt is on the left side and blows air out this vent. Therefore your external fan should be situated to pull air downward. I have similar setup, tivo elevated, fan underneath blowing down and my temp is usually about 48 degrees.


The vent is on left side facing Bolt, like in my picture?

As of my fan, I will have to check when I get home, but I believe that I will have to turn it upside down (logo facing down) to accomplish what you suggested.

Thanks for chiming in!


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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

Unfortunate the TiVo market share is so low. With more participants I'd think the odds would be better that someone would have designed a 3D-printable replacement shell for the BOLT series, with better cooling and space for a 3.5" drive ... and absent the bend.


Joe39565 said:


> I guess a highly intelligent and motivated individual could program a 3D printer and have it print out a modified state of the art case for the bolt, and have that design incorporate room for a 3.5" hd.





darklyte said:


> If a highly intelligent and motivated individual took the basic specs of the case, removed that horrible arch and mostly just extended the width and height to accommodate a 3.5" HD and a fan or two they could potentially make a few bucks off their creation if they wanted, (not a lot mind you the audience is limited but a few hundred bucks isn't out of the question), but more importantly and valuable, they'd receive the love and admiration of the Tivo forums lol
> 
> The 3D printing route would also provide an opportunity to make the case in a way that it follows the current design of the front of the Bolt case where needed to fit the layout of the RF sensor and LEDs.. so moving everything over could be pretty darn easy!


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Lest we forget: TiVo Holiday Trade-In, Trade-Up Sale: trade in your Roamio OTA/VOX (plus $299.98) for a Bolt OTA

How to cool a Roamio:


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

JoeKustra said:


> Lest we forget: TiVo Holiday Trade-In, Trade-Up Sale: trade in your Roamio OTA/VOX (plus $299.98) for a Bolt OTA
> 
> How to cool a Roamio:
> View attachment 40560


That looks exactly like my fan! Thanks for posting that picture!


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## stini777 (Mar 16, 2016)

Are you powering via the USB ports on the back of the Bolt?


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

stini777 said:


> Are you powering via the USB ports on the back of the Bolt?


Yes


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## Davelnlr_ (Jan 13, 2011)

I purchased this cooler: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LVW4SLP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Placed it on top of my A/V Amp, and placed the Bolt (with cablecard door off) on top of the fan, and set it to auto-cooling. Temp on the bolt dropped from 62 to 49C in 15m, and the A/V Amp case is cold now.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

The most simple and cheapest external fan solution I have found it to place a flat fan on the shelf just behind the left rear corner of the Bolt, with the air flow aimed just slightly towards the middle of the box, so that the flow sweeps along the back and some blows under the box and out the front. With NO other mods of any sort, not even risers on the corners to lift the box, such an external fan placement will lower the Bolt temps by at least 10 degrees.

The fan I used was a variable speed model that only cost $16 on Amazon. Here is a link to another thread where this is discussed in more detail, including a picture of the fan: Temperature of Bolt


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Here's my setup/layout. Last time I checked I think I am usually in the low 50s


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

jlb said:


> Here's my setup/layout. Last time I checked I think I am usually in the low 50s.


Did you take the cable card access door off? That can help a lot with heat buildup.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

DeltaOne said:


> Did you take the cable card access door off? That can help a lot with heat buildup.


I haven't yet. I prob will at some point. Last summer (our first in VT) was unseasonably warm and anything else I can do to cool the Bolt, especially if its warm again, is a good thing.

I assume you would power the Bolt down before handling it?


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

jlb said:


> I assume you would power the Bolt down before handling it?


I could see lifting it up a little and taking the cable card door off...but sure, it won't hurt to power it down.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

DeltaOne said:


> *I could see lifting it up a little and taking the cable card door off*...but sure, it won't hurt to power it down.


That's all that I did, and it seemed just fine.


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

Has anyone doing something like this actually been able to get the Bolt to throttle down its fan so it isn't so loud? Like many others my Bolt temperature reads in the mid-50's C, which isn't really very hot as electronics/processors go. However, the fan is spinning quite quickly and is loud enough to be clearly audible from over 10 feet away ALL THE TIME. Is it possible to cool the Bolt enough to get it to chill out with the noisy fan? If not, I won't waste the time trying since my current temps are nowhere near dangerous. The noise is just frustrating.

Basically, I'm trying to figure out what the fan curve is, if there is one. If I get it below 50C will it slow down?


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## BobCamp1 (May 15, 2002)

TostitoBandito said:


> Has anyone doing something like this actually been able to get the Bolt to throttle down its fan so it isn't so loud? Like many others my Bolt temperature reads in the mid-50's C, which isn't really very hot as electronics/processors go. However, the fan is spinning quite quickly and is loud enough to be clearly audible from over 10 feet away ALL THE TIME. Is it possible to cool the Bolt enough to get it to chill out with the noisy fan? If not, I won't waste the time trying since my current temps are nowhere near dangerous. The noise is just frustrating.
> 
> Basically, I'm trying to figure out what the fan curve is, if there is one. If I get it below 50C will it slow down?


That's not the fan, that's the fan's power supply circuit. If you have one of those loud Tivos and you want it quieter, you'll have to take it apart and come up with a different power source for that fan. Or carefully put a large capacitor in parallel with its power leads. There are other threads about how to replace the fan (even though the fan itself isn't really the problem), which also contain ideas on how to do those things.

This thread is for people who have quiet Tivos (or who have already made them quiet) and are looking for a little extra cooling capacity.


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

BobCamp1 said:


> That's not the fan, that's the fan's power supply circuit. If you have one of those loud Tivos and you want it quieter, you'll have to take it apart and come up with a different power source for that fan. Or carefully put a large capacitor in parallel with its power leads. There are other threads about how to replace the fan (even though the fan itself isn't really the problem), which also contain ideas on how to do those things.
> 
> This thread is for people who have quiet Tivos (or who have already made them quiet) and are looking for a little extra cooling capacity.


Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. I'll dig into the other threads and see about mods.

It's weird though, because I don't remember my Bolt always being like this. I bought my first Bolt back in late 2016 and it was subsequently replaced by Tivo with a 12/2018 build date unit early this year to fix a wifi issue. I only first noticed the abnormal loudness on this newer unit, and more specifically after the last major software update (the one which brought auto-skip) though that's likely just coincidental. Do we know if they switched components at some point which caused this issue on more recent units but not older ones? It's strange how some would have a PWM buzz and some wouldn't, assuming all components are the same.


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## BobCamp1 (May 15, 2002)

TostitoBandito said:


> Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for the clarification. I'll dig into the other threads and see about mods.
> 
> It's weird though, because I don't remember my Bolt always being like this. I bought my first Bolt back in late 2016 and it was subsequently replaced by Tivo with a 12/2018 build date unit early this year to fix a wifi issue. I only first noticed the abnormal loudness on this newer unit, and more specifically after the last major software update (the one which brought auto-skip) though that's likely just coincidental. Do we know if they switched components at some point which caused this issue on more recent units but not older ones? It's strange how some would have a PWM buzz and some wouldn't, assuming all components are the same.


The prevailing theory is that Tivo switched components or redesigned the fan's power supply circuit at some point. Some have loud units and some do not. I have a loud unit. Putting weight on the Bolt's hump quiets it down a bit for me, though others have said that they can still hear the noise even with the cover completely off.


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## fburgerod (Oct 25, 2007)

Because of the noise, I removed the cover from my bolt and put it on raised 1 inch foot rests. Then I disconnected the fan completely. My temperature range is between 48 and 56 and generally averages around 50 to 52. Totally quiet.


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

Davelnlr_ said:


> I purchased this cooler: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LVW4SLP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> Placed it on top of my A/V Amp, and placed the Bolt (with cablecard door off) on top of the fan, and set it to auto-cooling. Temp on the bolt dropped from 62 to 49C in 15m, and the A/V Amp case is cold now.


I just got my Bolt earlier this week, and started out with the solution referenced below with the fan on medium. It dropped the ODT from 66 to 57. Today I changed over to have the Bolt sitting on top of this fan on low with the cable card cover off, and the ODT dropped from 57 to 50.



V7Goose said:


> The most simple and cheapest external fan solution I have found it to place a flat fan on the shelf just behind the left rear corner of the Bolt, with the air flow aimed just slightly towards the middle of the box, so that the flow sweeps along the back and some blows under the box and out the front. With NO other mods of any sort, not even risers on the corners to lift the box, such an external fan placement will lower the Bolt temps by at least 10 degrees.
> 
> The fan I used was a variable speed model that only cost $16 on Amazon. Here is a link to another thread where this is discussed in more detail, including a picture of the fan: Temperature of Bolt


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

Yeah I also have mine sitting directly on top of a 120mm USB fan with the cablecard cover removed and it's around 50-53C most of the time. That said, it doesn't address any of the PWM switching noise/buzz as has been stated above. I'll probably just open the thing up and unplug the internal fan. In an elevated position with active airflow around it I can't imagine it gets very hot even with the fan off. The Bolt has pretty terrible internal airflow, so that fan isn't doing a whole lot. Temperature is probably much more dependent on the ambient temperature of the air surrounding the Bolt, like for instance if it's 25C room temp air being circulated by a fan or if it's 40-50C air in a closed cabinet with no airflow.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TostitoBandito said:


> Yeah I also have mine sitting directly on top of a 120mm USB fan with the cablecard cover removed and it's around 50-53C most of the time. That said, it doesn't address any of the PWM switching noise/buzz as has been stated above. I'll probably just open the thing up and unplug the internal fan. In an elevated position with active airflow around it I can't imagine it gets very hot even with the fan off. The Bolt has pretty terrible internal airflow, so that fan isn't doing a whole lot. Temperature is probably much more dependent on the ambient temperature of the air surrounding the Bolt, like for instance if it's 25C room temp air being circulated by a fan or if it's 40-50C air in a closed cabinet with no airflow.


Perhaps a silly question: how is your fan placed below the Bolt box? Do you have the Bolt resting directly right on top of the fan, so that the fan is acting as a center "pedestal" for the box (and is that working out well balance-wise)? Or is your box supported on the sides by some sort of risers, with the fan, then, in the open space below the Bolt?


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## TostitoBandito (Sep 18, 2006)

Mikeguy said:


> Perhaps a silly question: how is your fan placed below the Bolt box? Do you have the Bolt resting directly right on top of the fan, so that the fan is acting as a center "pedestal" for the box (and is that working out well balance-wise)? Or is your box supported on the sides by some sort of risers, with the fan, then, in the open space below the Bolt?


I have it more or less in the center of the bolt, under the arch. Yes it sort of acts as a pedestal, and the fan is the only thing holding the bolt up (which also does the job of elevating it off the shelf for more airflow). The fan has rubber feet on all the corners so the box sits fine on it with no vibrations or anything. I don't remember whether I have the fan blowing up or down but it probably doesn't matter much. The key is to create some amount of moving air around the Bolt, which it does.

It's this that I have:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G05A2MU/

No complaints. I also got their 2 fan version for my xbox and receiver shelves. It's not a very loud fan. I run them at the medium setting and it's quieter than my Bolt. The max speed setting is probably on par with the Bolt PWM noise, when listening from my couch. You can daisy chain up to 5 of them from a single USB port if you so desire.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

To get proper cooling with a fan placed on the shelf behind the Bolt, that is not the best design. MUCH better to choose a flat fan where the air is pushed out a port on the thin side of the fan, so that is is concentrated where you need the cooling. This is the best one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012CL2V3...&pd_rd_r=f71f04c2-7d58-11e9-8ec8-f37f2ab7fd5a

I have used both types of fans on two different bolts, and there is a huge difference on how efficient the flat blower is, compared to any muffin fan that does not have a concentrated stream of air.

On a typical Bolt, the coax connection is VERY hot all the time, but when a flat blower is placed near the back of the Bolt as shown in the picture below, with the air sweeping along the back and some blowing under and out the front, there is no detectable heat anywhere on the outside of the Bolt. The metal coax connector acts like a heat-sink to allow that air to suck the heat right out of the box. The ODT on this box is typically at 52. I also found that with this blower, the best cooling is WITHOUT raising the Bolt up off the shelf.










That is why I say this is the most simple solution of all - no mods. Just buy the fan, put it on the shelf, plug in the USB connection, and you are done!


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## Jim1348 (Jan 3, 2015)

Thanks for posting this. I may have to do this, too, with my TiVo Roamio OTA.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Jim1348 said:


> Thanks for posting this. I may have to do this, too, with my TiVo Roamio OTA.


This is good for 4C on my 3TB OTA:







120mm USB powered.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

JoeKustra said:


> This is good for *4C* on my 3TB OTA:
> View attachment 41146
> 
> 120mm USB powered.


Typo, absent the box being placed outside in the Wintertime?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

TostitoBandito said:


> I have it more or less in the center of the bolt, under the arch. Yes it sort of acts as a pedestal, and the fan is the only thing holding the bolt up (which also does the job of elevating it off the shelf for more airflow). The fan has rubber feet on all the corners so the box sits fine on it with no vibrations or anything. I don't remember whether I have the fan blowing up or down but it probably doesn't matter much. The key is to create some amount of moving air around the Bolt, which it does.
> 
> It's this that I have:
> 
> ...


Thanks--interesting approach there! Had been looking at the AC Infinity fans and been thinking of the dual fan version (2 of the 120mm fans pre-strung together), putting one towards/under each side of the Bolt box for cooling as well as balance purposes, but your "pedestal" idea gives another approach to consider. :up:


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Mikeguy said:


> Typo, absent the box being placed outside in the Wintertime?


Sorry, I should have said "dropped" 4C. On that box, it went from my average 37C to 41C when I added the drive. Plus the room has no A/C. To really cool down a Roamio, I lift the cover on the left side and place a fan blowing air into the box. I can get 25C in a 70F room. I play a lot.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

V7Goose said:


> To get proper cooling with a fan placed on the shelf behind the Bolt, that is not the best design. MUCH better to choose a flat fan where the air is pushed out a port on the thin side of the fan, so that is is concentrated where you need the cooling. This is the best one:
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012CL2V3...&pd_rd_r=f71f04c2-7d58-11e9-8ec8-f37f2ab7fd5a
> 
> I have used both types of fans on two different bolts, and there is a huge difference on how efficient the flat blower is, compared to any muffin fan that does not have a concentrated stream of air.
> ...


Nice to see your TiVoHD still in operation!


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