# Bolt fan and airflow



## bkc56 (Apr 29, 2001)

Just a few quick questions...

Does the fan on the standard (white) bolt blow (out) or suck (in)? I've tried to feel and can't tell (which probably means it's sucking in).

Where do you check to see the internal temperature on the bolt? It was in system settings on my old Series 1 units, but I can't find it on the bolt.

Has anyone experimented with putting a small laptop cooling pad under the bolt, plugged into the USB port, to create a little better airflow and therefore a lower operating temperature?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

On the Bolt it's called ODT. The value is much higher than a Roamio or Premiere. Since it hovers about 50 to 60, it must be in C, but located near or on something quite warm.

I have fans on top of my Mini boxes. That dropped their MBT from 50C to 30C.


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## RickK (Oct 12, 2015)

Yes - the TiVo fans blow in and the inside of the case is under positive pressure. And I have mine on a laptop cooling pad. I use a Lepa Lepad V17 dialed down to minimum speed (800 RPM) and it dropped the active temperature from 63C to 54C. The underside of my TiVo is cool to the touch with the laptop cooler. Before the laptop cooler, the Tivo would heat the shelf underneath it. I read someone else used a laptop cooler on theirs with a similar results.

Oh, and I assume that ODT means 'on die temperature'. I work for a semiconductor company and we use that acronym to refer to the processor temperature as measured by an integrated thermal diode.


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## RickK (Oct 12, 2015)

Yes - the TiVo fans blow in and the inside of the case is under positive pressure. And I have mine on a laptop cooling pad. I use a Lepa Lepad V17 dialed down to minimum speed (800 RPM) and it dropped the active temperature from 63C to 54C. The underside of my TiVo is cool to the touch with the laptop cooler. Before the laptop cooler, the Tivo would heat the shelf underneath it. I read someone else used a laptop cooler on theirs with a similar results.


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## RichB (Apr 2, 2003)

My TiVo Bolt+ is on an shelf open front and rear with nothing heating it from below. The ODT reads 64 (C).

- Rich


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

My ODT is 69, doesn't seem good. might have to work on some new ventilation options.
I'll open up the case maybe and get some more airflow in the case. It's been stuttering the past few days (we've had near record heat in the bay area lately) and I figured I'd check it out.


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

My new Bolt with 420 build date hovers around 60 Odt and i am also in Sf bay area north bay and our temps were in the 90's and my ODT temp stayed around 60 so your temps seem high.
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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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Just adding some data points for comparison.

I have three Bolts in the house - I have never had any complaints at all about fan noise on any of them:

1. A stock 1TB unit new last fall - sitting on an open glass shelf, it generally shows 62 degrees.
2. A stock 500GB unit sitting in the open on top of the box, it shows 63 degrees (was always over 70 when I had it on the rug, so the air flow under that hideous bent case is critical).
3. A new 500GB unit that had a 3TB drive installed before it was ever plugged in. This box is on a wood shelf in an enclosed cabinet with other heat-generating gear, including the 1200W UPS, antenna amplifiers, and an Ethernet switch - it generally shows 69 degrees. The stock 500GB drive is rated to draw 0.55A, and the Toshiba replacement is rated at 1.0A - almost twice as much current = more heat. The enclosed cabinet probably adds even more.


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## RichB (Apr 2, 2003)

I replaced the stock fan and dropped the ODT by 10C:

sounds like a JET engine taking off!!!

- Rich


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

My ODT also dropped by 10. This by removing lid & disabling fan


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## RichB (Apr 2, 2003)

leiff said:


> My ODT also dropped by 10. This by removing lid & disabling fan


Want 10 more...


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