# Replacing Noisy Bolt Fan & Power



## Kevin Zimmerman

Obviously, a lot has been written about fan and/or fan power noise in the Bolt. I experienced the issue myself, and found it insanely frustrating. I'm hoping that outlining my steps will help someone with similar issues.

I purchased a Bolt VOX 500GB from Amazon in January, and contacted TiVo support about the noise it was making within a few weeks of purchase. The support tech recommended cracking the case open (my first indication that this wasn't going to end well) to see if the fan itself was loose.

I did. It wasn't. So I contacted support again and exchanged it for another unit. Same noise issues. At that point I ordered a Noiseblocker BlackSilent Fan XS-2 from Amazon, as prior posters suggested. It fits, but the screw holes don't line up, so I attached it with 3M Command Strips. And the power for the Noiseblocker fan is 3-pin, and the connector on the TiVo board is 2-pin, so you have a 50/50 chance to get it right the first time.

It was quieter, but the annoying high-pitched whine was still present, which it turns out was caused by the actual power connection itself (as others have pointed out). I then ordered a USB to 3-pin Power Adapter Cable, and hooked up the fan to a USB port on the TiVo. Dead silent. Running fan. Great.


















So, to wrap it all up, I Dremeled a hole through the bottom of the case, and routed the power cable through, and put it all back together. I've voided my warranty, but at this point I don't care. It's dead silent and my OCD can relax a bit. I'll monitor operating temperature over the next few weeks, but so far so good (averaging around 55).


----------



## Luke M

To replace the fan, you remove the original fan from the plastic holder . The holder is what screws into the case, not the fan directly.

There's a much easier way to get 5V, it's available on an unused connector.


----------



## Kevin Zimmerman

Understood. I saw at least one post from someone who drew power from the other connector on the board, but I chose not to try it. If one power connector on the board squeals too noisily for my liking, I though there was a decent chance the other would as well.

I'm pretty low-tech, and I though explicit steps links to parts used would be helpful to other low-tech folks experiencing was seems to be a very common issue. It's not a very elegant solution, but neither is the Bolt...



Luke M said:


> To replace the fan, you remove the original fan from the plastic holder. The holder is what screws into the case, not the fan directly.
> 
> There's a much easier way to get 5V, it's available on an unused connector.


----------



## Luke M

The really low tech solution is to just take the cover off and unplug the fan. It runs cooler that way than with the fan and cover.


----------



## LarryAtHome

If you put a 100uF 25 Volt capacitor across the fan power wires (be sure to observe polarity) the motherboard noise will be eliminated and the fan will still change speed as needed.
As not all people are experiencing this issue, this might be a motherboard revision issue. * *note*, this has solved this in my case but I can not be certain long term damage to the motherboard might be caused...use at your own risk.


----------



## HerronScott

Kevin Zimmerman said:


> At that point I ordered a Noiseblocker BlackSilent Fan XS-2 from Amazon, as prior posters suggested. It fits, but the screw holes don't line up, so I attached it with 3M Command Strips


I don't recall having any issues with this when I did it for my son's Bolt. Wasn't there an adapter bracket that it clipped into?

Scott


----------



## Luke M

LarryAtHome said:


> If you put a 100uF 25 Volt capacitor across the fan power wires (be sure to observe polarity) the motherboard noise will be eliminated and the fan will still change speed as needed.


Does the fan run at the same speed? I'm thinking it might run faster since it's getting power from the cap when "off".

I doubt it's a motherboard rev issue, just component variation. People have complained about noisy Bolts since it was released.


----------



## tommiet

My bolt is only 2 months old and I get zero sound from it. Temp @ 59, so I'm sure the fan is working. Lucky, I guess or it just takes time for the issue to come up


----------



## Mikeguy

tommiet said:


> My bolt is only 2 months old and I get zero sound from it. Temp @ 59, so I'm sure the fan is working. Lucky, I guess or it just takes time for the issue to come up


That's been mine (although I can hear it when by it, but no more than earlier TiVo boxes), since purchased 1-1/2 years ago--still fine.


----------



## leiff

Luke M said:


> The really low tech solution is to just take the cover off and unplug the fan. It runs cooler that way than with the fan and cover.


That's what I do.


----------



## DocNo

Whoever thought the bolt case was a good idea... well, it wasn't. Hmm, I have a dead Premiere. I may move the Bolt guts to it. I'll probably have to drill some new holes but I can put the hard drive in the same case as the Tivo guts and I'll just power the much larger fan in the Premiere case from the external power supply I use to power the 3.5" hard drive my Bolt uses. 

If it wasn't for the stupid case, the decision to switch to 2.5" hard drives and the other niggling issues with the fans an sensitivity to signal strength the Bolt would by far be the best Tivo ever since they finally fixed the CPU and memory issues that have plagued Tivo from day one.


----------



## Idol

DocNo said:


> Whoever thought the bolt case was a good idea... well, it wasn't. Hmm, I have a dead Premiere. I may move the Bolt guts to it. I'll probably have to drill some new holes but I can put the hard drive in the same case as the Tivo guts and I'll just power the much larger fan in the Premiere case from the external power supply I use to power the 3.5" hard drive my Bolt uses.
> 
> If it wasn't for the stupid case, the decision to switch to 2.5" hard drives and the other niggling issues with the fans an sensitivity to signal strength the Bolt would by far be the best Tivo ever since they finally fixed the CPU and memory issues that have plagued Tivo from day one.


There is another thread that was started back in August were people were discussing something similar to this. I haven't seen any activity for a while. I was hoping someone would find a simple solution.

Re-Casing the Bolt - ideas for giving the Bolt a proper case


----------



## bobwalton

Luke M said:


> To replace the fan, you remove the original fan from the plastic holder . The holder is what screws into the case, not the fan directly.
> 
> There's a much easier way to get 5V, it's available on an unused connector.
> 
> View attachment 37410


There is no power on that header. I tried every combination for the two pins. Perhaps TIVO disabled power to this connector.


----------



## Luke M

bobwalton said:


> There is no power on that header. I tried every combination for the two pins. Perhaps TIVO disabled power to this connector.


Don't randomly try things, use the ones in the picture. You can verify with a volt meter. The 5V on the header is the same 5V that powers the hard drive.


----------



## bobwalton

Luke M said:


> Don't randomly try things, use the ones in the picture. You can verify with a volt meter. The 5V on the header is the same 5V that powers the hard drive.


I tried pins 1 and 3 as pictured. The fan never spins up. I have the 1TB version and the header is in a perpendicular orientation. Perhaps the board was changed.


----------



## Luke M

bobwalton said:


> I tried pins 1 and 3 as pictured. The fan never spins up. I have the 1TB version and the header is in a perpendicular orientation. Perhaps the board was changed.


Could be, always a good idea to check the voltage before connecting.


----------



## Paul1522

Ummmmm, don't you need 12V for the fan?


----------



## JoeKustra

Paul1522 said:


> Ummmmm, don't you need 12V for the fan?


Only if it's the fan shown in post 2.


----------



## bobwalton

JoeKustra said:


> Only if it's the fan shown in post 2.


So you got the Noiseblocker fan to spin up with 5V? I tried it and the stock fan. I was actually thinking of trying to just route the two tiny wires out the grill under the fan out to the USB on the back panel, perhaps using the slower spinning Noiseblocker fan.


----------



## HerronScott

bobwalton said:


> I tried pins 1 and 3 as pictured. The fan never spins up. I have the 1TB version and the header is in a perpendicular orientation. Perhaps the board was changed.


Can you post a picture showing your board? I didn't have any issue replacing the stock fan with a Noiseblocker using the original fan's power connections. Also, a picture of the original fan would be good (or at least model and power requirements).

Scott


----------



## Paul1522

JoeKustra said:


> Only if it's the fan shown in post 2.


Well, yeah, I guess I thought that was the point of this thread. The guy replaced his stock fan with this one. It is a 12V fan. So the stock fan is 5V? Would be good to know.


----------



## JoeKustra

Paul1522 said:


> Well, yeah, I guess I thought that was the point of this thread. The guy replaced his stock fan with this one. It is a 12V fan. So the stock fan is 5V? Would be good to know.


I'm sure the answer could be found in this thread: BOLT Stock Cooling SUCKS


----------



## BobCamp1

Paul1522 said:


> Well, yeah, I guess I thought that was the point of this thread. The guy replaced his stock fan with this one. It is a 12V fan. So the stock fan is 5V? Would be good to know.


The stock fan is 12 V. That's why when you power the Tivo on, it spins at max. speed. To prevent the fan from stalling, all PCs spin their fans by running them at maximum speed for a few seconds, then reducing their speeds down to whatever. You want to work with Newton's first law of motion, not against it.

Some 12V fans are really good and can spin up at 5V. Some aren't. None are really designed to do it. Use whatever worked for others.


----------



## Pani

I tried to wire the Noiseblocker fan to the 5V connector as described and pictured by Luke. I confirmed the 5V using a voltmeter. When connected the fan would not spin up on its own, but if I nudged the fan it would then continue to spin. I don't think it is a reliable solution, unless one substitutes a 5V fan.


----------



## darrenmv

I just purchased the Tivo Bolt OTA. The noise was not noticeable to me but was driving my wife nuts. After reading many threads on the subject including this one I decided to open it up and see what the deal was. The fan itself was not noisy, but when the fan was plugged in there was an annoying buzz. I cut the plug off of the stock fan and spliced the power into the hard drive power. That eliminated all the noise. Fan seems to work just fine as does the hard drive. The stock fan is quite silent as long as you don't use the intended power source apparently.


----------



## exdishguy

LarryAtHome said:


> If you put a 100uF 25 Volt capacitor across the fan power wires (be sure to observe polarity) the motherboard noise will be eliminated and the fan will still change speed as needed.
> As not all people are experiencing this issue, this might be a motherboard revision issue. * *note*, this has solved this in my case but I can not be certain long term damage to the motherboard might be caused...use at your own risk.


Wondering if this is still working for you Larry? I may try this. In the interim, I'm plugged into the 5v connector on the board and the unit is stable at 60 ODT. However, I want to get the temp down even more so I picked up this USB 5v to 9/12v converter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074R7FDCR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I connected it up to the stock fan and sure enough it works and I can vary the speed by selecting 9v or 12v. Obviously it spins faster than when its powered at 5v. They also have a bare PCB module with the buck booster and a potentiometer to adjust the output. I didn't want to muck around with a bare PCB though and no case for it. https://www.amazon.com/Converter-DR...mer/dp/B07K6GRWKR?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_9119938011

I'm going to try the packaged up version with the X2 fan later this week and see how it works. I'd like to see how it sounds at 9v and presume it will move a little more air, therefore pushing the ODT temps down to 55-57c-ish.

Ultimately, if Larry's 100uF 25 Volt capacitor method works well, I may try that and settle on it.


----------



## snovvman

The capacitor solution seems to be the easiest. I am interested in hearing feedback.


----------



## exdishguy

Well I have some caps arriving tomorrow and I will be trying that. I just got a blue-screen of death (yea...I said BSOD) from the Bolt that said it had to shut my unit down because it was too hot. The fan is running but it was sunny today and the sun beaming down on the thing probably made it overheat and without the fan either running faster or controlled via PWM, it overheated.


----------



## exdishguy

I tried the 100uF 25v cap with the factory fan and so far I'm liking it. Temps are running at 54c ODT and I can't hear it. That or I'm just tired of dicking around with it so I "think" that I don't hear the buzzing.  I'm going to let this run a few days and see if it holds up.


----------



## fburgerod

exdishguy said:


> I tried the 100uF 25v cap with the factory fan and so far I'm liking it. Temps are running at 54c ODT and I can't hear it. That or I'm just tired of dicking around with it so I "think" that I don't hear the buzzing.  I'm going to let this run a few days and see if it holds up.


I was also having fan noise issues. So, I unhooked the fan , left the case off and placed the bolt on 1/2 inch risers. Totally quiet now and the ODT varies between 46-50. Happy now.


----------



## exdishguy

fburgerod said:


> I was also having fan noise issues. So, I unhooked the fan , left the case off and placed the bolt on 1/2 inch risers. Totally quiet now and the ODT varies between 46-50. Happy now.


Cool (no pun intended). 

It's ridiculous that we even have to resort to these measures.

I am quite pleased with results of the cap combined with the factory fan. I just transferred a show to the Bolt, was recording another show, and were using all 6 tuners and the ODT never got over 56c. Right now the transfer is completed and I'm only recording and the temp is stable at 53c.

I thought about dropping the XS-2 back in it but at this point the Bolt is quiet as a mouse and all is working well so I'm leaving well enough alone for moment.


----------



## Dschelsea82

The bolt is great besides the noise. That being said, I replaced the fan with the XS-2 plugged into where the hd receives power and could still hear the fan from 12 ft away. I use an external 3tb drive with its own power. The only way the bolt is silent and cool is taking the top off and unplugging the fan. I mounted mine behind the TV. I'll post again if I have issues with heat. Also, I've never had the buzz just fan noise.


----------



## exdishguy

I gotta tell ya' - I didn't find the XS-2 to be any quieter. I guess I lucked out with the factory fan in that regard. The 100uF 25v cap did the trick for me on the buzzing and I prefer having the PWM speed up the fan when necessary given I'm running an internal WD 3TB drive. I'm running 51c ODT and no higher than 57c even with the sun beating down on it from my skylights.

Since you are running an external drive I'm assuming you've voided warranty already. Perhaps you can try the external USB port(s) to power the fan? I bought a cheap step up converter that lets me select 9v or 12v out and it works great. Maybe try your fan at 9v so it runs slower and it quieter? I think I posted a link to the one I bought above.


----------



## Sparky1234

FYI. I've lucked out with Bolt and Roamio as both are very quiet. My my Premieres have noisy fans and hard drives....


----------



## mrbluesky

I own an original Bolt (3 years) that is loud; Amazon sent me a replacement and it also was just as loud. I purchased a Bolt OTA a month ago and just like most people on the thread whose bolt device is loud as well. Does anyone from TiVO monitor this community forum because their engineering team should take a look at what's going on with these loud fans and fix the issue. Purchasers of these devices shouldn't have to go and engineer fixes themselves something that is a design flaw.


----------



## RJR_22

exdishguy said:


> I gotta tell ya' - I didn't find the XS-2 to be any quieter. I guess I lucked out with the factory fan in that regard. The 100uF 25v cap did the trick for me on the buzzing and I prefer having the PWM speed up the fan when necessary given I'm running an internal WD 3TB drive. I'm running 51c ODT and no higher than 57c even with the sun beating down on it from my skylights.
> 
> Since you are running an external drive I'm assuming you've voided warranty already. Perhaps you can try the external USB port(s) to power the fan? I bought a cheap step up converter that lets me select 9v or 12v out and it works great. Maybe try your fan at 9v so it runs slower and it quieter? I think I posted a link to the one I bought above.


Sorry if this is a dumb question but how did you connect the step up converter to the stock fan? The link you provided looks to have a normal DC connector and not a fan connection. Do you use some type of adapter or did you cut the wire to make a direct connection?

I tried both the stock fan and XS2 on the 5V and neither spun fast enough to keep it below 70 and I'm worried the external USB will be the same unless I step up to 12V.


----------



## exdishguy

RJR_22 said:


> Sorry if this is a dumb question but how did you connect the step up converter to the stock fan? The link you provided looks to have a normal DC connector and not a fan connection. Do you use some type of adapter or did you cut the wire to make a direct connection?
> 
> I tried both the stock fan and XS2 on the 5V and neither spun fast enough to keep it below 70 and I'm worried the external USB will be the same unless I step up to 12V.


Actually I used the XS2 for my testing and some jumper cable to connect to this nifty little gadget that allowed my to plug in the step converter. They are available on Amazon.

Velleman CD017-1 DC Jack to Screw Terminal, 2.5 mm x 5.5 mm Size (Pack of 3)

That said, I ended up using the stock fan with a Panasonic FR Series Capacitors - 25V 100uf Ultra Low ESR so that the fan speed is still variable. I didn't end up using the step up converter. I can verify it worked as advertised when I connected it to the XS2 so if you really want to use the USB method this should do the trick to get your XS2 moving more air.


----------



## RJR_22

exdishguy said:


> Actually I used the XS2 for my testing and some jumper cable to connect to this nifty little gadget that allowed my to plug in the step converter. They are available on Amazon.
> 
> Velleman CD017-1 DC Jack to Screw Terminal, 2.5 mm x 5.5 mm Size (Pack of 3)
> 
> That said, I ended up using the stock fan with a Panasonic FR Series Capacitors - 25V 100uf Ultra Low ESR so that the fan speed is still variable. I didn't end up using the step up converter. I can verify it worked as advertised when I connected it to the XS2 so if you really want to use the USB method this should do the trick to get your XS2 moving more air.


Wow that's pretty slick I've never seen an adapter like that. Thanks for the info I may grab that as well as the capacitor and see which option works better for my Bolt. It's the original 500gb bolt and it's always been borderline too loud since day 1. About a month ago it seemed to get even louder so I started researching solutions.

For the capacitor solution do you just push the ends down into the fan pin holes after connecting the fan to the normal fan connector on the board? I'm hoping no soldering is required.


----------



## exdishguy

RJR_22 said:


> Wow that's pretty slick I've never seen an adapter like that. Thanks for the info I may grab that as well as the capacitor and see which option works better for my Bolt. It's the original 500gb bolt and it's always been borderline too loud since day 1. About a month ago it seemed to get even louder so I started researching solutions.
> 
> For the capacitor solution do you just push the ends down into the fan pin holes after connecting the fan to the normal fan connector on the board? I'm hoping no soldering is required.


You could probably do it that way. I know there are proper EE's on this forum that will vehemently disagree.  There is enough room in the connector to try that - be mindful of the polarity and it should work. If the fan whining noise is very noticeable on your Bolt I think you'll hear the improvement right away.

I just rolled back to TE3 last night and my ODT is running at 51c. I think on Hydra I tended to run at 54c.


----------



## BobCamp1

exdishguy said:


> You could probably do it that way. I know there are proper EE's on this forum that will vehemently disagree.  There is enough room in the connector to try that - be mindful of the polarity and it should work. If the fan whining noise is very noticeable on your Bolt I think you'll hear the improvement right away.
> 
> I just rolled back to TE3 last night and my ODT is running at 51c. I think on Hydra I tended to run at 54c.


I'm a proper EE and have no problem with that. You're not trying to be accurate and you're not transmitting RF energy there.


----------



## exdishguy

BobCamp1 said:


> I'm a proper EE and have no problem with that. You're not trying to be accurate and you're not transmitting RF energy there.


Cool.  (no pun intended)


----------



## RJR_22

exdishguy said:


> You could probably do it that way. I know there are proper EE's on this forum that will vehemently disagree.  There is enough room in the connector to try that - be mindful of the polarity and it should work. If the fan whining noise is very noticeable on your Bolt I think you'll hear the improvement right away.
> 
> I just rolled back to TE3 last night and my ODT is running at 51c. I think on Hydra I tended to run at 54c.


Soooooo.... I think I messed up. I bought the cap you linked above and pushed the connectors down into the pin holes of the XS2. It wouldn't spin up. I then took the cap out (after disconnecting power of course) and it still wouldn't spin. I then hooked up the stock fan and it wouldn't spin. I think the fact that the XS2 has three pins mixed me up in regards to polarity. The Bolt still powers up fine and I'm watching it now. I'm guessing I had the polarity mixed up and fried the fan connector? I hooked up both fans to the other 5 volt and they both spin up (albeit too slow to actually cool as before) so I don't think I damaged the fans.

Any suggestions? I plan to go the USB power route now which I think is my only option left if I really did fry that fan power connection.


----------



## exdishguy

RJR_22 said:


> Soooooo.... I think I messed up. I bought the cap you linked above and pushed the connectors down into the pin holes of the XS2. It wouldn't spin up. I then took the cap out (after disconnecting power of course) and it still wouldn't spin. I then hooked up the stock fan and it wouldn't spin. I think the fact that the XS2 has three pins mixed me up in regards to polarity. The Bolt still powers up fine and I'm watching it now. I'm guessing I had the polarity mixed up and fried the fan connector? I hooked up both fans to the other 5 volt and they both spin up (albeit too slow to actually cool as before) so I don't think I damaged the fans.
> 
> Any suggestions? I plan to go the USB power route now which I think is my only option left if I really did fry that fan power connection.


Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I'm afraid someone like Bobcamp1 would have to comment on the likelihood you fried something. I'm a lowly hi-tech exec and are only a comp-sci guy (by degree...its been a long while). You may have shorted something but again, I'll let a EE comment. If you're not comfortable with electronics it might be safest to go with the USB step converter if you want to spin the fan at something more than 5v to move more air.


----------



## BobCamp1

exdishguy said:


> Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I'm afraid someone like Bobcamp1 would have to comment on the likelihood you fried something. I'm a lowly hi-tech exec and are only a comp-sci guy (by degree...its been a long while). You may have shorted something but again, I'll let a EE comment. If you're not comfortable with electronics it might be safest to go with the USB step converter if you want to spin the fan at something more than 5v to move more air.


I don't think he needs an EE to tell him he accidentally shorted out the fan's power supply.

Some people have just powered that fan (or a better one) with 5V and it was cool enough. You can also use two 5V fans -- place the second one underneath the CableCard while removing its door. They even sell USB powered fans for that.


----------



## RJR_22

BobCamp1 said:


> I don't think he needs an EE to tell him he accidentally shorted out the fan's power supply.
> 
> Some people have just powered that fan (or a better one) with 5V and it was cool enough. You can also use two 5V fans -- place the second one underneath the CableCard while removing its door. They even sell USB powered fans for that.


Thanks, that's actually the route I ended up going. I ordered this fan and hooked up to the 5V connector:

https://www.amazon.com/GDSTIME-50mm...&qid=1556769207&s=gateway&sr=8-11-spons&psc=1

It moves a ton of air and keeps the ODT under 50, although it's quite loud. I hooked up a fan controller (potentiometer I think?) I had in my HTPC case to throttle the speed down to almost silent. Been holding steady there at 59 for a couple hours now. I have the small top cover piece for the case ajar a bit to run the fan controller outside so I can fiddle with it. Not a very elegant solution at the moment but it's doing the trick for now. I'll need to come up with a way to close the case up with the controller inside, or route the wires cleanly outside to hook up the controller there. I'd like to find a quieter 5V fan with those dimensions however that may not actually exist; I've only found one other besides this one I bought and the other had pretty poor reviews.

I appreciate the input and quick replies exdishguy and BobCamp1. If I come up with a better solution I'll post back here in case anyone else is still following this thread for solutions.


----------



## avpman3

The noise blocker fan mentioned in a much earlier post in this thread just solved my Bolt noise problem. Thank you!


----------



## ziggyk

Thank you everyone for your help. I purchased a Tivo Bolt OTA in December 2019 and had this same issue. Tivo sent me 3 replacements and they all had the same problem. Throughout testing I found since my Bolt is sitting on hard wood surface on a open entertainment center the sound traveled quite far. Here are my fixes:

*Temp fix*: place foam packaging under the unit to deaden the sound. This makes a significant difference and costs barely anything. You may be able to use soft foam packaging like egg crate material or something else.








*Perm fix*: I purchased a 100uF 25v capactitor from Micro Center for 99 cents (SKU 634329). Took off the cover (youtube), cut down the capacitor ends to be equal size and smaller length, bent the ends to a right angle, put the capacitor ends into the fan connector (negative side in the black wire), and the hum stopped. The capacitor doesn't move when placed into the fan connector and with the right angle the cover does not bother it. If you wanted to sell or send your unit to Tivo, you could easily remove the capacitor.














Video of hum with and without the capacitor:


----------



## seaninde

ziggyk said:


> Thank you everyone for your help. I purchased a Tivo Bolt OTA in December 2019 and had this same issue. Tivo sent me 3 replacements and they all had the same problem. Throughout testing I found since my Bolt is sitting on hard wood surface on a open entertainment center the sound traveled quite far. Here are my fixes:
> 
> *Temp fix*: place foam packaging under the unit to deaden the sound. This makes a significant difference and costs barely anything. You may be able to use soft foam packaging like egg crate material or something else.
> View attachment 45486
> 
> 
> *Perm fix*: I purchased a 100uF 25v capactitor from Micro Center for 99 cents (SKU 634329). Took off the cover (youtube), cut down the capacitor ends to be equal size and smaller length, bent the ends to a right angle, put the capacitor ends into the fan connector (negative side in the black wire), and the hum stopped. The capacitor doesn't move when placed into the fan connector and with the right angle the cover does not bother it. If you wanted to sell or send your unit to Tivo, you could easily remove the capacitor.
> View attachment 45484
> View attachment 45485
> 
> 
> Video of hum with and without the capacitor:


Thanks for this. I followed your fix and it worked great. Fast & easy. I did have to bend the ends of the leads over on themselves to make a tight connection, but otherwise perfect! I have a Bolt in the bedroom and the high frequency noise was driving me nuts.


----------



## jcliff

seaninde said:


> Thanks for this. I followed your fix and it worked great. Fast & easy. I did have to bend the ends of the leads over on themselves to make a tight connection, but otherwise perfect! I have a Bolt in the bedroom and the high frequency noise was driving me nuts.


I wonder how many of the complaints about the fan noise are really just how some of us are sensitive to different frequencies. I'd try that capacitor trick if I wasn't sure I'd fry my fan power connector too.

For fun I ordered three different fan replacements off Amazon:

GDSTIME
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1Y47PQ/
Air flow:16.5CFM； Noise:26dBA

Bgears b-Blaster
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W2N73RX/
Air flow:17CFM； Noise:26dBA

Gelid Solutions Silent 5
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008S1DN66/
Air flow:12.9CFM； Noise:23dBA

The stock Bolt fan seems to be:

http://www.jmcproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05001B0004_X03.pdf
PWM Fans | JMC Products
Air flow:17.23CFM； Noise:38dBA

And what I've learned is... that the Bolt stock fan is actually pretty quiet for how much air it moves and since it's actually slightly smaller than most 50x50mm fans. And companies are full of crap depending on how they report the dba.

I wasn't being super scientific, but I was using one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07558DPKN/

And setting it up about ~5 inches above the TiVo. I know most of us won't be 5 inches from the TiVo, but it was convenient to do it that way so I didn't have to move around a lot.

The room itself was about 37.5 dba with the TiVo off.

The stock fan raised the dba to ~40.

The GDSTIME fan raised the dba to ~41.

The Bgears fan sounded loud as hell, and it raised the dba to 43.

The GELID was so quiet I genuinely checked a couple times to make sure it was still on. The dba barely went up at all. And heck, the variance could have just been my breathing or moving around for how little it budged.

Maybe because JMC doesn't really sell its fans retail, it seemed to be the most honest about the stats on its gear. If I had stood a reasonable distance away, it probably *would* result in a dba of 38. Everyone else was mostly full of crap.

The thing is, it's moving a lot of air, especially compared to fans like the GELID or Noiseblocker (12.9CFM and 8.89CFM). That's a big difference. The Bgears definitely felt like it was moving more air, but it was also the loudest. The GDSTIME seemed almost identical.

Noise ratings don't scale in set amounts, so something being 3 dba louder is actually pretty noticeable.

I went with the GELID because other folks had already tried the Noiseblocker and its rated for a higher CFM.

In the end I just put the stock fan back in, and I think what I'm hearing (now that I removed the case and experimented) is the high frequency from the power supply, and not actually the fan itself.

I'm considering putting the GELID back in and letting it run for a few days to gauge the temperature, but it was just so eerily quiet I was always convinced it had shut down and that made me anxious. It *definitely* spins at a lower rate than any of the other options.

Anyways, nothing I'd use as a citation, but for as much flack as the stock fan gets IMO it's actually a pretty high quality piece of tech.


----------



## seaninde

jcliff said:


> I wonder how many of the complaints about the fan noise are really just how some of us are sensitive to different frequencies. I'd try that capacitor trick if I wasn't sure I'd fry my fan power connector too.
> 
> For fun I ordered three different fan replacements off Amazon:
> 
> GDSTIME
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1Y47PQ/
> Air flow:16.5CFM； Noise:26dBA
> 
> Bgears b-Blaster
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W2N73RX/
> Air flow:17CFM； Noise:26dBA
> 
> Gelid Solutions Silent 5
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008S1DN66/
> Air flow:12.9CFM； Noise:23dBA
> 
> The stock Bolt fan seems to be:
> 
> http://www.jmcproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05001B0004_X03.pdf
> PWM Fans | JMC Products
> Air flow:17.23CFM； Noise:38dBA
> 
> And what I've learned is... that the Bolt stock fan is actually pretty quiet for how much air it moves and since it's actually slightly smaller than most 50x50mm fans. And companies are full of crap depending on how they report the dba.
> 
> I wasn't being super scientific, but I was using one of these:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07558DPKN/
> 
> And setting it up about ~5 inches above the TiVo. I know most of us won't be 5 inches from the TiVo, but it was convenient to do it that way so I didn't have to move around a lot.
> 
> The room itself was about 37.5 dba with the TiVo off.
> 
> The stock fan raised the dba to ~40.
> 
> The GDSTIME fan raised the dba to ~41.
> 
> The Bgears fan sounded loud as hell, and it raised the dba to 43.
> 
> The GELID was so quiet I genuinely checked a couple times to make sure it was still on. The dba barely went up at all. And heck, the variance could have just been my breathing or moving around for how little it budged.
> 
> Maybe because JMC doesn't really sell its fans retail, it seemed to be the most honest about the stats on its gear. If I had stood a reasonable distance away, it probably *would* result in a dba of 38. Everyone else was mostly full of crap.
> 
> The thing is, it's moving a lot of air, especially compared to fans like the GELID or Noiseblocker (12.9CFM and 8.89CFM). That's a big difference. The Bgears definitely felt like it was moving more air, but it was also the loudest. The GDSTIME seemed almost identical.
> 
> Noise ratings don't scale in set amounts, so something being 3 dba louder is actually pretty noticeable.
> 
> I went with the GELID because other folks had already tried the Noiseblocker and its rated for a higher CFM.
> 
> In the end I just put the stock fan back in, and I think what I'm hearing (now that I removed the case and experimented) is the high frequency from the power supply, and not actually the fan itself.
> 
> I'm considering putting the GELID back in and letting it run for a few days to gauge the temperature, but it was just so eerily quiet I was always convinced it had shut down and that made me anxious. It *definitely* spins at a lower rate than any of the other options.
> 
> Anyways, nothing I'd use as a citation, but for as much flack as the stock fan gets IMO it's actually a pretty high quality piece of tech.


I*TS NOT THE FAN. That's the misconception. Its the fan power circuit that is making the high pitch noise. It is electrical noise, not mechanical.*


----------



## ziggyk

Thank you for posting this extra information about your fan swap. I ended up replacing the fan on my Tivo Bolt OTA with the GELID you tested and it made a significant difference when the unit is in Standby mode. I can't hear it at all which is exactly what I was looking for. If nothing is being recorded and I'm not watching live TV, I should not be able to hear it and now I can't. The capacitor and fan swap 100% fixes the noise issue.

The only extra item I would recommend purchasing is this 3 to 2 wire fan adapter off of eBay. I utilized a bit of two-sided tape to stick the adapter to the side of the fan so it all fits snug. You'll see my capacitor in the fan connector too in the pic below.










jcliff said:


> I wonder how many of the complaints about the fan noise are really just how some of us are sensitive to different frequencies. I'd try that capacitor trick if I wasn't sure I'd fry my fan power connector too.
> 
> For fun I ordered three different fan replacements off Amazon:
> 
> GDSTIME
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1Y47PQ/
> Air flow:16.5CFM； Noise:26dBA
> 
> Bgears b-Blaster
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06W2N73RX/
> Air flow:17CFM； Noise:26dBA
> 
> Gelid Solutions Silent 5
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008S1DN66/
> Air flow:12.9CFM； Noise:23dBA
> 
> The stock Bolt fan seems to be:
> 
> http://www.jmcproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05001B0004_X03.pdf
> PWM Fans | JMC Products
> Air flow:17.23CFM； Noise:38dBA
> 
> And what I've learned is... that the Bolt stock fan is actually pretty quiet for how much air it moves and since it's actually slightly smaller than most 50x50mm fans. And companies are full of crap depending on how they report the dba.
> 
> I wasn't being uper scientific, but I was using one of these:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07558DPKN/
> 
> And setting it up about ~5 inches above the TiVo. I know most of us won't be 5 inches from the TiVo, but it was convenient to do it that way so I didn't have to move around a lot.
> 
> The room itself was about 37.5 dba with the TiVo off.
> 
> The stock fan raised the dba to ~40.
> 
> The GDSTIME fan raised the dba to ~41.
> 
> The Bgears fan sounded loud as hell, and it raised the dba to 43.
> 
> The GELID was so quiet I genuinely checked a couple times to make sure it was still on. The dba barely went up at all. And heck, the variance could have just been my breathing or moving around for how little it budged.
> 
> Maybe because JMC doesn't really sell its fans retail, it seemed to be the most honest about the stats on its gear. If I had stood a reasonable distance away, it probably *would* result in a dba of 38. Everyone else was mostly full of crap.
> 
> The thing is, it's moving a lot of air, especially compared to fans like the GELID or Noiseblocker (12.9CFM and 8.89CFM). That's a big difference. The Bgears definitely felt like it was moving more air, but it was also the loudest. The GDSTIME seemed almost identical.
> 
> Noise ratings don't scale in set amounts, so something being 3 dba louder is actually pretty noticeable.
> 
> I went with the GELID because other folks had already tried the Noiseblocker and its rated for a higher CFM.
> 
> In the end I just put the stock fan back in, and I think what I'm hearing (now that I removed the case and experimented) is the high frequency from the power supply, and not actually the fan itself.
> 
> I'm considering putting the GELID back in and letting it run for a few days to gauge the temperature, but it was just so eerily quiet I was always convinced it had shut down and that made me anxious. It *definitely* spins at a lower rate than any of the other options.
> 
> Anyways, nothing I'd use as a citation, but for as much flack as the stock fan gets IMO it's actually a pretty high quality piece of tech.


----------



## RegGuheert

Luke M said:


> The really low tech solution is to just take the cover off and unplug the fan. It runs cooler that way than with the fan and cover.





leiff said:


> That's what I do.


Thanks, guys! That is exactly what I decided to do. My brand-new Bolt OTA has been whisper quiet, but the on-die temperature was running at 59°C. Lowest I saw was 57°C.

First step was to do only what Luke M said: remove the covers and unplug the fan. Nothing else. That change reduced the ODT to 52°C.

I was looking for lower temperatures, so I took one more (free) step: I removed the included fan from its bracket and stood it up on the motherboard between the hard drive and the large heatsink, just aft of the radio. It is sitting so that it is pulling air across the hard drive and blowing it across the heatsink. *This additional change reduced the ODT an additional 15°C down to 37°C!!
*
I'm pretty happy with my free cooling mod! If I apply the standard rule-of-thumb based on the work of Svente Arrhenius, I might expect a quadrupling of the life of the unit from this 20°C drop in operating temperatures. Here's hoping!


----------



## LarryAtHome

jcliff said:


> The stock Bolt fan seems to be:
> 
> http://www.jmcproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/05001B0004_X03.pdf
> PWM Fans | JMC Products


Except the stock fan is 12V, 2 wires


----------



## ExDeus

I tested the stock fan connected to the stock 12V power connector and got 40dB just above the back of the TiVo.

I swapped in the Noiseblocker XS-2 fan and connected it to a 12V USB adapter and it's definitely more wind than buzzing noise now but is up to 45dB.

That's +5dB for the new "silent" fan.

What gives?


----------



## avpman2

I've been down this route. The first replacement fan I installed (a high-quality one) didn't last a year and caused my HD to fail due to heat. I finally found a reasonable workaround using the stock TiVo fan. Turn the TiVo upside down, remove the cable card cover, and leave it _*upside down without *_the CC cover installed. The heat will dissipate better.


----------



## ExDeus

^ That makes sense for heat dissipation, but I'm actually looking for a solution to get rid of the noise.

The impetus driving me to change something is that I can't listen to the fan/power circuit buzzing away...


----------



## pl1

ExDeus said:


> The impetus driving me to change something is that I can't listen to the fan/power circuit buzzing away...


I put one of these under the Bolt with the cableCARD cover off. AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4. In your case, just pull the internal fan, plug this into the usb port, and prop the Bolt up to be somewhat level.

Edit: This comes with a three speed switch so you can select the noise you are comfortable with. I use it on medium. I do not have a sound db meter to test the volume, but I don't hear anything. I don't mind a solid noise, it is the thrashing of a hard drive or the whining of a fan that drives me crazy.


----------



## ExDeus

Replacing the internal fan with a quieter external fan is an interesting idea.

I'm thinking removing the fan and possibly its bracket, and then placing this blower model under the grill on the outside of the case might work better.


----------



## m_jonis

Just did the Capacitor fix. Very easy and it makes a HUGE difference, at least for me. Was a bit hard finding the panasonic ones, but I did.


----------

