# Bolt + ODT Temp



## compnurd

So i recently replaced one of my Bolt's with a Bolt +.. The Regular Bolt ran around between 59-63 ODT.. The Bolt + runs between 69-73 even on some little legs and the CC cover off.... it is not having any issues and despite the temp the unit is warm but not hot to the touch... Did we ever find out a normal ODT range for these. I was looking at some laptop coolers.. but cant seem to find a normal looking one without any LED's


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## djones18

I haven't seen TiVo officially posted normal operating ODT ranges. Many folks seem to get temperature variations you get without problems. Others choose innovative cooling methods. There are many laptop coolers available on Amazon and through other sellers which don't have LEDs. Just search this forum or Amazon. My Bolt + is in an audio cabinet. It was getting ODTs as high as 76-79 and its fan was running continuously apparently on high during first week of use.

I tried a laptop cooler and it lowered temps a few degrees. I now use an AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 (search Amazon) under my raised Bolt+ and my ODT readings are under 60, usually around 53-55. My Bolt+ fan is off or runs very low. The Infinity is a tried-and-true cooler for AV installations. It's also very quiet. It has three cooling speeds: L-M-H. I run mine on medium and can't hear it unless I'm within a foot of the cabinet. It plugs into any USB port or adapter for power.


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## tlc

djones18 said:


> I now use an AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 (search Amazon) under my raised Bolt+ and my ODT readings are under 60, usually around 53-55.


What's your physical configuration? How did you raise the fan and Bolt+?


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## djones18

tlc said:


> What's your physical configuration? How did you raise the fan and Bolt+?


Simple and inexpensive. I used two small craft boxes purchased in Walmart which are about 3.5" high, 2"wide, 4"long. I wrapped them in black Gorilla tape so they would not be seen in my A/V cabinet. They slip under Bolt on left and right sides lifting it enough to place fan under it with about 1/2" clearance from bottom of the Bolt. I looked all over for rubber feet high enough to raise the Bolt while keeping it stable but couldn't find them. This works well, is stable, but doesn't look great if Bolt is out in the open. Fan is set to blow air up into the Bolt opening where internal fan is located.

I've run the Infinity fan 24/7 at medium speed continuously for about a month. Virtually no noise unless I get close to the cabinet. ODT remains between 54-57, a 10-15 degree decrease versus not using the fan. Internal Bolt fan never operates as far as I can tell.


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## tlc

Thanks! You didn't mention raising the fan. Do the fan's own feet raise it enough to draw air from underneath?
Also, the Bolt fans blows out, yes? But you're blowing into the fan opening?

The AC Infinity fans look great. I already have another use for one in mind and I may get one of their cabinet fans for the cabinet the Bolt is in.


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## djones18

tlc said:


> Thanks! You didn't mention raising the fan. Do the fan's own feet raise it enough to draw air from underneath?
> Also, the Bolt fans blows out, yes? But you're blowing into the fan opening?
> 
> The AC Infinity fans look great. I already have another use for one in mind and I may get one of their cabinet fans for the cabinet the Bolt is in.


Right. The Infinity Fan has integral feet on all four sides which raise it enough above the surface it's sitting on to be useable. I believe the Bolt fan is an exhaust fan. The combination of raising the Bolt and increasing air flow along its bottom surface regardless of whether the Bolt fan is operational has resulted in a 10 degree or more temp drop.


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## Sparky1234

djones18 said:


> Right. The Infinity Fan has integral feet on all four sides which raise it enough above the surface it's sitting on to be useable. I believe the Bolt fan is an exhaust fan. The combination of raising the Bolt and increasing air flow along its bottom surface regardless of whether the Bolt fan is operational has resulted in a 10 degree or more temp drop.


For what it's worth... I cut appropriate sized (1-1/2" to 2" diameter) white PVC to 1/2" to 2" length, depending on need, as spacers between stacked components. I wrap the white PVC in black electrical tape or black duct tape so they blend in. Never had a heat issue with good air flow under and around stacked "hot" components. Heat is a killer of electronics over time.


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## Mikeguy

And the simple DIY method: water bottle (or similar, such as juice or milk container) caps under the box's 4 corners. (And with the translucent/semi-clear caps, almost looking like a "standard" part.)


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## djones18

Mikeguy said:


> And the simple DIY method: water bottle (or similar, such as juice or milk container) caps under the box's 4 corners. (And with the translucent/semi-clear caps, almost looking like a "standard" part.)


How very clever and utterly simple. Thanks.


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## Mikeguy

djones18 said:


> How very clever and utterly simple. Thanks.


It's the sharkster hack. 

Curved BOLT Design: Love it or Hate it ?


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## GDogg

djones18 said:


> I haven't seen TiVo officially posted normal operating ODT ranges. Many folks seem to get temperature variations you get without problems. Others choose innovative cooling methods. There are many laptop coolers available on Amazon and through other sellers which don't have LEDs. Just search this forum or Amazon. My Bolt + is in an audio cabinet. It was getting ODTs as high as 76-79 and its fan was running continuously apparently on high during first week of use.
> 
> I tried a laptop cooler and it lowered temps a few degrees. I now use an AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 (search Amazon) under my raised Bolt+ and my ODT readings are under 60, usually around 53-55. My Bolt+ fan is off or runs very low. The Infinity is a tried-and-true cooler for AV installations. It's also very quiet. It has three cooling speeds: L-M-H. I run mine on medium and can't hear it unless I'm within a foot of the cabinet. It plugs into any USB port or adapter for power.


Thanks for the AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 recommendation. I have my Tivo in an enclosed cabinet and it gets pretty warm, so I followed your lead and ordered one of these fans from Amazon. It doesn't move a lot of air, but I think that when it comes to cooling, a little air movement can make a big difference over no air movement. I like the fact that I can power the fan from the Tivo USB port instead of giving up another 120VAC outlet.

For my setup, I just stuck together a few felt furniture pads and used them to prop up the right side of the Tivo. Then I put the fan next to it so it's got air blowing above and below the Tivo. Maybe the interior isn't much cooler but the exterior feels cooler to the touch so there's probably some improvement inside as well.


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## toricred

I picked up on of the Infinity fans with 2x120mm fans. The ODT dropped by 20. All I can say is WOW! Great find.


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## mattyro7878

Mikeguy said:


> And the simple DIY method: water bottle (or similar, such as juice or milk container) caps under the box's 4 corners. (And with the translucent/semi-clear caps, almost looking like a "standard" part.)


I use prescription bottle tops. But 4 of anything the same size will work.


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## scottbryan724

toricred said:


> I picked up on of the Infinity fans with 2x120mm fans. The ODT dropped by 20. All I can say is WOW! Great find.


Where and how did you position them?


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## toricred

scottbryan724 said:


> Where and how did you position them?


I put them under the Bolt. The feet on both sides of the fans allow for a small separation between the Bolt and the fan another separation between the fan and whatever it is sitting on. It works great.


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## scottbryan724

toricred said:


> I put them under the Bolt. The feet on both sides of the fans allow for a small separation between the Bolt and the fan another separation between the fan and whatever it is sitting on. It works great.


Thanks for the info! One more question fan blowing in or used as exhaust?


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## JoeKustra

toricred said:


> I picked up on of the Infinity fans with 2x120mm fans. The ODT dropped by 20. All I can say is WOW! Great find.


They are very good fans. I have one on top of my Mini and a wireless bridge in top of that. It's a v2 Mini, mounted out of sight, so the stack isn't visible.


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## djones18

scottbryan724 said:


> Thanks for the info! One more question fan blowing in or used as exhaust?


Sorry to step in but I have my Infinity fan under my Bolt + with fan blowing upward into the Bolt +. This resulted in significant ODT drop. Tried reverse and saw little to no ODT change over 24 hours. Seems that air blowing into and over the bottom of the Bolt + reduces internal temps the most. Makes sense.


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## scottbryan724

djones18 said:


> Sorry to step in but I have my Infinity fan under my Bolt + with fan blowing upward into the Bolt +. This resulted in significant ODT drop. Tried reverse and saw little to no ODT change over 24 hours. Seems that air blowing into and over the bottom of the Bolt + reduces internal temps the most. Makes sense.


Using 2 or 1?


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## djones18

scottbryan724 said:


> Using 2 or 1?


I assume you mean am I using one or two Infinity fan units. Using one Infinity Fan because that is what fits under the Bolt + with the Bolt lifted at left and right corners with various things described above in this thread. Works great.


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## junebug2

Thank you so much for this news. I searched the AC Infinity page and found this and ordered it. More expensive, but looks way better and has its own power supply. I will place it below my Bolt and the two fans will cool the unit. My TiVo is out in the open, so this fan should work wonderfully. Now lets hope Amazons free same day shipping actually delivers on a Saturday!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVW4SLP?ref=emc_b_5_t

My Roamio and now Bolt both were very hot on one side on the unit, the side with the cable card. Also the cable card itself was extremely hot to touch to the point where you couldn't leave your fingers on it for very long. My PREMIER large chassis was so much better than these small units. I am a thermal design engineer but it doesn't take an expert to realize these things are either (a) not designed good enough for normal usage with cable cards, or (b) made to fail earlier since the older large metal chassis design lasted "forever". I almost sold my Bolt, but with this solution I have confidence it will work. I might still leave the cover off the cable card location, to improve cooling flow.

EXAUST fan vs IMPINGING fan:
Is it better to have a fan exhaust heat away from a unit or blow cool air at a unit? This question was indirectly raised above and while technically you should evaluate the entire scenario if doing a technical solution (e.g., redesigning TiVo so that is cools better), my answer is something very simple. On a hot day, get a personal cooling fan and stand behind it, with flow away from your body. Next reverse the side and have the flow blowing at your body. If you don't know this intuitively already, blowing air at your body will produce a drastically greater cooling effect. The same will be true for your electronics IF they are not in a small enclosed space.


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## djones18

junebug2 said:


> Thank you so much for this news. I searched the AC Infinity page and found this and ordered it. More expensive, but looks way better and has its own power supply. I will place it below my Bolt and the two fans will cool the unit. My TiVo is out in the open, so this fan should work wonderfully. Now lets hope Amazons free same day shipping actually delivers on a Saturday!
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVW4SLP?ref=emc_b_5_t
> 
> My Roamio and now Bolt both were very hot on one side on the unit, the side with the cable card. Also the cable card itself was extremely hot to touch to the point where you couldn't leave your fingers on it for very long. My PREMIER large chassis was so much better than these small units. I am a thermal design engineer but it doesn't take an expert to realize these things are either (a) not designed good enough for normal usage with cable cards, or (b) made to fail earlier since the older large metal chassis design lasted "forever". I almost sold my Bolt, but with this solution I have confidence it will work. I might still leave the cover off the cable card location, to improve cooling flow.
> 
> EXAUST fan vs IMPINGING fan:
> Is it better to have a fan exhaust heat away from a unit or blow cool air at a unit? This question was indirectly raised above and while technically you should evaluate the entire scenario if doing a technical solution (e.g., redesigning TiVo so that is cools better), my answer is something very simple. On a hot day, get a personal cooling fan and stand behind it, with flow away from your body. Next reverse the side and have the flow blowing at your body. If you don't know this intuitively already, blowing air at your body will produce a drastically greater cooling effect. The same will be true for your electronics IF they are not in a small enclosed space.


Good luck with your fan setup. I'm sure you'll see a noticeable reduction in temperature as long as the heat has somewhere to go other than back into the device. Whether to blow fan air onto a device or use as an exhaust generates a lot of comments. If your device has cooling vents on top (which TiVo Bolt does not) using exhaust mode and placing the fan on top of the device to draw heat out is preferable (AV Receivers and suchlike). Since heated air rises and because of the way the TiVo Bolt is designed I find blowing air into the Bolt from below maximizes heat loss and lowers the internal temperature to an acceptable level -- around 54 degrees ODT regardless of the TiVo's operating mode.


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## m.s

junebug2 said:


> my answer is something very simple. On a hot day, get a personal cooling fan and stand behind it, with flow away from your body. Next reverse the side and have the flow blowing at your body. If you don't know this intuitively already, blowing air at your body will produce a drastically greater cooling effect. The same will be true for your electronics IF they are not in a small enclosed space.


Maybe your electronics sweat when they're hot. Mine don't. As far as cooling, direction doesn't make much difference unless there's a specific hotspot the fan is directed at which would benefit from the increased turbulence. If you turned a Bolt fan around, it would be blowing at the case top.

The fan blows out because that way less dust gets in (because the incoming air is lower speed, yes it really does work that way). If you have a fan blowing into an enclosure, you want a filter on it.


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## BeerPimp

junebug2 said:


> Thank you so much for this news. I searched the AC Infinity page and found this and ordered it. More expensive, but looks way better and has its own power supply. I will place it below my Bolt and the two fans will cool the unit. My TiVo is out in the open, so this fan should work wonderfully. Now lets hope Amazons free same day shipping actually delivers on a Saturday!
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVW4SLP?ref=emc_b_5_t
> 
> My Roamio and now Bolt both were very hot on one side on the unit, the side with the cable card. Also the cable card itself was extremely hot to touch to the point where you couldn't leave your fingers on it for very long. My PREMIER large chassis was so much better than these small units. I am a thermal design engineer but it doesn't take an expert to realize these things are either (a) not designed good enough for normal usage with cable cards, or (b) made to fail earlier since the older large metal chassis design lasted "forever". I almost sold my Bolt, but with this solution I have confidence it will work. I might still leave the cover off the cable card location, to improve cooling flow.
> 
> EXAUST fan vs IMPINGING fan:
> Is it better to have a fan exhaust heat away from a unit or blow cool air at a unit? This question was indirectly raised above and while technically you should evaluate the entire scenario if doing a technical solution (e.g., redesigning TiVo so that is cools better), my answer is something very simple. On a hot day, get a personal cooling fan and stand behind it, with flow away from your body. Next reverse the side and have the flow blowing at your body. If you don't know this intuitively already, blowing air at your body will produce a drastically greater cooling effect. The same will be true for your electronics IF they are not in a small enclosed space.


Please respond back with your results to this thread. If it works well I will have to get one.


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## junebug2

**UPDATE**
First, Amazon same day Saturday delivery came thru and i got the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 around 8pm. Awesome!

See attached pictures. Unit is close in size to the Bolt unit. It was packaged very good and appears to be well constructed. The power cord is included and is about 6' long. I set it underneath the Bolt and plugged it in. Before powering the fans, I checked the Bolt temperature and ODT was 68. I set the fans to low speed and within less than 10 minutes ODT was 57. After 30+ minutes and checking a few times as well as the next day, ODT is reading 47 typically.

This solution is more expensive than the single fan solution, but I think it looks a little nicer. That being said, the LED lites are pretty bright and in my bedroom I have to block them. The single fan unit should be plenty sufficient. I dont know if the dual fans provide any redundancy if a fan were to fail. Overall, I am pleased with this solution and I hope it continues to work for a long time.


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## junebug2

djones18 said:


> Good luck with your fan setup. I'm sure you'll see a noticeable reduction in temperature as long as the heat has somewhere to go other than back into the device. Whether to blow fan air onto a device or use as an exhaust generates a lot of comments. If your device has cooling vents on top (which TiVo Bolt does not) using exhaust mode and placing the fan on top of the device to draw heat out is preferable (AV Receivers and suchlike). Since heated air rises and because of the way the TiVo Bolt is designed I find blowing air into the Bolt from below maximizes heat loss and lowers the internal temperature to an acceptable level -- around 54 degrees ODT regardless of the TiVo's operating mode.


I agree, cooling from below the Bolt should be the best approach. My earlier response contains pictures of how I placed the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 fan unit. Thank you!


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## djones18

junebug2 said:


> I agree, cooling from below the Bolt should be the best approach. My earlier response contains pictures of how I placed the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 fan unit. Thank you!


Thanks for the photos. Nice setup. Significant temp reduction. My AC Infinity Fan, single fan version, has operated 24/7 now for months with no problems. These fans are built to last for years in AV cabinet setups. Someone has mentioned using filters to avoid dust accumulating on the inside of the Bolt. That's certainly worth considering if feasible but I don't believe it will shorten the life of a Bolt unless you live in a very dusty environment or where the HVAC system is not filtering. Long term high temps in circuitry are more likely to have a negative impact in my view. I've used Infinity fans in AV cabinets for years and the fan itself accumulates dust over a couple years of use even in a clean environment. I pull them out and clean them. I've never had a component fail due to dust on the circuitry inside the component using fans. I've had heat related failures over a few decades before using cooling fans.


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## CIR-Engineering

junebug2 said:


> **UPDATE**
> First, Amazon same day Saturday delivery came thru and i got the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 around 8pm. Awesome!
> 
> See attached pictures. Unit is close in size to the Bolt unit. It was packaged very good and appears to be well constructed. The power cord is included and is about 6' long. I set it underneath the Bolt and plugged it in. Before powering the fans, I checked the Bolt temperature and ODT was 68. I set the fans to low speed and within less than 10 minutes ODT was 57. After 30+ minutes and checking a few times as well as the next day, ODT is reading 47 typically.
> 
> This solution is more expensive than the single fan solution, but I think it looks a little nicer. That being said, the LED lites are pretty bright and in my bedroom I have to block them. The single fan unit should be plenty sufficient. I dont know if the dual fans provide any redundancy if a fan were to fail. Overall, I am pleased with this solution and I hope it continues to work for a long time.
> View attachment 33288
> View attachment 33289
> View attachment 33290
> View attachment 33291
> View attachment 33292


That's a nice looking cooler and is perfect for the BOLT. With the BOLT, the more air you can get away from the bottom the better, otherwise it just recirculates the same hot air. Having the intakes and fan exhaust under the BOLT is a really stupid design.

I think I am going to get one of those coolers for my Marantz AV-8802A.

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

If you really want to go nuts like I did... ;-)

Link: My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)

craigr


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## junebug2

CIR-Engineering said:


> That's a nice looking cooler and is perfect for the BOLT. With the BOLT, the more air you can get away from the bottom the better, otherwise it just recirculates the same hot air. Having the intakes and fan exhaust under the BOLT is a really stupid design.
> 
> I think I am going to get one of those coolers for my Marantz AV-8802A.
> 
> craigr


Thanks craigr. I left the cover off the cable card area for better cooling and this fan set seems to work decently well to bring down the temp. I looked at your other link to the mods you did to your bolt and that is amazing how low you got your temp down to. Good job!


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## mattyro7878

junebug2 said:


> **UPDATE**
> First, Amazon same day Saturday delivery came thru and i got the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 around 8pm. Awesome!
> 
> See attached pictures. Unit is close in size to the Bolt unit. It was packaged very good and appears to be well constructed. The power cord is included and is about 6' long. I set it underneath the Bolt and plugged it in. Before powering the fans, I checked the Bolt temperature and ODT was 68. I set the fans to low speed and within less than 10 minutes ODT was 57. After 30+ minutes and checking a few times as well as the next day, ODT is reading 47 typically.
> 
> This solution is more expensive than the single fan solution, but I think it looks a little nicer. That being said, the LED lites are pretty bright and in my bedroom I have to block them. The single fan unit should be plenty sufficient. I dont know if the dual fans provide any redundancy if a fan were to fail. Overall, I am pleased with this solution and I hope it continues to work for a long time.
> View attachment 33288
> View attachment 33289
> View attachment 33290
> View attachment 33291
> View attachment 33292


From the pics, I would guess those fans move quite a bit of air. Good Luck!


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## mattyro7878

CIR-Engineering said:


> If you really want to go nuts like I did... ;-)
> 
> Link: My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)
> 
> craigr


Nice amp my friend. I'm guessing the entire system is kick butt!


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## m.s

The biggest difference I made to the ODT was by simply blocking the external left/right airflow. I put a small board (just what I could come up with easily, and the Bolt is hidden so looks don't reallly matter) under the Bolt, going front to back, where the bend is in the case. It ended up lifting the fan side about an inch. That worked better than just raising the entire unit, because it blocks the airflow coming out of the fan from going right back in.


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## jlb

djones18 said:


> Good luck with your fan setup. I'm sure you'll see a noticeable reduction in temperature as long as the heat has somewhere to go other than back into the device. Whether to blow fan air onto a device or use as an exhaust generates a lot of comments. If your device has cooling vents on top (which TiVo Bolt does not) using exhaust mode and placing the fan on top of the device to draw heat out is preferable (AV Receivers and suchlike). Since heated air rises and because of the way the TiVo Bolt is designed I find blowing air into the Bolt from below maximizes heat loss and lowers the internal temperature to an acceptable level -- around 54 degrees ODT regardless of the TiVo's operating mode.


I am not sure I have seen what people are seeing for temps without a fan when the TiVo is out in the open and not in a cabinet. Mine's in the open at the moment but when I move in a few weeks it will initially be in the open and maybe also stay in the open when I get a new cabinet. I haven't checked yet in the few days I've had mine......


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## Tony_T

jlb said:


> I am not sure I have seen what people are seeing for temps without a fan when the TiVo is out in the open and not in a cabinet. Mine's in the open at the moment but when I move in a few weeks it will initially be in the open and *maybe also stay in the open when I get a new cabinet*. I haven't checked yet in the few days I've had mine......


I have a fan in the back of my cabinet and it keeps my Bolt at ~ 60°C


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## CIR-Engineering

m.s said:


> The biggest difference I made to the ODT was by simply blocking the external left/right airflow. I put a small board (just what I could come up with easily, and the Bolt is hidden so looks don't reallly matter) under the Bolt, going front to back, where the bend is in the case. It ended up lifting the fan side about an inch. That worked better than just raising the entire unit, because it blocks the airflow coming out of the fan from going right back in.


How long have you had your BOLT lopsided? Stock, the BOLT keeps the hard drive horizontally level. Hard drives are designed to run either vertically or horizontally placed. You may see reduced hard drive life with your BOLT at an angle.

Just my $0.02

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

mattyro7878 said:


> Nice amp my friend. I'm guessing the entire system is kick butt!


I love that amp... but that's just for the little system in the family room. You should see my theater 

Thanks,
craigr


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## m.s

CIR-Engineering said:


> How long have you had your BOLT lopsided? Stock, the BOLT keeps the hard drive horizontally level. Hard drives are designed to run either vertically or horizontally placed.


LOL. You've never owned a laptop, have you?


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## CIR-Engineering

m.s said:


> LOL. You've never owned a laptop, have you?


I know what you mean, and I thought that while I typed, bit... a laptop is often used on a desk or other flat surface at least a lot of the time, and it is not being asked to record 4-6 streams while playing back recorded streams at the same time. The drive in a TiVo works a lot harder than a drive in a laptop. Also, the laptop will spin down the drive. The primary concern with having the drive at an angle is bearing wear. I personally would not leave my BOLT at an angle indefinitely.

craigr


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## m.s

These aren't ST-506 drives. Even way back then, Shugart said "the only prohibited mounting orientation is horizontal with PCB up (disk surface down, parallel and next to the mounting surface)." Western Digital says (about current desktop drives): "The drive can be mounted sideways, on end, or even upside down as long as the mounting screws are used properly."

Ever seen an iMac, with its drive sitting there at an angle?

It's much more important to avoid heat and shock. Bearing wear? Modern drives use fluid bearings.


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## CIR-Engineering

m.s said:


> These aren't ST-506 drives. Even way back then, Shugart said "the only prohibited mounting orientation is horizontal with PCB up (disk surface down, parallel and next to the mounting surface)." Western Digital says (about current desktop drives): "The drive can be mounted sideways, on end, or even upside down as long as the mounting screws are used properly."
> 
> Ever seen an iMac, with its drive sitting there at an angle?
> 
> It's much more important to avoid heat and shock. Bearing wear? Modern drives use fluid bearings.


All right.

craigr


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## jlb

Tony_T said:


> I have a fan in the back of my cabinet and it keeps my Bolt at ~ 60°C


I just checked the temp on mine for the first time since getting it Friday. Out in the open, not in a cabinet. At 59.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## callmebob12345

I just got my Bolt+ and my ODT is in the 60s. This is in a cabinet with an open front. I was thinking about trying one of the Infinity Fans (S4) to try to cool it off a little. There is some fan noise from the Bolt, but it is not super loud, just a low hum with a little high pitched sound like a computer (if that makes any sense). Anyway, I was thinking about placing the fan behind the unit and blowing air towards it through the arch to get airflow underneath. Would that work to drop the temps and, hopefully, reduce the stock fan's use? I would prefer not to prop up the unit and place the fan underneath for aesthetic reasons. The fan noise isn't really bothering me too much, but I can hear it from time to time and now that I know it's there, I find myself listening for it so I would like to find a solution to limit the use of the stock fan by trying what is supposed to be a much quieter one.


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## fyodor

We had good luck with one of these laptop/heatsink combos. We put the Bolt on top of it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NNMB3KS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## callmebob12345

fyodor said:


> We had good luck with one of these laptop/heatsink combos. We put the Bolt on top of it.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NNMB3KS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Can you turn off the LEDs?


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## fyodor

Dunno. Ours is in a closed cabinet (which is partially why need the fan)


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## CTLesq

I apologize for the ignorance of my question but how are people figuring out the temps their TiVos are at? I didn’t see temp as a stat on the TiVo box menu. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## HerronScott

CTLesq said:


> I apologize for the ignorance of my question but how are people figuring out the temps their TiVos are at? I didn't see temp as a stat on the TiVo box menu.


It is on the System Information screen. On the Bolt, I believe it's shown as ODT (On-Die Temperature).

Scott


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## CTLesq

HerronScott said:


> It is on the System Information screen. On the Bolt, I believe it's shown as ODT (On-Die Temperature).
> 
> Scott


And so it is. Thank you.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## fyodor

HerronScott said:


> It is on the System Information screen. On the Bolt, I believe it's shown as ODT (On-Die Temperature).
> 
> Scott


People put their tongues on the tops of the Tivo and guesstimate.


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## HerronScott

fyodor said:


> People put their tongues on the tops of the Tivo and guesstimate.


I thought that was how you checked 9-volt batteries. 

Scott


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## CIR-Engineering

fyodor said:


> People put their tongues on the tops of the Tivo and guesstimate.


LOL!



HerronScott said:


> I thought that was how you checked 9-volt batteries.
> 
> Scott


In a pinch if I don't have my DMM I do test them this way. Seriously, have you tried it, it really works though a tad zippy 

craigr


----------



## Skanter123

While I used to have extensive fans for HD arrays for video editing with Toaster /Flyer in the 1990s, I assumed Tivo’s latest model (25 years later) would be designed in such a way that it would not overheat. Has nothing changed?


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Skanter123 said:


> While I used to have extensive fans for HD arrays for video editing with Toaster /Flyer in the 1990s, I assumed Tivo's latest model (25 years later) would be designed in such a way that it would not overheat. Has nothing changed?


The TiVo will shutdown if it reaches a high temperature that TiVo considers too high and "overheats." That said, if you have a lifetime box that costs around $800 and are fine with an ODT of 70 degrees C, a case that is very warm to the touch, and knowing an expensive hard drive is in there getting cooked, than no/yes the TiVo is not running too hot.

craigr


----------



## Skanter123

My Bolt was a refurb that cost $139, I pay monthly and the 1T HD is very cheap, so it won’t get too hot for me to sweat it.  ODT is 69.

My video editing system in the 90’s cost $25K and I depended on it to make a living, hence external fans. This device is just recording inane TV programs!


----------



## jlb

My Bolt is in the open but with this heat this week and next I want to get at least one of the usb ac infinity fans talked about in this thread.

I’m likely to try just pointing at and blowing air across and under rather than trying to raise it and put under. I guess I could raise if I can find some good materials.

Anyways, does it matter which one? The 120mm ones seem popular. There are different models that are 120. I guess some move more air.

Which one(s) would
Make the most sense? Also, would you consider a cooler “pad” that I could put underneath? The cheaper one I saw above seems like it has an angle.

Thoughts are appreciated.


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## jlb

I'm looking at the options on amazon, the dual s7 package 120mm ones are twice the airflow than the 120mm s3 with only one decibel more.

I think I'll probably get the dual pack.

Now, to stand facing and blow air at/under or find a reasonably secure method for raising it up. This is sort of in the open so WAF may need to be high but it will be mostly hidden behind the new tv I may be getting this weekend....

edited to add: I'm thinking about getting something like this to raise the bolt up. Seems sturdy enough to support the Bolt well.

https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Vented-Computer-Printer-Platform/dp/B073VKC134

The only problem with that stand is I may not have enough depth. Need something as close to the bold depth as possible.

This similar one is less deep so this may work out
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0741T1MPR

I guess I'd appreciate the DIY solutions that have worked well. Any pics would be helpful.

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## JoeKustra

My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)


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## jlb

JoeKustra said:


> My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)


Joe, somehow I knew you would post a link to that thread. I've read that. That mod looks very cool but I just am not handy enough 

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## jlb

I just came up with a great diy solution for raising that should get the bolt high enough to slide a fan under....

Stok cold brew coffee bottle caps










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## Mikeguy

jlb said:


> I just came up with a great diy solution for raising that should get the bolt high enough to slide a fan under....
> 
> Stok cold brew coffee bottle caps


Now that's a riser!


----------



## Skanter123

jlb said:


> I'm looking at the options on amazon, the dual s7 package 120mm ones are twice the airflow than the 120mm s3 with only one decibel more.
> 
> I think I'll probably get the dual pack.
> 
> Now, to stand facing and blow air at/under or find a reasonably secure method for raising it up. This is sort of in the open so WAF may need to be high but it will be mostly hidden behind the new tv I may be getting this weekend....
> 
> edited to add: I'm thinking about getting something like this to raise the bolt up. Seems sturdy enough to support the Bolt well.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Monitor-Vented-Computer-Printer-Platform/dp/B073VKC134
> 
> The only problem with that stand is I may not have enough depth. Need something as close to the bold depth as possible.
> 
> This similar one is less deep so this may work out
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0741T1MPR
> 
> I guess I'd appreciate the DIY solutions that have worked well. Any pics would be helpful.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


AICHESON Laptop Cooler, Ultra Slim Laptop Cooling Pad Lightweight Chill Portable Notebook Mat with 2 Heavy Duty Quiet Fans USB Powered with LED Lights for 10" - 15" Notebook Computer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KZALHGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_.saoBbM2CXHTH

This one is very cheap and silent, lowered temp from 70 to 55. Only issue is blue light, I had to cover with balck tape.


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## jlb

Here are my first two risers in pre production mode at the market a few days ago! 









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## jlb

Skanter123 said:


> AICHESON Laptop Cooler, Ultra Slim Laptop Cooling Pad Lightweight Chill Portable Notebook Mat with 2 Heavy Duty Quiet Fans USB Powered with LED Lights for 10" - 15" Notebook Computer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KZALHGK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_.saoBbM2CXHTH
> 
> This one is very cheap and silent, lowered temp from 70 to 55. Only issue is blue light, I had to cover with balck tape.


I've looked at that and it seems like it is not totally flat. Is it? And this would be in the family room so the light would be that big a deal

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## jlb

Where does the light actually come
Out though? This will be behind my tv but I’m super sensitive to certain lights and I’m worried I’d find the blue bothersome. If I understand what you described with tape, I’m assuming you covered enough of the front edge of the cooler to keep the light from shining straight out?

Given the cheap cost I might just try this first before a diy solution with the caps I noted.....


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## Skanter123

jlb said:


> Where does the light actually come
> Out though? This will be behind my tv but I'm super sensitive to certain lights and I'm worried I'd find the blue bothersome. If I understand what you described with tape, I'm assuming you covered enough of the front edge of the cooler to keep the light from shining straight out?
> 
> Given the cheap cost I might just try this first before a diy solution with the caps I noted.....
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Exactly. Covered front edge to prevent light from going out. Light goes up to bottom of (white) Bolt but I don't mind it. It's 8 bucks, not much to lose...


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## djones18

Since we started this thread back in September 2017, I've been impressed with everyone's mods and cooling add-ons. The unique risers to lift Bolt+'s have inspired me. 

My AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 which I described back in September continues to operate 24/7 since then without fail. Despite numerous interesting cooling mods I still believe an easy solution is to lift your Bolt + and place a fan below it. My Bolt+ temps continue to be low and the internal fan has either never come on or makes absolutely no sound if it does come on.


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## Mikeguy

djones18 said:


> Since we started this thread back in September 2017, I've been impressed with everyone's mods and cooling add-ons. The unique risers to lift Bolt+'s have inspired me.
> 
> My AC Infinity MULTIFAN S4 which I described back in September continues to operate 24/7 since then without fail. Despite numerous interesting cooling mods I still believe an easy solution is to lift your Bolt + and place a fan below it. My Bolt+ temps continue to be low and the internal fan has either never come on or makes absolutely no sound if it does come on.


How does the sound level of the external fan compare to the internal fan?


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## djones18

External fan is whisper quiet. It's in an enclosed cabinet. When I open the cabinet I can't hear it from more than a couple feet away. Internal fan, before I setup external fan, seemed noisier. I could hear it even with the cabinet door closed when it was running at full speed. Of course that doesn't happen anymore with external fan keeping the Bolt temp down.


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## Mikeguy

djones18 said:


> External fan is whisper quiet. It's in an enclosed cabinet. When I open the cabinet I can't hear it from more than a couple feet away. Internal fan, before I setup external fan, seemed noisier. I could hear it even with the cabinet door closed when it was running at full speed. Of course that doesn't happen anymore with external fan keeping the Bolt temp down.


Cool, thanks! My original fan seems fine and the Bolt box as a whole is less sound-emitting than my Series 2 TiVo box, but nice to know of a good option.


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## junebug2

jlb said:


> My Bolt is in the open but with this heat this week and next I want to get at least one of the usb ac infinity fans talked about in this thread.
> 
> I'm likely to try just pointing at and blowing air across and under rather than trying to raise it and put under. I guess I could raise if I can find some good materials.
> 
> Anyways, does it matter which one? The 120mm ones seem popular. There are different models that are 120. I guess some move more air.
> 
> Which one(s) would
> Make the most sense? Also, would you consider a cooler "pad" that I could put underneath? The cheaper one I saw above seems like it has an angle.
> 
> Thoughts are appreciated.


As you can see from this thread, there are many ways to accomplish the goal of improving heat rejection from the TiVo unit. Larger fans can run at lower RPM than a smaller fan that has to run faster to get the same CFM of flow, and typically higher RPM means higher SPL. If it was me, I would get a good quality fan designed for continuous use as you don't want this to fail. I am 95% happy with what I purchased, with the only thing i don't like is the LED light in front. Depending on the failure mode of the dual fan unit, it might continue to operate on one fan if one fails. That being said, even cheap computer fans seem to run quite a long time, so evaluate your criteria and then trial and error from there. My guess is, just about any increase in airflow around the unit will help lower your ODT.


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## junebug2

Skanter123 said:


> While I used to have extensive fans for HD arrays for video editing with Toaster /Flyer in the 1990s, I assumed Tivo's latest model (25 years later) would be designed in such a way that it would not overheat. Has nothing changed?


My first guess is that they designed the box to be as small and "cute" as possible, from a marketing perspective. Then they told the engineers to "make it work". The older TiVo chassis (Roamio+, Premiere, series3, etc) were larger, sheet metal, and had a good fan on the back. Starting with the lower end Roamio, then went to a smaller plastic chassis. I have owned a Series3, Premiere, Roamio, and now Bolt. I only had heat related issues with the Roamio & Bolt.

Second guess is they are intentionally designing in earlier failure to increase replacement sales. Earlier TiVo designs ran "forever" and its hard to sell more units when your customers are happy using what they already bought. That being said, I think that is not a good business practice, even thought many companies employ that method. In TV land, I would think you would be smarter to tout features and latest tech, while standing firm on reliability, but that's just me.


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## aaronwt

I've been running a ROmaio BAsic 24/7 since November 2013. I've had no issues with the fan. All I did was put a 3TB drive in it. The temps have always been fine. Although on my Bolts I installed the Black Silent fans. Which did reduce the temps. But the temps were still not too high with the stock fan.


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## jlb

So my fan came today. For now I have it blowing across the back as I don't have my 4 "legs" readied yet. I checked ODT which is at 71. We shall see where it's at in a few hours. For now I'm using the ac adapter rather than direct to the TiVo USB port just to reduce any extra load on the TiVo. Again, yeah, prob over worrying about things.

Of course the oppressive heat isn't helping at all.

Question to that point about heat. I hope the heat and humidity isn't killing the drive. I'm getting some pixelization but it seems restricted to CNN which tells me it's something with their broadcast or how the local headend is handling it and/or maybe they are effected by the heat....

Either way I know I'm over obsessing but this is why I am glad I bought my expanded drive direct from WD in case there are any problems.










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## JoeKustra

jlb said:


> So my fan came today. For now I have it blowing across the back as I don't have my 4 "legs" readied yet.


That's a nice quiet fan. I use one. As for the legs, just get creative.


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## Mikeguy

JoeKustra said:


> That's a nice quiet fan. I use one. As for the legs, *just get creative*.


He is--that's why he's tanking out right now on Stok Cold Brew coffee. 



jlb said:


> Here are my first two risers in pre production mode at the market a few days ago!



​


----------



## jlb

Oh Mike, thanks for jumping in before I even had a chance to repost my Stok photo! 


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## jlb

My ODT last night when i connected the fan (just blowing across for now) was 71-72. I didn't check this morning. Will check when I get home. Need to pick up some cork to affix to the caps to make them non-slip.


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## Mikeguy

jlb said:


> My ODT last night when i connected the fan (just blowing across for now) was 71-72. I didn't check this morning. Will check when I get home. Need to pick up some cork to affix to the caps to make them non-slip.


Just as a comparison, my Bolt box right now is at 59. Using short water bottle cap risers at the 4 corners; room (non-airconditioned) this a.m. at 70 degrees F.


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## jlb

Mikeguy said:


> Just as a comparison, my Bolt box right now is at 59. Using short water bottle cap risers at the 4 corners; room (non-airconditioned) this a.m. at 70 degrees F.


I will be very interested in what the reading is when I get home. And I'll need to uptick my Stok consumption so I have all my "risers" ready.

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## jlb

I know a lot is just the general heat we’ve had lately as the ODT when I added to our apartment before we moved was more like 59+


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## Mikeguy

jlb said:


> I will be very interested in what the reading is when I get home. And I'll need to uptick my Stok consumption so I have all my "risers" ready.


Could Drinking Lots of Coffee Really Help You Live Longer? Here Are the Facts


> Good news for coffee lovers--including those who indulge heavily: Yet another study has found a link between drinking coffee and a longer life.


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## jlb

I'll drink (coffee) to that!


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## jlb

So my ODT is down to 52 from the 72 last night. A LARGE % of that HAS to be the reduction in the heat and humidity of the last few days. Nonetheless I am still going to work on my risers after I drink enough Stok.


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## jlb

I should also say that the box and cable connector are cool-ish to the touch. Definitely a combo or temp being lower and the fan doing its thing.


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## jlb

So it's been cooler and we now have a portable A/C in the room where the TV/TiVo are (though we only run it when it's bad). With my fan just blowing across the back my ODT now fluctuates between 48 and 52. I am very pleased. And perhaps this weekend I will be able to make my risers. Still not sure if I will place the fan under or sort of keep it the way it is (which blows some air over my modem and router too). I'm just super pleased with the fan.


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## jlb

My riser kit is coming together. Need to finish off one more 48oz bottle of Stok Cold Brew Coffee!

I'm going to put a circle of cork on top of each cap to make it non slip. I'll then also cut circles a little wider than the bottom of the cap and either glue those or just rest the risers on them. The bottom cork is to protect the antique chest the TiVo rests on...










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## jlb

Riser "kit" is now complete. Now to find time to try and carefully cut smaller circles of cork...









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## djones18

How cool...so to speak. Please add a photo when you get this contraption under your TiVo.


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## Mikeguy

Personally, I think that this all is just a shill for Stok Cold Brew Coffee.


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## aspexil

I got the laptop cooler and it has the ODT down to 55 every time I check it. It used to be at 63 before the cooler.


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## jlb

My temp is between 52 and 55 without raising the TiVo up and having the fan just sort of blowing across the back. I’m still torn as to whether I will try and slide to fit under the TiVo or just have it blowing across or under which also would benefit my modem and router which are in the same general location…


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## jlb

Mikeguy said:


> Personally, I think that this all is just a shill for Stok Cold Brew Coffee.


You may be right!  they have been very nice to me since I've been talking them up on twitter. They have sent me lots of coupons, a Stok portable charger, and this beauty:










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## jlb

So I finally did my part to clear the counter and glued cork to my Stok caps. My risers are setting now. Probably won't "install" until tomorrow.










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## jlb

Well, a redesign is necessary. The glue I used clearly wasn't strong enough to make a tight bond between the cork and the plastic caps. The cork sort of peeled right off. Either I need to score the top of the caps or use a stronger glue.


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## djones18

Gorilla 6065001 Tough & Clear Mounting Tape, Double-Sided, 1" x 60", Clear. I use it around the house and it is strong. Will hold wood, metal, cloth, non-similar materials together.


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## jlb

djones18 said:


> Gorilla 6065001 Tough & Clear Mounting Tape, Double-Sided, 1" x 60", Clear. I use it around the house and it is strong. Will hold wood, metal, cloth, non-similar materials together.


Oh that's a great idea. But I think I may segue slightly and get a small bottle of gorilla super glue at home depot on my way home. I will get more use out of a bottle of that over time than the mounting tape. Thank you for your guidance!


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## jlb

Ok riser #1, take 2. I think this actually will be a much cleaner and more effective solution.










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## djones18

Your project could be the longest cooling project in recorded history. Don't forget to post photos of these Gorilla inspired lifters when finally in place. The world awaits.


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## jlb

Yeah I hear ya. Priorities. LOL


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## UCLABB

jlb said:


> Ok riser #1, take 2. I think this actually will be a much cleaner and more effective solution.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I don't like super glue myself. It doesn't work in many applications. Epoxy resin is my choice for most things.


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## jlb

I hear ya. It definitely worked fine in this case. Far better than basic glue. Hope to “install” later today....


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## jlb

djones18 said:


> Your project could be the longest cooling project in recorded history. Don't forget to post photos of these Gorilla inspired lifters when finally in place. The world awaits.


Phase 1 is complete. I have the TiVo up on the risers and, for now, my fan in the position as it was before blowing along the back of the TiVo. There is room for it under, even without removing one set of pads.

It's not nearly as hot and humid as it has been but reading before raising was 56. Immediately after raising it dropped to 54. Will check again in an hour or two. May or may not also try sliding the fan under.



















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## jlb

Several hours later and with it no warmer than before and perhaps a bit cooler and I am still hovering in the 54-56 range. I’m cool with that. I do want to consider trying to slide the fan under and see what happens. Is there any risk with that?


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## mandms7

I've read posts of someone else blowing the fan you have directly up into the TiVo with good results. However, this just doesn't seem right to me, as you're pushing the air back in that the TiVo fan is pushing out.

What happens if you lay your fan directly on top of your Bolt (perhaps in the middle of the right section where the heatsink is) and have it blow straight up? Does that help at all with lowering temps?


----------



## jlb

That would be an interesting idea. But it’s only as good as how much heat radiates thru the case.....


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## darklyte

I was chatting w/ TiVo support on a different topic and asked them about the temps. 

-What is the normal temp range?
-Should I be concerned mine runs near 70 degrees and feels like I could cook an egg on it?
-Should I return it?

They didn't have an answer for what the temp range should be, but told me that unless it was over 95 degrees or causing the machine to shut down it was fine. LOL so... its fine until it blows up basically. 

Thanks TiVo for the crappy hardware design!

Putting a fan on top of the heat sink and some exhaust holes instead of blowing out of the bottom is such an obvious thing to do it makes me wonder if they are trying to ensure the hardware fails after a year or two.


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## djones18

jlb said:


> Several hours later and with it no warmer than before and perhaps a bit cooler and I am still hovering in the 54-56 range. I'm cool with that. I do want to consider trying to slide the fan under and see what happens. Is there any risk with that?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


So, you've completed Phase One. Very nice. Now, whether or not you use the fan depends on some factors. First, the temp range you're getting without the fan is quite acceptable. It's at least 10 degrees less than operating temp many people report without doing anything. Second, is the Bolt internal fan still coming on regularly? Can you hear it? Is it distracting? If so, you might want to place your accessory fan near the Bolt. It should lower the temp and thus avoid triggering the internal fan. You won't know until you try it. Third, is the Bolt in an enclosed cabinet with other components which get warm? If so, the accessory fan might help.

I've raised my Bolt+ like you have. My Bolt is in an enclosed vented BDI component cabinet which gets warm. I have installed the Infinity fan, similar to yours, under my Bolt. The Bolt's ODT went from 68-75 to 55 (where it is now). That's acceptable to me. The Bolt's internal fan has never activated in this configuration as far as I can tell. There's a lot of discussion on how and where to place these accessory fans. Increasing the amount of dust going into the circuitry is also a subject of discussion. Experiment to see what works best for your setup.


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## Luke M

djones18 said:


> The Bolt's internal fan has never activated in this configuration as far as I can tell.


The fan always runs (even in standby). But it only runs at full speed when the machine is first booting up.


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## jlb

djones18 said:


> So, you've completed Phase One. Very nice. Now, whether or not you use the fan depends on some factors. First, the temp range you're getting without the fan is quite acceptable. It's at least 10 degrees less than operating temp many people report without doing anything. Second, is the Bolt internal fan still coming on regularly? Can you hear it? Is it distracting? If so, you might want to place your accessory fan near the Bolt. It should lower the temp and thus avoid triggering the internal fan. You won't know until you try it. Third, is the Bolt in an enclosed cabinet with other components which get warm? If so, the accessory fan might help.
> 
> I've raised my Bolt+ like you have. My Bolt is in an enclosed vented BDI component cabinet which gets warm. I have installed the Infinity fan, similar to yours, under my Bolt. The Bolt's ODT went from 68-75 to 55 (where it is now). That's acceptable to me. The Bolt's internal fan has never activated in this configuration as far as I can tell. There's a lot of discussion on how and where to place these accessory fans. Increasing the amount of dust going into the circuitry is also a subject of discussion. Experiment to see what works best for your setup.


I've always had the fan (since I got it) standing in a back corner of the bolt blowing across the back connections area. Bolt is on a antique trunk behind the TV but not in an enclosed cabinet or anything. I'll just leave things as they are now.

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## djones18

Luke M said:


> The fan always runs (even in standby). But it only runs at full speed when the machine is first booting up.


Huh! Thought it was off except when thermostatically activated. Thanks for the clarification.


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## jlb

My temp is now down to 50-51 so I’m going to leave things as they are now.


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## sharkster

jlb said:


> My temp is now down to 50-51 so I'm going to leave things as they are now.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


This is great! I used the bottle tops from regular 16oz bottles of water with my Premieres and I think that was helpful. Now that I have Bolts, I haven't been putting feet on them but, recently, I decided to put them under one of them and the temp hasn't changed - stays 61-66. But it's in an open shelf deal below the TV (as is my other one in the bdrm), so I just keep hoping that's ok. The living rm one is about 2.5 years old now.


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## leiff

I think I'm going to drill a small hole on the top lid somewhere on my new vox bolt+ to serve as a heat escape. Seems to me it should help with my new bolt+. with temp. 70 odt. Where would you guys recommend I make the hole?
Here's a photo of my old bolt I nailed to the wall. I disabled the fan completely so that I wouldn't have to hear anything. This way, with no fan running and no lid I get low fifties ODT.


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## darklyte

One small hole certainly couldn't hurt, but also may not give you much of a noticeable difference.

If wanting to have a real impact, I'd say use a very small bit and drill a series of holes in some sort of grid or X pattern. If you add a lot of holes a dust filter may also be a good idea.

Directly over the heat sink would be my suggestion. 

Post pics of what you end up doing and good luck!


----------



## leiff

In combination with a mounted fan ill be using, Im hoping 1 or 2 small holes Will be enough for noticeable improvement. Should they be drilled right above the heat sink? That's more or less in the center of the case right?


----------



## Azlife4me

junebug2 said:


> **UPDATE**
> First, Amazon same day Saturday delivery came thru and i got the AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 around 8pm. Awesome!
> 
> See attached pictures. Unit is close in size to the Bolt unit. It was packaged very good and appears to be well constructed. The power cord is included and is about 6' long. I set it underneath the Bolt and plugged it in. Before powering the fans, I checked the Bolt temperature and ODT was 68. I set the fans to low speed and within less than 10 minutes ODT was 57. After 30+ minutes and checking a few times as well as the next day, ODT is reading 47 typically.
> 
> This solution is more expensive than the single fan solution, but I think it looks a little nicer. That being said, the LED lites are pretty bright and in my bedroom I have to block them. The single fan unit should be plenty sufficient. I dont know if the dual fans provide any redundancy if a fan were to fail. Overall, I am pleased with this solution and I hope it continues to work for a long time.
> View attachment 33288
> View attachment 33289
> View attachment 33290
> View attachment 33291
> View attachment 33292


Thanks for the suggestion and link. I bought this unit from Amazon and it brought my ODT down from 63 to 49. The TiVo case is cool to the touch. Thanks again.


----------



## TexasDVR

Got this at Home Depot:

Everbilt 7/8 in. Black Rubber Leg Tips (4 per Pack)-49127 - The Home Depot

It was cheap and reduced the temps about 6-7 ODT. The Bolt I have is black, sitting up on the 1" tall feet makes it look like one of the expensive Marantz or something, LOL Those feet also come in white (sort of an off-white).

There is also a difference in "stand-by" temp vs. operational, recording on all 4 tuners and watching a recorded show....that is worth about 6 degrees in ODT.


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## leiff

Ill look for some one inch risers I can use for feet for my own bolt. I'm curious how much it will help


----------



## leiff

darklyte said:


> One small hole certainly couldn't hurt, but also may not give you much of a noticeable difference.
> 
> If wanting to have a real impact, I'd say use a very small bit and drill a series of holes in some sort of grid or X pattern. If you add a lot of holes a dust filter may also be a good idea.
> 
> Directly over the heat sink would be my suggestion.
> 
> Post pics of what you end up doing and good luck!


----------



## leiff

View attachment 36085
I disabled the fan in my bolt because it was too loud. I leave hard drive case compartment partly ajar to let heat escape. I drilled 15 holes into the main Part of the case in a square pattern in the Middle of the case you can see here. i drilled the holes while the TVO is still on without removing the case. If you do this be aware there are 2 wires routed across the heat sink you'll want to view through the case with a bright flashlight before drilling to avoid. I'm confident this passive cooling solution will be superior to that of a stock Tivo with fan running.


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## jkn

I have a regular Bolt in a cool basement. Without an external fan, the ODT is 60. I removed the cable card cover, raised the Bolt half an inch with felt pads, and now have an Infinity S4 fan sitting on the left side (as you are looking at the front of the Bolt). The fan is set back slightly to blow across the back half and rear of the Bolt and set on medium speed. I figure this way the fan blows air across the top, bottom, and rear simultaneously. The temperature now is 43-45 degrees. I was so impressed with the quality of the fan, I bought a smaller S1 to sit on top of a Mini (also on medium, but blowing upward). The Mini temperature was originally over 40 degrees and dropped to 30 degrees. Both fans are plugged into the USB ports of the TiVo devices. Initially, I had the fans set to low, thinking that would be good enough, but increasing to medium dropped the temperatures by a noticeable amount.


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## MrDell

jkn said:


> I have a regular Bolt in a cool basement. Without an external fan, the ODT is 60. I removed the cable card cover, raised the Bolt half an inch with felt pads, and now have an Infinity S4 fan sitting on the left side (as you are looking at the front of the Bolt). The fan is set back slightly to blow across the back half and rear of the Bolt and set on medium speed. I figure this way the fan blows air across the top, bottom, and rear simultaneously. The temperature now is 43-45 degrees. I was so impressed with the quality of the fan, I bought a smaller S1 to sit on top of a Mini (also on medium, but blowing upward). The Mini temperature was originally over 40 degrees and dropped to 30 degrees. Both fans are plugged into the USB ports of the TiVo devices. Initially, I had the fans set to low, thinking that would be good enough, but increasing to medium dropped the temperatures by a noticeable amount.


Great information!!


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## leiff

I don't think the minis overheating is nearly as much as a problem. Since there's no life time invested in the mini either and it's solid state I wouldn't bother


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## jlb

jlb said:


> My temp is now down to 50-51 so I'm going to leave things as they are now.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


So I've decided for now not to bother trying to place the fan under my Bolt. Today, with this disgusting humidity and heat, the temp has only gone up to 55 from the 47-51 range. Raising it up and having the fan blowing across seems to have done the trick.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jkn

leiff said:


> I don't think the minis overheating is nearly as much as a problem. Since there's no life time invested in the mini either and it's solid state I wouldn't bother


You're probably right about the Mini, but the fan was only $12, and all I needed was to plop it on top.

I raised the Bolt a little more (to about 1") and put the fan as close as possible. The ODT now is at 41-42 degrees. Again, it's in a cool basement and not in a closed cabinet so I'm sure that makes a difference, too, because it's starting out at "only" 60 degrees. I hope that's enough because it's a new Bolt, and I don't want to drill holes in the cover. My Roamio runs at MBT 35 degrees without any external help. Does anyone know how MBT compares to ODT? Is using the USB port as the power supply a problem?


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## Sportsnut

jlb said:


> So I've decided for now not to bother trying to place the fan under my Bolt. Today, with this disgusting humidity and heat, the temp has only gone up to 55 from the 47-51 range. Raising it up and having the fan blowing across seems to have done the trick.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have the same Infinity fan as you and have used it under the Bolt and having it blow across it. Both ways worked well but the numbers have been a couple degrees lower blowing across it. I have it elevated about an inch. I also tried one of the popular laptop cooling fans on Amazon but got better results with the S4.


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## jkn

Sportsnut said:


> I have the same Infinity fan as you and have used it under the Bolt and having it blow across it. Both ways worked well but the numbers have been a couple degrees lower blowing across it. I have it elevated about an inch. I also tried one of the popular laptop cooling fans on Amazon but got better results with the S4.


I've found that plugging the S4 fan into a separate USB adapter dropped the temperature a few degrees compared to plugging it into the Bolt USB port. I also found that using the Bolt's MOCA (plugging the coax cable directly to the Bolt) increased the temperature about three degrees compared to using an external MOCA adapter.


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## leiff

With my S4 slightly larger 140 mm fan under my Vox plug directly into vox USB port, temperature is cool enough for me. Remember if you lose power, you lose fan if not plugged into UPS. I also only have my fan running at medium. Without any fan, very hot. reported over 70 temp


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## AZrob

junebug2 said:


> As you can see from this thread, there are many ways to accomplish the goal of improving heat rejection from the TiVo unit. Larger fans can run at lower RPM than a smaller fan that has to run faster to get the same CFM of flow, and typically higher RPM means higher SPL. If it was me, I would get a good quality fan designed for continuous use as you don't want this to fail. I am 95% happy with what I purchased, with the only thing i don't like is the LED light in front. Depending on the failure mode of the dual fan unit, it might continue to operate on one fan if one fails. That being said, even cheap computer fans seem to run quite a long time, so evaluate your criteria and then trial and error from there. My guess is, just about any increase in airflow around the unit will help lower your ODT.


Junebug2, can that light be easily taped over? I have a thing about devices streaming light into the bedroom at night....


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## um3k01

For a while I've been propping up the Bolt and using a small computer fan to suck some of the hot air out from under the TiVo. A friend of mine with a 3d printer and 3d modeling skills created a 3d printed baffle for me which accepts an 80mm fan and ducts the hot air out of the stock TiVo cooling vent on the back left. After a few prototypes we settled on the the current design which lowered my ODT temps from around 63 to around 48.

See thingiverse for the model.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3128621


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## MMcQ

My Bolt Vox runs about 70 OTA but will not start after loss of power from that temp.

I have to leave it unplugged until it cools off and then plug it back in.

In my rural area of FL short power outages are frequent. When power is lost, the Bolt restarts but only the fan runs. The green light on the front doesn't turn on and there is no audio/video. Unplugging until it cools off is the only option.

I will likely put it on a UPS. Funny ... I've seen in some threads that Tivo has told some people to not use a UPS for some other issues. Hopefully my theater-grade UPS will be fine.


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## ggieseke

MMcQ said:


> I will likely put it on a UPS. Funny ... I've seen in some threads that Tivo has told some people to not use a UPS for some other issues. Hopefully my theater-grade UPS will be fine.


TiVo support is a joke these days. A UPS is the best money you'll ever spend, and if you already have one just plug your Bolt into it. An additional 15-20 watts probably isn't going to push it over the edge.


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## aaronwt

MMcQ said:


> My Bolt Vox runs about 70 OTA but will not start after loss of power from that temp.
> 
> I have to leave it unplugged until it cools off and then plug it back in.
> 
> In my rural area of FL short power outages are frequent. When power is lost, the Bolt restarts but only the fan runs. The green light on the front doesn't turn on and there is no audio/video. Unplugging until it cools off is the only option.
> 
> I will likely put it on a UPS. Funny ... I've seen in some threads that Tivo has told some people to not use a UPS for some other issues. Hopefully my theater-grade UPS will be fine.


Since 2001/2002 I've been using TiVos on APC UPSs with Stepped approximation to a sinewave. And it never caused any issues. So your theater grade UPS, that probably has a true Sine Wave output, certainly shouldn't cause any issues.


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## AZrob

So I went ahead and bought an AC Infinity S2 fan and it seems to be doing a pretty good job. It took my Bolt VOX 3TB from 65 ODT to 52. Then I took the CC cover off and that bought me another 4 degrees Centigrade - 48. Can anyone think of a good reason NOT to remove the CC cover?


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## Mikeguy

Soon some of you guys are going to start blowing dry ice air onto the box, to get the temp. down further . . . .


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## JoeKustra

AZrob said:


> So I went ahead and bought an AC Infinity S2 fan and it seems to be doing a pretty good job. It took my Bolt VOX 3TB from 65 ODT to 52. Then I took the CC cover off and that bought me another 4 degrees Centigrade - 48. Can anyone think of a good reason NOT to remove the CC cover?


Dust. I have covers with air filters on the fans I use with my units. They need cleaning monthly.


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## jth tv

AZrob said:


> Can anyone think of a good reason NOT to remove the CC cover?


Little kids.


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## Anotherpyr

Mikeguy said:


> Soon some of you guys are going to start blowing dry ice air onto the box, to get the temp. down further . . . .


Naw, water cooling is next.


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## Mikeguy

Anotherpyr said:


> Naw, water cooling is next.


I was thinking the same thing!


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## Lrscpa

Amazing how the unmodified Bolts run 60°-70°C and the Roamios run at around 40°C. No wonder there are so many Bolt's dying after 12-18 months. I have a pair of Infinity fans underneath my Bolt+, and I'm taking the cable card cover (and perhaps the entire top cover) off.


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## rgr

Lrscpa said:


> Amazing how the unmodified Bolts run 60°-70°C and the Roamios run at around 40°C. No wonder there are so many Bolt's dying after 12-18 months. I have a pair of Infinity fans underneath my Bolt+, and I'm taking the cable card cover (and perhaps the entire top cover) off.


I was under the impression that a large part of the difference in reported temperatures is the the Bolt give ODT (on die temp) while Roamio is MBT (motherboard temp).


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## Skanter123

Just stick your hand on top and see how warm/hot it is!

My Bolt is about 57 F with fan underneath - fine. No worries.


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## rgr

Skanter123 said:


> Just stick your hand on top and see how warm/hot it is!
> 
> My Bolt is about 57 F with fan underneath - fine. No worries.


Yep. Mines at 50°c with a fan underneath in a 68°f degree room.


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## JoeKustra

rgr said:


> I was under the impression that a large part of the difference in reported temperatures is the the Bolt give ODT (on die temp) while Roamio is MBT (motherboard temp).


What you state is true. When the Roamio was built the internal software was coded for a certain temp sensor and software to read and display a number. Same thing happened when the Bolt was built. But the Bolt has different programmers and they coded for different hardware. Also, both are also labeled "Internal Temperature" since a recent update.

To carry your logic to its conclusion, I should be able to power off either a Bolt, Roamio or other TiVo. Then when they reached room temperature each should power on at the same temperature. They don't. So there's no way to compare the absolute numbers. I have three basic Roamio units on right now. Their MBT is 28C, 32C and 34C. Each has different methods of cooling that augments the TiVo method. If I didn't, the numbers would be 43C, 40C and 37C respectively. Only device with a downward facing port is a sub-woofer.

I believe the Bolt design is bad. I do feel you can make it better with a small fan to force an air flow under that hump. Here's how I drop my 3TB basic Roamio to 34C:


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## Anotherpyr

My bolt is at 44C with th cable card door removed and a large fan underneath.


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## djones18

Lrscpa said:


> Amazing how the unmodified Bolts run 60°-70°C and the Roamios run at around 40°C. No wonder there are so many Bolt's dying after 12-18 months. I have a pair of Infinity fans underneath my Bolt+, and I'm taking the cable card cover (and perhaps the entire top cover) off.


My Bolt + died at 16 months despite putting the Infinity S4 fan under the raised Bolt and keeping it in an almost dust free, smoke free, cool environment for those 16 months. This kept the ODT under 50. Now, like others I believe the Bolt was not engineered to last as long as prior designs. Perhaps it's the heat, perhaps it's the move to small hard drives, or some combination of factors.

My TiVo HD and Premiere XL4 are still chugging away fine after nearly a decade of continuous use. These spoiled me into thinking my Bolt would go to at least three years to recoup lifetime fee without problems.


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## Anotherpyr

djones18 said:


> My Bolt + died at 16 months despite putting the Infinity S4 fan under the raised Bolt and keeping it in an almost dust free, smoke free, cool environment for those 16 months. This kept the ODT under 50. Now, like others I believe the Bolt was not engineered to last as long as prior designs. Perhaps it's the heat, perhaps it's the move to small hard drives, or some combination of factors.
> 
> My TiVo HD and Premiere XL4 are still chugging away fine after nearly a decade of continuous use. These spoiled me into thinking my Bolt would go to at least three years to recoup lifetime fee without problems.


It makes me wonder what is failing. Is there a common failure mode? The CPU is made by Broadcom and other than the part number being TiVo specific, they've been making chips for years for setup boxes, routers, etc. so I'm inclined to believe it's not that. Is it an assembly issue in that solder points are coming apart? Would putting the board in the oven to reflow the solder bring it back to life?

Heat is definitely an issue and if the heat in the case is exceeding 60C the hard drive will be operating outside its temperature range. We see evidence of this in the high drive failure rates.

I wonder if this is what motivated the new TiVo to get out of the hardware business? I'm curious who, if anyone will be making a consumer unit in the future.


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## BobCamp1

Certain models of hard drives can have reliability issues. It's possible the Bolt+ hard drive is one of those hard drives.

Also, it doesn't matter what the ODT is. At all. Not in the slightest. All that matters is the hard drive temperature as it is the most sensitive to temperature, and there is no sensor on that. So some of these cooling solutions may be doing more harm than good.


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## djones18

Anotherpyr said:


> It makes me wonder what is failing. Is there a common failure mode? The CPU is made by Broadcom and other than the part number being TiVo specific, they've been making chips for years for setup boxes, routers, etc. so I'm inclined to believe it's not that. Is it an assembly issue in that solder points are coming apart? Would putting the board in the oven to reflow the solder bring it back to life?
> 
> Heat is definitely an issue and if the heat in the case is exceeding 60C the hard drive will be operating outside its temperature range. We see evidence of this in the high drive failure rates.
> 
> I wonder if this is what motivated the new TiVo to get out of the hardware business? I'm curious who, if anyone will be making a consumer unit in the future.


When my Bolt failed, tech support could only diagnose to the point of saying it might be a hard drive failure. I returned it for another Bolt. Since we never hear what they find during repairs and TiVo apparently don't publish repair statistics we can only guess. I have a hard time believing that directing a constant filtered airflow over the TiVo Bolt to keep temp down will shorten its life...but then again mine died at 16 months so I do wonder.


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## HerronScott

Anotherpyr said:


> CPU is made by Broadcom and other than the part number being TiVo specific, they've been making chips for years for setup boxes, routers, etc. so I'm inclined to believe it's not that.


TiVo-specific part number for the Broadcom chip? Should just be one of their standard parts. (I've seen both BCM7445 and BCM7449 mentioned for the Bolt so not sure which is really used.)

BCM7445

http://files.shareholder.com/downlo...2f18a5b/BRCM_News_2015_3_2_Corporate_News.pdf

Scott


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## Anotherpyr

HerronScott said:


> TiVo-specific part number for the Broadcom chip? Should just be one of their standard parts. (I've seen both BCM7445 and BCM7449 mentioned for the Bolt so not sure which is really used.)
> 
> BCM7445
> 
> http://files.shareholder.com/downlo...2f18a5b/BRCM_News_2015_3_2_Corporate_News.pdf
> 
> Scott


I suspect the 7445 part is it, but the tear down and photos I've seen show the 7449 chip. They may be the same but searching for 7449 yielded nothing on broadcom's website for me.

I hadn't seen the news announcement on the 7448 and 7449. So I had just assumed they relabeled an existing part.


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## robertivo99

Anotherpyr said:


> I suspect the 7445 part is it, but the tear down and photos I've seen show the 7449 chip. They may be the same but searching for 7449 yielded nothing on broadcom's website for me.
> 
> I hadn't seen the news announcement on the 7448 and 7449. So I had just assumed they relabeled an existing part.


I've been trying to find out about this, too--just to find out a little about the processor. Somewhere I read that it has a dual core cpu running at 1100mhz, but I don't know whether that is accurate. A lot of gear coming out now has quad core cpu's which leaves the Bolt a little behind.


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## sliderbob

So do all Bolts run at a Fahrenheit temperature, like 70? All of my other Tivos ran at Celsius.


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## Tony_T

If you mean does the bolt system info show ODT in °F or °C, it's shown in °C (and mine runs at 55 to 60)


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## JoeKustra

From TiVo:
TiVo Holiday Trade-In, Trade-Up Sale: trade in your Roamio OTA/VOX (plus $299.98) for a Bolt OTA explains the difference between Bolt & Roamio.


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## Mikeguy

JoeKustra said:


> From TiVo:
> TiVo Holiday Trade-In, Trade-Up Sale: trade in your Roamio OTA/VOX (plus $299.98) for a Bolt OTA explains the difference between Bolt & Roamio.


On the Bolt box: "ODT can run all day long at 90C with no issues." I wonder how many people here believe that. (I also wonder if the comment means only the CPU or extends to the other components in the box, including the hard drive.)


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## exdishguy

Mikeguy said:


> On the Bolt box: "ODT can run all day long at 90C with no issues." I wonder how many people here believe that.


I know I don't. I'm pleased to be at 49 to 56c and never much higher. Pre-fan mod and hard drive change I was running 67 - 70c+ and I'm convinced I saw a lot more video artifacts and weird trick-mode behavior.


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## junebug2

darklyte said:


> Putting a fan on top of the heat sink and some exhaust holes instead of blowing out of the bottom is such an obvious thing to do it makes me wonder if they are trying to ensure the hardware fails after a year or two.


I would think your computer would be a decent place to start comparing things. While it is not apples to apples, would you want your CPU running at 70C?

Yes they want devices to fail so that you purchase a new one.


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## junebug2

Mikeguy said:


> On the Bolt box: "ODT can run all day long at 90C with no issues." I wonder how many people here believe that. (I also wonder if the comment means only the CPU or extends to the other components in the box, including the hard drive.)


Maybe they meant 90F ? "Sorry guys!" LOL


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## junebug2

AZrob said:


> Junebug2, can that light be easily taped over? I have a thing about devices streaming light into the bedroom at night....


Yes. I put a small folded card in front of it and greatly diminished the light output. I never change the fan setting, leaving it on low so that is is quiet, so taping over is fine but consider using 3x5 card or similar paper so that you don't leave tape residue since the center of the circle is the power button for that fan array.


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## junebug2

um3k01 said:


> For a while I've been propping up the Bolt and using a small computer fan to suck some of the hot air out from under the TiVo. A friend of mine with a 3d printer and 3d modeling skills created a 3d printed baffle for me which accepts an 80mm fan and ducts the hot air out of the stock TiVo cooling vent on the back left. After a few prototypes we settled on the the current design which lowered my ODT temps from around 63 to around 48.
> 
> See thingiverse for the model.
> 
> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3128621


NICE! I recall a website where you can upload your 3D CAD designs and then others can purchase it directly from that company and you get a commission. Course, i don't recall that site (sorry) but maybe you can research it and make some $.

Or we could recycle Tivo S2, S3 and S4 full size boxes and remount the electronics in those since they never seemed to overheat.


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## junebug2

djones18 said:


> My Bolt + died at 16 months despite putting the Infinity S4 fan under the raised Bolt and keeping it in an almost dust free, smoke free, cool environment for those 16 months. This kept the ODT under 50. Now, like others I believe the Bolt was not engineered to last as long as prior designs. Perhaps it's the heat, perhaps it's the move to small hard drives, or some combination of factors.
> 
> My TiVo HD and Premiere XL4 are still chugging away fine after nearly a decade of continuous use. These spoiled me into thinking my Bolt would go to at least three years to recoup lifetime fee without problems.


...reading this after doing the upgrade to decommission my Premiere that has run awesome since 2012 

Sorry to hear that!


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## BobCamp1

Mikeguy said:


> On the Bolt box: "ODT can run all day long at 90C with no issues." I wonder how many people here believe that. (I also wonder if the comment means only the CPU or extends to the other components in the box, including the hard drive.)


I believe it. ODT is a different animal than regular ambient temperature. Don't worry about it.

Worry instead about the ambient temperature, which we have no direct measure of. It can't be above 50 C for hard drive reliability reasons.

One of these days, I'll have to take apart my Bolt, hook up a dozen thermocouples on the inside, put it back together, and get a good temperature profile from the thing so we can all stop guessing about what's going on, if it needs fixing, and how to fix it.


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