# ROAMIO OTA REPLACEMENT FANS* (Jan 2020)



## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

*ROAMIO REPLACEMENT FANS OTA and BASIC*

*4 NEW FANS, $10.00*

**NOT compatible with Roamio Plus or Roamio Pro!*

Unwilling to pay Weeknees $39.26 for it's spiffy Roamio Fan, the hunt began for a reasonable ROAMIO Replacement fan. Even $12.99 seemed too high for a EVERCOOL 10mm fan. Also, of all the sellers I checked at eBay, I found none that offered "original" OEM fans, so each seller offered a 'replacement' and not the original fan.

After careful considerations I selected these:

4 Fans $10.00 shipped from Tulsa Oklahoma
eBay: 112488104175









*4 Pcs 12v 3010 30mmx10mm* (following specs found at aliexpress.com)
*PENGDA TECHNOLOGY*
3010 35mm x 35mm x 10mm
Rated voltage: DC 12 V
Current rating: 0.1 A
Power consumption: .12 W
Revolution: 8800 ± 10% RPM
Noise: 22 dBA

*EVERCOOL FAN SPECS added for reference:*
EVERCOOL EC3510H12E 
Everlube Bearing
Dimension: 35mm x 35mm x 10mm
Speed: 9000 rpm
Air Flow: 5.53 CFM
Noise Level: 34.9 dBA
Amps: 0.12
Connector: 2 Pin mini (7mm) / 10" cable

$10 is not a tremendous investment, but the specs are impressive enough to try a sample install. My Roamio original fan is still operational, but is starting to 'groan' now and then. Knowing 'things' would not get better I hunted for a fan replacement today.

To test, I will allow a overnight 'rest', then a cold start. After 1 hour of operation, remove the cover to quickly take a measurement. Using a digital thermometer I plan to measure the _CPU 'cooling fin' _temperature directly at the center and record. _After _the fan replacement I will repeat this test the next day.

Of course I will closely monitor the fan ambient noise levels too, but have no gear to measure same.

It's been awhile since the FAN topic was brought up and almost all of the 'links' offered on old posts no longer work. Seems these fans are failing after just a few years of service, but they've got a important job to accomplish 24/7 and this fan is so vital to the ROAMIO internals!

*Fan installation requires: Torx T-8, T-10 and T-15*

Please remember: _**NOT compatible with Roamio Plus or Roamio Pro!
*_
SOGLAD


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Please post your MBT before and after. Also, I prefer the 7-blade fan over a 5-blade fan (original is 5 blade). Evercool shows their airflow. The MBT is located in System Information. No need to remove the cover, and it is very dependent on room temperature.


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## just4tivo (Dec 9, 2015)

I chose the WeaKnees replacement fan for one of my Romio OTA boxes.

Exact fit, correct connector, SILENT, and only $29.95 from Amazon delivered to my door.
Came with the necessary tools and WeaKnees produced a great installation video.

https://www.amazon.com/WeaKnees-TiV...sa_cr_id=3861371630101&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot

Nothing wrong with paying a bit more for quality and support.


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## keithg1964 (Feb 2, 2006)

SOGLAD said:


> *ROAMIO REPLACEMENT 4 Pcs 12v *
> *3010 30mmx10mm* (following specs found at aliexpress.com)
> *PENGDA TECHNOLOGY*
> 3010 35mm x 35mm x 10mm
> ...


The specs miss the most important part of a fan spec. Bearing type. Without that the specs are worthless, and so are probably the fans.


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## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

JoeKustra said:


> Please post your MBT before and after. Also, I prefer the 7-blade fan over a 5-blade fan (original is 5 blade). Evercool shows their airflow. The MBT is located in System Information. No need to remove the cover, and it is very dependent on room temperature.


OK! Can do... shipment due soon.

SOGLAD


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## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

keithg1964 said:


> The specs miss the most important part of a fan spec. Bearing type. Without that the specs are worthless, and so are probably the fans.


I just messaged the seller and I'll will relay what he/she says about bearing type.

SOGLAD


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## LarryAtHome (Feb 18, 2008)

I have used the riffle bearing type fan with good success. They were about $1.00 with shipping from china included. There are also ball bearing ones for about $3.00. It did take some time for them to arrive, but they have worked well and are quiet. My roamio ota is in a cool place so the fan does not run at a high speed or for long periods of time. For the price if they only last a few years, they have well paid for themselves. Current one is on year 3+ now.


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## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

SOGLAD said:


> I just messaged the seller and I'll will relay what he/she says about bearing type.
> 
> SOGLAD


SELLER replies: "these are sleeve bearing"

SOGLAD


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## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

LarryAtHome said:


> I have used the riffle bearing type fan with good success. They were about $1.00 with shipping from china included. There are also ball bearing ones for about $3.00. It did take some time for them to arrive, but they have worked well and are quiet. My roamio ota is in a cool place so the fan does not run at a high speed or for long periods of time. For the price if they only last a few years, they have well paid for themselves. Current one is on year 3+ now.


Gee, a 'riffle bearing fan' is a new type to me? Google has some great photos of them... and $1 is reasonable enough, for sure. I think I would have opted for the ball bearing fans _if _they were a option I found (which I did not). Like you, my criteria is form, function, fit and price! I want my TiVos whisper quiet and cool.

SOGLAD


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## Mr Tony (Dec 20, 2012)

I just took the fan out of my original Roamio OTA (the first ones that came out and allowed only a monthly fee) and put it in my Lifetime Roamio OTA on steroids (has the cable card adapter in it too)


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## SOGLAD (Aug 18, 2019)

unclehonkey said:


> I just took the fan out of my original Roamio OTA (the first ones that came out and allowed only a monthly fee) and put it in my Lifetime Roamio OTA on steroids (has the cable card adapter in it too)


'BONUS'! You got a practice run liberating your fan from the original.


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## CodeButcher (Sep 15, 2018)

I bought a replacement on eBay a while back. Just when I was about to swap out my original fan, it started working fine again. I did remove the old fan first and cleaned it. Then tested it with a 12V wall wort PS. It did not make a sound so I put it back. Now I have a spare fan.


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## nt40lanman (Feb 2, 2012)

Dust buildup on the fan blades can unbalance it and make it wear bearings or bushings faster. And cleaning that unbalance can quiet them down.


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## clueless88 (Dec 31, 2019)

SOGLAD said:


> OK! Can do... shipment due soon.
> 
> SOGLAD


Hey Soglad--

Did you pull the trigger on the fans? I replaced my Roamio OTA fan in October--it was quiet for a few days then it got louder. I replaced the fan once more last week and the reduction in noise lasted less than a week. Was wondering if the fans you posted initially really did have a 12 dba difference in sound--if the numbers are actually true then the 22dba fans could possible sound half as loud as the 39 dba fans. I think I could live with a 50% reduction in fan noise.

Let us know if you procured them and the result.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

just4tivo said:


> I chose the WeaKnees replacement fan for one of my Romio OTA boxes.
> 
> Exact fit, correct connector, SILENT, and only $29.95 from Amazon delivered to my door.
> Came with the necessary tools and WeaKnees produced a great installation video.
> ...


Nice! And the linked Amazon page confirms what I hoped (the Roamio base model uses the same fan as the OTA model). I have a base model purchased reconditioned in 2015 with lifetime. It continues to work perfectly and silently but I might buy that fan just in case. I reconfigured it to OTA last November so (now that I'm immune from TA issues) it should be good for many years of service, since fan, HDD and power supply are cheap and easily replaceable.


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## Richard Esposito (Dec 12, 2019)

Had really noisy fan. Did not remove it.
o removed label from fan.
o drilled tiny hole in center of fan
o used needle point oiler to lubricate fan ( don't overdo it)
>>> Noise free - going on 6 months ;-)


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

just4tivo said:


> I chose the WeaKnees replacement fan for one of my Romio OTA boxes.
> 
> Exact fit, correct connector, SILENT, and only $29.95 from Amazon delivered to my door.
> Came with the necessary tools and WeaKnees produced a great installation video.
> ...


+1

Just replaced a noisy fan in my Roamio (basic model). Obtained the fan from Weaknees and followed their video. I agree there is nothing wrong with paying a few dollars more and supporting a company that has such great service and quality.


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## Welshdog (Jan 4, 2005)

Replaced my OTA fan with the Weaknees fan in November of 2018. This morning woke up to that fan screaming it's little electro-magnetic heart out. Now to decide on another Weaknees or something from Ebay.

Thoughts?


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## just4tivo (Dec 9, 2015)

Welshdog said:


> Replaced my OTA fan with the Weaknees fan in November of 2018. This morning woke up to that fan screaming it's little electro-magnetic heart out. Now to decide on another Weaknees or something from Ebay.
> 
> Thoughts?


I'm sure you had hoped it would last longer than 27 months but if it were me I'd still go with another WeaKnees fan.

Might contact them and tell them you're disappointed. See if they'll give you some consideration on the price of a new fan.


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## Welshdog (Jan 4, 2005)

just4tivo said:


> I'm sure you had hoped it would last longer than 27 months but if it were me I'd still go with another WeaKnees fan.
> 
> Might contact them and tell them you're disappointed. See if they'll give you some consideration on the price of a new fan.


They informed me that the warranty was 90 days which tells me they were not expecting these fans to last very long. I'll see if they can offer me anything.


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## Scott9mm (Apr 5, 2015)

SOGLAD said:


> *ROAMIO REPLACEMENT FANS OTA and BASIC*
> 
> *...*
> Of course I will closely monitor the fan ambient noise levels too, but have no gear to measure same.
> ..


For what it's worth, there are free smart-phone apps (e.g. Sound Meter) to measure sound level.


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## just4tivo (Dec 9, 2015)

Welshdog said:


> They informed me that the warranty was 90 days which tells me they were not expecting these fans to last very long. I'll see if they can offer me anything.


Yea, 90 days is about what you'd get on that inexpensive a part. The WeaKnees fans seem to be the least complained about.

As I said I'd go with another WeaKnees... JMO


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## Welshdog (Jan 4, 2005)

just4tivo said:


> Yea, 90 days is about what you'd get on that inexpensive a part. The WeaKnees fans seem to be the least complained about.
> 
> As I said I'd go with another WeaKnees... JMO


I did. Should arrive Thursday. Thanks.


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## jerryez (May 16, 2001)

I bought my new fan off of eBay and it is perfectly quiet, but it has been only a couple of months. For the difference in price, I can buy 3-4 cheap fans for the price of a weakness fan and it only took 15 minutes to replace it.


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## brobin (Feb 14, 2014)

Nothing against Weaknees but you can get the same $29.95 fan on ebay from The Fan Van for $12.99 delivered.
Tivo Roamio replacement fan Evercool 35mm x 10mm 12 Volt EL Bearing Fan NEW! 603827632173 | eBay


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

Several years ago I purchased these and modified the connectors (one wire is not used), lasted 2 years so far and one to spare.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H4MSBSL/

They all are going to crap out eventually, might as well get 3 for cheap.

Read Stuart's review, its spot on.


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## njweb (Aug 23, 2015)

brobin said:


> Nothing against Weaknees but you can get the same $29.95 fan on ebay from The Fan Van for $12.99 delivered.
> Tivo Roamio replacement fan Evercool 35mm x 10mm 12 Volt EL Bearing Fan NEW! 603827632173 | eBay


Looks like the above fan is NOT the same fan Weaknees is selling:
The one you linked to has some negative reviews on eBay about noise and *15% 1-star reviews on Amazon - for a total score of 3.7 / 5* complaining about it being very noisy. Are you sure this Evercool is that same exact fan model that Weaknees is selling?
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Evercool 35mm x 10mm 12 Volt Everlube Bearing Fan w/2 Pin 7mm Connector EC3510H12E Tivo Roamio

*Weakness fan looks very different and gets 4.7 / 5 on Amazon, which is a full point higher than the above Evercool fan, also on Amazon:*
https://www.amazon.com/WeaKnees-TiV...07CYKLRTW&qid=1620341044&s=electronics&sr=1-1

I already have my Roamio's case opened up since I just backed up my 8TB Roamio HDD to another 8TB drive (so I do not lose all my recordings in case the drive fails), so I figured I may as well proactively replace my fan at the same time. However, since the original fan is working fine (~5.5 years of use so far) I want something reliable and quiet to replace it of course.

Other than the fan Weaknees is selling, which may be my safest bet (?), are there are any other reliable and quiet fan options? Price is not a major factor.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm using three of them. No problems. I never checked Weaknees.


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## njweb (Aug 23, 2015)

JoeKustra said:


> I'm using three of them. No problems. I never checked Weaknees.


Thanks Joe. To confirm, you mean 3 of the Evercool fans?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

njweb said:


> Thanks Joe. To confirm, you mean 3 of the Evercool fans?


Yes. I bought a FanVan once. It's been two years since my last one, Amazon says I bought three of the one the link points to and one fan was replaced just because I was inside changing the HDD. I figure 7 blades is better than 5.


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## njweb (Aug 23, 2015)

JoeKustra said:


> Yes. I bought a FanVan once. It's been two years since my last one, Amazon says I bought three of the one the link points to and one fan was replaced just because I was inside changing the HDD. I figure 7 blades is better than 5.


Thanks for the confirmation regarding your 3 fans being the Evercool ones! I realized the JMC one is the OEM fan...
Maybe I will try the Evercool (even just to have as a backup). 
For now, I closed my case back up since it was easy enough and opening it isn't that bad. I did unfortunately snap one of the tabs off while opening it (case was misaligned and I should have taken a bit more time), but it still holds well with the other 5 side tabs, front tab and back screw; besides, nobody should be even attempting to lift the Roamio up by the top cover given it does not wrap around the sides and is strictly cosmetic in that sense (i.e. does not provide any support).
Then again with Cablecards potentially going away in the not too distant future, my OEM JMC fan may keep cranking along till the Roamio becomes End of Life (EOL) for Live TV...

Side note - The good news is that my 8TB HDD backup was successful (tested it in my Roamio before putting my Dec 2020 8TB drive back in). I used a Startech SATA stand-alone duplicator dock which made it a piece of cake (bought mine before prices went up). Now I do not have to worry about potentially losing my ~7TB of recordings.


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## bobolink (Oct 21, 2018)

I just replaced my 3rd Romio OTA fan. I looked for replacements and found the low cost fans had a lifetime of about 20,000 hrs or 2 years. Which is what I was finding.
I looked into my own fan speed controller based on control to a constant temperature of 45 C and think I could do it for < $30.
Has anyone seen a fan speed controller circuit expressly for TiVo? I would rather use someone else's design.

Advantages for fan speed control: 
Increased fan lifetime, reduced audible noise, reduced power consumption, reduced dust clogging (1).
The Arduino hobbyist in me says I got this.

(1)Fan-Speed Regulators | Maxim Integrated


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## josim (May 22, 2016)

bobolink,

I believe these Roamios run hot 24/7. Hotter with heavy recording and playback. The internal fan is pretty small so reducing speed would reduce air flow of course. What I am trying to say is there is not much to be gained. I have am 80mm fan ( I think) on the left of the Roamio blowing air to the right in addition to the internal. Some have endorsed using a laptop cooler beneath. Some have cut a hole in the top and installed a larger fan (120mm?) on top to vent it that way.

I think some kind of larger fan is the ticket.


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## bobolink (Oct 21, 2018)

josim,

My unit has been very reliable with only the fan(s) failing. Original hard drive. 
But you’re right, I should stick a temperature sensor in there and survey the range over summer/winter to see how much range I have to work with. I guess the set point will be 40C @ 65% RH which is what the OEM fan is rated at. The fan will only effect control if it falls below that temp.
No rush. I just replaced the fan so I have 20,000 hours before I’ll need to do it again.


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