# Temperature of Bolt



## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

Just wanted to know what is an acceptable running temperature of the TiVo Bolt? I have been reading many posts of users adding an additional external fan to help cool things down. I decided to check out my temperature and it is between 63 and 65 degrees. Do you think I am OK with that reading or is it worth while adding some additional help. I already removed the cable card door and it seemed to help a little. I don’t mind adding a fan if I have to, but if 63-65 degrees is acceptable I will just leave it alone.


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## darklyte (Sep 17, 2003)

See this thread for more info.
Bolt + ODT Temp

TiVo tech support told me its fine unless your machine is shutting down, or hits 95. (not very helpful advice).
Most people report a temp in that range of 60-70, which is where mine is.
There haven't been any widespread reports of the units failing, but its relatively new still and they are obviously running hotter than is ideal.

A fan certainly would not hurt, and logically it seems could likely prolong the lifespan of your unit. I plan on adding one myself.


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## Joe39565 (Mar 19, 2014)

Here's the first phase of my Bolt cooling down project started using CIR's suggestions.


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## Joe39565 (Mar 19, 2014)

From reading many posts on this topic, quite a few people, including myself, feel that the operating temperature of the Bolts is running way too hot.

Tivo has been really pushing sales of the Bolts lately, and some of us feel that there is more to it than just getting subscribers to get rid of their older equipment.

If these Bolts are that good, then why do they keep offering lifetime as cheaply as they are unless they figure the lifetime of the Bolts is very limited compared to many of the older models that they are trying so hard to eliminate from their system?


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## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

darklyte said:


> See this thread for more info.
> Bolt + ODT Temp
> 
> TiVo tech support told me its fine unless your machine is shutting down, or hits 95. (not very helpful advice).
> ...


Mine ran at 63-65 pretty consistently. Now that I have a laptop cooling fan it is at a solid 55 everytime I check it.


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

My experience mirrors that from above. I put the S4 Infinity 140 mm $15 fan under the bolt , blowing up Into it across CableCARD slot. I'm only using medium speed setting on fan and it's also totally quiet. The internal TiVo fan is all I hear . Also, my cable card door is removed.


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## paully65 (Feb 20, 2002)

I also bought the S4 fan and put it directly under the Vox blowing upward and it was always reading around 70 and now after 3 days, it is always at 57 so I am happy with that.


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks so much for all of the input regarding this question.... I think that adding a little help from an external fan is probably a good idea to help extend the life of our Bolts!


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

It's one way. I have three bolts. one, I nailed to the wall. Its top lid is completely off and fan disabled . temp is 51. Another one, I have sitting on the desk with hard Drive compartment slightly ajar to let heat Escape and about a hundred holes drilled into the top of the main compartment lid above the heatsink. It's fan is also disabled it runs 60 Odt. That 60 ODT reading is a little cooler than stock TiVo with fan running but I plan to drill even more holes and hope to get it down to 55 ODT. Passive cooling is nice because bolt fan is so loud. My third bolt, 6 tuner bolt plus I did not want to void warranty so the only thing I did was put a fan under it and it runs 55 odt. the S4 fan I bought is much quieter than the internal TiVo fan by the way.


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## Joe39565 (Mar 19, 2014)

Note: Connect fan end connector to fan and cut off other end and solder






























Red (+ 12V) and Black (ground) wires to SATA power on Rosewill circuit board.

SATA 3.0 III SATA3 6Gb Hard Drive Data Direct Right Angle Cable 45 cm (17.71654")

Cooler Master 120mm Silent Fan S2S-124K-GP

120 mm Fan Dust Filter Guard Cover

Added 120 mm cooling fan to top cover of Bolt, and had to cut two more holes at rear of Bolt for SATA & Fan Power, plus about 70 more ventilation holes to case bottom.


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## Joe39565 (Mar 19, 2014)

What I've posted is a combination of ideas gathered from other contributors here plus a few of my own.

I decided on installing an 8 TB hard drive upgrade plus these cooling modifications.

Instead of powering the 120 mm cooling fan from the Tivo Bolt motherboard I used the power supply of the Rosewill box. This should result in additional lower power consumption and slightly less heat generated by the Bolt power supply.

All cutouts were made with a dremel tool.

I'm still waiting for the new SATA cable to arrive, so I can't yet check temperature change, but it should be great.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

I have the Infinity 120mm fan (set at Medium) and I just have it standing next to my bolt blowing across the back. I also have created risers from Stok cold brew coffee bottles. I am usually anywhere from 50-57, but as long as its not disgustingly hot and humd, it usually stays in the 50-53 range. I think each on their own helped a little bit so you could always try one thing first and see if it helps.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Mine is just a Black Silent Fan XS2 installed and sitting on a shelf. I used to have my Bolts on a wire shelf but not any more. And the temps with the Black Silent fan are still much cooler than stock. I've been using the fans since April 2017.


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## ohboy710 (Jun 30, 2008)

I agree, just putting mine up in the air on some 'legs' made it cool down significantly. That took 10 seconds and didn't cost anything. My first bolt died after 13 months, maybe related to heat.


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

Hello everyone, I just wanted to post an update... finally got in my fan and placed it at the left rear corner blowing across the back and side of the Bolt. I lifted it up a little over an inch also on rubber feet that I made. I am happy to report that my temperature reading is now 49 degrees down from 68 degrees before any modifications .... thanks again for all your input!


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## jth tv (Nov 15, 2014)

Which fan did you get ?


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## forrie (May 30, 2003)

I finally gave in and bought a Bolt recently. Experiencing the same issues, the fan is noisy and on perpetually. The unit freezes mid-video, uncorrectable several times. The bottom of the unit wasn't snapped into place properly.

Furthermore, the UI on this is a complete abomination.

I am going to guess that with their recent acquisition, they may be having some internal problems. And with rumors of Amazon jumping in to the DVR scene Tivo should be *very* concerned.

Their support staff are trained to keep you subscribed, that's what they do. Most of them are, in my experience, pretty incompetent.

All of these matters spell doom for Tivo. Unless they have some miraculous new system to put out... the BOLT is a piece of GARBAGE and I can't believe I paid this kind of money for a 3T unit. Cheap parts, horrible UI/UX.

_F



Joe39565 said:


> From reading many posts on this topic, quite a few people, including myself, feel that the operating temperature of the Bolts is running way too hot.
> 
> Tivo has been really pushing sales of the Bolts lately, and some of us feel that there is more to it than just getting subscribers to get rid of their older equipment.
> 
> If these Bolts are that good, then why do they keep offering lifetime as cheaply as they are unless they figure the lifetime of the Bolts is very limited compared to many of the older models that they are trying so hard to eliminate from their system?


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

jth tv said:


> Which fan did you get ?











I purchased this low profile 120 m/m AC Infinity fan from Amazon. Had to fit it into a narrow shelf. Great air flow, very quiet!! Using it on low with great results.


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

forrie said:


> I finally gave in and bought a Bolt recently. Experiencing the same issues, the fan is noisy and on perpetually. The unit freezes mid-video, uncorrectable several times. The bottom of the unit wasn't snapped into place properly.
> 
> Furthermore, the UI on this is a complete abomination.
> 
> ...


 I do agree that this unit is lacking in design and runs way above temperature. Maybe by adding an external cooling source some of your performance issues will be fixed. I am experiencing none of your issues. It is really disappointing that we have to incur the added expense but it is a small price to pay to get our Bolts up to par!


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## paully65 (Feb 20, 2002)

I bought the Aircom S7 (UNAVAILABLE) AIRCOM S7, Receiver and AV Component Cooling Fan System, Top Exhaust 12"
Before they ran out of stock. Put it underneath the Tivo as it is the exact same size as the Bolt and have the air blowing up into the unit at 75% fan speed. Buy this over the S4 model. My Tivo now feels cool to the touch all over and the temp went from 70 to 47!! I am not doing any mods as this is a huge improvement. Now, the fan on this is a little bit loud, but I wear ear plugs at night so I don't hear anything. I did buy an S4 to put on my A/V receiver and it is silent even at the highest speed. I originally used the S4 on the Tivo, but it only brought the temp down to 55.


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## leiff (Aug 24, 2005)

Are you guys are referring to the S4 that's 140 mm or the smaller 120 mm? I bought the larger 140 mm S4 and put it under my bolt. blowing up into the bolt under the cable card compartment, with compartment removed. my bolt sits on this, so the fan is actually functioning as my feet on my TiVo. I only set fan at medium and it's totally quiet and 55 temperature down from 70. Seems cool enough for me


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

forrie said:


> I finally gave in and bought a Bolt recently. Experiencing the same issues, the fan is noisy and on perpetually. The unit freezes mid-video, uncorrectable several times. The bottom of the unit wasn't snapped into place properly.
> 
> Furthermore, the UI on this is a complete abomination.
> 
> ...


I've been using them since the launch in 2015 with great results. And the the Hydra UI made things even better. This is easily the Best TiVo I've owned since 2001. My only real complaint would be the need to use a 2.5 inch drive. I would prefer a larger chasis, like the Roamio Basic, where I could use a 3.5 inch drive in a 5TB or 6TB capacity.

Otherwise with my Bolts, I still have a 4TB drive from October 2015 that is still working great in one. That surprisingly has not crapped out after almost three years of use in Bolts.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## Tivogre (Jul 12, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> I've been using them since the launch in 2015 with great results. And the the Hydra UI made things even better. This is easily the Best TiVo I've owned since 2001. My only real complaint would be the need to use a 2.5 inch drive. I would prefer a larger chasis, like the Roamio Basic, where I could use a 3.5 inch drive in a 5TB or 6TB capacity.
> 
> Otherwise with my Bolts, I still have a 4TB drive from October 2015 that is still working great in one. That surprisingly has not crapped out after almost three years of use in Bolts.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


Just do an external 8TB drive upgrade (direct connected to the motherboard SATA). It's painless, AND reduces the internal temps a few degrees.


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## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

I have my Bolt in a cabinet (Bolt runs @ ~ 60°c) and use the following fan:
SilenX EFX-12-15T Effizio 120x25mm <15dBA <74CFM Thermistor Computer Case Fan


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Tivogre said:


> Just do an external 8TB drive upgrade (direct connected to the motherboard SATA). It's painless, AND reduces the internal temps a few degrees.


I've always avoided having an external drive with my TiVos. I decided back in 2015 to just stick with internal drives with the Bolt.

This weekend I put my Bolts back on a wire shelf. The temps are running around 57 degrees with all tuners buffering. It was at 61 degrees when on a solid shelf, a few inches from the floor. The wire shelf is currently five feet off the ground. I plan to move it to another shelf later this week that is only 18 inches off of the ground. I need to make sure I get everything set before the new TV season starts. I typically don't want to mess with my TiVos again until the Holidays once the new season starts.


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## ohboy710 (Jun 30, 2008)

MrDell said:


> I purchased this low profile 120 m/m AC Infinity fan from Amazon. Had to fit it into a narrow shelf. Great air flow, very quiet!! Using it on low with great results.


This worked great! Mine went down from 69 to 51 after installing this!


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

[This worked great! Mine went down from 69 to 51 after installing this!]

So glad that it worked out! I had similar results with my instillation.


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## CIR-Engineering (Sep 24, 2017)

forrie said:


> ...The unit freezes mid-video, uncorrectable several times...


This should not be happening. You have a defective unit. Get it replaced while you can.

craigr


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## clay.autery (Feb 3, 2018)

8TB external here... 120mm Noctua blowing into a case sans stock fan and OE HDD.
36 ODT; 33.05 HDD.
Would have to get committed to do much better.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Now that I lowered the wire shelf my Bolts are on, the temps are now down to 52 degrees. So that was a five degree drop just by lowering the shelf several feet. The wire shelf along with the Black SIlent fan installed works well for lowering the temps.


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## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

ohboy710 said:


> This worked great! Mine went down from 69 to 51 after installing this!


Do you power it with the USB port on the Bolt, or another power source?


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

MrDell said:


> I purchased this low profile 120 m/m AC Infinity fan from Amazon. Had to fit it into a narrow shelf. Great air flow, very quiet!! Using it on low with great results.


Thank you for posting this - I find that this specific fan is probably the cheapest and easiest thing that anyone can do to drop the Bolt ODT. I have changed the internal fan on one Bolt, and it made virtually NO difference from the stock fan. My 2 Bolts, just sitting on bottle caps above a hard shelf, have regularly shown ODT temps around 68.

I long ago noticed that the area near the antenna cable, and the metal end of the coax itself seem to be the hottest external part of the box, so I suspected that part would act like a heat sink if it had good air-flow. I purchased this specific fan and set it on the self at the left rear corner of the Bolt, with the air flow angled to sweep the back of the box. Now my ODT is 57 with the fan on low (more than a 10 degree drop), and 54 with it set to medium. I am not even going to bother trying the high setting!

I tried a different muffin fan with less focused air flow on the other Bolt with much less benefit - get this fan if you want to lower your temps without screwing around.


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## Roranji Sutoratosu (Sep 19, 2018)

I just use a regular 15" laptop cooler off amazon.. 4 fans blowing upwards..


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

V7Goose said:


> Thank you for posting this - I find that this specific fan is probably the cheapest and easiest thing that anyone can do to drop the Bolt ODT. I have changed the internal fan on one Bolt, and it made virtually NO difference from the stock fan. My 2 Bolts, just sitting on bottle caps above a hard shelf, have regularly shown ODT temps around 68.
> 
> I long ago noticed that the area near the antenna cable, and the metal end of the coax itself seem to be the hottest external part of the box, so I suspected that part would act like a heat sink if it had good air-flow. I purchased this specific fan and set it on the self at the left rear corner of the Bolt, with the air flow angled to sweep the back of the box. Now my ODT is 57 with the fan on low (more than a 10 degree drop), and 54 with it set to medium. I am not even going to bother trying the high setting!
> 
> I tried a different muffin fan with less focused air flow on the other Bolt with much less benefit - get this fan if you want to lower your temps without screwing around.


You are very welcome... Glad to help!


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## Mahty (Jan 6, 2006)

V7Goose said:


> Thank you for posting this - I find that this specific fan is probably the cheapest and easiest thing that anyone can do to drop the Bolt ODT. I have changed the internal fan on one Bolt, and it made virtually NO difference from the stock fan. My 2 Bolts, just sitting on bottle caps above a hard shelf, have regularly shown ODT temps around 68.
> 
> I long ago noticed that the area near the antenna cable, and the metal end of the coax itself seem to be the hottest external part of the box, so I suspected that part would act like a heat sink if it had good air-flow. I purchased this specific fan and set it on the self at the left rear corner of the Bolt, with the air flow angled to sweep the back of the box. Now my ODT is 57 with the fan on low (more than a 10 degree drop), and 54 with it set to medium. I am not even going to bother trying the high setting!
> 
> I tried a different muffin fan with less focused air flow on the other Bolt with much less benefit - get this fan if you want to lower your temps without screwing around.


I also bought the AC Infinity Multifan S2 and placed it upside-down under (and physically supporting) the back left corner of the TiVo Bolt so that the fan would suck air out of the TiVo vent and blow it away from the device. My ODT went from about 69C to 49C with the fan speed set to LO.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Mahty said:


> I also bought the AC Infinity Multifan S2 and placed it upside-down under (and physically supporting) the back left corner of the TiVo Bolt so that the fan would suck air out of the TiVo vent and blow it away from the device. My ODT went from about 69C to 49C with the fan speed set to LO.


I did the exact same thing with the same results as yours. It dropped the temp by -20C. The TiVo fan is on the bottom side of where the hard drive is and sucks air in, and is exhausted out the other side on the bottom vents. I place the AC Infinity fan on the other side to suck the air out of TiVo and vent the exhaust out the back.


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## JSearfoss (Nov 17, 2008)

Mahty said:


> I also bought the AC Infinity Multifan S2 and placed it upside-down under (and physically supporting) the back left corner of the TiVo Bolt so that the fan would suck air out of the TiVo vent and blow it away from the device. My ODT went from about 69C to 49C with the fan speed set to LO.


The back left corner is where the tivo fan is. Is that where you placed the AC Infinity fan ? Does that not cause a problem with the tivo fan trying to draw air in and the Infinity fan trying to draw air out ? Also are you powering the Infinity fan with a tivo usb port ?


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## Luke M (Nov 5, 2002)

worachj said:


> The TiVo fan is on the bottom side of where the hard drive is and sucks air in, and is exhausted out the other side on the bottom vents.


The Tivo fan blows air out.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

Luke M said:


> The Tivo fan blows air out.


True be told I can't tell, but I took it that the air sucks in from this post.
Bolt fan and airflow


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## darklyte (Sep 17, 2003)

I am surprised at how good this worked for you guys, very cool!

What would happen if the stock fan was removed and that thing was placed under the fan ventilation area on the left making more space to increase airflow since it is surely more powerful than the stock fan? Has anyone tried that to see if its better?

(edited I misread and thought people were putting the fan on the right side)


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## Mahty (Jan 6, 2006)

JSearfoss said:


> The back left corner is where the tivo fan is. Is that where you placed the AC Infinity fan ? Does that not cause a problem with the tivo fan trying to draw air in and the Infinity fan trying to draw air out ? Also are you powering the Infinity fan with a tivo usb port ?


Yes, that is where I placed the AC Infinity fan. (Actually, AC Infinity calls this particular unit a blower - drawing air in along the axis of rotation and blowing it out to the side in a direction perpendicular to that axis of rotation.) I could be wrong, but I read that the stock fan in the TiVo Bolt blows air OUT of the TiVo. If not, I'll probably experiment further. And yes, I am using one of the Bolt's USB ports to power the fan (blower).

Of course, in this configuration the internal hard drive is no longer sitting horizontally, but I'll worry about that later if I hear/read that this could affect the longevity of the drive.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

The internal fan does blow air out. I suspect that one of the reasons the stock box does not seem to cool very well is that this warm are is blown down into the hump cavity in the middle of this ugly box, and much of the air that gets sucked in through the tiny and limited intake holes around the edges of the box is probably this pre-heated air.

I have seen a few instances where the factory specs of some drives actually stated that it must be mounted horizontally. The first time I saw that, I was quite surprised, so I started checking the specs on just about every drive I looked at, and the vast majority of them state they are suitable for installation in any position. But I still try to keep them either perfectly level or vertical, just for whatever benefit it might provide.

I am sure that sitting the Bolt on top of this fan would provide the maximum airflow, but I did not want to do that because it just makes an ugly box even uglier! And besides, I have found that the cooling I get from just putting it on the shelf near the left rear corner and having the air sweep across the back provides all the extra cooling I need. I think that the air flow sweeps away all that warm air from the internal fan along with more heat from cooling the tuner area. With this fan, the coax connector went from being VERY hot all the time to not warm at all!


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Just a new data point for y'all - I tested my Bolt with this fan and WITHOUT any bottle caps or other risers on the corners, and it seems to be actually COOLER now.

The bolt is just sitting on top of my old S3 in totally stock form, with this blower at the left rear of the box, and the air stream slightly angled to sweep the back of the Bolt. The blower is on low, and I can feel a definite stream of air blowing out from under the Bolt at the front of the box on the right side.

After a full day like this, the ODT is 53, and there is virtually no detectable heat on either the top of the Bolt in any location, including the coax connector which is usually very hot.

I just noticed that the links to this blower seem to be gone from earlier posts. Here is the exact $16 blower I purchased from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012CL2V3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

What's your power source?
Can the Tivo USB port power the fan?


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Yes, the TiVo USB port powers one just fine, as would the USB port on any other equipment close by (such as a DVD player or TV). Since the TiVo stays on 24x7, I would make sure that any USB port you use also stays powered 24x7.


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## ohboy710 (Jun 30, 2008)

Tony_T said:


> Do you power it with the USB port on the Bolt, or another power source?


Yes I just powered it from the back of the Tivo usb ports.


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## JSearfoss (Nov 17, 2008)

Being that this looked so easy and I do not want to cut holes in my case I though I would try this. I purchased the AC Infinity Multifan S2. I have it set on low laying flat behind the right back corner pointing at about the middle of the Bolt. I also have the Bolt sitting on some bottle caps so there is about a 1" space under it. My temps went from 68 to 57. When all tuners are recording it goes to 59. I have not seen a 60 since turning the fan on a week ago.


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## vstone (May 11, 2002)

Elevated Bolt+, ODT dropped from 58 to 51.

Set Bolt+ on top of AC infinity 140mm fan. ODT drops to 48.

Still get V87 disconnect error.

#%^+$&


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Mahty said:


> I also bought the AC Infinity Multifan S2 and placed it upside-down under (and physically supporting) the back left corner of the TiVo Bolt so that the fan would suck air out of the TiVo vent and blow it away from the device. My ODT went from about 69C to 49C with the fan speed set to LO.


I recently ordered an AC Infinity Multifan S2 to do the same thing. I also ordered their Multifan S4 to place under the right side, blowing up into the TiVo via the CableCard area.

Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to take awhile for Amazon to ship the items + other stuff to me.

This will replace my using various laptop cooling pads containing fans.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

cwerdna said:


> I recently ordered an AC Infinity Multifan S2 to do the same thing. I also ordered their Multifan S4 to place under the right side, blowing up into the TiVo via the CableCard area.
> 
> Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to take awhile for Amazon to ship the items + other stuff to me.
> 
> This will replace my using various laptop cooling pads containing fans.


The fans finally arrived yesterday. I'm not a Prime member and chose the cheapest shipping. Package arrived late so even though I ordered May 6, they didn't arrive until the 26th. Original ETA was the 22nd.

I'm doing as I mentioned. IIRC, I saw ODT of 48 C (118.4 F). Both fans are on high. It's quite hot in my living room (~83 F) due to the heat wave here. It hit almost 100 F outside today.

The Multifan S4 is quite large and is big enough to hold up the Bolt w/o any additional support for the other side. Both fans (+ wiring and speed controller) feel like quality products.

I'm powering them via an Apple 5 watt USB AC adapter. IIRC, if you use the TiVo's USB port, that tends to raise the TiVo's internal temp a bit.


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## dfwkootz2020 (May 25, 2020)

I just placed my Bolt OTA on its side with the exhaust fan at the top, it's running consistently at 57 C. The body is barely warm to the touch. When it was horizontal it got really hot. Easy fix if you have room to place it vertical, the exhaust rises so not sucked back into the unit.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

I have mine on risers and a fan blowing across the back half of the unit. With the god awful heat it's at about 59. When we are much more moderate in temps, it will be usually around 50 for me.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

What is the best placement for fans? Is it undernearth blowing up and into the cable card slot, or in the back, pulling air OUT or IN?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I have my Bolts on a wire shelf. That along with replacing the internal fan a few years ago, keeps the temperature down in both of my Bolts.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

tivoboy said:


> What is the best placement for fans? Is it undernearth blowing up and into the cable card slot, or in the back, pulling air OUT or IN?


Underneath the vent on the bottom, pulling air down which complements the internal fan.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivoboy said:


> What is the best placement for fans? Is it undernearth blowing up and into the cable card slot, or in the back, pulling air OUT or IN?


I have my Bolt box on a cooling fan pad that blows air up onto the Bolt box. The cooling pad has 2 fans, neither of which blows onto the Bolt box's fan, and it has been fine.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

So, we have one that says blow IN and one that says blow OUT.. hmm.


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

tivoboy said:


> So, we have one that says blow IN and one that says blow OUT.. hmm.


No, I referenced blowing up onto it just because that's what my laptop cooling pad does (it doesn't give me an option to reverse the fans' blowing direction); and the fans on my laptop cooling pad are positioned such that they don't blow onto the Bolt box's fan such as to disrupt that fan's operation. It seems to be doing fine, lowering the Bolt box's temp. considerably.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

So, I put in one of these in the last couple days

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TMBSN4G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Turning it so it pulls from the Bolt OUT and blows outwardl, on the low setting it takes the bolt from 60 to 51.. quickly. So that is a positive. I'll try higher settings (med, high) to see if it lowers it more.

My concern to blow IN was that there is often a bit of dust that collects over time in the cabinet and if I don't clean it often enough, MAYBE I would introduce more debris INTO the bolt that normal. Unsure.

Still can't decide if more air IN from the bottom is better than pulling air OUT from the bottom. But at the moment, at or under 50 with the ambient temp in the room at 86 F or 30 C is probably good.

I've seen this unit as high as 64-67 on very hot days, I have tried to create more ventilation but when it's really hot I can't get it under 61/62 without possibly this fan.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

This is what I do. I am sure I could lower temp even further with a slightly different placement but I am limited on space.....This seems to work well...


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

What are the symptoms that a Bolt is too hit?


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Sometimes, show playback performance issues.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

In touching the outside of the Bolt it doesn't feel noticeably hot. Maybe its because its a new Bolt. My eyesight is shot, are the only vent holes on the bottom?


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> In touching the outside of the Bolt it doesn't feel noticeably hot. Maybe its because its a new Bolt. My eyesight is shot, *are the only vent holes on the bottom?*


Yes. The pics at e r e b o s . n e t » Blog Archive » TiVo Bolt Hard Disk Upgrade and Take Apart and TiVo Bolt Teardown help. I have Bolt+ which is black, so it's harder to see the holes vs. non-holes.

What is your ODT? Without any help of other fans, after a few hours, the top cover above the heat sink should be pretty warm.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Looks like my Bolt was made in November 2018, Model TCD849000VO


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

^^^
I'm talking about the ODT (On Die Temperature) which is the value of some sensor built into the (Broadcom?) chip.

Tivo Customer Support Community


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

ODT 62


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> ODT 62


That's pretty hot.
62 C = 143.6 F

I was at 40 C (~104 F) this morning w/my fan setup. I posted some temps in post 50. I don't think I got above 51 C (123.8 F) that day.

Right now, I'm seeing ODT of 45 C (113 F). Room temp is ~74 F.

In the past, when I was using laptop coolers, IIRC the ODT would rise a lot if I transferred content from my Bolt+ to my iOS devices via TiVo's iOS app. I tried one for a few minutes and saw my ODT go to 46 or 47 C. A few minutes after stopping the transfer, the temp went back to 45 C.

(Google makes for a good unit converter. Google for stuff like _48 C in F_.)


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Thanks,
So I'm thinking one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWH4FL4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2AW0W4FKP16S5&psc=1
and raising the Bolt up on a wire rack. Should the fan be vertical blowing across the Bolt? or under it blowing up? or on top of it blowing
up or down?


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## cpgny9 (Mar 1, 2006)

The bolts do feel warm to the touch especially around the cable card and cable connector. 62 is pretty hot, first thing I'd do is remove the cable card door and leave it off - this should drop the temp a bit (it dropped mine by 8 ). I added a small fan behind my as well and that lowered it a little bit more, but still felt it was running hot, so I purchased an AC infinity AIRCOM S7 fan (a little bit expense, but worth it) and placed the bolt on top of that

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-...ld=1&keywords=aircom+s7&qid=1591798489&sr=8-1

The combo of removing the cable card and using this fan has brought my temp down from the high 60's to high 30's / low 40's


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

ty, following your lead I removed the cable card door and the temp dropped from 62 to 56. Next will be the fan.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> Thanks,
> So I'm thinking one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWH4FL4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2AW0W4FKP16S5&psc=1
> and raising the Bolt up on a wire rack. Should the fan be vertical blowing across the Bolt? or under it blowing up? or on top of it blowing
> up or down?


I'm doing Temperature of Bolt with my S4 fan and S2 blower.


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## tivoboy (Jan 14, 2002)

The pad I put on (previous post) on low takes my bolt down to 42-44. When I turn it off, 55+


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## rscar627 (Jun 11, 2004)

Thanks for all the good advice. I have 2 Bolts that were running in the mid to high 60's. I purchased the AC Multifan Mini on Amazon and the temps have dropped to low 50's in about an hour. I have them placed directly under the Bolt fan on the medium setting acting as an exhaust fan. Very impressed.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNJ4DYX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I put a small fan to the side blowing under the bolt and along the back. Temp 48


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> I put a small fan to the side blowing under the bolt and along the back. Temp 48


Excellent. I forget....did you also remove the CC slot cover? I'm about 7 warmer...same general location but CC slot cover still on. But it seems fine.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Yes I did remove the CC slot, made about 7 difference.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Been watching the temp, staying around 48. Wife gave me 4 one inch thread spools to use as legs so now Bolt has a one inch gap under it. Temp dropped 2 degrees. I don't feel confident drilling holes or cutting case so guess I'm done.


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## kendq (Jan 12, 2005)

I just set my Bolt on its right side with the fan at the top, it draws in the fresh cooler air from the bottom (Card Cover removed) and since hot air rises its a natural flow helped by the fan. puts me in the upper 50's from the mid 60's


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## esilbe1 (Nov 21, 2006)

aaronwt said:


> I have my Bolts on a wire shelf. That along with replacing the internal fan a few years ago, keeps the temperature down in both of my Bolts.


Do you have a photo or link to the shelf?


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

esilbe1 said:


> Do you have a photo or link to the shelf?


They look similar to this one. Only I have wheels on mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C1CJB8D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

All my TiVos, UPSs, and PCs I put on wire shelving like this now. Plus it makes it easier for me to clean since I can easily move them away from the wall. And they come in all shapes and sizes so they can fit inside a closet or smaller spaces.


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## ufo4sale (Apr 21, 2001)

Would the overheating cause a HD to crash? Mine is 68, is that a problem?


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

ufo4sale said:


> Would the overheating cause a HD to crash? Mine is 68, is that a problem?


It might cause it to fail or fail more quickly.

An ODT (on-die temp of the (likely Broadcom chip) 68 C is 154.4 F. That's pretty hot.

With the AC Infinity fans that I have running, I checked earlier tonight and had my ODT down to 42 C which is 107.6 F.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Removing the cable card door, elevating unit 1 inch off shelf, fan blowing from back left corner my temps average 45-46
Fan: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G05A2MU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Please forgive the dust.


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

DouglasPHill said:


> Removing the cable card door, elevating unit 1 inch off shelf, fan blowing from back left corner my temps average 45-46.


I removed the cable card door and put the fan under the cable card -- blowing up. Then a spacer on the left side to hold the TiVo level.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

UCLABB said:


> Underneath the vent on the bottom, pulling air down which complements the internal fan.


Actually, that Bolt fan vent is an air inlet, not an outlet.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Resist said:


> Actually, that Bolt fan vent is an air inlet, not an outlet.


Others have claimed the contrary. I did try to test once w/a piece of paper but the airflow was so weak thru that fan hole, I couldn't tell either way.


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## V7Goose (May 28, 2005)

Resist said:


> Actually, that Bolt fan vent is an air inlet, not an outlet.


This is not correct - the Bolt fan blows out. And the asinine design of that ugly box is one of the reasons that the Bolt has cooling problems. The only air inlets on the Bolt are under the edges on either side, and the internal fan blows the hot air down into that hump area, angled towards the right side where a lot of it is just sucked right back in from that edge. When that already hot air is pulled back in and over the top of the main board, it cannot cool it very well.

Putting a small blower at the back corner to blow air across the back of the Bolt and under the hump to get rid of that heated air before it gets sucked back in will TOTALLY salve all the temperature problems with the Bolt.


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## bklinc (Aug 21, 2013)

ufo4sale said:


> Would the overheating cause a HD to crash? Mine is 68, is that a problem?


I went on this forum to check if anyone else has seen "premature failure" (under 5 years) of the Bolts. I recently purchased two at the same time. One of them has failed in warranty and replaced by TiVo with a refurbished Bolt. It is now failing (overheating, shutting down, pixellating, etc.). I won't replace it with a Bolt; waiting for TiVo to make me an offer for a replacement Edge. Other Bolt appears to be failing also. Edge appears to be OK so far, but newer than the Bolts. I understand that old Premiers and Roamios are still working. Doesn't bode well for the Bolts, nor for my favorite DVR company. Won't purchase another TiVo given the history of the Bolts. May have to give up some of the features, but will probably migrate to "cloud DVR's".


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

^^^ 
And, my Bolt+ that I ordered in April 2017 during their "once in a lifetime" transfer offer and activated around end of April 2017 is still working fine on its stock drive. I've never opened up the unit. It runs 24/7 and I disabled all the power management/saving as I want to it be buffering 24/7 and able to record suggestions.

Pretty early on, I did take steps to keep it cooler (e.g. via laptop cooling pads w/fans in them). Now I use two AC Infinity fans.


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## um3k (May 3, 2005)

Just a repost from way up thread, but a buddy of mine with a 3D printer designed a cooling baffle that I've been using for about a year now with good results. ODT around 46C with and ambient temp of high 70's F. Tivo Bolt cooling adapter by cmh


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

um3k said:


> Just a repost from way up thread, but a buddy of mine with a 3D printer designed a cooling baffle that I've been using for about a year now with good results. ODT around 46C with and ambient temp of high 70's F. Tivo Bolt cooling adapter by cmh


Which way is that big fan blowing? Is it blow towards the TiVo or to the left, away from the TiVo?


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

V7Goose said:


> Putting a small blower at the back corner to blow air across the back of the Bolt and under the hump to get rid of that heated air before it gets sucked back in will TOTALLY salve all the temperature problems with the Bolt.


You may be correct because now that I think about it when I used a desk fan blowing directly in front of my Bolt, the temperatures dropped drastically. So what I'm going to try is putting my AC Infinity S4 USB Multifan at the rear left corner to blow air across the back and through the bottom gap.

UPDATE: My S4 fan was under my Bolt's left rear corner blowing up, the temp was 48. Moved it vertical behind the Bolt to blow air across the back and into the gap, the temp jumped up to 52. Moved it under the cable card opening blowing up and it dropped to 51. Moved it back blowing up under the left rear corner and it went up to 52. I'm at a loss on what to do now as the temps are not consistent no matter where I put the fan. Think what I really need to do is cut a hole in the Bolt's top to put the S4, to either suck out the heat or blow air into the case.


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## um3k (May 3, 2005)

cwerdna said:


> Which way is that big fan blowing? Is it blow towards the TiVo or to the left, away from the TiVo?


Like most of us, I had a hard time telling which way the internal fan blows. Ended up treating it as an exhaust and seems to be working well for me.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

um3k said:


> Like most of us, I had a hard time telling which way the internal fan blows.


Is there someplace from Tivo that officially says which way the air flows? I guess I could just take the cover off my bolt and find out.


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## um3k (May 3, 2005)

Resist said:


> Is there someplace from Tivo that officially says which way the air flows? I guess I could just take the cover off my bolt and find out.


I'm reasonably confident after doing a "smoke test" that it's an exhaust, but as you say, the only way to be sure would be to open it up and observe the markings on the internal fan. I doubt TiVo pits anything out about it officially.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

um3k said:


> I'm reasonably confident after doing a "smoke test" that it's an exhaust, but as you say, the only way to be sure would be to open it up and observe the markings on the internal fan. I doubt TiVo pits anything out about it officially.


I'm not clear the markings are of any use. Skip to about 3:34 of 



.


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## um3k (May 3, 2005)

cwerdna said:


> I'm not clear the markings are of any use. Skip to about 3:34 of
> 
> 
> 
> .


The markings for airflow and orientation are usually molded into the black plastic of the housing on these computer fans, so not sure that video has enough detail to see them.

Of course if you've got the lid off one could just observe the angle of the blade and which way the fan turns and determine the airflow.


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## DigitalDawn (Apr 26, 2009)

All you would need is a tissue. Put it against the fan grill to see if it blows out or pulls the air in.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

There are so many people "worried" about the reported temperature of the Bolt. Because they compare to reported temperature on older model Tivos. Starting with the Bolt the temperature being reported is the CPU (On Die) temperature. Roamio and back reported motherboard temperature, TOTALLY different measurement. Since Bolt is reporting CPU temperature compare to computer CPUs, 60 degrees C under load is no big deal, probably average. When questioned about Bolt temperature "Tivo Ted" said it could run at 90 degrees C all day with no problem.

Before I learned this I went ahead and put a laptop cooler under my Bolt. Brought ODT/CPU temp down to 50-54 C, was about 60 C. Even though 60 C no big deal according to Ted and comparing to computer CPUs of course I prefer the 50-54 C.

I'm guessing many "failures" speculated to be temperature problems are actually just drive failures. There could possibly be a way to compare temperature measurements on Bolt and earlier models. Pull drive from Bolt, run diagnostics on drive. I think there is a drive temperature stat. Then pull a drive from a Roamio or Premiere. Run the same diagnostic and compare.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

tommage1 said:


> There are so many people "worried" about the reported temperature of the Bolt. Because they compare to reported temperature on older model Tivos. Starting with the Bolt the temperature being reported is the CPU (On Die) temperature. Roamio and back reported motherboard temperature, TOTALLY different measurement. Since Bolt is reporting CPU temperature compare to computer CPUs, 60 degrees C under load is no big deal, probably average. When questioned about Bolt temperature "Tivo Ted" said it could run at 90 degrees C all day with no problem.
> 
> Before I learned this I went ahead and put a laptop cooler under my Bolt. Brought ODT/CPU temp down to 50-54 C, was about 60 C. Even though 60 C no big deal according to Ted and comparing to computer CPUs of course I prefer the 50-54 C.
> 
> I'm guessing many "failures" speculated to be temperature problems are actually just drive failures. There could possibly be a way to compare temperature measurements on Bolt and earlier models. Pull drive from Bolt, run diagnostics on drive. I think there is a drive temperature stat. Then pull a drive from a Roamio or Premiere. Run the same diagnostic and compare.


Agree. After my first drive failure, I did all the cooling stuff and brought the temp way down. Second drive still failed. Those drives were just bad and I doubt it had anything to do with the temps. I wasn't going to chance another drive failure so I moved to an externally connected 3.5" drive.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

UCLABB said:


> Agree. After my first drive failure, I did all the cooling stuff and brought the temp way down. Second drive still failed. Those drives were just bad and I doubt it had anything to do with the temps. I wasn't going to chance another drive failure so I moved to an externally connected 3.5" drive.


And that is the best solution overall, temp wise if worried, and 3.5" CMR drive of pretty much any size you want. Also 3.5" drives cheaper, when compared to same type/size 2.5" drive (CMR vs SMR, largest 2.5" drive is 5TB far as I know and is an SMR "storage/archive" type drive to boot.) Only thing I'd add is IMO Sata to Sata best, Sata to ESata on enclosure may work but bypassing the ESata electronics/different chipsets is pretty much as good as it gets. If choosing a good quality CMR 3.5" drive could get 5 years or more service, I'd say more, knock on wood.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

tommage1 said:


> There are so many people "worried" about the reported temperature of the Bolt. Because they compare to reported temperature on older model Tivos. Starting with the Bolt the temperature being reported is the CPU (On Die) temperature. Roamio and back reported motherboard temperature, TOTALLY different measurement. Since Bolt is reporting CPU temperature compare to computer CPUs, 60 degrees C under load is no big deal, probably average. When questioned about Bolt temperature "Tivo Ted" said it could run at 90 degrees C all day with no problem.
> 
> Before I learned this I went ahead and put a laptop cooler under my Bolt. Brought ODT/CPU temp down to 50-54 C, was about 60 C. Even though 60 C no big deal according to Ted and comparing to computer CPUs of course I prefer the 50-54 C.
> 
> I'm guessing many "failures" speculated to be temperature problems are actually just drive failures. There could possibly be a way to compare temperature measurements on Bolt and earlier models. Pull drive from Bolt, run diagnostics on drive. I think there is a drive temperature stat. Then pull a drive from a Roamio or Premiere. Run the same diagnostic and compare.


I get that the ODT is the measurement on the large Broadcom chip, but the cooling of the Bolt is so poor, I'm almost certain the drive was running hot too and having a shortened life.

That said, I agree that some of the drive failures would've still happened even if the unit were cooled better or the lid of the Bolt was removed.

I figure $15 to ~$45 or so is cheap insurance for something that runs so darned hot and will likely save me a lot of headache and inconvenience from lost recordings + possible replacement costs or shelling out $ money for an external hard drive + enclosure.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

tommage1 said:


> Since Bolt is reporting CPU temperature compare to computer CPUs, 60 degrees C under load is no big deal, probably average. When questioned about Bolt temperature "Tivo Ted" said it could run at 90 degrees C all day with no problem.
> 
> I'm guessing many "failures" speculated to be temperature problems are actually just drive failures.


Well, in my situation every time my Bolt got too hot it stopped sending a signal through the HDMI port to the TV. When I rebooted the Bolt and kept it cooler with a fan, it's been working fine.


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## tommage1 (Nov 6, 2008)

cwerdna said:


> I get that the ODT is the measurement on the large Broadcom chip, but the cooling of the Bolt is so poor, I'm almost certain the drive was running hot too and having a shortened life.
> 
> That said, I agree that some of the drive failures would've still happened even if the unit were cooled better or the lid of the Bolt was removed.
> 
> I figure $15 to ~$45 or so is cheap insurance for something that runs so darned hot and will likely save me a lot of headache and inconvenience from lost recordings + possible replacement costs or shelling out $ money for an external hard drive + enclosure.


That is true, not a lot of space inside Bolt so overall temp could be high also. Did a bit more research, 60 C is about the highest recommended for a drive. If CPU is running 60-70 C it MIGHT raise the temp of the drive (amazingly it also says drive can run TOO cool also, recommended is 35-40 C, below 30C can lead to increased drive failure, lubricants etc). The drive, not the CPU. This info is from internet searches so keep that in mind.

I will say the cost of external upgrade can be very cheap. Under $40, not including the drive. And you don't HAVE to buy another drive, can use the 2.5 internal that is currently being used, in the enclosure. Then if it ever fails can just buy a CMR 3.5 and pop it in. Time spent if you know how to do it, under an hour (instalation time), really easy. If using current internal drive in the enclosure of course would not lose recordings. If want to use a new drive and keep everything can copy or copy and expand to a 3.5 (MFST). That of course a bit trickier, due to possible loss of recordings if the copy/expand does not work or done incorrectly, once you swap for the new drive the flash drive will lose map to recordings on the old drive. For me the only possible negatives of enclosure if done right is having an extra device taking up space, the enclosure itself, the cable running between the Bolt and the enclosure and having an extra AC adapter plugged in all the time though increased electricity usage probably minimal. Do use two cables, so can separate/connect in the middle.

Again would be interesting to take a drive that has ALWAYS/ONLY been in a Bolt, do a SMART check and see what temperature stat is reported. It may only report highest temp ever measured though, not sure. Do the same with Roamio and/or Premiere drive under same conditions (only been used in the respective Tivos, not swapped around among other devices). Not destructive (as long as you don't let Windows format the drives).


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## Idol (Sep 23, 2010)

um3k said:


> The markings for airflow and orientation are usually molded into the black plastic of the housing on these computer fans, so not sure that video has enough detail to see them.
> 
> Of course if you've got the lid off one could just observe the angle of the blade and which way the fan turns and determine the airflow.


My "test" Bolt ($20 ebay purchase) shows the fan with the direction arrow pointing down. That's towards the lower grill. I've placed a 120mm AC infinity fan under the back left corner my regular Bolt that also blows down. This adds to the suck of the little Bolt fan. I have temps around 45C with this setup.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I raised my bolt up 1 inch and have a fan blowing horizontally from the back left towards the front right (and removed the cable card panel), same around 45C


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

DouglasPHill said:


> I raised my bolt up 1 inch and have a fan blowing horizontally from the back left towards the front right (and removed the cable card panel), same around 45C


I tried that and it actually raised the temperature. Very odd.


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## rcandsc (Feb 5, 2014)

DouglasPHill said:


> I raised my bolt up 1 inch and have a fan blowing horizontally from the back left towards the front right (and removed the cable card panel), same around 45C


Did the same thing and placed an 80mm fan to blow from the back left to the front right. Temp is now at 42C. Thanks for the suggestion!


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## High Technology (Apr 16, 2006)

Idol said:


> My "test" Bolt ($20 ebay purchase) shows the fan with the direction arrow pointing down. That's towards the lower grill. I've placed a 120mm AC infinity fan under the back left corner my regular Bolt that also blows down. This adds to the suck of the little Bolt fan. I have temps around 45C with this setup.


Bumping this topic -- I bought the smaller AC Infinity 80MM fan a little over a year ago, and it seems to work well. For those who are Amazon Prime members, my Prime Day preview offers $10 Prime Day credit for purchases for Small Business sellers starting now. So this fan is $10.99 on Amazon, so I bought a second one, and I'll get $10 credit for Prime Day.

As always, this offer may be targeted to certain Amazon accounts, but I see the "Spend $10 on small business, save $10 on Prime Day" offer on the item page: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G059G86/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Was checking temps last day or two, usually 44-45, but on one day it was 49. I decided the difference was because I was watching the Tivo rather than it sitting idle.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

DouglasPHill said:


> Was checking temps last day or two, usually 44-45, but on one day it was 49. I decided the difference was because I was watching the Tivo rather than it sitting idle.


Tivo is never idle unless you have it in standby.


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