# My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)



## CIR-Engineering

*EDIT: *_ I added a lot more photos of the final final final design and mounting. Just scroll down through the thread, it isn't very long anyway._

I'll post more later because I need to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour tonight. But I did my BOLT cooling mod project this afternoon and I am really happy with the results. I can not get my ODT (on die temperature) to go above 31 degrees C. This is down from 72 degrees C!


























Yeah, 31 degrees C tops while recording four shows, streaming Netflix, and watching another recorded show on a Mini all at the same time with my cabinet door closed  70 degrees F in the house, same as before.

I started by buying a junk BOLT on eBay so that I could use its case to cover me if I need to return my TiVo to stock in case of a warranty issue (I have lifetime service). I used my adjustable hole-saw to cut the top of the BOLT case and then installed a 120mm Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fan." I keep these fans around because they really are almost totally silent, have a 35,000 MTBF, and are rather inexpensive... my servers are full of them. I placed the fan such that it mostly covered the Broadcom SoC heat sink, but also so that it would blow a lot of air onto the tuners which also get very hot.

I then modified the bottom of the case by strategically drilling holes and removing lots of bits to allow air flow around the PCB and hard drive. Check out the pics below for before and after. As with the hard drive, I removed the "air dams" to the left of the PCB also.

*Before:*









*After:*


















Then I soldered a power connector directly to the filter capacitor of the incoming 12 volt power supply for the fan. I did not use the OEM fan connector because I didn't want the fan to ever slow down. This way, the fan stays on full blast whenever the TiVo is plugged in.

I considered using the stock fan connector and even tested the fan on the junk bolt for three days to make sure it wouldn't overdrive the circuit, but in the end, I just want this thing to stay as cool as possible. Who knows, maybe I will wind up using it... I din't expect results this good and you can feel tons of air blowing out from under the front and back of the TiVo.


















I'll add some silicone to hold the fan wires nice when I open it up again...

I then transplanted my TiVo's PCB and 4TB WD WD40NPZZ hard drive into the new case. I removed the WiFi cards from the new case because I don't use WiFi and didn't want the wires cluttering things up and running over the heat sink. I removed the "RF" remote receiver from the new case's fan and stuck it to the fan's air dam so that the RF remote would work.

So... I'll have to open the box again to touch up a few things. I will put up more pix in the next post soon showing the insides and I'll add some tricks to allow you to make sure the fan is centered and things like that.

I also ordered a dust filter from China about a week ago that will be here one day, to put on top of the fan (I have black and bare aluminum coming for this and several other projects). This is the cover. I think it will do a good job filtering dust and keeping my kids from putting their fingers in the fan or dropping pennies into the TiVo ;-)










When it's all done I am going to move the BOLT out of the equipment cabinet and fasten it to the wall behind my TV in the living room so that I don't have to see the ugly white thing anymore. This BOLT has Mini's hooked up to it, but also has the HDMI split three ways so that we can watch it on two TV's and the projector all at the same time... great for parties especially the Super Bowl.

Best regards,
craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

Just a note about some good luck. I got this unit as-is on eBay described as having no remote, power supply, or hard drive for $25 shipped. Much to my delight, when I opened it up I found a 1TB hard drive! I figure I can sell that and also the cable card and actually make money on the project. Those crappy after market cable card sockets go on eBay for $35 dollars to convert Roamio OTA's to cable ready. So I figure I should easily be able to get $40 for a real TiVo cable card slot with mounting screws. And the bonus 1TB hard drive is gravy!

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

I was going to build a wall mount, but decided it would be worth the money to just buy the HIDEit Bolt Wall Mount instead of spending a lot of time. I had to make certain the TiVo would fit behind my TV so I pulled it out today to check and took some more photos of the outside while I had the chance. Inside photos will be coming soon.














































craigr


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## JoeKustra

Looks nice. I have fans on the top of two A93 Mini boxes. The MBT dropped from 50C to 31C. I used very quiet fans and dust filters. With the dust filter, which needs frequent cleaning, I can even put items on top of the fan. One fan uses a wall wart and one is USB powered. The new A95 Mini does not have vents on top.


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## CIR-Engineering

JoeKustra said:


> Looks nice. I have fans on the top of two A93 Mini boxes. The MBT dropped from 50C to 31C. I used very quiet fans and dust filters. With the dust filter, which needs frequent cleaning, I can even put items on top of the fan. One fan uses a wall wart and one is USB powered. The new A95 Mini does not have vents on top.


I've thought about adding a fan to my Mini's but only decided against it because of the cost of a Mini versus the cost of a BOLT with lifetime service (and one is in our master bedroom and I don't want ANY noise). I got my Mini's refurbish from TiVo for like $100 delivered. The BOLT I got with lifetime at a really great deal (I think I actually got it for around $240 with everything), but the cost to replace it would be huge. I also added the 4TB WD drive and that was a good $165 or so and I want to keep it cool too.

I think the dust filter is a no brainier really because dust builds up in there fast without a filter. I suspect, even more dust now that I'm blowing in so much air. I used to open my TiVo Premiere at least once or twice a year and blow it out with an air compressor to clear off the heat sink, fan, and everything else. I would get 3~5 year old TiVo's in from client's trade ups and they were sometimes literally packed with dust even when they came from very clean homes. I'm leaving the BOLT case screws off so that I can remove the entire case without taking that crazy hard drive cover off every time (don't want to break any tabs) just so that I can blow it out periodically. But I'm hoping with the dust filter and vacuuming it every other week or so that I may find I don't need to open the BOLT very often for cleaning ;-)

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

Added pics to post 3. Inside images coming soon!

craigr


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## leiff

Here's a picture of my bolt. I nailed bolt vertically to my wall. i permanently removed the lid all together and disabled the fan as the fan was noisy for me. Now no fan noise and my ODT temp is much lower. under 50 ODT


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## m.s

What's the Toblerone for?


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## CIR-Engineering

leiff said:


> Here's a picture of my bolt. I nailed bolt vertically to my wall. i permanently removed the lid all together and disabled the fan as the fan was noisy for me. Now no fan noise and my ODT temp is much lower. under 50 ODT
> View attachment 33590


I considered doing the exact same thing! I am a bit anal about fit and finish though so I really wanted a neat enclosed box.

I mounted my BOLT behind the TV and rewired everything yesterday. And yeah, I decided to shell out the $30 for the HIDEit Bolt so that it would look good.

All this was no small task considering this BOLT's video gets split and HDCP stripped and passed on to the theater projector then is converted to HDBaseT and goes on to the kitchen TV. Wound up redoing the network cables, remote cables, and even the coax all the way from the TV to the theater equipment room (grand central station). I can't believe I got it done in one day!

Best regards,
craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

All right, I guess I'm not talking to myself since I have some likes... So here are new pics.

*And it's gone! No more ugly weird white curved box ;-)*














































I'm going to make a hole in the bottom of the case for the IR repeater so I can thread the bug through that and not cover the TiVo logo guy (maybe I'll paint the drywall patches too). I'll do that and post internal pics once I get the fan cover. I also may carve out the non-circular fan shape with an exacto knife, but maybe not (who knows what the next fan shape may be if this one goes bad).

Temp dropped another degree C after taking the BOLT out of the cabinet too.

PS: went with the Black HIDEit Bolt Wall Mount to compliment the fan... I think the fan looks kind of like a classy top hat 

Best regards,
craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

OK, here it is... FINISHED! Have a look at the internal pics that I promised 

*Bottom of Case:*










When I looked back at my first post in this thread I noticed that the power supply connector on my main board was cracked (thanks TiVo)! I hadn't noticed the cracks before, but in the close up photo it's obvious. So rather than wait for it to fail, I removed the original power supply connector (which broke apart in my hands as soon as it was desoldered), took the connector off my parts board, and finally installed it on my lifetime board.

*Original Power Connector That Was Cracked:









*
*Replaced Power Connector (no more cracks) & Fan Power Cord Glued to the Board for Strain Relief (also zip-tie):
*









Thanks for the cracked power connector TiVo, but I'll pass and put one in that isn't broken!

Obviously the zip-tie will need to be replaced if I ever have to remove the main board again.

*Parts All Back In:









*
I even went so far as to remove the sticker over the tuner cover to allow the absolute max heat to escape... I'm a bit crazy maybe  Also added the square hole in front of the IR receiver so that I no longer need a "bug" on the TiVo logo outside of the box. The IR repeater just goes inside the TiVo now. This is for control of the BOLT from the theater room or kitchen.
*
Fan Mounting and Fan Wires Glued Down:









*
You'll notice that the fan has one screw with a washer under it. This is because I wanted to make the first hole elliptical to allow nearly perfect fan alignment over the fan hole 
*







*

You can compare the size of the holes in the above two photos; I drilled out the case screw hole so that I could install the second hard drive mounting screw and still be able to open the case without removing the hard drive cover or any screws. This way the case just goes around (over) the screw.

*And Finally Finished New Fan Grill & All:
*


























*
No more IR bug 
*









Thanks for looking!

Best regards,
craigr


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## zangetsu

thanks for sharing your mod with us !

the mesh wire filter is a great idea, i use one now and find it much easier to clean than the fan itself.

i also am jealous of the *Aragon 4004 *i see in one of the pictures.

i am curious about your choice of hard drive.

how has the WD Blue 4 TB worked out for the Bolt ? 
when i went to look for large capacity hard drives that would fit inside a Bolt case, i could only find Seagate which love to fail after a year or so. 
If the WD Blue series work well i would like to use that.

if i could find a sata power connector that would plug into the Bolt power connector (finding a longer sata data cable should be simple enough) i could place a *3.5 inch drive OUTSIDE* the Bolt case. 

so far i have not found anything that fits the Bolt mainboard drive power connector besides the proprietary short one that comes with the Bolt.

thanks again !


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## zangetsu

m.s said:


> What's the Toblerone for?


my guess is the box either is being used to keep cables together OR to shield bright indicator lights so they are not distracting.


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## CIR-Engineering

zangetsu said:


> thanks for sharing your mod with us !
> 
> the mesh wire filter is a great idea, i use one now and find it much easier to clean than the fan itself.
> 
> i also am jealous of the *Aragon 4004 *i see in one of the pictures.
> 
> i am curious about your choice of hard drive.
> 
> how has the WD Blue 4 TB worked out for the Bolt ?
> when i went to look for large capacity hard drives that would fit inside a Bolt case, i could only find Seagate which love to fail after a year or so.
> If the WD Blue series work well i would like to use that.
> 
> if i could find a sata power connector that would plug into the Bolt power connector (finding a longer sata data cable should be simple enough) i could place a *3.5 inch drive OUTSIDE* the Bolt case.
> 
> so far i have not found anything that fits the Bolt mainboard drive power connector besides the proprietary short one that comes with the Bolt.
> 
> thanks again !


I wouldn't recommend every WD BLUE drive, but the one I am using is working well for myself and more than 30 of my clients. It also supports wdidle3 so parking can be disabled.

The BOLT just used a pretty standard 4-pin connector. You could use a multimeter to quickly sort out the four pins.

Or you can get a standard SATA data and power cable extender like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/LINESO-SATA-...QL65&keywords=sata+power+and+data+cable&psc=1

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

zangetsu said:


> thanks for sharing your mod with us !
> 
> the mesh wire filter is a great idea, i use one now and find it much easier to clean than the fan itself.
> 
> i also am jealous of the *Aragon 4004 *i see in one of the pictures.
> 
> i am curious about your choice of hard drive.
> 
> how has the WD Blue 4 TB worked out for the Bolt ?
> when i went to look for large capacity hard drives that would fit inside a Bolt case, i could only find Seagate which love to fail after a year or so.
> If the WD Blue series work well i would like to use that.
> 
> if i could find a sata power connector that would plug into the Bolt power connector (finding a longer sata data cable should be simple enough) i could place a *3.5 inch drive OUTSIDE* the Bolt case.
> 
> so far i have not found anything that fits the Bolt mainboard drive power connector besides the proprietary short one that comes with the Bolt.
> 
> thanks again !


The cable I linked to above would also be good for cutting off the power end and installing a 4-pin connector that could go right on the BOLT.

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

WD hard drive thread:

PSA: WD BLUE WD40NPZZ

craigr


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## hankuro

CIR-Engineering said:


> WD hard drive thread:
> 
> PSA: WD BLUE WD40NPZZ
> 
> craigr


Incredibly impressive mod. Meticulous work. Well done!


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## CIR-Engineering

hankuro said:


> Incredibly impressive mod. Meticulous work. Well done!


Thank you.

craigr


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## dirtsy

Thank you for the inspiration. I tried to be patient, searching eBay for similar deals on non-working Bolts, etc, but had no luck. Then it occurred to me over the weekend that IF I need/can do another exchange with TiVo, I can swap the cover on the Bolt . So I only modified the top of the case. Essentially I did the same mod, made a 4.5-inch hole to the top of the case, added a 120mm fan with a dust screen, but I ran the power for the fan to the 5v and ground pins on the unused 4-pin header. I also removed the Noiseblocker XS-2 after-market fan I installed shortly after I purchased my Bolt last summer to open up that end of the Bolt for ventilation. I left everything else intact.

So far, everything has been great, OTD temp down from 52C-58C (now that I'm using MOCA) to 36C-42C.


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## CIR-Engineering

dirtsy said:


> Thank you for the inspiration. I tried to be patient, searching eBay for similar deals on non-working Bolts, etc, but had no luck. Then it occurred to me over the weekend that IF I need/can do another exchange with TiVo, I can swap the cover on the Bolt . So I only modified the top of the case. Essentially I did the same mod, made a 4.5-inch hole to the top of the case, added a 120mm fan with a dust screen, but I ran the power for the fan to the 5v and ground pins on the unused 4-pin header. I also removed the Noiseblocker XS-2 after-market fan I installed shortly after I purchased my Bolt last summer to open up that end of the Bolt for ventilation. I left everything else intact.
> 
> So far, everything has been great, OTD temp down from 52C-58C (now that I'm using MOCA) to 36C-42C.


Great! I'm glad it worked out for you.

I only have one concern, I'm not sure if the 5 volt regulator on the unused connector can supply enough amperage for the fan. I don't know, but you could look for the regulator and check the specs online or see if it's the same 5 volt rail as the USB. If it's the same rail as the USB than it's certainly fine.

Nice work 

I just ordered two more BOLT VOX boxes with the $99 lifetime deal that I will be downgrading from Hydra and performing the mod on as well.

Best,

craigr


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## darklyte

WOW Great work on that, very impressive!


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## rgr

CIR-Engineering said:


> The cable I linked to above would also be good for cutting off the power end and installing a 4-pin connector that could go right on the BOLT.
> 
> craigr


I wonder how much of the heat generated in the Bolt comes from the hard drive. Just using the cable you linked to (or just the data and using a powered case with fan for the drive ) would remove that heat source. What do you think temp would be if just that were done?


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## scole250

dirtsy said:


> Thank you for the inspiration. I tried to be patient, searching eBay for similar deals on non-working Bolts, etc, but had no luck. Then it occurred to me over the weekend that IF I need/can do another exchange with TiVo, I can swap the cover on the Bolt . So I only modified the top of the case. Essentially I did the same mod, made a 4.5-inch hole to the top of the case, added a 120mm fan with a dust screen, but I ran the power for the fan to the 5v and ground pins on the unused 4-pin header. I also removed the Noiseblocker XS-2 after-market fan I installed shortly after I purchased my Bolt last summer to open up that end of the Bolt for ventilation. I left everything else intact.
> 
> So far, everything has been great, OTD temp down from 52C-58C (now that I'm using MOCA) to 36C-42C.


So, the 4 pin fan header is only 5v, not 12v?


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## dadrepus

Nice mod, but I must say I like your TT in that photo. Spend a lot of my spare time repairing and using old TT I find around. Albums as well.


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## zangetsu

dadrepus said:


> Nice mod, but I must say I like your TT in that photo. Spend a lot of my spare time repairing and using old TT I find around. Albums as well.


i have not owned a turn table in a long time, where would i find the vinyl to play now days ?

my brother in law had a really nice turn table back in the day .....


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## dadrepus

Well, I'm 64 and still have all my old vinyl but I peruse thrift stores, book/record resellers, Amazon and Ebay have varied selections. The music is out there if you just look for it. And don't forget Craigslist for Vinyl and TT and Old Receivers that have phono inputs. Fun hobby. And if you need advice vinylengine.com is all you need. if you want superior sound, thorough cleaning of every record is a must. Jut one of my hobbies. Did not mean to hijack this forum, sorry.


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## JoeKustra

zangetsu said:


> i have not owned a turn table in a long time, where would i find the vinyl to play now days ?
> my brother in law had a really nice turn table back in the day .....


Amazon has a lot of vinyl. The new Yamaha receivers have phono inputs.


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## CIR-Engineering

rgr said:


> I wonder how much of the heat generated in the Bolt comes from the hard drive. Just using the cable you linked to (or just the data and using a powered case with fan for the drive ) would remove that heat source. What do you think temp would be if just that were done?


I think the TiVo board produces far and away more heat than the hard drive; I think the hard drive is more a victim of too much heat. Running the drive outside the TiVo would save the hard drive from abuse and might bring the ODT down some.

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

dadrepus said:


> Nice mod, but I must say I like your TT in that photo. Spend a lot of my spare time repairing and using old TT I find around. Albums as well.


Yeah, the bent white TiVo doesn't really match my vintage pieces that I keep in the living room ;-)

craigr


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## CIR-Engineering

zangetsu said:


> i have not owned a turn table in a long time, where would i find the vinyl to play now days ?
> 
> my brother in law had a really nice turn table back in the day .....


Are you kidding me! Every artist wants to be on vinyl theses days. You can get new pressings of most albums. Look up "record store day," vinyl is booming. Only physical media that has been increasing in sales over the past several years.

craigr


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## Electronicbuff

I found that letting TIVO record suggestions really puts a load on the 6 tuners and the cablecard. My cablecard was very hot. I turned off the suggestions from TIVO and not recording on multiple tuners through the cablecard helped drop the temperature.

Since my 3TB Bolt VOX is under warranty I'm hesitant to cut the case. I have however removed the cablecard cover and am thinking of putting a fan under the Bolt with spacers to pull out the heat.

*Would I be better off trying to suck the air away from the cablecard or to blow air onto in? Remember I'm only removing the bottom cover of the cablecard area. * The bolt is in an air conditioned home in the basement where the room temp stays around 70 degrees F.


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## zangetsu

the way fluids work (air is a fluid) you will get more effect from blowing air ON to what you want to cool, than by sucking air away from it.

the caveat would be if you had TWO fans one on each side, then in a case like that one would push air out and one would pull fresh air in.

so to answer your question, position the fan to BLOW air on to the card or underside of the tivo.

to make cleaning the dirt that will build up i highly recommend a fine screened steel mesh filter that is sold for this very purpose, makes it so easy to clean, cleaning fan blades by hand is messy and time consuming.








just be sure to get the appropriate size, 80 and 120 mm are common fan sizes.

good luck Electronicbuff.


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## scole250

If it's sitting in a nook in a TV stand, open in front but otherwise enclosed, and it's blowing hot air out of holes on the bottom, will the warm air be able to clear out and not get sucked back down in from the top? I was thinking that pulling it out of the top would help let the warm air drift up and away and let cool air get pulled in from the bottom.


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## darklyte

scole250 said:


> So, the 4 pin fan header is only 5v, not 12v?


Curious about this too, any idea what the voltage is of the empty 4-pin header? I don't want to hook up a 12v fan to it and fry the board.


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## Luke M

darklyte said:


> Curious about this too, any idea what the voltage is of the empty 4-pin header? I don't want to hook up a 12v fan to it and fry the board.


Documenting my Bolt Experiences...


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## darklyte

Thanks for the link, I missed that part when I previously read the thread. Very helpful. Sorry if this is a dumb question, my tech skills are a little limited, based on those voltages am I interpreting right that a 12v fan will NOT run properly off that?

*Vacant 4-pin header adjacent to the SATA header:*
*Pin 1:* 3.55 vdc
*Pin 2:* 0.00 vdc
*Pin 3:* 4.76 vdc
*Pin 4:* 5.09 vdc​
What did you use to cut the top of the case? Any tips?
I was going to attack it with an exacto knife but thinking that will get sloppy fast.


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## Luke M

darklyte said:


> Thanks for the link, I missed that part when I previously read the thread. Very helpful. Sorry if this is a dumb question, my tech skills are a little limited, based on those voltages am I interpreting right that a 12v fan will NOT run properly off that?


Almost any 12V fan can run (slowly!) at 5V. However, sometimes they don't spin up reliably at low voltages. So it's not ideal.

Do you have the buzzing problem?


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## darklyte

Ah thanks for clearing that up!

No I don't have the buzzing problem but my Bolt is running extremely hot to the touch. The heatsink along with the cable card and the coax input are boiling. 

I was toying with either putting the guts in a new case, or inspired by CIR adding a fan on top. 

The case route has a lot of pluses (better looking, cooling, 3.5HD compatibility) but is more expensive and there are issues with the IR sensor, leds and a few other items that I wont realize until I start it.

So now going the fan route, trying to figure out the best way to power the fan without frying the board... I have only the most very basic soldering/electronic skills. I was able to recap my old S3 PSU easily but not sure how well I would do with more complicated jobs.

Any suggestions for the best easy way to power a 12V fan directly through the TiVo unit for someone with modest skills in this area? I'm trying to avoid wiring it up to a separate external power supply.


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## Luke M

darklyte said:


> I was toying with either putting the guts in a new case, or inspired by CIR adding a fan on top.
> 
> The case route has a lot of pluses (better looking, cooling, 3.5HD compatibility) but is more expensive and there are issues with the IR sensor, leds and a few other items that I wont realize until I start it.


Yeah, I've been thinking about that too.



darklyte said:


> So now going the fan route, trying to figure out the best way to power the fan without frying the board... I have only the most very basic soldering/electronic skills. I was able to recap my old S3 PSU easily but not sure how well I would do with more complicated jobs.
> 
> Any suggestions for the best easy way to power a 12V fan directly through the TiVo unit for someone with modest skills in this area? I'm trying to avoid wiring it up to a separate external power supply.


If you don't have the buzzing, why not connect the fan to the fan connector?


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## darklyte

Luke M said:


> If you don't have the buzzing, why not connect the fan to the fan connector?


You mean unplug the 50MM fan and use that one?
Could I use a splitter there and power both fans?


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## leiff

I'm thinking of just cutting some ventilation holes large ones off the top of my new bolt with my dremmel tool.


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## Luke M

darklyte said:


> You mean unplug the 50MM fan and use that one?


Yes.



darklyte said:


> Could I use a splitter there and power both fans?


Probably, but I think that would be pointless. The existing cooling is so feeble that any improvement makes it redundant.


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## darklyte

Thanks, I wasn't sure what limitations there might be on that fan header since it looks like its just 2-pins. 

For the top, was thinking the Noctua NF-A12x15 FLX because I like its 15MM instead of 25 high, so slightly less ugly, and coloring it black with a permanent marker. I tested the marker on another brown Noctua and it actually looks decent.

Then on the bottom replace the 50MM with Noiseblocker BlackSilentFan XS-2.

Though to your point the smaller exhaust fan may be pointless once the Noctua is going, it might be so weak it hinders the flow and better just leaving it open and drilling some extra exhaust holes on the side of the case.


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## dirtsy

My apologies for not checking back on this thread earlier...hopefully I can help with some questions.

As far as the 5V pin on the unused header is concerned...I use a couple of jumpers (http://a.co/3USVfLD) to power the fan from the 5V and 0V pin. I have had zero issues using that unused header for power to run the Noiseblocker XS-2 for 9-months or so after I had my third "humming" fan control issue with my refurb Bolts and have had zero issues now...enough amperage does not seem to be an issue from the unused header.

Drilling the hole in the cover...I did NOT do it the correct way for a 120mm fan, but it worked, I won't describe how I ended up doing it...it was dangerous, and from my junior high shop class training I should have known better. The correct way would be to purchase (expensive) or rent (possible) a 4.5-inch hole saw bit from the local hardware store and drill away!

Also, as far as 120mm dust screens, this has been my choice!...http://a.co/8DBr2wc.

Good luck!


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## darklyte

Thanks, those are some great tips on the jumpers and dust screen! Much appreciated.


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## scole250

Luke M said:


> Documenting my Bolt Experiences...


So the 2 pin fan header is 12v? I assumed it was 5v due to the size and being just 2 wire. If it is 12v, it looks like the pins are spaced about the same as 3 or 4 pin fans and I should be able to slide a 3 pin fan plug on it, matching up the red and black plug wires to the 12v and Ground header prongs?


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## Luke M

scole250 said:


> So the 2 pin fan header is 12v? I assumed it was 5v due to the size and being just 2 wire. If it is 12v, it looks like the pins are spaced about the same as 3 or 4 pin fans and I should be able to slide a 3 pin fan plug on it, matching up the red and black plug wires to the 12v and Ground header prongs?


Yes and yes. But note, if you have the buzzing problem, replacing the fan won't fix it (even though it only buzzes with a fan connected, the buzzing is coming from the motherboard power supply, not the fan).


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## CIR-Engineering

scole250 said:


> So the 2 pin fan header is 12v? I assumed it was 5v due to the size and being just 2 wire. If it is 12v, it looks like the pins are spaced about the same as 3 or 4 pin fans and I should be able to slide a 3 pin fan plug on it, matching up the red and black plug wires to the 12v and Ground header prongs?


The 12 volt two pin fan connector is also speed controlled by the TiVo by pulsing the 12 volt supply rather than sending constant 12v. If you want your fan to run at full speed it will not on that supply. I also have concern that a larger fan will draw too much current and fry the power regulator transistor.

craigr


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## scole250

Thanks guys. I'm not about to try soldering anything to the board so it looks like I'll be going with plan B which is to just use an separate AC to molex power adapter.


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## Luke M

scole250 said:


> Thanks guys. I'm not about to try soldering anything to the board so it looks like I'll be going with plan B which is to just use an separate AC to molex power adapter.


Another thing you could do is split the hard drive power. It has 12V (so I've read), even though 2.5" drives only use 5V.

If you don't want to butcher the cable, you could use a SATA->SATA+Molex splitter. It would be super messy but you could use the space vacated by the old fan to hold the spaghetti. (Is the SATA power and data one unit or two? If it's one then you would also need a SATA data extender cable).


----------



## leiff

I just bought infinity s4 120 mm fan for my bolt. Would I be better off powering this USB fan Up to wall wart instead of out of bolt so as to not strain my bolt? I haven't decided if I'm going to place my fan underneath blowing into bolt, or standing behind pushing air across. If I were to drill heat escape holes in my bolt, would they be best drilled over the center top above where the heat sink is? I also have a dremmel tool available.


----------



## scole250

leiff said:


> I just bought infinity s4 120 mm fan for my bolt. Would I be better off powering this USB fan Up to wall wart instead of out of bolt so as to not strain my bolt? I haven't decided if I'm going to place my fan underneath blowing into bolt, or standing behind pushing air across. If I were to drill heat escape holes in my bolt, would they be best drilled over the center top above where the heat sink is? I also have a dremmel tool available.


That 120mm fan only pulls .58A. Don't know what kind of load it puts on the USB controller. One thing to keep in mind is that fan only has 1mm H2O static pressure which is a little weak.
I just saw this Noctua 120mm 5v fan which comes with a USB adapter, 54cfm, 22.4 dBA, .15A, MTTF > 150000 h, 2.61mm H2O. I might try it instead NF-F12 5V


----------



## CIR-Engineering

leiff said:


> I just bought infinity s4 120 mm fan for my bolt. Would I be better off powering this USB fan Up to wall wart instead of out of bolt so as to not strain my bolt? I haven't decided if I'm going to place my fan underneath blowing into bolt, or standing behind pushing air across. If I were to drill heat escape holes in my bolt, would they be best drilled over the center top above where the heat sink is? I also have a dremmel tool available.


The USB ports are rated at 1 amp each, you'll be fine. I suspect the BOLT could run fine with a one amp power supply if nothing is plugged into USB.

craigr


----------



## darklyte

scole250 said:


> I just saw this Noctua 120mm 5v fan which comes with a USB adapter, 54cfm, 22.4 dBA, .15A, MTTF > 150000 h, 2.61mm H2O. I might try it instead NF-F12 5V


Thanks for that I didn't realize Noctua had a 5V fan... and it has a USB adapter too, even better!

I'm thinking this is the solution I've needed, any concerns at all that this would tax the motherboard if hooked up directly on that empty 5v fan header, or should it be run from the back USB port to be safe?


----------



## leiff

My new bolt Vox was too loud for me. I opened up the bolt again and unplugged the power header to the fan as well as drilled 15 holes above the heat sink on the main compartment of the case. I now keep the hard drive compartment slightly ajar so heat can escape. Now I have a much quieter machine and I expect it to run cooler also.
View attachment 36084


----------



## Joe39565

Cooler Master Fan
P/N: S2S-124K-GP
120mm
1200 R.P.M.
12 VDC
0.15 Amp, 1.8 Watt
44.73 CFM
1.65 mmH2O
Noise Level 19.1 dB-A
MTTF 30,000 hours
3 pin


----------



## darklyte

leiff said:


> View attachment 36106
> My new bolt Vox was too loud for me. I opened up the bolt again and unplugged the power header to the fan as well as drilled 15 holes above the heat sink on the main compartment of the case. I now keep the hard drive compartment slightly ajar so heat can escape. Now I have a much quieter machine and I expect it to run cooler also.
> View attachment 36084


Nice work, whats the internal temp of the machine now vs. before?


----------



## leiff

darklyte said:


> Nice work, whats the internal temp of the machine now vs. before?


 Right now, I believe it's the same now as it was before I did anything, that's around 60 odt. I'm going to enlarge my drilled surface area and report back


----------



## Joe39565

Thanks to the great write up CIR provided, I started the cooling project on my Bolt plus the external 8TB upgrade.

Still waiting for the new hard drive and other parts needed to complete the project, but I just finished drilling holes to the bottom of my spare bolt case, and attached the 120 mm to the top, so the worst part is done.


----------



## scole250

Well I got inspired to do the CIR-Engineering cooling mod but I'm only doing the first half for now. If that keeps temps reasonable I'm not going to mess with the bottom of the case. I did buy a used Bolt cheap and cut that case but my Bolt is brand new and I don't want to mess with removing the main board. That requires taking off the cable card socket, antennas, drive. Anyway, here are some pics. I'm going to see how it works pulling the warm air out the top.

Tips for others. I used a 4.5 inch hole saw. Prepped by putting duct tape on top of case and underside to prevent damaging case while sawing hole. Print off a 120mm fan template and lay it out on the tape covered case. Recommend laying case upside down (on scrap wood for support) on it's top and cutting from bottom side. There's support tab/fin on that side that needs trimming first. Don't cut too fast. Go slow. It will likely bind. If it does that stop quick to keep from damaging the case and work it loose. There's a small tab on the section that goes over the back plate. Be careful not the break it off. The whole thing is fragile really. And don't forget to use thread lock/loctite to keep the nuts from backing off and dropping on to the main board.


----------



## Joe39565

scole250 said:


> Well I got inspired to do the CIR-Engineering cooling mod but I'm only doing the first half for now. If that keeps temps reasonable I'm not going to mess with the bottom of the case. I did buy a used Bolt cheap and cut that case but my Bolt is brand new and I don't want to mess with removing the main board. That requires taking off the cable card socket, antennas, drive. Anyway, here are some pics. I'm going to see how it works pulling the warm air out the top.
> 
> Tips for others. I used a 4.5 inch hole saw. Prepped by putting duct tape on top of case and underside to prevent damaging case while sawing hole. Print off a 120mm fan template and lay it out on the tape covered case. Recommend laying case upside down (on scrap wood for support) on it's top and cutting from bottom side. There's support tab/fin on that side that needs trimming first. Don't cut too fast. Go slow. It will likely bind. If it does that stop quick to keep from damaging the case and work it loose. There's a small tab on the section that goes over the back plate. Be careful not the break it off. The whole thing is fragile really. And don't forget to use thread lock/loctite to keep the nuts from backing off and dropping on to the Tivo.


Good tips, but I noticed you have the fan wires sticking out of the top of the case, but you can easily remedy that by backing them out of the grooved fan wire "channel".

Also; CIR posted a picture of a 120 mm mesh dust screen to place on top of the fan.


----------



## darklyte

scole250 said:


> Well I got inspired to do the CIR-Engineering cooling mod but I'm only doing the first half for now. If that keeps temps reasonable I'm not going to mess with the bottom of the case. I did buy a used Bolt cheap and cut that case but my Bolt is brand new and I don't want to mess with removing the main board. That requires taking off the cable card socket, antennas, drive. Anyway, here are some pics. I'm going to see how it works pulling the warm air out the top.
> 
> Tips for others. I used a 4.5 inch hole saw. Prepped by putting duct tape on top of case and underside to prevent damaging case while sawing hole. Print off a 120mm fan template and lay it out on the tape covered case. Recommend laying case upside down (on scrap wood for support) on it's top and cutting from bottom side. There's support tab/fin on that side that needs trimming first. Don't cut too fast. Go slow. It will likely bind. If it does that stop quick to keep from damaging the case and work it loose. There's a small tab on the section that goes over the back plate. Be careful not the break it off. The whole thing is fragile really. And don't forget to use thread lock/loctite to keep the nuts from backing off and dropping on to the Tivo.


That's great work and thanks for sharing the details and pics!

Also agree a filter on top might be a good idea to keep the dust out.

I don't have a hole saw but am going to attempt with a dremel.

What size drill bit size did you use for the fan mounting screw holes?


----------



## scole250

darklyte said:


> That's great work and thanks for sharing the details and pics!
> 
> Also agree a filter on top might be a good idea to keep the dust out.
> 
> I don't have a hole saw but am going to attempt with a dremel.
> 
> What size drill bit size did you use for the fan mounting screw holes?


I'm pulling air out the top. I've got some thin foam dust filter material I'm going to stick to the bottom to cover all the holes. To be honest I did't check what size drill bit it was. I just eyeballed it against a #6 machine screw. I'd guess maybe 1/8.

As for the fan wire, I'm using external 12v power for the fan. The tivo sits in cubby in the tv stand and the wire is in the back so you can't see it.

One more note about the where to place the fan. Use a template and pay close attention to where the fan mounting holes line up. There is very little clearance over some of the parts. The tuner in particular. About all you can fit between the tuner and the case is a paper thin washer and fairly thin screw head. If you try to put the threaded end of the screw on that end and there's any extra thread sticking out past the nut it will hit the tuner. Might be some other spots like that too.


----------



## darklyte

scole250 said:


> One more note about the where to place the fan. Use a template and pay close attention to where the fan mounting holes line up. There is very little clearance over some of the parts. The tuner in particular. About all you can fit between the tuner and the case is a paper thin washer and fairly thin screw head. If you try to put the threaded end of the screw on that end and there's any extra thread sticking out past the nut it will hit the tuner. Might be some other spots like that too.


Thanks for that,very good and important to know!

I'd be curious how the temps differ with the fan venting out the top as you have it vs. intake. Either way should be a huge improvement though!


----------



## scole250

darklyte said:


> I'd be curious how the temps differ with the fan venting out the top as you have it vs. intake. Either way should be a huge improvement though!


Temp was 60, now 36.


----------



## Joe39565

Received my 12 volt extender cable this morning to power the 120 mm Cooler Master Fan that I mounted on top of my Bolt box and soldered one end to the Rosewill RX304-APU3-35B external hard drive enclosure to the on the board SATA power connections. Plugged it in without connecting the hard drive power to test and to see that the fan powered up and now that portion of the project is done.

I used my Dremel tool to make another rectangular hole for the direct connect SATA cable and another round hole for the fan power on the Rosewill box. Now all I need is for the right angle SATA cable to arrive so I can transfer the guts from my factory Bolt into the modified Bolt case and get my new 8 TB Red hard drive working. Hopefully by the weekend.

If anyone could provide some suggestions on the best way to make the 8 TB hard drive to play nice with the TIVO Bolt then please do so.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Joe39565 said:


> Thanks to the great write up CIR provided, I started the cooling project on my Bolt plus the external 8TB upgrade.
> 
> Still waiting for the new hard drive and other parts needed to complete the project, but I just finished drilling holes to the bottom of my spare bolt case, and attached the 120 mm to the top, so the worst part is done.
> View attachment 36123
> View attachment 36124


Nice!


----------



## CIR-Engineering

scole250 said:


> Well I got inspired to do the CIR-Engineering cooling mod but I'm only doing the first half for now. If that keeps temps reasonable I'm not going to mess with the bottom of the case. I did buy a used Bolt cheap and cut that case but my Bolt is brand new and I don't want to mess with removing the main board. That requires taking off the cable card socket, antennas, drive. Anyway, here are some pics. I'm going to see how it works pulling the warm air out the top.
> 
> Tips for others. I used a 4.5 inch hole saw. Prepped by putting duct tape on top of case and underside to prevent damaging case while sawing hole. Print off a 120mm fan template and lay it out on the tape covered case. Recommend laying case upside down (on scrap wood for support) on it's top and cutting from bottom side. There's support tab/fin on that side that needs trimming first. Don't cut too fast. Go slow. It will likely bind. If it does that stop quick to keep from damaging the case and work it loose. There's a small tab on the section that goes over the back plate. Be careful not the break it off. The whole thing is fragile really. And don't forget to use thread lock/loctite to keep the nuts from backing off and dropping on to the main board.


All good tips. I like the fan template idea!

I used blue painter's tape to cover the entire outside of the case so that it wouldn't get scratched. I also attached the top case upside down to a piece of 2x10 before I drilled the fan hole. I used a couple 1" drywall screws through the case to the 2x10 inside of my 4.5" fan hole to fasten the case to the wood. Had a really good grip on it that way. Slow is key as you will start to melt the case instead of cutting ;-)

It's really easy to swap cases if you decide to do so. What you already did is 10x harder or worse. The main board plops right out once you remove a few screws, the coax nut, and HDMI screw. The the hard drive is nothing. You don't need to remove the WiFi / Bluetooth board and if you are keeping the WiFi, just leave the old WiFi antennas in the old case and use the new ones in the new case. Also, the cable card is easy to remove. The front two screws are just sheet metal screws, but the two screws by the socket are machine thread and are not meant to come out of the socket. You can back the two socket screws out until they are out of the threads, and then literally pull the cable card socket out by using the two screws near the socket.

Nice work,
craigr


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Joe39565 said:


> If anyone could provide some suggestions on the best way to make the 8 TB hard drive to play nice with the TIVO Bolt then please do so.


It's easy. Same software for any size hard drive.

MFS Reformatter (mfsr)

I used mfsr on all the hard drives I've installed in BOLT's and Roamio's including mine and client's; that spans 2TB-8TB drives. Right now in my own house I have a BOLT with a 4TB 2.5", a VOX with a 2TB 2.5", and a Roamio with an 8TB RED. 2TB requires the use of MFSR1005.

Best,
craigr


----------



## Joe39565

CIR-Engineering said:


> It's easy. Same software for any size hard drive.
> 
> MFS Reformatter (mfsr)
> 
> I used mfsr on all the hard drives I've installed in BOLT's and Roamio's including mine and client's; that spans 2TB-8TB drives. Right now in my own house I have a BOLT with a 4TB 2.5", a VOX with a 2TB 2.5", and a Roamio with an 8TB RED. 2TB requires the use of MFSR1005.
> 
> Best,
> craigr


craigr,

I'm still waiting for the right angle SATA cable to arrive before I can proceed any further.

As for the MFS Reformatter, which version did you use for the 8TB upgrade?

From all that I have read, I thought you did not need to use MFSR if the hard drive was 3TB or less?

Thanks,
Joe


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Joe39565 said:


> craigr,
> 
> I'm still waiting for the right angle SATA cable to arrive before I can proceed any further.
> 
> As for the MFS Reformatter, which version did you use for the 8TB upgrade?
> 
> From all that I have read, I thought you did not need to use MFSR if the hard drive was 3TB or less?
> 
> Thanks,
> Joe


I use 1004 for everything except when I put the 2TB drive in my VOX. I sent ggieseke a PM to get 1005.

You don't NEED to use MFSR on 3TB and smaller drives, but using it optimizes the drive to make it mor efficent which makes it so the drive does not have to work as hard... this should extend the life of the drive. There is info and threads on the forum.

craigr


----------



## Joe39565

Early last year I purchased a 2TB drive upgrade from Weaknees and installed it in a 500GB White Bolt and recently reinstalled it in my new 500GB Black Bolt Vox. I'm just wondering if it would help to run MFSR on this 2TB drive after I finish my 8TB upgrade this weekend before installing it in another Tivo Bolt?

If so, I would appreciate getting a copy of the 1005 version of MFSR for 2TB Drives.


----------



## ggieseke

Joe39565 said:


> Early last year I purchased a 2TB drive upgrade from Weaknees and installed it in a 500GB White Bolt and recently reinstalled it in my new 500GB Black Bolt Vox. I'm just wondering if it would help to run MFSR on this 2TB drive after I finish my 8TB upgrade this weekend before installing it in another Tivo Bolt?
> 
> If so, I would appreciate getting a copy of the 1005 version of MFSR for 2TB Drives.


Sent.


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## Joe39565

Thank You so very much ggieseke. Please inbox me with your email address so I can send a donation through PayPal.


----------



## ggieseke

Joe39565 said:


> Thank You so very much ggieseke. Please inbox me with your email address so I can send a donation through PayPal.


There's a donate button on the first post in the MFSR thread in the Upgrade forum.


----------



## Joe39565

Done; and thank you for all that you do here.


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## Joe39565

Upgrade to 8TB went absolutely great, and cooling mods dropped the ODT to 35!


----------



## Rkkeller

Unless I missed it, all this unnecessary work and for why? It will cool enough just fine unless you stick it in a tight space.

Whats next led light strips like they are putting in desktops? Not trying to make a joke, just seems unnecessary.


----------



## Joe39565

Rkkeller said:


> Unless I missed it, all this unnecessary work and for why? It will cool enough just fine unless you stick it in a tight space.
> 
> Whats next led light strips like they are putting in desktops? Not trying to make a joke, just seems unnecessary.


This was a combo project. 8TB external upgrade plus cooling mod.

There have been many reports of Bolt's failing, and most agree that the "normal" ODT of 72 is way too high.

Dropping the ODT from 72 celsius (161.6 degrees fahrenheit) to 35 celsius (95 degrees fahrenheit) is a huge difference.

The larger fan and hard drive getting their power from the external hard drive box results in less power being used by the Tivo motherboard which should also result in longer life expectancy.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Rkkeller said:


> Unless I missed it, all this unnecessary work and for why? It will cool enough just fine unless you stick it in a tight space.
> 
> Whats next led light strips like they are putting in desktops? Not trying to make a joke, just seems unnecessary.


The very high temperatures in the BOLT will a reduce the life of your hard drive.

craigr


----------



## jadziedzic

Rkkeller said:


> Unless I missed it, all this unnecessary work and for why? It will cool enough just fine unless you stick it in a tight space.


Maybe unnecessary, and maybe not.

I had a Bolt+ in a well-ventilated area, and one day EVERY channel developed extreme pixelation and breakup. I reached behind the unit to check if the coax cable was fully tightened and burned my fingers on the connector on the back of the Bolt+ - it was that hot. I powered off the Bolt+, let it cool, and placed it back in service. Within a few months the same symptoms returned, and then all of the tuners on the unit died. Coincidence? Perhaps (probably) not.

The replacement Bolt+ now sits on top of a laptop cooler and has a much-reduced ODT reading.


----------



## porkenstein

I want to do this fan mod. I was looking at hole saws and the ones I can find have very course teeth so wondering if they will just tear the case up. Was hoping to fine a saw with fine teeth like a hacksaw blade has. Any suggestions?


----------



## CIR-Engineering

porkenstein said:


> I want to do this fan mod. I was looking at hole saws and the ones I can find have very course teeth so wondering if they will just tear the case up. Was hoping to fine a saw with fine teeth like a hacksaw blade has. Any suggestions?


That's why I used my adjustable hole saw. It uses a blade similar to a metal lathe and makes a smoother cut.

I've got a 3.5" hole saw here too and I didn't use it because I was worried that with the course teeth the hole might come out a bit too large. It sounds like others have had success with regular hole saws though. I use the 3.5" hole saw for doing fan mods on video projectors where I cut through rather thick aluminum chassis so it's a bit different...

Even with the adjustable hole saw I still used a half round file to smooth it out and deburr the case. Also, if you have never used an adjustable hole saw don't make this your first time. They are inherently out of balance and unweildy. At the very least practice on something else first.

craigr


----------



## Joe39565

I used a dremel tool taking it slow and easy then sanding


----------



## darklyte

Joe39565 said:


> I used a dremel tool taking it slow and easy then sanding


I'm going to use the dremel as well, which bit attachment did you use to cut the case?


----------



## Joe39565

darklyte said:


> I'm going to use the dremel as well, which bit attachment did you use to cut the case?


I used one of the cutoff wheels. I used a permanent marker to outline the cut then made the cuts close t the line and then sanded to get the hole where I wanted it.

Try cutting at a medium speed as too high a speed will melt the plastic as you cut. Also suggest doing it outside to keep the wife happy.


----------



## porkenstein

So far I have added the fan used in the first post. I have not drilled all the holes in the bottom of the case but am surprised the tivo is still running at 44C. I did hook the fan to the same place the original fan was hooked to. Is my fan running at full speed being connected there. I don't have a meter so wondering if it's running at 12vdc or maybe only 5vdc. Any advice appreciated. By the way I am a little embarrassed to admit but I used a very hot soldering pen to cut the hole for the fan. It actually worked great and just used a little file to clean it up and only took a couple of minutes.


----------



## Luke M

porkenstein said:


> So far I have added the fan used in the first post. I have not drilled all the holes in the bottom of the case but am surprised the tivo is still running at 44C. I did hook the fan to the same place the original fan was hooked to. Is my fan running at full speed being connected there. I don't have a meter so wondering if it's running at 12vdc or maybe only 5vdc. Any advice appreciated. By the way I am a little embarrassed to admit but I used a very hot soldering pen to cut the hole for the fan. It actually worked great and just used a little file to clean it up and only took a couple of minutes.


Not full speed (except during early boot). It's 12v but pulsed to reduce speed.


----------



## porkenstein

Ok I drilled the holes in the bottom and it only brought it down to 42c. I am now using an external 12vdc supply and it's running at 37c and it's in a kind of enclosed place and it sits on top of a Roamia so I am very happy with that. The external power brought it right down and less load on the tivo. My Roamio is sure built a lot better than the bolt. they did the bolt as cheap as they could. wonder what the future of Tivo will be. Amazon just announced both a 2 and 4 tuner OTA recorder with no subscription fees. They are already taking pre-orders. Might be the end as Amazon as much as I like the store destroys everything in it's path.


----------



## Joe39565

Mine has been running between 35 and 37 since making all the cooling mods and using the external hard drive case to power the hard drive and larger fan. Lower temps and reduced loading on the Tivo Bolt motherboard should help a lot on reliability and life expectancy.

Was also a good idea using your soldering iron to make the hole, having done the same on some old projects way back when.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

*Awesome New Cooling Mods Part II:
*
So I replaced the Roamio in the theater room and installed a new BOLT VOX. I am old school (and also it's a show room for clients) so I have my equipment rack in the theater and not in a separate equipment closet. Because of this, I need the BOLT to be totally silent. I looked at high priced fans, but after some experimentation I decided to try the same Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fan," but running attached to a 5 volt rail instead of a 12 volt rail. Not all 12 volt fans will run off of 5 volts, but when you find one that does it will spin more slowly and be very quiet.

*While I was in there, I also decided to be old school again and replaced the transfer LED with a blue LED.*

Here are pics and descriptions:








































































So I cut the hole for the fan the same way using my adjustable hole saw. I then mounted the fan and used the same dust cover as on the original mod.

I didn't want to hunt down a parts BOLT VOX to use as a spare case, so I decided not to drill any holes in the bottom of the BOLT this time. Like a poster above mentioned, if the unit fails under warranty, I can always use the case top from the replacement if I ever need to send it back to TiVo. This was an experiment, but I figured with the new fan running at a lower speed and with the stock fan out of the way I might have enough airflow without the additional holes drilled in the bottom. It seems to have worked well because the ODT (on die temperature) has remained between 38- 43 degrees Celsius. Before the mods it was running 69-71 degrees Celsius.

As you can see, the Zigbee antenna (RF remote antenna) was relocated to one of the fins where the original fan was.

As far as wiring goes, here are some tips (see photos above). I used the unused 4-pin connector on the PC board to get my 5 volts. If you decide to do this, use the pin closest to the heat sink for your 5 volt source and the third pin from the heat sink for the ground. Be careful because the second pin from the heat sink also is 5 volts, but it should not be used. The first pin is designed for high loads and uses the same rail as the hard drive. The second pin's 5 volt's is for logic circuits and should not have a high load fan put on it because this could overload the circuit, cause ripple, and insert sinusoidal noise on the digital power rail. The third pin also uses the same ground plane as the hard drive which is isolated from the logic ground.

I used the stock terminator from the same PC fan and cut the pin guide off the far side so that it would be easy to remember which direction the fan power connector goes and so that it could not get put on backwards or one pin over accidentally (again see the photos above). Also, I removed the yellow sense wire (just rip it straight out quickly and cleanly). You also must remove the pins from the terminator and put the positive wire (usually red) closest to the heat sink and the negative wire (usually black) three pins over from the heat sink. Most pins can be removed undamaged with a small jewelers screw driver and a bit of finesse. I shortened the fan wire to what I thought would work well, soldered, and shrink tubed the wires. I then twisted the fan wires and heated them so they would hold their form.

*And while I was in there I really wanted the blue transfer LED back so I went all out and changed that too * (see last photo).

So far I am happy. The new VOX doesn't run as cool as the white BOLT (white BOLT around 31-34 degrees Celsius) where the fan is allowed the full 12 volts and there are holes in the bottom of the case. However, the black VOX mod is still around 30 degrees Celsius cooler than it was running at stock and it is dead quiet. For the theater it's a good trade I think.

Next up is for me to install an eSATAp connector on the white BOLT so more to come.

Best,
craigr


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Mentioned this in a post somewhere above, but this is how I secure the BOLT case while I drill out the large fan hole.










Blue painters tape to protect the finish and two drywall screws to hold it to a piece of wood. Clamp the piece of wood to a work bench.

craigr


----------



## Luke M

If a Bolt doesn't have the buzzing problem (did yours?), I would suggest using the 2-pin fan connector. A 3-pin fan connector plugs in with no modification required. Also, there's no risk of the fan not starting after a power cycle because it's getting 12V (5V is below the specified minimum starting voltage for most 12V fans).

Edit: Don't do this, see below.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Luke M said:


> If a Bolt doesn't have the buzzing problem (did yours?), I would suggest using the 2-pin fan connector. A 3-pin fan connector plugs in with no modification required. Also, there's no risk of the fan not starting after a power cycle because it's getting 12V (5V is below the specified minimum starting voltage for most 12V fans).


I agree that would seem like a good idea and that's what I would have liked best, but that transistor is very low power and can't deliver much power over what the stock fan takes. A while back I "tested" that option with the same low power 120 mm fan. After about two weeks it fried the circuit and the two pin was dead. I smelled it when it went out 

craigr


----------



## Luke M

CIR-Engineering said:


> I agree that would seem like a good idea and that's what I would have liked best, but that transistor is very low power and can't deliver much power over what the stock fan takes. A while back I "tested" that option with the same low power 120 mm fan. After about two weeks it fried the circuit and the two pin was dead. I smelled it when it went out


Well that sucks. Good to know!


----------



## BigJimOutlaw

So many cool mods. Would there be anything to gain from replacing the thermal gunk with something better? Or is that heatsink really stuck on there?


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Luke M said:


> Well that sucks. Good to know!


Yeah, the stock fan uses just 0.07 Amps. It's incredibly low power. The Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fans" are among the lowest power 120mm fans I have found and they still use 0.16 Amps, more than double the stock fan. I don't know what transistor TiVo actually put in there because it is not identifiable from the markings. I would have expected a 0.25 Amp transistor, but they must have something lower than that in there. Obviously their transistor can almost supply enough current, but not quite.

Also a word of note, the Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fans" are very reliable at 5 volts. I have them running at 5 volts in quite a few applications including servers. You can also stop them with your hand and they always restart. You can even spin them backwards with your hand and they still restart at 5 volts. I have full confidence that they will always start, but if they don't don't start, the BOLT will stay cool enough because just cutting the hole in the top case and letting it run passively still lowers the ODT temperature compared to stock.

craigr


----------



## CIR-Engineering

BigJimOutlaw said:


> So many cool mods. Would there be anything to gain from replacing the thermal gunk with something better? Or is that heatsink really stuck on there?


clay.autery did some theory on replacing the thermal pad with ArcticSilver but I think he ultimately decided against it. His thread is here: Documenting my Bolt Experiences...

However, you have rekindled my interest... Right now I have my parts BOLT test board running and buffering four different channels. I'm going to monitor the ODT temperature on it for a while. What I will then try is removing the stock thermal pad and applying some ArcticSilver and see how the temps compare. If there is an improvement I will post back and probably apply it to my BOLT units.

Best,
craigr


----------



## CIR-Engineering

CIR-Engineering said:


> clay.autery did some theory on replacing the thermal pad with ArcticSilver but I think he ultimately decided against it. His thread is here: Documenting my Bolt Experiences...
> 
> However, you have rekindled my interest... Right now I have my parts BOLT test board running and buffering four different channels. I'm going to monitor the ODT temperature on it for a while. What I will then try is removing the stock thermal pad and applying some ArcticSilver and see how the temps compare. If there is an improvement I will post back and probably apply it to my BOLT units.
> 
> Best,
> craigr


Well, it seems about the same so I think the factory thermal pad is pretty good! The heat sink is actually not even very smooth so I sanded it flat. I also had to sand down the spacer to make the heat sink level again after removing the thermal pad. Once you pull the heat sink off there's no going back. At this point I would say just stick with the factory thermal pad.

craigr


----------



## darklyte

CIR-Engineering said:


> While I was in there, I also decided to be old school again and replaced the transfer LED with a blue LED.


_What kind of LED did you use in terms of size/shape? That sounds like a really clever mod that I'd like to try but they look like they are some odd size/flat shape._

Nevermind, I just saw you started a whole new post on this!


----------



## CIR-Engineering

darklyte said:


> _What kind of LED did you use in terms of size/shape? That sounds like a really clever mod that I'd like to try but they look like they are some odd size/flat shape._
> 
> Nevermind, I just saw you started a whole new post on this!


Not a bad idea for a link though.

LED INFO LINK:
BLUE Transfer LED on a BOLT Anyone ;-)

craigr


----------



## N2UMK

Hello. I spent a couple of hours getting my Bolt+ cooling setup. After losing 2 Bolt+s in 4 months something is wrong. My disk drives were almost to hot to touch as was my cable card. Since this bolt+ is under warranty I did not want to do the full "CraigR." I created a cardboard template of the 120 mm fan (Cool Master 120 S12) on some card stock and then taped it in place over the top of the case top aligning as needed so as not to interfere with any parts below the case top (near the rear where connections are made). I used a 25-30 W soldering iron and put small pin-like holes around the perimeter. Then used a "hot-knife" - "exacto"- like tool that plugs into AC aka, like the soldering iron with similar wattage. (another poster here mentioned the soldering iron). It was like connecting the "dots." Eventually I had the 120 mm hole right where I wanted it. I used the iron to mark the screw holes and drilled them out (11/64" drill bit). I cleaned up the "big 120mm hole" with a dremel. Good enough. You can't see it when fan is installed. ODT @ power on was 27. It went up to 31 and then back to 29 over 6 hours. Tivo Suggestions is off; not recording anything; just watching cable. I left the cover off the disk drive end and off the cable card. Everything is cool to the touch! Unlike before mod on previous units. I also have it up off the shelf on some medicine cups (single dose type). I'm not to anal about looks. See pics. You can feel air moving over the drive and out the case edges. The internal fan was removed. The external 120 mm fan is powered by a 12v wall wart. Let's hope this solves the "infant mortality issue" on the Bolt+. Thanks to "CraigR" and all who contribute to this thread/site.


----------



## JoeKustra

Two tips. Expect 1 or 2 rise during service connections. Also: Hit TiVo then "D" quickly. You should be viewing the battery percentage. It will sometimes acquire it automatically. This is a Roamio, so the "normal" temperature is always lower.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

N2UMK said:


> Hello. I spent a couple of hours getting my Bolt+ cooling setup. After losing 2 Bolt+s in 4 months something is wrong. My disk drives were almost to hot to touch as was my cable card. Since this bolt+ is under warranty I did not want to do the full "CraigR." I created a cardboard template of the 120 mm fan (Cool Master 120 S12) on some card stock and then taped it in place over the top of the case top aligning as needed so as not to interfere with any parts below the case top (near the rear where connections are made). I used a 25-30 W soldering iron and put small pin-like holes around the perimeter. Then used a "hot-knife" - "exacto"- like tool that plugs into AC aka, like the soldering iron with similar wattage. (another poster here mentioned the soldering iron). It was like connecting the "dots." Eventually I had the 120 mm hole right where I wanted it. I used the iron to mark the screw holes and drilled them out (11/64" drill bit). I cleaned up the "big 120mm hole" with a dremel. Good enough. You can't see it when fan is installed. ODT @ power on was 27. It went up to 31 and then back to 29 over 6 hours. Tivo Suggestions is off; not recording anything; just watching cable. I left the cover off the disk drive end and off the cable card. Everything is cool to the touch! Unlike before mod on previous units. I also have it up off the shelf on some medicine cups (single dose type). I'm not to anal about looks. See pics. You can feel air moving over the drive and out the case edges. The internal fan was removed. The external 120 mm fan is powered by a 12v wall wart. Let's hope this solves the "infant mortality issue" on the Bolt+. Thanks to "CraigR" and all who contribute to this thread/site.
> View attachment 38155
> View attachment 38156
> View attachment 38157


Nice work. Leaving the hard drive cover off really lets the BOLT run cool with the 120mm fan; I did that for a while. It's a good compromise if you don't want to drill, but still want the absolute lowest temperature... and don't mind the open look.

craigr


----------



## ClefCruiser

OK, so My new Bolt OTA is replacing the Premier in the RV and all the cooling info has prompted me to consider mounting mine topless on the back wall of a cabinet that hides my NAS (for the Pi-Media) and router/AP that is adjacent to my main Screen. My question is what is the best way to service the remote's IR/Input- is the a particularly simple, straight forward small IR repeater that is not big/clumsy- I am limited on space and power (The setup I use is pretty slick, I pull air into the cabinet from the bottom with one 120mm fan and blow it out into the rack under the flatscreen that holds the BluRay and Premier, and of course the premier is going out leaving me room for something new if I can get the Bolt hidden away!


----------



## zangetsu

ClefCruiser said:


> ..... My question is what is the best way to service the remote's IR/Input- is the a particularly simple, straight forward small IR repeater that is not big/clumsy- I am limited on space and power....


i suggest using the radio frequency ability of the remote. while it does mean replacing batteries more often than when using the infrared ability it also means not needing line of site to work.

RF uses a little more power than IR does, but the trade off is worth it for some.


----------



## malba2366

porkenstein said:


> I want to do this fan mod. I was looking at hole saws and the ones I can find have very course teeth so wondering if they will just tear the case up. Was hoping to fine a saw with fine teeth like a hacksaw blade has. Any suggestions?


I am using a acinfinity exhast fan model aircom S7. My bolt is set ontop of the fan with the cablecard cover removed. My ODT stays steady at 39 C. I would recommend this over hacking the case apart to install fans.


----------



## Mikeguy

malba2366 said:


> I am using a acinfinity exhast fan model aircom S7. My bolt is set ontop of the fan with the cablecard cover removed. My ODT stays steady at *39 C.* I would recommend this over hacking the case apart to install fans.


I think that you win the low-temp. sweepstakes!


----------



## KJN

My next mod will be to add a refrigeration unit and run it in frost mode.


----------



## Davelnlr_

malba2366 said:


> I am using a acinfinity exhast fan model aircom S7. My bolt is set ontop of the fan with the cablecard cover removed. My ODT stays steady at 39 C. I would recommend this over hacking the case apart to install fans.


Thanks. Just ordered one myself. Even with a fan sitting on top of my Bolt, the temp still stays about 60, and Ive already gone through 4 Bolt+'s and dont want to have another one go bad. So you removed the cablecard cover, and just sit the bolt on top of the fen? What speeds you running it at? Quiet or loud speed?


----------



## [email protected]

I also had a Bolt+ overheat and fry the hard drive. After reading every message on this forum I was ready to buy a case from ebay and a hole saw until I read yesterday's post from malba2366 and after reading the reviews on Amazon I placed an order for the ACinfinity exhaust aircom S7. I'll give it a try.

Temp is now 41 degrees


----------



## Davelnlr_

malba2366 said:


> I am using a acinfinity exhast fan model aircom S7. My bolt is set ontop of the fan with the cablecard cover removed. My ODT stays steady at 39 C. I would recommend this over hacking the case apart to install fans.


Looks like you have it in smart mode. In Smart mode, mine wont drop below 49. I do have it on top of my A/V amp, to cool both at once. Now I am trying it with Auto/Smart turned off, and fan on speed 3. This is a great cooler.


----------



## Mikeguy

Davelnlr_ said:


> Looks like you have it in smart mode. In Smart mode, mine wont drop below 49. I do have it on top of my A/V amp, to cool both at once. Now I am trying it with Auto/Smart turned off, and fan on speed 3. This is a great cooler.


Is speed 3 the hi speed? Will be interesting to hear how far down the cooler can get you. Since seeing the above posts, have been thinking about this angle again, and now between the AC Infinity Aircom S7 and the Multifan S7 (with dual fans).


----------



## zangetsu

how loud is this cooler ?
does it make a lot of noise ?


----------



## ClefCruiser

zangetsu said:


> how loud is this cooler ?
> does it make a lot of noise ?


I got the 140mm, the dual 120mm and the S2 blower. the S2 blower is VERY quiet, and if placed under the Bolt pulling from the fan port keeps my Bolt with a 3tb toshiba 40-50 on medium, on high it only drops it another degree or two, on low it runs in the 50-60 range- I figure hi exceeds what it can pull through the opening. I use the 140 to keep the receiver colled, and the dual 120 at the cabinet's top rear area- I got the controller for it- that works well too! All of their products so far are decent IMHO...

(EDIT: before adding the fans, the unit was running 60-66 degrees, the cabinet has a single 120mm fan that was thermal controlled and ran loud enough to hear with the glass door closed- now I can't hear any fans)


----------



## Shave Jacket

malba2366 said:


> I am using a acinfinity exhast fan model aircom S7. My bolt is set ontop of the fan with the cablecard cover removed. My ODT stays steady at 39 C. I would recommend this over hacking the case apart to install fans.


Just to clarify so that I set mine up correctly (I have had a Bolt recently fail and have a new one on the way) the fan should blow air up and over the bolt, or should it pull the air down and out/away from the bottom of the bolt?
Thanks for the clarification.


----------



## ClefCruiser

Shave Jacket said:


> Just to clarify so that I set mine up correctly (I have had a Bolt recently fail and have a new one on the way) the fan should blow air up and over the bolt, or should it pull the air down and out/away from the bottom of the bolt?
> Thanks for the clarification.


Both my Bolts, the Vox and the OTA have their OEM fans blowing the heat out of the bottom, so I have my S2 blower DRAWING from that spot on the bottom and blowing out...

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, the puny OEM fan would offer little restriction if one blew air up into the Bolt at that spot, but why fight the current, every little bit helps!


----------



## Davelnlr_

Mikeguy said:


> Is speed 3 the hi speed? Will be interesting to hear how far down the cooler can get you. Since seeing the above posts, have been thinking about this angle again, and now between the AC Infinity Aircom S7 and the Multifan S7 (with dual fans).


One speed lower than full. It is quiet. Cannot hear it at all. Temp is 48 with both Amp and Tivo on for over 8 hours.


----------



## Steve1981

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWH4FL4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## barnabas1969

Steve1981 said:


> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWH4FL4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I bought that fan. I placed it under the Bolt's fan (blowing down), and it reduced the Bolt's ODT from 64C to 46C. Room temperature is 77F.

I am planning to build a custom box (cardboard) so that the fan can suck more air from the OEM fan, and so that the Bolt will sit level. Right now, I just have the Bolt sitting on the fan so that the fan will draw air from the Bolt's built-in fan.

As you can see in the attached picture, the fan is situated so that only the left-rear corner of the Bolt is on top of the fan.

I plan to make a cardboard box that will draw 100% of the air from the existing fan outlet in the Bolt.


----------



## barnabas1969

CIR-Engineering said:


> I was going to build a wall mount, but decided it would be worth the money to just buy the HIDEit Bolt Wall Mount instead of spending a lot of time. I had to make certain the TiVo would fit behind my TV so I pulled it out today to check and took some more photos of the outside while I had the chance. Inside photos will be coming soon.
> 
> View attachment 33497
> 
> 
> View attachment 33499
> 
> 
> View attachment 33500
> 
> 
> View attachment 33501
> 
> 
> View attachment 33502
> 
> 
> craigr


This is overkill.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

barnabas1969 said:


> This is overkill.


My projects are not about doing things the easy way, they are about doing mods of high quality 

If you think this is overkill check out this thread:

Instructions: Adding eSATAp connector to BOLT (tech)

Best,
craigr


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## Mikeguy

Different strokes. Some people enjoy the engineering challenge.


----------



## Mikeguy

@CIR-Engineering, I think that you would do a killer job of replacing a refrigerator lightbulb. Of course, the bulb probably would end up being powered by a nano-sized nuclear generator or the natural disintegration of food molecules. 

I was impressed by the finish of your cooling fan mod--it actually looked like it could be the original kit. Of course, your interior Bolt box work scares the living bejeezus out of me--I'm using an exterior fan-based cooling pad.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Mikeguy said:


> @CIR-Engineering, I think that you would do a killer job of replacing a refrigerator lightbulb. Of course, the bulb probably would end up being powered by a nano-sized nuclear generator or the natural disintegration of food molecules.
> 
> I was impressed by the finish of your cooling fan mod--it actually looked like it could be the original kit. Of course, your interior Bolt box work scares the living bejeezus out of me--I'm using an exterior fan-based cooling pad.


Lol

Thanks Mike.

craigr


----------



## Mikeguy

CIR-Engineering said:


> My projects are not about doing things the easy way, they are about doing mods of high quality


I just noticed that your mods got the box ODT down to a max of 31 degrees C--jeez, that's the temp. of a warm Summer-day room, and not even enough for culturing yogurt!

My external fan-based cooling pad (an AC Infinity) gets my box (cablecard compartment door removed) down to ~45-the low 50s, depending on the room temp.--this is with the fan on the lowest speed, with no audible effect even next to the fan (it pretty much feels like a light breeze); experimenting some, the highest fan speed would get me down to around 40 degrees (but I'm satisfied with the lowest speed, for sound reasons--the Bolt box is in my bedroom). I've been fortunate, though, as my Bolt box never was a hot or noisy one.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

Mikeguy said:


> I just noticed that your mods got the box ODT down to a max of 31 degrees C--jeez, that's the temp. of a warm Summer-day room, and not even enough for culturing yogurt!
> 
> My external fan-based cooling pad (an AC Infinity) gets my box (cablecard compartment door removed) down to ~45-the low 50s, depending on the room temp.--this is with the fan on the lowest speed, with no audible effect even next to the fan (it pretty much feels like a light breeze); experimenting some, the highest fan speed would get me down to around 40 degrees (but I'm satisfied with the lowest speed, for sound reasons--the Bolt box is in my bedroom). I've been fortunate, though, as my Bolt box never was a hot or noisy one.


Yeah, mine started out as a really hot one, 72 degrees C in March. Now I've never seen it go above 34 degrees C even in summer with the AC off. I also have the tuners running much cooler as the coax connectors are no longer smoldering.

I think 45~50 C is fine though. You're good.

I was at a client's place a few weeks ago. He had a new BOLT and it was running low 50's stock in a shelf. I don't know if TiVo is making them better or if Broadcom did a die shrink or what?!?

Best,
craigr


----------



## John7777

CIR-Engineering said:


> *EDIT: *_ I added a lot more photos of the final final final design and mounting. Just scroll down through the thread, it isn't very long anyway._
> 
> I'll post more later because I need to go to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour tonight. But I did my BOLT cooling mod project this afternoon and I am really happy with the results. I can not get my ODT (on die temperature) to go above 31 degrees C. This is down from 72 degrees C!
> 
> View attachment 33455
> 
> View attachment 33503
> 
> View attachment 33457
> 
> 
> Yeah, 31 degrees C tops while recording four shows, streaming Netflix, and watching another recorded show on a Mini all at the same time with my cabinet door closed  70 degrees F in the house, same as before.
> 
> I started by buying a junk BOLT on eBay so that I could use its case to cover me if I need to return my TiVo to stock in case of a warranty issue (I have lifetime service). I used my adjustable hole-saw to cut the top of the BOLT case and then installed a 120mm Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fan." I keep these fans around because they really are almost totally silent, have a 35,000 MTBF, and are rather inexpensive... my servers are full of them. I placed the fan such that it mostly covered the Broadcom SoC heat sink, but also so that it would blow a lot of air onto the tuners which also get very hot.
> 
> I then modified the bottom of the case by strategically drilling holes and removing lots of bits to allow air flow around the PCB and hard drive. Check out the pics below for before and after. As with the hard drive, I removed the "air dams" to the left of the PCB also.
> 
> *Before:*
> View attachment 33459
> 
> 
> *After:*
> View attachment 33460
> 
> 
> View attachment 33461
> 
> 
> Then I soldered a power connector directly to the filter capacitor of the incoming 12 volt power supply for the fan. I did not use the OEM fan connector because I didn't want the fan to ever slow down. This way, the fan stays on full blast whenever the TiVo is plugged in.
> 
> I considered using the stock fan connector and even tested the fan on the junk bolt for three days to make sure it wouldn't overdrive the circuit, but in the end, I just want this thing to stay as cool as possible. Who knows, maybe I will wind up using it... I din't expect results this good and you can feel tons of air blowing out from under the front and back of the TiVo.
> 
> View attachment 33465
> 
> View attachment 33467
> 
> 
> I'll add some silicone to hold the fan wires nice when I open it up again...
> 
> I then transplanted my TiVo's PCB and 4TB WD WD40NPZZ hard drive into the new case. I removed the WiFi cards from the new case because I don't use WiFi and didn't want the wires cluttering things up and running over the heat sink. I removed the "RF" remote receiver from the new case's fan and stuck it to the fan's air dam so that the RF remote would work.
> 
> So... I'll have to open the box again to touch up a few things. I will put up more pix in the next post soon showing the insides and I'll add some tricks to allow you to make sure the fan is centered and things like that.
> 
> I also ordered a dust filter from China about a week ago that will be here one day, to put on top of the fan (I have black and bare aluminum coming for this and several other projects). This is the cover. I think it will do a good job filtering dust and keeping my kids from putting their fingers in the fan or dropping pennies into the TiVo ;-)
> 
> View attachment 33464
> 
> 
> When it's all done I am going to move the BOLT out of the equipment cabinet and fasten it to the wall behind my TV in the living room so that I don't have to see the ugly white thing anymore. This BOLT has Mini's hooked up to it, but also has the HDMI split three ways so that we can watch it on two TV's and the projector all at the same time... great for parties especially the Super Bowl.
> 
> Best regards,
> craigr


This is exactly what I would like to do, but being the lazy S.O.B. I am, I just removed the cover on my bolt and placed a small fan on top. I added some rubber feet to the bottom so it sits level. My bolt runs at 35 and sits inside a stereo cabinet with no back. I intend to blow the dust off from time to time and brush it out if necessary, but I hope there are no drawbacks to this lazy man's method. I figure reducing the heat is more than half the battle for getting plenty of life out of the unit. If anyone knows of any problems with my method, please let me know. My lazy man technology has come back to bite me in the ass from time to time, but generally my motto is: It ain't pretty but it does the job." Thanks.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

John7777 said:


> This is exactly what I would like to do, but being the lazy S.O.B. I am, I just removed the cover on my bolt and placed a small fan on top. I added some rubber feet to the bottom so it sits level. My bolt runs at 35 and sits inside a stereo cabinet with no back. I intend to blow the dust off from time to time and brush it out if necessary, but I hope there are no drawbacks to this lazy man's method. I figure reducing the heat is more than half the battle for getting plenty of life out of the unit. If anyone knows of any problems with my method, please let me know. My lazy man technology has come back to bite me in the ass from time to time, but generally my motto is: It ain't pretty but it does the job." Thanks.


You should be good to go with no negative ramifications. I would be onboard with the lazy man Métis if I weren't so anal about fit and finish. That said, this mod only took about two hours.

craigr


----------



## My Cape is a Recliner

Curious what problems you've had, if any since doing this. You added the fan, and it sounds like its quiet enough to not hear it. You have it hidden, but use the IR for the remote, and as bad as that gets is a little more battery use. Would the only problem left be dust? I was curious what your experience has been with that. How often have you been cleaning it, and how bad does it get? This would obviously be relative, but maybe compared to the rest of your house.


----------



## CIR-Engineering

My Cape is a Recliner said:


> Curious what problems you've had, if any since doing this. You added the fan, and it sounds like its quiet enough to not hear it. You have it hidden, but use the IR for the remote, and as bad as that gets is a little more battery use. Would the only problem left be dust? I was curious what your experience has been with that. How often have you been cleaning it, and how bad does it get? This would obviously be relative, but maybe compared to the rest of your house.


The white BOLT (the first with the fan mod in this thread) is in our living room. It's HDMI goes into an HDFury Integral that strips HDCP and splits the signal to the living room TV and then sends the other HDMI down to the equipment rack outside the theater room. At that point the HDMI goes into an HDMI to HD BaseT converter that again splits the HDMI to the theater room and the HD BaseT goes to the kitchen. The reason for this is so that when we have sports parties the three TVs are all at the same time without audio delay between sets. And for this reason, in the living room the TiVo is controlled with RF (it's behind the TV) and controlled by IR from a remote in the theater room. This may be more than you wanted to know...

Anyway, I have had no issues at all. I vacuumed off the fan screen every couple months. I open the TiVo every 8-12 months (as I have always done with all my TiVos) and blow it out with an air compressor. I will say that with the fan screen this TiVo has less dust inside than any other I have ever seen and I started with a series 3 and have about 100 clients on TiVos.

This TiVo also has my eSATAp mod with a 3.5" external bare drive:
Instructions: Adding eSATAp connector to BOLT (tech)

I have another BOLT VOX in the theater room that also has a similar fan mod. On that one I used the same fan but am running it at 5v instead of 12v and it has a 2TB internal hard drive. Much to my surprise it usually runs around 34 degrees C and also does not have any additional holes in the bottom. On this TiVo I have never had to vacuum off the screen in the 2+ years I've had it. I think it's less dusty in the theater, but the main thing is that the fan is moving less air so less dust.

I've thought about changing the white BOLT fan mod to 5v to see if it stays as cool, but I have yet to bother.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

craigr


----------



## My Cape is a Recliner

CIR-Engineering said:


> The white BOLT (the first with the fan mod in this thread) is in our living room. It's HDMI goes into an HDFury Integral that strips HDCP and splits the signal to the living room TV and then sends the other HDMI down to the equipment rack outside the theater room. At that point the HDMI goes into an HDMI to HD BaseT converter that again splits the HDMI to the theater room and the HD BaseT goes to the kitchen. The reason for this is so that when we have sports parties the three TVs are all at the same time without audio delay between sets. And for this reason, in the living room the TiVo is controlled with RF (it's behind the TV) and controlled by IR from a remote in the theater room. This may be more than you wanted to know...
> 
> Anyway, I have had no issues at all. I vacuumed off the fan screen every couple months. I open the TiVo every 8-12 months (as I have always done with all my TiVos) and blow it out with an air compressor. I will say that with the fan screen this TiVo has less dust inside than any other I have ever seen and I started with a series 3 and have about 100 clients on TiVos.
> 
> This TiVo also has my eSATAp mod with a 3.5" external bare drive:
> Instructions: Adding eSATAp connector to BOLT (tech)
> 
> I have another BOLT VOX in the theater room that also has a similar fan mod. On that one I used the same fan but am running it at 5v instead of 12v and it has a 2TB internal hard drive. Much to my surprise it usually runs around 34 degrees C and also does not have any additional holes in the bottom. On this TiVo I have never had to vacuum off the screen in the 2+ years I've had it. I think it's less dusty in the theater, but the main thing is that the fan is moving less air so less dust.
> 
> I've thought about changing the white BOLT fan mod to 5v to see if it stays as cool, but I have yet to bother.
> 
> Let me know if you have any other questions.
> 
> craigr


No. Even though I didn't get most of that setup, that's great. Thanks.


----------



## John7777

CIR-Engineering said:


> You should be good to go with no negative ramifications. I would be onboard with the lazy man Métis if I weren't so anal about fit and finish. That said, this mod only took about two hours.
> 
> craigr


Thanks Craig, With retirement looming on the horizon, I'll keep that in mind. Have a good one!


----------



## CIR-Engineering

The Black BOLT mod is in this thread, but here is a direct link:
My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)

craig


----------



## jlb

CIR-Engineering said:


> *Awesome New Cooling Mods Part II:
> *
> So I replaced the Roamio in the theater room and installed a new BOLT VOX. I am old school (and also it's a show room for clients) so I have my equipment rack in the theater and not in a separate equipment closet. Because of this, I need the BOLT to be totally silent. I looked at high priced fans, but after some experimentation I decided to try the same Cool Master "R4-S2S-124K-GP Silent Case Fan," but running attached to a 5 volt rail instead of a 12 volt rail. Not all 12 volt fans will run off of 5 volts, but when you find one that does it will spin more slowly and be very quiet.
> 
> *While I was in there, I also decided to be old school again and replaced the transfer LED with a blue LED.*
> 
> Here are pics and descriptions:
> 
> View attachment 37009
> 
> 
> View attachment 37010
> 
> 
> View attachment 37011
> 
> View attachment 37021
> 
> 
> View attachment 37016
> 
> 
> View attachment 37017
> 
> 
> View attachment 37018
> 
> 
> View attachment 37019
> 
> 
> So I cut the hole for the fan the same way using my adjustable hole saw. I then mounted the fan and used the same dust cover as on the original mod.
> 
> I didn't want to hunt down a parts BOLT VOX to use as a spare case, so I decided not to drill any holes in the bottom of the BOLT this time. Like a poster above mentioned, if the unit fails under warranty, I can always use the case top from the replacement if I ever need to send it back to TiVo. This was an experiment, but I figured with the new fan running at a lower speed and with the stock fan out of the way I might have enough airflow without the additional holes drilled in the bottom. It seems to have worked well because the ODT (on die temperature) has remained between 38- 43 degrees Celsius. Before the mods it was running 69-71 degrees Celsius.
> 
> As you can see, the Zigbee antenna (RF remote antenna) was relocated to one of the fins where the original fan was.
> 
> As far as wiring goes, here are some tips (see photos above). I used the unused 4-pin connector on the PC board to get my 5 volts. If you decide to do this, use the pin closest to the heat sink for your 5 volt source and the third pin from the heat sink for the ground. Be careful because the second pin from the heat sink also is 5 volts, but it should not be used. The first pin is designed for high loads and uses the same rail as the hard drive. The second pin's 5 volt's is for logic circuits and should not have a high load fan put on it because this could overload the circuit, cause ripple, and insert sinusoidal noise on the digital power rail. The third pin also uses the same ground plane as the hard drive which is isolated from the logic ground.
> 
> I used the stock terminator from the same PC fan and cut the pin guide off the far side so that it would be easy to remember which direction the fan power connector goes and so that it could not get put on backwards or one pin over accidentally (again see the photos above). Also, I removed the yellow sense wire (just rip it straight out quickly and cleanly). You also must remove the pins from the terminator and put the positive wire (usually red) closest to the heat sink and the negative wire (usually black) three pins over from the heat sink. Most pins can be removed undamaged with a small jewelers screw driver and a bit of finesse. I shortened the fan wire to what I thought would work well, soldered, and shrink tubed the wires. I then twisted the fan wires and heated them so they would hold their form.
> 
> *And while I was in there I really wanted the blue transfer LED back so I went all out and changed that too * (see last photo).
> 
> So far I am happy. The new VOX doesn't run as cool as the white BOLT (white BOLT around 31-34 degrees Celsius) where the fan is allowed the full 12 volts and there are holes in the bottom of the case. However, the black VOX mod is still around 30 degrees Celsius cooler than it was running at stock and it is dead quiet. For the theater it's a good trade I think.
> 
> Next up is for me to install an eSATAp connector on the white BOLT so more to come.
> 
> Best,
> craigr


Really like the looks of this mod!!!


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## zubinh

Drilling holes in the bolt case is wayyyy too much work for me. Buy the two fan version (link below), plug it into the Bolt's USB port, put one fan on the case above the hard drive and put the other fan on the left or right side of the Bolt. Total Installation time = 22 seconds. The cool thing about this fan (pun intended) is that it also has a female USB port so I was able to plug another fan into it and route that one to my A/V Receiver..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IJ2J2K0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## John7777

CIR-Engineering said:


> The Black BOLT mod is in this thread, but here is a direct link:
> My Awesome BOLT Cooling Mods ;-)
> 
> craig


Thanks and it's a shame TIVO goes with the cheaply made fans, but we learn by finding better alternatives.


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## keithg1964

I just completed this modification on my TiVo Bolt and my results are very similar. I did not drill any holes in the bottom case and I soldered the fan to the 12v and ground wire that are running to the hard drive. That was easier for me to do than to solder to the motherboard. I want to think the original poster and all the responses for their help. I used an jigsaw to cut the hole in the top cover it worked very well.


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## CIR-Engineering

keithg1964 said:


> I just completed this modification on my TiVo Bolt and my results are very similar. I did not drill any holes in the bottom case and I soldered the fan to the 12v and ground wire that are running to the hard drive. That was easier for me to do than to solder to the motherboard. I want to think the original poster and all the responses for their help. I used an jigsaw to cut the hole in the top cover it worked very well.


Great!

I was just using a junk BOLT the other day to help optimize my antenna. The BOLT was unmodded and I forgot how fast and how hot the coax connector gets. In just a few minutes it was way too hot... really bad for the tuner chips and their solder joints. Fan mod fixes that too.

craigr


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## gus2000

I rest my Bolt on a laptop cooling pad to keep the temperature down. I chose this one because it matched my furniture:

https://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Cooling-Nnewvante-Laptops-Notebooks/dp/B07P8R7L3P/

Plugs right into the USB port. Only drops the temperature a few degrees, but it was enough to stop the hanging/crashing problems.


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## keithg1964

Wondering if anybody has modified the case to allow an 3.5" drive to fit (mostly) inside the case.


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## CIR-Engineering

There is absolutely no way to fit a 3.5” drive in the BOLT case.

craigr


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## Slumpert

Kinda makes me want to get a 3d printer and “print” a new top cover to snap in place of the standard side cover that would enclose a 3.5 hdd and a fan.

A 3.5hdd fits inside the cover by itself so seems possible.


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## Mikeguy

Slumpert said:


> Kinda makes me want to get a 3d printer and "print" a new top cover to snap in place of the standard side cover that would enclose a 3.5 hdd and a fan.
> 
> A 3.5hdd fits inside the cover by itself so seems possible.


That would be way cool.


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## My Cape is a Recliner

Slumpert said:


> Kinda makes me want to get a 3d printer and "print" a new top cover to snap in place of the standard side cover that would enclose a 3.5 hdd and a fan.
> 
> A 3.5hdd fits inside the cover by itself so seems possible.


There already is one. I don't recall the thread, but I've seen the link in here where someone had that idea and already did it. It looked like someone took the small fan cover piece and redesigned it the size of a small shoebox to sit on top. Didn't seem like it would be as effective as this mod would be. There are other options too, such as just buying a small computer case if aesthetics are that important. This thread is great in itself, and I won't continue hijacking it though. You should try making a new thread about what options there are. I just haven't researched it enough yet to go in half &#8230; way with a new thread.


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## CIR-Engineering

Slumpert said:


> Kinda makes me want to get a 3d printer and "print" a new top cover to snap in place of the standard side cover that would enclose a 3.5 hdd and a fan.
> 
> A 3.5hdd fits inside the cover by itself so seems possible.


I like this idea, but think it would be better even to just replace the entire top cover. It could even be flat instead of curved.

craigr


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## My Cape is a Recliner

I hope this is appropriate to add this in this thread. It not, I will delete and start a new one. I was really hoping for advice, and trying to add on a little.

I am going to do this to my new bolt+ and have been searching for days to find a fan. My biggest problem is I want it as quiet as possible (less than 15db). I'm also kind of a nut and wanted it all black so it would blend in with everything else that is black, (that would get on my nerves if one thing a different color were to unintentionally draw my eye). I want to hook the fan up so its constant but don't want to hear it when the tv is off. My plan was to try to connect if off the USB port, and I started searching for a 5V fan. I swear I looked at 30 different companies websites to read all the specs. The options are very limited for a 5v fan, its like searching for a larger TB HD in 2.5". The closest I could find for a 5V fan was about 40cfm and 18 or 19db. After several hours of searching, I realized I need to find a way to get a 12V fan to work to get the low decibel I am after.

*I really don't feel comfortable soldering like you did, and found this so I can use the USB port. (max 1 amp)*
DC-DC USB 5V to 12V Fixed Output Step Up Boost Power Supply Module US | eBay

*I have a usb to 3 pin/4 pin adapter, but I think its 5V, and guessing I need to get a 12V cable. *
CRJ Full 12V Voltage Step-Up USB to 3-Pin and 4-Pin PC Fan Sleeved Power Cable | eBay

*Of course there is always a plug in 12V connector *
Coolerguys Fan Power Supply 100-240v AC to 12v DC 1A Output 3pin or 4pin PWM Connector

*Then my fan either the*
NF-S12B redux-700  *120x120x25mm 700rpm 6db,8dba 56,9m3/h (33.15CFM) 3-pin *
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan *OR







IXP-76-14  120x120x38mm 1200rpm 14db 72CFM 3-pin .22A*
SilenX Corporation - Effizio Quiet Fans

I will also put a dust filter pre-fan. 
From how I understand the mods that people have done to the case, I think if I get rid of the channels, drill the holes, and even that 33CFM fan for this size case should be plenty with the ventilation to help air flow, but If there's a way to actually figure that out, I don't know what it is. Would this setup work for what I want it to do? Thanks


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## tommeboy

Slumpert said:


> Kinda makes me want to get a 3d printer and "print" a new top cover to snap in place of the standard side cover that would enclose a 3.5 hdd and a fan. A 3.5hdd fits inside the cover by itself so seems possible.


Searching for this exact thing .. a NEW modified BOLT cover with room for 3.5inch drive and top fan
Would be way cool if someone started selling on EBAY .. I'd buy one !


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## keithg1964

My Cape is a Recliner said:


> I hope this is appropriate to add this in this thread. It not, I will delete and start a new one. I was really hoping for advice, and trying to add on a little.
> 
> I am going to do this to my new bolt+ and have been searching for days to find a fan. My biggest problem is I want it as quiet as possible (less than 15db). I'm also kind of a nut and wanted it all black so it would blend in with everything else that is black, (that would get on my nerves if one thing a different color were to unintentionally draw my eye). I want to hook the fan up so its constant but don't want to hear it when the tv is off. My plan was to try to connect if off the USB port, and I started searching for a 5V fan. I swear I looked at 30 different companies websites to read all the specs. The options are very limited for a 5v fan, its like searching for a larger TB HD in 2.5". The closest I could find for a 5V fan was about 40cfm and 18 or 19db. After several hours of searching, I realized I need to find a way to get a 12V fan to work to get the low decibel I am after.
> 
> *I really don't feel comfortable soldering like you did, and found this so I can use the USB port. (max 1 amp)*
> DC-DC USB 5V to 12V Fixed Output Step Up Boost Power Supply Module US | eBay
> 
> *I have a usb to 3 pin/4 pin adapter, but I think its 5V, and guessing I need to get a 12V cable. *
> CRJ Full 12V Voltage Step-Up USB to 3-Pin and 4-Pin PC Fan Sleeved Power Cable | eBay
> 
> *Of course there is always a plug in 12V connector *
> Coolerguys Fan Power Supply 100-240v AC to 12v DC 1A Output 3pin or 4pin PWM Connector
> 
> *Then my fan either the*
> NF-S12B redux-700  *120x120x25mm 700rpm 6db,8dba 56,9m3/h (33.15CFM) 3-pin *
> https://noctua.at/en/products/fan *OR
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IXP-76-14  120x120x38mm 1200rpm 14db 72CFM 3-pin .22A*
> SilenX Corporation - Effizio Quiet Fans
> 
> I will also put a dust filter pre-fan.
> From how I understand the mods that people have done to the case, I think if I get rid of the channels, drill the holes, and even that 33CFM fan for this size case should be plenty with the ventilation to help air flow, but If there's a way to actually figure that out, I don't know what it is. Would this setup work for what I want it to do? Thanks


I purchased an Thermaltake Ring 12 LED 120 MM Fan from Best Buy. It is a 12V fan and I wired it to the 12V lead that goes to the Hard Drive. I cut the wire to the LED on the fan and I cannot hear it at all, and even better My wife cannot hear it either.


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## tommeboy

would be awesome if someone would release


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## My Cape is a Recliner

I think it would be even easier, if someone just designed a new case and transferred the motherboard over. That curve is rather limiting, and because of the two pieced design, you would have to go up 2-3 inches. It would just look silly. I would rather have a fresh design that was only a couple inches wider, and could be even thinner if you really wanted to. I wouldn't though. I would get rid of the channels like CIR engineering did. I would create your standard size fan slots: 120mm fan over the main heatsink, and tabs/sides that could pop off if you wanted to add additional fans on the sides and rear most likely 60 or 80mm. 
If you were as high tech as CIR engineering you could probably create a way to make add on connections for those fans, very simple for the rest of us, with easy to do instructions. It would also have to be in black.


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## CIR-Engineering

I wish I had a 3D printer to make a new case. It’s a great idea.

if somebody does make a case, remember the 120mm fan should also blow on the tuner chips. Those get smoking hot and have failed on many people.

Best,
craigr


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## tommeboy

I've got a spare BOLT laying around .. would love to swap out the mobo with a NEW airflow case 
Square makes more sense .. ditch the curvy design and go black


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## cliffdunaway

Mikeguy said:


> I just noticed that your mods got the box ODT down to a max of 31 degrees C--jeez, that's the temp. of a warm Summer-day room, and not even enough for culturing yogurt!
> 
> My external fan-based cooling pad (an AC Infinity) gets my box (cablecard compartment door removed) down to ~45-the low 50s, depending on the room temp.--this is with the fan on the lowest speed, with no audible effect even next to the fan (it pretty much feels like a light breeze); experimenting some, the highest fan speed would get me down to around 40 degrees (but I'm satisfied with the lowest speed, for sound reasons--the Bolt box is in my bedroom). I've been fortunate, though, as my Bolt box never was a hot or noisy one.


Mikeguy, I'm sure you have posted your cooling pad model number somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it. Could you share, please? I just bought a Bolt OTA, and it is running high 60's-low 70's.


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## Mikeguy

cliffdunaway said:


> Mikeguy, I'm sure you have posted your cooling pad model number somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it. Could you share, please? I just bought a Bolt OTA, and it is running high 60's-low 70's.


I used to use a generic laptop fan cooling pad that I had around, but then "upgraded" to an AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 model--candidly, I never would have paid that much, but received a substantial $-off coupon from PayPal and so treated myself. https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-...keywords=ac+infinity+s7&qid=1578326247&sr=8-4 The S7 is inaudible in the room (and even when right next to it) when run at its low speed. Other people have listed in threads here other laptop fan cooling pads they have gone with.

Separately, placed at the side (or under) the Bolt box, blowing air onto it, the AC Infinity Multifans (various models at different sizes, and a few (the S5 and S7 models) with 2 fans wired together); people seem to gravitate to the S3 and S4 models/sizes. All of which are relatively inexpensive--I would have gone with one of these (I was thinking of the S7 dual-fan model, and putting them under the Bolt box like pedestals). A good chart to various of the models can be found in this (and other) AC Infinity listings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWH4FL4/ref=emc_b_5_t.

Also, do consider the passive measures of just removing the Bolt box's cablecard compartment cover and using risers (e.g. water bottle caps) at the 4 corners of the Bolt box--for me, these measures alone had a real effect.


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## cliffdunaway

Mikeguy said:


> I used to use a generic laptop fan cooling pad that I had around, but then "upgraded" to an AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 model--candidly, I never would have paid that much, but received a substantial $-off coupon from PayPal and so treated myself. https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-...keywords=ac+infinity+s7&qid=1578326247&sr=8-4 The S7 is inaudible in the room (and even when right next to it) when run at its low speed. Other people have listed in threads here other laptop fan cooling pads they have gone with.
> 
> Separately, placed at the side (or under) the Bolt box, blowing air onto it, the AC Infinity Multifans (various models at different sizes, and a few (the S5 and S7 models) with 2 fans wired together); people seem to gravitate to the S3 and S4 models/sizes. All of which are relatively inexpensive--I would have gone with one of these (I was thinking of the S7 dual-fan model, and putting them under the Bolt box like pedestals). A good chart to various of the models can be found in this (and other) AC Infinity listings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWH4FL4/ref=emc_b_5_t.
> 
> Also, do consider the passive measures of just removing the Bolt box's cablecard compartment cover and using risers (e.g. water bottle caps) at the 4 corners of the Bolt box--for me, these measures alone had a real effect.


Thank you very much! My Roamio's temp is always around 44°, so the Bolt temps are concerning. I think I will try your passive measures first. If those don't do enough, I might even remove the cover and mount the Bolt on the wall behind the TV in the over-the-fireplace box. Thanks again!


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## Mikeguy

cliffdunaway said:


> Thank you very much! My Roamio's temp is always around 44°, so the Bolt temps are concerning. I think I will try your passive measures first. If those don't do enough, I might even remove the cover and mount the Bolt on the wall behind the TV in the over-the-fireplace box. Thanks again!


One thing to keep in mind: the Roamio and Bolt boxes measure temp. differently and so can't be compared--and so don't worry about the difference between your 2 boxes' temps. Before I started with some cooling methods, I think that my Bolt box's ODT was in the mid or high 60s and so, like you, I was thinking of ways to get it down a bit. (I also was subbing in a 3TB hard drive for my 500GB drive, which I assumed would generate extra heat, and I wanted to counter that, if I could easily enough.)


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## Philtho

Thanks for the suggestion and parts for a fan. My Bolt was too loud for my tastes. I first tested just a capacitor across the built-in fan and that was enough to quiet it to the point of not even noticing as my Tivo sits a bit recessed, so the sound was slightly muffled to begin with. A simple capacitor, that's it. Wonder why they don't ship them out like this.


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## GerMil

I also have the tivo bolt series 6 unit. It gave me the msg of overheating at +85 C. I touched the bottom of my bolt where the cable card is and it was hot hot hot. I removed the fan, tested it at 12v and it spun fine. I left it upside down on the heat sink and the unit ran about 65C. I then decided to do the drilling mod as CIR-Engineering did except I added holes on both sides of the cable card compartment as you can clearly see it yellowed from heat.












Also added (1) 80 mm usb fan which plugged right into the back of the unit. My orig fan spun at times and I saw it not spinning at +60C. so I removed it permanently. My new USB Off-Low-Mid-High switched 80mm fan was from Amazon an AC infinity S1 Quiet 80mm USB fan. I tested cooling at at all 3 speeds, Low 0.05A, Mid 0.08A and High 0.11A and left it at low selection as the temp is now 35-39C at all times. Mid or High didn't cool any better. See mods, and final placement pic. Used 3 1/8" hole saw for the Fan Hole. Thanks CIR-Engineering for the great idea.






Gerry


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## GerMil

GerMil said:


> I also have the tivo bolt series 6 unit. It gave me the msg of overheating at +85 C. I touched the bottom of my bolt where the cable card is and it was hot hot hot. I removed the fan, tested it at 12v and it spun fine. I left it upside down on the heat sink and the unit ran about 65C. I then decided to do the drilling mod as CIR-Engineering did except I added holes on both sides of the cable card compartment as you can clearly see it yellowed from heat.
> View attachment 50583
> View attachment 50584
> Also added (1) 80 mm usb fan which plugged right into the back of the unit. My orig fan spun at times and I saw it not spinning at +60C. so I removed it permanently. My new USB Off-Low-Mid-High switched 80mm fan was from Amazon an AC infinity S1 Quiet 80mm USB fan. I tested cooling at at all 3 speeds, Low 0.05A, Mid 0.08A and High 0.11A and left it at low selection as the temp is now 35-39C at all times. Mid or High didn't cool any better. See mods, and final placement pic. Used 3 1/8" hole saw for the Fan Hole. Thanks CIR-Engineering for the great idea.
> View attachment 50585
> Gerry


Forgot to mention the fan direction..pulled air through the bottom.


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## The-man2

Mikeguy said:


> I used to use a generic laptop fan cooling pad that I had around, but then "upgraded" to an AC Infinity AIRCOM S7 model--candidly, I never would have paid that much, but received a substantial $-off coupon from PayPal and so treated myself. https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-...keywords=ac+infinity+s7&qid=1578326247&sr=8-4 The S7 is inaudible in the room (and even when right next to it) when run at its low speed. Other people have listed in threads here other laptop fan cooling pads they have gone with.
> 
> Separately, placed at the side (or under) the Bolt box, blowing air onto it, the AC Infinity Multifans (various models at different sizes, and a few (the S5 and S7 models) with 2 fans wired together); people seem to gravitate to the S3 and S4 models/sizes. All of which are relatively inexpensive--I would have gone with one of these (I was thinking of the S7 dual-fan model, and putting them under the Bolt box like pedestals). A good chart to various of the models can be found in this (and other) AC Infinity listings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWH4FL4/ref=emc_b_5_t.
> 
> Also, do consider the passive measures of just removing the Bolt box's cablecard compartment cover and using risers (e.g. water bottle caps) at the 4 corners of the Bolt box--for me, these measures alone had a real effect.


--------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for the tips...My solution ended up being a combination of an Infinity Airplate T3 cabinet fan to pull air out of the entire AV cabinet paired with an inexpensive Infinity Multifan S1 fan underneath the bottom side of the Bolt as a pedestal (Up to 6 fans can be used together using one power cord).

To create airflow under the other side of the bolt I stuck 3 felt self stick pads together (usually used to protect chairs from scratching floors) rather than bottle caps. The pads come in black or white and you can stick as many together as you need to create space/airflow. The result is a level surface on top of the TiVo and dropped the temperature 30 degrees F without even opening the TiVo.


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## Ron Wolcott

CIR-Engineering said:


> OK, here it is... FINISHED! Have a look at the internal pics that I promised
> 
> *Bottom of Case:*
> 
> View attachment 33773
> 
> 
> When I looked back at my first post in this thread I noticed that the power supply connector on my main board was cracked (thanks TiVo)! I hadn't noticed the cracks before, but in the close up photo it's obvious. So rather than wait for it to fail, I removed the original power supply connector (which broke apart in my hands as soon as it was desoldered), took the connector off my parts board, and finally installed it on my lifetime board.
> 
> *Original Power Connector That Was Cracked:
> 
> View attachment 33774
> 
> *
> *Replaced Power Connector (no more cracks) & Fan Power Cord Glued to the Board for Strain Relief (also zip-tie):
> *
> View attachment 33786
> 
> 
> Thanks for the cracked power connector TiVo, but I'll pass and put one in that isn't broken!
> 
> Obviously the zip-tie will need to be replaced if I ever have to remove the main board again.
> 
> *Parts All Back In:
> 
> View attachment 33778
> 
> *
> I even went so far as to remove the sticker over the tuner cover to allow the absolute max heat to escape... I'm a bit crazy maybe  Also added the square hole in front of the IR receiver so that I no longer need a "bug" on the TiVo logo outside of the box. The IR repeater just goes inside the TiVo now. This is for control of the BOLT from the theater room or kitchen.
> *
> Fan Mounting and Fan Wires Glued Down:
> 
> View attachment 33779
> 
> *
> You'll notice that the fan has one screw with a washer under it. This is because I wanted to make the first hole elliptical to allow nearly perfect fan alignment over the fan hole
> *
> View attachment 33781
> *
> 
> You can compare the size of the holes in the above two photos; I drilled out the case screw hole so that I could install the second hard drive mounting screw and still be able to open the case without removing the hard drive cover or any screws. This way the case just goes around (over) the screw.
> 
> *And Finally Finished New Fan Grill & All:
> *
> View attachment 33782
> 
> 
> View attachment 33783
> 
> 
> View attachment 33787
> 
> *
> No more IR bug
> *
> View attachment 33785
> 
> 
> Thanks for looking!
> 
> Best regards,
> craigr





CIR-Engineering said:


> Great! I'm glad it worked out for you.
> 
> I only have one concern, I'm not sure if the 5 volt regulator on the unused connector can supply enough amperage for the fan. I don't know, but you could look for the regulator and check the specs online or see if it's the same 5 volt rail as the USB. If it's the same rail as the USB than it's certainly fine.
> 
> Nice work
> 
> I just ordered two more BOLT VOX boxes with the $99 lifetime deal that I will be downgrading from Hydra and performing the mod on as well.
> 
> Best,
> 
> craigr


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## Ron Wolcott

Craig, This is a rather old thread and by now you probably have these processes down to a science. First, awesome work and nice to see you care about what you do. I am having heating problems and had to trade a unit in and pay additional money that upsets me for a well known design problem where people such like you and others have worked around it. I would like to use the same fan connector and just rewire it into the fan that I will purchase. If I do that, which fan should I purchase? I do not want it running all the time but may do so if you think it i a better idea to do so. Couldn't someone also run the wiring neatly like you did and power the fan externally so there is no draw on the power supply? Also, stupid question but what is the IR repeater? I do not recall having anything additional and use only the remote control? And my apologies for lack of knowledge about this stuff. And one more question please. I have a drive that someone gave me out of their fried Bolt so I would like to use the 500GB that is in the one I have (I think that is what is in there) and use this one as well. I could put it inside or externally. And suggestions, recommendations, and required materials to do this. Thanks in advance and hopefully you will get this and respond. Again, beautiful work.


----------

