Cooling my receiver

[nasachusetts]

Hello,
I recently purchased a Harmon Kardon AVR 240 receiver. It gets very hot to the touch. I have it in sort of a tight fitting cabinet with about four inches of space for air to circulate on the top and the back is completely open. However the sides are completely blocked. I was wondering about purchasing usb cooling fans for my computer that I could place on top of the unit http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/mobilefan/mobilefan2plus.htm. Would this work efficiently on cooling it down do you think? I am just a bit nervous that my receiver is going to overheat. Does anybody else have this problem with theirs or any advice on what to do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hello,
I recently purchased a Harmon Kardon AVR 240 receiver. It gets very hot to the touch. I have it in sort of a tight fitting cabinet with about four inches of space for air to circulate on the top and the back is completely open. However the sides are completely blocked. I was wondering about purchasing usb cooling fans for my computer that I could place on top of the unit http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/mobilefan/mobilefan2plus.htm. Would this work efficiently on cooling it down do you think? I am just a bit nervous that my receiver is going to overheat. Does anybody else have this problem with theirs or any advice on what to do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

That should work, depending on its air volume capacity. Does the receiver have slots on the side of it? The air in the unit needs to go through it, not just over the top.
Will you be able to power it from a usb port?

 

[tomahawktim]

The vents are on the sides of the 240. nasachusetts, get that thing out of that cramped location asap! Heat is the enemy. Good ventilation is essential. Read your manual. There is a probably a warning there about proper location.

 

[nasachusetts]

The vents are on the sides of the 240. nasachusetts, get that thing out of that cramped location asap! Heat is the enemy. Good ventilation is essential. Read your manual. There is a probably a warning there about proper location.

Yes I hate having it in there but it is really the only spot for it. What about if I cut out some of the cabinet on the side of the receiver and then put a USB fan blowing air in and a fan at the top blowing out?
Look at these for example
http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/992/imgp00376ym.jpg
http://img414.imageshack.us/img414/192/imgp0038copy3in.jpg

 

[majorloser]

Is that an Atari system?

They make 120V rack fans that would be perfect for that. You could plug one into a switched outlet of the receiver (if it has one) so it would come on when the receiver is on.

Example: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102825&cp=&origkw=120vac+fan&kw=120vac+fan&parentPage=search

 

[nasachusetts]

Is that an Atari system?

Why yes it is.

They make 120V rack fans that would be perfect for that. You could plug one into a switched outlet of the receiver (if it has one) so it would come on when the receiver is on.

Example: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102825&cp=&origkw=120vac+fan&kw=120vac+fan&parentPage=search

Thanks I didn't know they had this stuff and I have 2 switched outlets on it so it would work out great.

 

[Miamienesex]

Might be a better idea for a new entertainment center.


Armando

 

[nasachusetts]

Might be a better idea for a new entertainment center.


Armando

That would require money, but feel free to donate money to me with paypal.

 

[Miamienesex]

That would require money, but feel free to donate money to me with paypal.

Yes it would but it would be less expensive than having to replace you AVR.


Armando

 

[majorloser]

You can pick those fans up for just a few bucks. No need to shop Radio Shack and pay too much. I bought a rack mounted unit with 3 - 5" 120VAC fans that I mounted under my amplifier. Use it with a fan dimmer switch to help keep the air moving through it in my closet. Picked it up through a surplus junk shop for about $20.

EDIT: BTW- my B&K 7270 amp can get so hot you could cook meat on it and it's not in a tight enclosure. Amps are supposed to get hot.

 

[rtcp]

Antec makes some good 12V PC case fans that are very quiet. In fact, the tri-cool fans have a small switch built in so you can reduce the speed/noise level to whatever suits.

Then just wire them in parallel to most any 12V wall adapter.
http://www.antec.com/Detail.bok?no=325

 

[nasachusetts]

sounds good

Antec makes some good 12V PC case fans that are very quiet. In fact, the tri-cool fans have a small switch built in so you can reduce the speed/noise level to whatever suits.

Then just wire them in parallel to most any 12V wall adapter.
http://www.antec.com/Detail.bok?no=325

That would be the direction I would want to go in without spending a ton of money for fans. Is there an faq of how to wire that somewhere?

BTW- my B&K 7270 amp can get so hot you could cook meat on it and it's not in a tight enclosure. Amps are supposed to get hot.

So if I cut out a portion of the sides of the entertainment center would I even really need fans?

 

[rtcp]

The three pin connectors are red, black, and yellow. Red and black are +12 and ground, respectively. The yellow wire is for monitoring fan speed, if the fan was to be installed in a computer.
http://www.heatsink-guide.com/molexplug.gif
The four pin connector has yellow, black, black, and red. The firt two(yellow and black) are the +12 and ground.
http://www.heatsink-guide.com/psplug.gif

 

[majorloser]

That would be the direction I would want to go in without spending a ton of money for fans. Is there an faq of how to wire that somewhere? So if I cut out a portion of the sides of the entertainment center would I even really need fans?

The 12V fans are cheaper. But when you add the transformer/power supply the price can be about the same. The nice part about computer case fans is that ready made grills are easy to find and cheap. The other nice part is you're dealing with low voltage. Wires can be stapled in place with no problem.

Yes, it's not a bad idea to add a cooling fan. It's a cheap way to help remove heat build up. The heat may not effect the amp, but it can damage the surrounding.

 

[nasachusetts]

OK thanks everybody for all the advice! I guess what I'll just do for now is cut into or drill holes in the cabinet to at least have air going to the vents, and then look into getting some fans sometime soon.

 

[majorloser]

OK thanks everybody for all the advice! I guess what I'll just do for now is cut into or drill holes in the cabinet to at least have air going to the vents, and then look into getting some fans sometime soon.

A hole saw will make the cleanest hole. They even make hole grommets if you want a really clean look.

Just be sure to drill half way through one side then reverse and finish the hole through the other side. Particle board has a tendency to bust out if you don't.

Dave

 

[tomahawktim]

Plan C

nasachusetts,
How about this? Go to your local hardware store, buy some glides (you know, like the ones for drawers), attach to the bottom of a slab of wood (you know, that piece laying around somewhere), and place avr 240 on slab.

If you've got an extra 12" of slack on your cables and power cord you can just slide that baby out and slide 'er back in. COST: a few bucks

Whaddaya' think? Better than creating sawdust in your entertainment unit?

 

[nasachusetts]

nasachusetts,
How about this? Go to your local hardware store, buy some glides (you know, like the ones for drawers), attach to the bottom of a slab of wood (you know, that piece laying around somewhere), and place avr 240 on slab.

If you've got an extra 12" of slack on your cables and power cord you can just slide that baby out and slide 'er back in. COST: a few bucks

Whaddaya' think? Better than creating sawdust in your entertainment unit?

Thats a good idea except I would have to order more wire and I have kids that would just end up tripping over it and breaking it. This entertainment center is old and will probably be replaced soon anyway so I don't mind cutting into it. I think it would be good just to get air in those side vents for now. I do plan on getting some fan circulation real soon though. Thanks once again.

 

[nasachusetts]

I think I found a suitable fan solution. I could get one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16812195004, get an extension cable and run it through the back of my CPU, then just browse for some cheapie computer fans. Since my computer is always on and close to my receiver I think this could be my best bet.

 

[majorloser]

As long as the power supply in your computer is large enough to handle the extra 12V load.

A 12V "wall wart" may be a better choice if you choose to go the 12V route.

Heck, an old PC power supply would work. At least then the fans would run all the time with the computer. You really wouldn't want fans running all the time unless you want to clean the dust buildup out of the receiver every year.