Just saw this, as I’m a new customer. Checked my Tablo 4 with an infrared therm, and it registers 125 F. It was working pretty hard too when I checked it. That comes to 51 C, which is perfectly acceptable in the world of computing…and yes, the Tablo is a mini computer. I see nothing to worry about. Just DON’T set your hard drive or anything else on top of it. The Tablo can cool itself better, and your hard drive won’t wear out prematurely.
It is a popular misconception that if it runs hot it must be inefficient. It is actually less efficient consuming additional power to implement forced air cooling than it is to properly design equipment to use convection cooling.
Interesting, I find this pretty hot, especially when i touch the metal on the antenna hookup. Glad to know it is fine.
@juched - There are holes near the baseplate.
I see holes at the bottom, just not at the top for the heat to escape… so the heat just builds up and spills out the bottom I guess. Not a problem, as I haven’t had any heating issues with my 4 tuner Tablo.
So some personal feedback on this topic. I had a unit that bricked on me which was replaced. The original unit that I had was blisteringly hot, as in it was so hot I put it into the garage because I thought it would damage my TV console. The replacement unit that arrived this weekend is nowhere close to being as hot, night and day difference. The new unit is slightly warm to the touch, but definitely nothing that could be classed as hot, I would say the unit is no warmer than other AV equipment I have which is perfectly fine.
I still have my 2-tuner standing on it’s side rather than flat, and I haven’t had a lockup since I started doing it months ago. My first Tablo used to reboot all the time, and it was replaced.
I posted this is a different thread but is is possible for a particular/incompatible hard drive to cause the Tablo to overheat?
@7up We haven’t seen this happen. Some bad drives may cause some nasty behaviour like failed recordings, video corruption and even reboots - but we haven’t seen any devices overheat due to an incompatible hard drive.
@7up - my faulty unit was incredibly hot before I’d even got around to adding a HD to it. Not saying that it’s not possible/plausible, but definitely not the case in my situation.
@alexbunk
We measured an average operating temperature of the 4-Tuner at ~55C. We know this is pretty warm - but certainly not problematic. This is the issue with heat: it's completely subjective and relative. We mention this on our blog:
http://www.tablotv.com/blog/feel-the-tablo-love_and-the-warmth_its-all-good
In order for the internal temperature of the Tablo to be a danger to its components (or your furniture), it'd have to be nearly twice as hot. There is a spec for 'handheld' devices like phones, tablets, remotes, etc. In terms of a 'tabletop' box like the Tablo, there is no regulatory agency.
snowcat's post: "I still have my 2-tuner standing on it's side rather than flat, and I haven't had a lockup since I started doing it months ago. My first Tablo used to reboot all the time, and it was replaced. If anyone is having lockup issues, try putting it on it's side. I am curious if it helps."
I had to open mine up to remove the loose metal plate (read risk of an electrical short circuit) from what I have seen putting the unit on it side will certainly improve convection cooling of the bottom plate, thereby reducing junction temperature of the processor - which it what the goal is. You may even get a mini chimney effect on the inside via the small holes in the recesses which will improve the cooling of the other components not thermally connected to the heat sink.
I have moved my antennae and dual tuner tablo to the attic to get better reception and live in MN. So we can get warm, sometimes hot in the summer. Very cold in the winter. Is this a bad idea for tablo? I know the tablo can run warm, so I’m less concerned about it in the winter unless the tablo’s temp will vary then those variations may cause moisture? Thoughts? I wasn’t concerned about it this fall, but I’m having second thoughts going into winter.
@bkoster - The safe operating temperature for Tablo is like most electronics - between 10-45 C or 50-113 F.
That doesn’t surprise me. I’ll have to find another more controlled location for it. Thank you!
I’m going to use my insanely hot running quad tuner (55+C) as an electric heater for my living room, maybe save some heating cost ;-)
@alexbunk my dual tuner gets warm, but nothing to be alarmed by. Though your 4 tuner seems excessively warm/hot!
When I was first testing it I had set it on a carpeted floor in our bedroom. When I picked it up, it was uncomfortably hot. I set it on a metal trivet and it cooled down considerably… however reception on nearly channel dropped dramatically… some wouldn’t even register anymore. I thought this was odd as I wasn’t changing anything with the antenna. I removed the trivet and propped the Tablo up on two small blocks of wood. Reception is back and the air circulating underneath helps keep it cool.