Tablo Overheating and Died after 18 months

Hello, bought Tablo in Jan 2024 and has been working great. Recently, over the past week there were issues with reception and would need to reboot the device frequently to resolve.

The Tablo device generally runs warm but noticed during a reboot yesterday that the device was way overheated, and this morning seems to have died. Have already troubleshooted the plug and outlet, and Tablo device cannot be detected on my network and has no LED light.

Wondering if there’s anything else left to try and if anyone has run into the same issue?

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Maybe your power supply died? That seems to be more common than the whole device dying.

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I just bought a new 3A power supply for my OG Tablo and it worked. I don’t know if this same power supply will work on the Gen4 unit.

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would a defective power supply cause the tablo itself to overheat and stop working?

that’s what the OP wrote I think

I don’t know what would cause the unit to overheat, other than power or improper ventilation. The OP didn’t say what voltage their power supply was putting out. I don’t remember what my original OG power supply was putting out before I replaced it, but I thought it was like 12.16V. My new power supply for my OG device is outputting 12.33V/3.0A or 37W.

For reference, my original Gen4 power supply is currently outputting 11.94V.

My symptoms on the OG Tablo were:

  • Oddly blinking blue light not referenced anywhere.
  • 4" USB box fan not working when connected to OG Tablo
  • Tablo stopped working
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@dumplinggirl - have you had any success in getting the unit back online?

Definitely wasn’t a problem with the power supply. Tested the power supply on a different device that uses the same input and device powered on. Thinking Tablo overheated and that was the end of that.

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any overheated burned electronics odor, or warped plastic?
I get a little concerned when the top of my 4tuner is just about too hot to touch. And I know modern 'tronics are OK to run hot.

Luckily, no burned smells or warped plastic. Should have trusted instinct when it was too hot to touch. Lesson learned!

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These devices get hot… these chipsets are built to run at hot temps, just like your iPhone. They running hotter than you expect.

My tablo is fairly hot to the touch.

Understood. However my gen 4 4 tuner is just about the hottest surface electronic device I can remember using; and I have it elevated a bit on top of some foam pads.

Actually not true I have a couple of laptops and the smaller one gets too hot to use as a laptop :slightly_smiling_face:

Just my opinion I will be curious to see if the “next gen” Tablo either has design changes to run a bit cooler, or more ventilation openings than the gen 4.

The older gen Tablos look like they have more air slats, but they are from a different group of designers, correct? Hoping my current setup makes it through till nextgen TV gets worked out.

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Probably too late for your unit, BUT I installed a cooling fan by mine right away because the amount of heat they generate was ridiculous! Also I always elevate my electronics an inch or so off of the shelf surface so air can circulate better. I have mine on a timer that turns it on/off (now 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.) based on my viewing times (if you do this, you need to manually check for firmware updates and update your viewing channel guide occasionally). Still, I love my Tablo. It does exactly what I wanted it to do AND they are always making improvements.

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Ya, this isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been a thing since the beginning in 2015. I’ve had a box fan on my OG Tablo for 8-9 years. I added one to my Gen4 shortly after I figured out it was also running hot. Electronics, regardless of whether or not they’re “engineered” to run hot, will usually run better when they can be cooled.

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Many years ago I purchased my first Amazon FireTV Stick. The TV I connected it to had a USB jack so I thought that’s convenient I’ll just plug the Stick into it for power. No need for the power supply that came with the Stick. Powered everything up and while the FireTV was loading up a warning came across the TV screen that the power I was supplying was not enough for the FireTV Stick and using it could damage it. I couldn’t get past the warning screen so I had to use the FireTV power supply.

Were the power requirements for your test device lower than the Tablo?

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I’ve had my Tablo Quad sitting on a cooling fan for a number of years now due to it getting so hot. Just plug it in to the USB port on the Tablo itself.

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Tablo runs hot but there OK, but I still put a cooling fan under it this is the one I use. Amazon.com there use to be just 11bucks that was years ago before tariff and inflation.

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Ya, I have the same fan. I have my OG Tablo upside down on bottom, then the fan in the middle, then Gen4 Tablo on top.