Tablo quad heat fix

Hey all… after having my tablo quad installed and working i too was concerned by how hot it gets even in a well spaced and ventilated area. After searching the boards here someone had suggested a usb fan underneath the unit or a laptop fan setup to help cool… well i got this fan from Amazon here and placed underneath the unit, setting fan on low (very quiet cannot even hear it)… for the past 4 days the unit is noticably cooler and have had ZERO concerns about shortening lifespan of electronics package… cheap $12 fix…

AC Infinity MULTIFAN S3, Quiet 120mm USB Fan for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Com… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G05A2MU/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_obu2Db2RB2JSQ

Thanks Tim

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+1 @Mosa00
A proper cooling solution will solve a lot of Tablo issues

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Post a photo of your handy work. How is it powered? I assume you’re using an internal drive with the Quad?

Powered by my office computer under desk. Usb cable …

So the Tablo and the external hard drive just sit on the cooling fan

So the computer is always on then? That’s an expensive power source for the fan lol

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Pics… using internal SATA as well… since its hidden behind all the gear it doesnt matter to me that it sits over top of fan and hangs over sides a bit (front to back is edge to edge)…

I used a cheap USB wallwart from amazon in one of my a/c power slots…

Im running the streaming stuff, tablo, roku, bluray) thru a gigabit switch in back so gettin best bandwidth as i can…

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Thats a cool solution too… (sorry bad pun)… had i not already gotten the amazon fan i prob would pounce on that one ( cept the leds… i personally dont like the lighted things but i know it looks cool to some… )…

Sorry, why are we paying 200 USD for a device and then making excuses for it? Mine is currently running internally at 139 Degrees F internally. I degree under any MFG’s rating for a hard drive. Tablo has a heat problem, and they refuse to fix it. Absolute Busch league.

That’s still within the manufacturer’s rating no?

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Most hard drive manufacturers specify a normal operating temperature between 0 °C to 60°C (32°F to 140°F). This is however not the optimal temperature range for safe operation.

So, yes it is technically within operating range, but my EED says you actually operate within 80 percent of max capacity, so 300 Watt Transformer runs no more than 240, etc…Same applies to heat tolerances.

My USB drives have been running fine for over six years.

So, I’m sure there are other tablo configurations or DVR products that meet your expectations.

USB Drives are external, so are not subject to this level of heat. Compare like to like. Are your external USB Drives running this hot?

Sorry if I sound a bit irritated, but the Tablo support folks clearly state you can operate this with an internal hard drive, and give a list of compatible drives on their website. Then when it doesn’t work, they say “we read some disk errors”. Replace the drive, just like you did y6 months ago, when the unit was COOKING the hard drive. Meanwhile, I have a couple of 2TB Barracudas that have been running RAID 0 for 14 years without a hiccup. hmmm, what’s the difference here, oh yeah, the internal temp is 95 Degrees, not 142.

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Where is your Tablo located in the house?

In my office. The ambient temp is about 78 Degrees. I specifically did not put it in a closet, behind an entertainment center, etc…I don’t want to denigrate the platform, I like it. In theory, it is a good system, UI and UX are good, it just heats up. The fact that they have threads like this on their forums and then tell everyone, the Tablo is operating within range, is just treating us like we are all morons. If the Tablo operates up to 200 degrees F, but all the hard drives are rated to 140 degrees F, then no, it is not operating within range. But sure, I guess since we are not Canadians and only put the first man on the moon, no one in America understands redundancy or the concept of the weakest link from an engineering perspective.

Since you have a EED you must have evaluated electronic devices when you make the purchase and decide what configuration would work for you. It’s not like people haven’t been posting about this for 7 years.

And I have a Maxtor diamond drive that has been running since the mid to late 1990’s. And when I purchased all the various components to build my PC I did take heat into consideration.

And when I made my decisions I owned the result.

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And this smugness helps me in what way? Yes I did research based on user interface, and perceived capabilities. God forbid I expected a company to understand operating limits for a given piece of hardware. I wanted something that did not take a lot of room, could interface with Roku, and that would act as a central DVR. Tablo checks all those boxes. But sure, chastise me for making an assumption that a company would develop a product that didn’t over heat hard drives.

To further my point, it is 90 degrees in dallas right now, here is a thermal shot of a MacBook.

It’s within 14 degrees of ambient. That is what you would expect from a device in 2021.

Last week it was in the mid-nights in southwest California most of the week. Most houses don’t have air conditioning and all 3 of my units, including a dual64 using flash, were upstairs in the hottest part of the house.

And the silicon didn’t catch on fire and melt my units. And they all kept on chunking away.

Maybe if I had a EED and not a CSD I would or should worry more.

Mine was running a little hotter than I like because of the location so I got a small laptop cooler/fan about 6 yrs ago from A for about $10 and it has been as cool as a cucumber. Running warm but OK.