Cooling Fan Modification

[McGuyver]

Well I decided to install a fan on my Pansat 9200HD anyway while I had the receiver apart for the heatsink modification. I put the heatsink paste in and secured the sinks. I've been thinking about adding a fan or fans for a long time and finally decided the way I would do it using an 80mm 12vdc computer case cooling fan. These are the same size typically used in older ATX power supplies. This fan is an "Ultra" brand I bought a few years ago and it's still running smooth and quiet. I chose this method over using small chipset fans because this big fan moves the air through the entire case exhausting the interior heat. Small chipset fans only circulate air over the heatsinks while the hot ambient air remains inside the case. I also added thicker rubber feet on the bottom of the box (all four) for greater air space to enhance cooling.

I added notes in the photos for convenience. I used a 12vdc power adapter and a 100 ohm 1/4 watt resister in the 12 volt positive leg for reducing the fan speed to a super quiet whisper while maintaining a fair positive air flow. The receiver has now been on for a few hours and the exhaust air is slighly warm and the top of the receiver is cool in all areas, it's very cool. The reciever is operating very well at this time, I will later test it under greater demands such as rapid channel changing, PVR playing, blind scanning, etc.
This mod took me most of 6 hours throughout the day. I'm glad I did it!

 

[Apprentice]

Nice looks good. That should work great for you.

 

[Ironsides]

Good Job!

Good Job! I like the added care you took with the heat shrink as well. Looks very nice and professional!

I really hope this resolves your issues with all time and efforts spent to resolve them! Good Luck and keep us posted!

 

[AcWxRadar]

McGuyver,

Really excellent presentation with the photos of your mod. Installation looks very professional, neat and tidy and well planned.

I have a question, though (since you brought a connector out to the rear panel and used a 12V adapter to power the fan with) was there no portion of the raw power supply internal to the 9200HD Pansat that could have accomodated the fan power? Or would the fan have been too much of a load?

Nicely done!

RADAR

 

[McGuyver]

McGuyver,

Really excellent presentation with the photos of your mod. Installation looks very professional, neat and tidy and well planned.

I have a question, though (since you brought a connector out to the rear panel and used a 12V adapter to power the fan with) was there no portion of the raw power supply internal to the 9200HD Pansat that could have accomodated the fan power? Or would the fan have been too much of a load?

Nicely done!

RADAR

First I thank you all for your kind replies.

To update this mod I'll say that the entire case is not only cool, it's COLD to touch. This 80mmX80mm fan is well more than enough and for this model it's a good thing. I came up with another idea to aid in additional air flow where needed mostly and that is to drill 3 or 4 (1/4") holes in the rear panel above and below the S2 tuner, this will allow additional positive air flow directly to this area passing over the top and bottom, the same can be done on the side panel of the case (under the top cover) for the power supply. Another thought (maybe overkill) is to fab small plastic deflecters to direct the open port hole air flow towards the S2 tuner which is one part of hardware lacking the use of heatsinks.

To answer Radar's question, I for one don't like ever disturbing or modifying any electrical wiring or components directly, I strive to keep everything stock.
In this case I prefer an external and separate power supply for specific reasons. This way I can quickly change power adapters of different voltages without opening the case and changing power taps. I also thought of fabbing a power adapter plug interface or what I may call a short extension/pigtail with a voltage resistance selector to vary the fan speed of choice. This can be done with a few various resistor values, either a small/mini switching box or a selection of pigtails with a specific resistor value.

FYI, by locating the fan in this area which is the only choice regardless, is probably the best being right near the MPEG2 heatsink and also being at a distance from the P/S and S2 so that it pulls air from the opposite side and from all directions moving air over the entire internal surfaces with the added benefit of the case cover having so many venting slots.

So far after running this box through rigorous drills of fast channel changing, blind scanning, motor driving and PVR functions, it hasn't glitched once. Normally I would have been turing it off and on just to change channels or playback a recording. This mod using this size fan moving a tremendous volume of air has proven to be a sure solution to overheating.

 

[Apprentice]

What is the rated noise DB on the ultra fan? I purchased several ultra products while building PC's and been pretty happy with them.

Chuck

 

[phpinfo]

That's awesome. I am going to try this.

 

[McGuyver]

What is the rated noise DB on the ultra fan? I purchased several ultra products while building PC's and been pretty happy with them.

Chuck

Come to think about it, I don't remember but I would imagine it's in the mid to upper 20's but don't quote me, I have had to add a little oil to this fan long ago that has helped it's performance and lowered the noise. It's really quiet with the reduced RPM mod.

 

[McGuyver]

That's awesome. I am going to try this.

Keep us posted when you complete your project :up Good luck!

EDIT: BTW, make sure to mount the fan in the correct flow direction so that it blows out, exhausting the heated air space.

 

[McGuyver]

What is the rated noise DB on the ultra fan? I purchased several ultra products while building PC's and been pretty happy with them.

Chuck

I just checked and found this Ultra fan on Tiger Direct that is rated about 20 dba and super quiet design. You can also get the wire grills here...

80mm_ULTRA_quiet_fan

Wire_grill

If you search their site you'll find others rated even less dba but keep in mind that the lighted fans even though rated at low dba are compromized quality, they usually skimp on performance quality in exchange for the led lights.