# R-15 DVR Cooling Fan



## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

I have a R-15 500 DVR and was wondering if the cooling fan suppose to run all the time or does it come on when needed? "D" s CSR did not really know. She said that as long as I didn't get a message the unit will turn itself off if it overheats.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

gomezma1 said:


> I have a R-15 500 DVR and was wondering if the cooling fan suppose to run all the time or does it come on when needed? "D" s CSR did not really know. She said that as long as I didn't get a message the unit will turn itself off if it overheats.


The fan has a temperature activated switch(it's supposed to come on when needed) if your R15 is in an enclosure this could be why it's always running if it is.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

What temperature is your DVR running at? It is listed in the Setup/Info menu.

- Merg


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## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

122 degrees. the fan looks like it wants to spin but doesn't.looks like it is stuck.


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## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

122 degrees. the fan looks like it wants to spin but doesn't.looks like it is stuck.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

gomezma1 said:


> 122 degrees. the fan looks like it wants to spin but doesn't.looks like it is stuck.


While that is a little high, it's not at the extreme end where your DVR will automatically shut off. That being said, the fan should probably have come on if you are running that high.

I would keep an eye on it and see if the temperature continues to go up or if the fan does/does not come on.

- Merg


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

The fan on DirecTV R15 DVR's has a fancy control system that turns it on and off and even varies it's speed depending on the temperature inside the unit.

At 104F the fan turns on to it's lowest speed. At 98F it turns off. If the temperature gets above 110F, the fan speeds up.

If you want to see the fan running at full speed (it's LOUD!!), unplug your R15, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in. As part of it's power up/test sequence it runs the fan at full speed for approximately 10 seconds irregardless of the temperature inside the unit.

If your unit is as hot as you say and the fan isn't running, you have a problem which will shorten the life of the HDD and possibly even cause recordings to be aborted. Get it replaced.


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## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

Thanks for the tips guys. Will go home and unplug it and see if the fan starts fast when I start it back up. Will let you know tomorrow.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

gomezma1 said:


> 122 degrees. the fan looks like it wants to spin but doesn't.looks like it is stuck.


That's what mind did when I had a R15-500 it acted like it wanted to come on then when it reached the right temperature around 128 it came on and it cooled the DVR back down to 122.The R15-500s run warmer than the other R15s and from what I remember you should not have any issues unless your R15-500 reaches 140 then you would experience slow performance and reboots.

There were those that had issues with their R15s because they were in enclosures and they found that they could buy a USB powered fan and connected it up to the R15s USB port.I never bought one but those that did said it worked great and kept their R15 alot cooler so they were satisfied.


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## gomezma1 (Mar 28, 2006)

Jhon69 said:


> That's what mind did when I had a R15-500 it acted like it wanted to come on then when it reached the right temperature around 128 it came on and it cooled the DVR back down to 122.The R15-500s run warmer than the other R15s and from what I remember you should not have any issues unless your R15-500 reaches 140 then you would experience slow performance and reboots.
> 
> There were those that had issues with their R15s because they were in enclosures and they found that they could buy a USB powered fan and connected it up to the R15s USB port.I never bought one but those that did said it worked great and kept their R15 alot cooler so they were satisfied.


You are correct. that is what "D" told me. As long as it doesn't reach 140 it should be allright. Where could i get a USB port fan? I got come palstic caps and put it on the legs to lift up more so it would get more ventilation from the bottom. Thanks for the idea of the fan.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

gomezma1 said:


> You are correct. that is what "D" told me. As long as it doesn't reach 140 it should be allright. Where could i get a USB port fan? I got come palstic caps and put it on the legs to lift up more so it would get more ventilation from the bottom. Thanks for the idea of the fan.


Welcome there are several places here's one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...TMATCH&Description=usb+powered+fans&x=17&y=29


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