# 942 Over heating



## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

I get a warning that the temperature is 147 degrees. My 942 sits in the open with nothing behind it or to the sides of it. No other equipment share the same space and there is no shelf above. It sits on top of my entertainment system. Does that mean the fan is not properly cooling? I have done a reboot or should I pull the plug and let it cool? It doesn't say either on the screen or in the manual.


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## primo (Apr 29, 2005)

"It sits on top of my entertainment system." 

Does the unit it's stitting on, give off a lot of heat? Remember hot air rises so this air is going straight into the bottom of the 942...

Try: relocating the 942... or elevating it by adding some small "feet" which you can make from whatever you find lying around... that may help. If all else fails, get a small fan and stick it behind your entertainment center to help cooling.

To answer your question: I'd just turn everything off and let it cool down... I wouldn't plug it out yet as the fan in the 942 will help the cooling process.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

primo said:


> "It sits on top of my entertainment system."
> 
> Does the unit it's stitting on, give off a lot of heat?QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## pmsmith66 (Feb 13, 2003)

It appears to me also that the 942 runs hotter than previous receivers. The 942 sits in the exact same location as prior 501's and a 510. My 942 gave me the temperature warning message several days after I received it. I was able to fan it with a magazine for about two minutes while I watched the temperature reading drop to a more acceptable level. I now have a side vent open on my component shelving and the temperature issue has not returned. No big deal.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Gutter - if your fan isn't running at all, then you need to get your 942 replaced. If it is running, try changing your install location to see if that helps.

The 942 does indeed run hotter than other receivers due to the fan not being run at full speed. The Dish guys listened to the users about the noise that the 921 makes, and designed the 942 to run more quietly, but the tradeoff is the additional heat. But, that said, if your 942 is installed in a ventilated area, and the fan is functioning, it shouldn't ever overheat. If it does, there's something wrong.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

Thanks Mark. It couln't he located in a more open area than it is right now. No other equipment near it and nothing on either sides or on top. I raised in about a quater of an inch higher on the 3 legs. don't know if that will work. I spoke to a tech because it happened today again. (4 times in 2 days) He said I should learn to live with it. I said you got to be kidding. I said that I am going to try putting it up the quarter of an inch and if it happens again, I want a replacement. Can;'t really hear a fan at all. I do hear the motor of the hard drive but feel no real air moving out the vents on the left side. I told him to note my complaint and that I will call again and expect a replacement.


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## primo (Apr 29, 2005)

Sorry, gutter... I read "sitting on top of my entertainment system" to mean that it was sitting on top of another piece of electronics... not a piece of furniture.

I have never gotten the warning but I have mine raised and have a small heat sensitive (CPU) fan blowing on it from the rear all the time as I have mine housed inside our entertainment center... with the doors closed.

Good luck.


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## DRJDAN (Apr 28, 2002)

Since you say you can not hear the fan, you might put a tissue paper in front of the grate and see if the fan sucks in or blows out the tissue. If it does not, your fan may not be running.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

Thanks Primo,

I followed one of your suggetions. I think I solved the problem. I had the unit sitting on top of my solid oak entertainment center. Totally on its own with nothing around it. Apparently the 942 is built too low. The heat did not dissipate and was absorbed by the oak and that caused a heat buildup under the 942 which in turn caused the unit to heat up more until the message on the screen. Solution. I put quarter inch spacers under the feet of the 942 to raise it just a quarter of an inch. That did the trick. the unit started to cool down immediately. and I can feel air flow from the side vent. odd that that would happen but it seems that it was made to low to fit on hard wood furniture. Anyway, if you notice your unit heating, up or hot to the touch. You might try this trick. So far so good. I think this is a design flaw that should be reported.

Thank all for your suggestions and especially Primo. You are Primo


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Gutter, if you need more assistence with this, do what I just PM'ed you.


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## PhilTN (May 12, 2005)

The 942 has a fan in it? Whoa, I have never heard mine come on if it has one.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

The fan moves at a very low speed because of all the complaints on the fan of the 921. It is on at all times. 24 hours later and the unit is still operating OK under heavy intensional use.


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## primo (Apr 29, 2005)

Gutter, you are welcome... glad it worked out!!


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

Just as a quick update to everyone on the heating problem I had, it is now 48 hours since I put quarter inch spacers under the rubber feet of the 942 to raise it from the surface and the unit runs much cooler and air flow has improved. Thea actual top of the box is cool to the touch and I can feel the air coming out of the side vents. Even if you haven't received the tempurature warning message on the screen, if you unit runs hot to the touch, you may want to try what I did.


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## Mike Johnson (Jan 16, 2005)

I never have seen an overheat message from my 942, but I tried Gutter's idea of raising it up a bit, and my unit now runs about 15 degrees cooler that it did with the stock feet. It runs about 80 degs/F at the output vent on the left side. I'm amazed at how much difference this made! Mine is in my entertainment center with a fan in the back that blows across the unit and the 811 on the shelf below it.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

After 5 days now, no futher heat problem with mine now. I do think that the engineers should look at increasing the clearance. Really makes a difference in how it runs.


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## jpetersohn (Apr 6, 2005)

Does the 942 have a variable speed fan? I could swear that sometimes when it's in heavy use (recording several programs, playing something else) the fan seems to kick into a higher speed mode.


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## Bichon (Jun 5, 2003)

jpetersohn said:


> Does the 942 have a variable speed fan? I could swear that sometimes when it's in heavy use (recording several programs, playing something else) the fan seems to kick into a higher speed mode.


I think it does. I noticed that when it is first plugged in, it seems to run at maximum speed for a few seconds, and then quiets down.

My unit is in a very open well ventilated area and doesn't seem to heat up during operation, so I can't comment on the "heavy load" theory. I have noticed that every once in a while, usually when the box isn't in use because I'm reading the paper, either the fan or the hard drive runs at a speed that makes the top of the unit resonate with a loud hum.


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## jpetersohn (Apr 6, 2005)

I'm curious, those of you which had overheating issues, what switch do you use? If you use a DP+44, do you have the power inserter installed?
The hottest part of the 942 seems to be the power supply. I wonder if the draw from the switch might contribute to the heat problems.
My 942 is around 84 degrees average. I'm using a DP+44 with power inserter.


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## Bichon (Jun 5, 2003)

jpetersohn said:


> My 942 is around 84 degrees average.


What screen has the temperature readout? Haven't noticed it on my system info screen or elsewhere.


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## cclement (Mar 22, 2004)

Bichon said:


> What screen has the temperature readout? Haven't noticed it on my system info screen or elsewhere.


Yeah, I was wondering that too. I couldn't find it anywhere.


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## Gutter (May 4, 2005)

When mine overheated, it read 147 degrees. It came as a warning that just popped up replacing all programing. I also have the DP44 switch but not sure if it has the power inserter unless you are referring to the powered box for the swtich that must also be plugged in. I don't know how that would impact the heat of the 942 as it is about 3 to 4 feet away from the unit.


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## jpetersohn (Apr 6, 2005)

Goto the Install menu, select Diagnostics and then counters. Page down a couple of times to see the temperatures.


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## jpetersohn (Apr 6, 2005)

Gutter said:


> When mine overheated, it read 147 degrees. It came as a warning that just popped up replacing all programing. I also have the DP44 switch but not sure if it has the power inserter unless you are referring to the powered box for the swtich that must also be plugged in. I don't know how that would impact the heat of the 942 as it is about 3 to 4 feet away from the unit.


Ordinarily the switches draw power from the receivers, which places a greater load on the receiver power supply (more load, more heat). The DP+44 has a power inserter that takes the place of the power drawn from the receivers.


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