Replacing fan in receiver

[toastytoes]

I'm new here, and hope someone can help me. I'm not computer-phobic (i.e., have done quite a few upgrades to the desktop myself), but am certainly no expert either!

I have a Sony SAT-T60 DirecTV receiver which has been making an annoying, loud humming noise in recent days. I contacted DirecTV, which said it is probably the fan going out (which of course means bye-bye hard drive sooner or later...). My questions:

- Are these fans replaceable?
- If so, do I need to first open the receiver to determine the fan model #? (I looked in the receiver manual, but there's nothing in the specs, and the Sony website no longer carries info on the receiver as they no longer make it.)
- Who is a good source for these fans?
- Is changing the fan in the sat receiver similar to one for a desktop computer?
- And, lastly, would I be better off just buying a new/ reconditioned unit (I'd rather wait to spend the big bucks for HDTV/more recording hours...). Thanks!! :)

[Jonathan_S]

The fan is just a 60mm computer smart fan. The most common computer fan size I've seen is 80mm, but 60mm shouldn't be hard to find. (Or you can just order a replacement fan (http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-fans.php) from Weakness.com and they will throw in the torx tool you need to open the T-60's case.)

However, the case uses torx screws, rather than the common philips head screws used in most computer cases, so you'll need a torx screwdriver to open up the case and get at the fan.

The annoying bit, is that the fan is mounted between the hard drive(s) and the power supply. To get at the fan you have to remove the hard drive holding tray, which involves removing three additional torx screws (a larger size than the ones on the back of the case). Two of these are trivial to get out, but the third requires sliding the screwdriver past some of the capacitors in the unshielded power supply. I've done it, and it isn't hard, but some people are concerned about working around a power supply, even if the TiVo is unplugged.

[Mark Rubin]

Thanks for the info and link

I thought my SAT60 HD was going bad but after opening it up it is just the fan:

just ordered one :)

[rock_doctor]

Most likely the blades a dirty. This throws the blades out of balance and it will make noises. You can get a Molex adapter and plug it into the hard drive power supply. The motherboard only supplies 5v but it does speed the fan up and down based on the temperature. If you plug it into the hard drive it will spin at full speed all the time making the unit louder but will also drop the temps 10 or more degrees.

good luck,
mark

[Mark Rubin]

Thanks: I cleaned a lot of dirt off the blades but I think the bearings are shot: I have it running with the top cover off until the replacement fan arrives

I hate fan noise so I like the adjustable speed feature

in the meantime, I bought a second HD Tivo so I am good to go: if only there was a way to transfer the SD Tivo contents to the HD Tivo :)

[Dkerr24]

Actually some models came with Phillips head screws. My RCA had Torx, but my Samsung has Phillips screws.

[rminsk]

Only the Samsung has phillips screws. The Phillips, RCA, and Hughes had torx.

From http://archive2.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=166720:
"As strange as it may sound, the Philips DSR704/DSR7000, the Samsung S4040R and the Hughes SD-DVR40/HDVR2 units (together with the RCA DVR40) are identical in all important respects. With the exception of the Samsung, which contains parts made and is built in Korea, all of these units use the same parts and are built in the same factory in Mexico."