my tv stand has wood doors with glass inserts causing my components to get hot.right now i have the doors off but it just dont look the same.im think of building a very small frame to fit inside the doors where the glass goes and wrapping it with a black mesh.anyone done this if so did you use a metal mesh or something like a cloth mesh.im wanting something that will be somewhat transpparent and that will vent out heat.thanks in advance for any help

this is my stand that im wanting to do this to

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr178/cdcrowell23/31FPbdFQCjL__SS500_.jpg

I had the same issues. I ended up taking the back off (huge difference), and putting my DVR on four plastic 1/2" pegs as standoffs for air, and keeping lots of room around the 360 and PS3.

You could vent them with intake holes on the bottom of the cabinet and an exhaust fan in the top of the rear.

All the other ideas are good as well as your idea of putting on black panels. You can buy rigid metal mesh at the big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes and simply wrap them in a fabric that allows air to pass through.

Best regards.

Bud

Some nice brands use perforated steel for doors (e.g. Salamander Synnergy). You can probably find some locally or on e-bay. If not try mcmaster.com.

All the other ideas are good as well as your idea of putting on black panels. You can buy rigid metal mesh at the big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes and simply wrap them in a fabric that allows air to pass through.

Best regards.

Bud

thanks everyoe for the ideas.this is what i done.i found some metal mesh at lowes and painted black .it really turn out good it looks better in person han in picture


http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr178/cdcrowell23/DSCN0487.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr178/cdcrowell23/DSCN0488.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr178/cdcrowell23/DSCN0489.jpg

well i put some black metal mesh on the doors today,and put them back on .it looks good and the mesh has lots of holes in it.tonight i was watching a bluray in the ps3 which is the same side as my dish receiver,when i got done i turned it back to dish and there was a message saying my receiver was 145 degrees .so thats not going to work im going to drill some holes in the back tommorrow and try it again .if that doesnt work i might get a fan or i might just take the doors back off and live with it.i never had a problem with heat with the doors off but it just looks alot better with them on.

I agree with the other comments; a simple fan kit will allow you to leave the doors on for the look you want, without sacrificing the components longevity from overheating.

I have a similar equipment rack, and I just took the entire back off. That way any noise from the hard drives or system fans has to bounce off the back (i'm anal-retentive about noise). If that won't work, you need active cooling.

In my hushbox I solved the problem a different way, I made a home-made kit out of these PC fans:
http://www.quietpcusa.com/images/papst4412.gif

For your needs, buy four PC fans (Pabst and Zalman both make fans that make ~15dB of noise), cut a 80mm hole in the top and bottom of each side (assuming you can have air movement from one level to the next). Have the bottom one push in air, and the top one pull it out. Then raid your left over parts bin for a walwart AC/DC adapter. Try to find a 12V one, with as most milliamps as you can. Or you can buy a multi-voltage one from Radioshack for about $20. This lets you adjust the fan speed via the voltage.

Then snip the wires, and wire them together. with DC I don't think it matters, but test the fan first to make sure you have the current direction correct. It's been about 2 years since I did it. (Beware: your are working with electricity, be careful).

Then just plug the wall-wart into your receiver (most receivesr have a switched outlet on back) so it turns on when your systems on, and off when it's not. Total cost should be $20-$30.

I have a similar equipment rack, and I just took the entire back off. That way any noise from the hard drives or system fans has to bounce off the back (i'm anal-retentive about noise). If that won't work, you need active cooling.

In my hushbox I solved the problem a different way, I made a home-made kit out of these PC fans:
http://www.quietpcusa.com/images/papst4412.gif

For your needs, buy four PC fans (Pabst and Zalman both make fans that make ~15dB of noise), cut a 80mm hole in the top and bottom of each side (assuming you can have air movement from one level to the next). Have the bottom one push in air, and the top one pull it out. Then raid your left over parts bin for a walwart AC/DC adapter. Try to find a 12V one, with as most milliamps as you can. Or you can buy a multi-voltage one from Radioshack for about $20. This lets you adjust the fan speed via the voltage.

Then snip the wires, and wire them together. with DC I don't think it matters, but test the fan first to make sure you have the current direction correct. It's been about 2 years since I did it. (Beware: your are working with electricity, be careful).

Then just plug the wall-wart into your receiver (most receivesr have a switched outlet on back) so it turns on when your systems on, and off when it's not. Total cost should be $20-$30.



thanks thats what i did today .well i got one side done will do the other another day .but i did the side that was getting to hot ,i put one blowing in and one blowing out and it has helped alot.before even before i put the doors back on you could touch the top of the receiver and it would be very hot but now it seems alot cooler thanks eeryone for the ideas .