i'm trying to put together my a/v system and am somewhat worried about cooling. i will be putting a onkyo 605, toshiba a2, ps3, and h20 receiver in the bottom cabinet of my wall entertainment center. i'm trying to find an effective way to cool the components or is cooling neccessary?

Is the cabinet sealed off or open front and back? Are you stacking components?

The H20 and the PS3 need ventilation or they will overheat. The receiver will also need ventilation but can handle less than the first two items.

You may need to resort to USB-powered "chill mats" on the H20/PS3 if the cabinet is enclosed.

the cabinet is closed on front and back, i havn't actually gotten the entertainment center in yet but it should either have 1 or two shelves so i should be able to set each item on a shelf by itself.

Ice or cold water!

Are you running an IR repeater system (how else can you operate the equipment)?

You will need to figure out a way to ventilate that space...otherwise you are going to fry your equipment. (cutting a hole and using a fan to exhaust air at the rear of the cabient, etc)

I'm thinking it has a glass door for a remote, but that won't really help cooling.

I'd go with the fan idea, and also make sure you have at least a few inches of clearance for anything that has exhaust vents (like the top of the receiver especially, since Onkyos run a tad hot.)

But seriously, for a sealed cabinet, you need an intake and exhaust hole, and an exhaust fan, sufficient for the task. Or they'll just roast in there, especially if you have big heat-generating stuff in there like amps or a receiver. If it's just say a CD player or a DVD player of the sort that doesn't really generate much heat, I would be less concerned, but if you have anything in there that puts out heat, definitely need to take cooling into consideration.

i will be using an ir repeater when i get it set up to hide all of the components. what kind and where can i find quiet fans and how to's for setting them up? thanks

PC fans work as well as anything. You have to give them a small power supply, but a 1.5-9v wall wart spliced into them will work. That's what I did. Mine came with an adjustable voltage switch so if I want to increase speed, I can increase the voltage, but as low as 3.5v will power the fan quietly but move enough air to keep the receiver cool.

About $5-10 for the fan and probably the same for the wart; you shouldn't have to spend more than $20, and probably a lot less. Some receivers have AC outlets on the back, but I'm not sure if yours does or not. In any case, mounting the fan and getting it power is up to your creativity. My fan is in exhaust mode, meaning it pulls hot air out away from the receiver.

Like Chris said, you will need to create both intake and exhaust paths. It is better to place the fans on the exhaust path (and quieter too). Pick up a couple of quiet computer fans of at least 120mm size to move air. A good quiet fan will probably be $10 each.

...or if you are feeling giddy for a challenge.

Water cooling like in the PC world. Works well and is alot quiter to boot!

.
Water cooling like in the PC world. Works well and is alot quiter to boot!

With water cooling, you still need adequate airflow over the radiator, so he would STILL need to provide intake and exhaust paths driven by fans. :)

How about a heat pipe, with flanges in the back? Perhaps with a solid state Peltier cooler to help move that heat? :-)

With water cooling, you still need adequate airflow over the radiator, so he would STILL need to provide intake and exhaust paths driven by fans. :)

yes

but bigger fans = quieter for the same CFM flow ;)

IE

200mm v 90mm fan the 200mm fan will always be quiter. Of course it will flow a heck of alot more air at 100% power.

yes

but bigger fans = quieter for the same CFM flow ;)

IE

200mm v 90mm fan the 200mm fan will always be quiter. Of course it will flow a heck of alot more air at 100% power.

Uh...yeah. That's basically what I said above...what does that have to do with water cooling? :confused:

Uh...yeah. That's basically what I said above...what does that have to do with water cooling? :confused:

nothing, I was agreeing with you. The "noise" is just a side benfit along with flexability of where to put the heat exchanger.

I have 5 components inside a large but confined cabinet and the second receiver kept shutting off, which was due to overheating. I tried placing spacers between the components. The DVR from DirecTV throws off a LOT of heat and was right on top of the problem receiver. If I left the cabinet doors open it worked all right. Last night I worked on what I hope will be the ultimate solution. I installed wood shelves (with large ventilation holes toward the rear) to support the DVR, still on top, and the second receiver. I also installed a small fan that is pulling the air out of the cabinet and into a closet behind the AV cabinet. I had to reverse the air flow of the fan which was simple to do. I bought my fan from this outfit (which I found through Amazon): http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&Webpage_ID=3&CAT_ID=45&ObjectGroup_ID=677&SO=2 I have it running all the time because the DVR is always on. It is working; now when I open the cabinet doors I'm not blasted by heat. I'm going to test the second receivers that drive the remote speakers today and see what happens. I had my system professionally installed and am very disappointed at their lack of attention to ventilation, one of the most basic principles in an AV set up, I've come to realize, late, but not too late!

I tested my system today playing the second receiver at high volume with the cabinet closed for several hours and there was no problem. I feel like asking my installer for a refund as payment to me, a complete amateur, for finally getting the job done right.
--Don

cool

this stuff should do the cooling trick:

http://www.activethermal.com/

Radio Shack has a number of fans. Pick out the quietest fan that will do the job. Listen to the fan before installing it to be sure that it will not bother you. Use rubber grommets to further reduce noise. I selected the quietest fan I could find and installed it with rubber grommets in the quietest location. After a few days, I removed everything since I could not stand even the quietest noise. I now have my Power Amplifier outside the cabinet with no fan and zero noise. I might add it took me a whole day to reconfigure everything and buy new wiring and interconnects. Use a thermometer to be sure the heat is not affecting your components.
Richard

If you don't feel confident making your own fan and power supply kit you can look on E B A Y. There are several guys over there selling them for not a lot of money. Searching for "Receiver cooling fan" and "Direct TV cooling fan" should get you in the correct neighborhood. I bought one and it worked great and my buddy bought one from one of the other guys who makes them and it also works great. The guy I bought from also would make custom jobs if what he makes wouldn't fit the bill.

Sorry I can't give more detail but my work web-filter blocks E B A Y so I can't look it up to be sure of the exact link or seller.