[Easto]

I hope this is the right place to post this, if not can a Mod move it for me.


Right now we have a cheap stand that houses our HK receiver, Rogers Box, and Xbox360. It looks like crap and our grand plan is to do built in cabinets and shelving around the fireplace


Currently the TV sits above the fire place. I have an HDMI cable that runs from the TV down to the HK receiver and everything else plugs in to the HK. I also have surround sound already done.


We had a guy over today and we went through some different styles and ideas for the built-in's.

We will end up with something like this,where the TV is going to be mounted and the AV equipment is going to be in the cabinets to the right.


Right now I use a Harmony 880 to control everything. By putting the components out of view my remote will become useless.


(1). Can you guys suggest the best product for my application that will allow me to control everything while it is in the cabinet


(2). Will over-heating be an issue with the equipment in a cabinet (the Xbox is the only one that feels hot). Right now my biggest concern is proper cooling of the A/V components


(3). If over heating may be an issue what can I do to lessen this risk?

 

[Easto]

Anyone?

 

[4fit?]

(1) - If I recall correctly, the 880 is IR, right? If so, you could use an IR repeater like this one from Amazon to control your gear behind the doors. You would only need to mount the small IR receiver portion out of the closed in area so that the remote signal could be received and sent to the gear.


(2)/(3) - Overheating could definitely be an issue with the X-Box and possibly the receiver as well, especially when pushing it hard. You could add a few cooling fans to the cabinet and I might would also suggest an open slot cut across the top of the cabinet near the back wall. That would allow a place for the hot air to escape.

 

[jskibo]

Remote IR system? Buffalo or Xantech

http://www.buffaloelectronics.com/

http://www.xantech.com/

 

[dwightp]



Quote:
You could add a few cooling fans to the cabinet

I agree. I use two of these, mounted high in the rear of the cabinet:

Link: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082507.html


You will need a power supply to power the fans. I use one of these:

Link: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556029977.html


If you want a more out-of-the-box solution, the same site offers a bunch of options, including several that use a temperature probe to turn the fans on and off: http://www.coolerguys.com/cabinetcooling.html

Quote:
I might would also suggest an open slot cut across the top of the cabinet near the back wall. That would allow a place for the hot air to escape.

I think the biggest problem with cooling built-in cabinets is always finding an aesthetically acceptable way to vent the hot air. 4fit's suggestion is a good one. Another possibility would be to vent the hot air out the back through the wall and into whatever space is on the other side of that wall. Sometimes that's an acceptable option, sometimes not.


There are other options if you can tolerate (i.e., pay for) some additional complexity in the cabinets. You know how the face frame on the bookshelf portion overhangs the side of the cabinet? I saw a guy once who boxed in that space, creating a shallow vertical box on each side of the bookshelf that carried hot air to the top of the cabinet. He put openings at the very top of the cabinet and hid them behind crown molding, with the crown held down a little bit from the ceiling to let the hot air out. Kind of complex, but certainly an elegant solution to the problem.

 

[Easto]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dwightp /forum/post/20809188


I agree. I use two of these, mounted high in the rear of the cabinet:

Link: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082507.html

Link: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556029977.html


If you want a more out-of-the-box solution, the same site offers a bunch of options, including several that use a temperature probe to turn the fans on and off: http://www.coolerguys.com/cabinetcooling.html




.

I don't think I need the fans on all the time, so a heat probe would probably be the best for my application.


For me, I think a complete kit would probably be best instead of me trying to piece it all together with my limited knowledge.


That being said, with the components that I have and the heat that it should generate, which kit would be best?


Thanks for all the help guys

 

[dwightp]



Quote:
Right now we have a cheap stand that houses our HK receiver, Rogers Box, and Xbox360.

Is the "Rogers Box" a DVR? The DVR's in my house produce a bit of heat and do it essentially 24/7. The XBox 360 produces quite a bit of heat. Most 5- or 7-channel HT receivers produce a bunch of heat.


With all of that stuff cranking out BTU's, I would probably go with one of the kits with two 120mm fans.


This one, for example:

Link: http://www.coolerguys.com/840556091639.html


With this kit, I would probably put one fan at the bottom blowing fresh air in and the second fan at the top of the cabinet pulling hot air out.

 

[Easto]

Thanks for all the feedback