[mythtv-users] PVR-250 is hot! hot! hot!

[Robert Kulagowski]

> In my experience, PVR cards work when very hot, but not forever. I see 
> the tuner become unstable and noisy, then I start getting zero length 
> recordings until I reload ivtv, and eventually it won't encode at all.

I have four cards, some are first generation designs because they have 
heatsinks on them. What I've done is to take a 8CM case fan and have it 
sitting on the motherboard blowing air onto the cards.  I used to have 
the fan sitting on top of the cards, but there was no good way to secure 
it there, and it would start vibrating.  After a few days it would 
vibrate itself almost off of the cards.

Next plan is to do a field-expedient case mod and just cut a hole into 
the side of the case and put a 12CM fan in there so I don't need to run 
with the cover off.

The newer cards, like the PVR-150 don't have a heatsink or a fan (unlike 
the M179's that I have), and I don't know how hot they run.