PVR >> Installing a Fan in a Topfield TF5800PVRIntroductionAt the time of writing, I have owned a Topfield TF5800PVR for one year. Especially during the summer months, the heat produced by the unit is worrying. Unfortunately, my machine is housed inside a fixed-back cupboard, and so even leaving the door open - which I try to do permanently - is not enough to keep the unit cool. I have noticed on a number of occasions that it is extremely hot to the touch, and I feel that this is not good for long-term component life. Inspired by Tony's modification on his TF5000, I set out to make a similar change to my 5800. The BeginningThis is not the first time that I have attempted to modify a PVR. The unit I owned before the Topfield - a Thomson DHD4000 - suffered from extreme noise and heat problems, and so I made some modifications to the layout and replaced fan. The improvements were fantastic. Having returned the Thomson a while back, I had some parts lying around. These included an 80mm Panaflo L1A fan (<17dB(A) @ 7V), a fan adaptor to take power from the hard drive supply without the need for splicing (from eBay), and a Zalman RC56 noiseless resistor cable to reduce the fan speed. Inside the ToppyFrom Tony's picture of the inside of his TF5000, I knew that the only simple place to mount a fan would be on the underside of the case lid. Tony's fan is an extremely thin Zalman, whilst mine was much deeper. I wanted to make use of the fan I had if at all possible, so I opened the machine to see where it could be mounted. The right-hand side - either front or back - definitely had suitable clearance to allow the fan to be mounted on the underside of the lid without touching any components. The only remaining issue was mounting it. I didn't want to use screws, as this would require drilling (the slots in the case lid are not large enough to fit a screw through). After having a browse on the Internet, I managed to find some soft fan mounts that can be used in place of screws.
The lid of the Topfield came off. I could see that the 80mm fan would be too large to mount straight, so I decided to mount it at an angle. Though a tight fit, the fan mounts pulled through the top of the lid nicely and sat flush.
I was then able to mount the fan.
The fan was only mounted to the case using 2 of the soft mounts. However, I installed another 2 in the remaining fan holes to stop any potential fan movement. WARNING: The soft mounts will break easily as the vents are quite sharp, so try not to move them around once pulled through the slot. Lastly, I was able to connect the fan up using the supply to the hard drive.
And we had the finished article...
I plugged the machine in to the power whilst it was still open to ensure that it still worked! Everything powered on, including the fan, which was good to see. I switched the Toppy into standby and was pleased to see that the fan spun down too. This was a nice surprise as the fan installed in my Thomson DHD4000 ran even when the unit was powered off. I screwed the lid back onto the unit (incidentally leaving the rear middle screw off as I believe this is the cause of an annoying case rattle I've been experiencing) and plugged all the cables back in.
The ResultsUnfortunately, I have no way of measuring the true temperature changes, so this is merely an observation. The unit has been powered on for over 30 minutes now, and it is certainly cooler to the touch. Ultimately, it is the left side of the unit that is hot, as this is where the PSU and (most of) the hard drive resides. I will give it a little while, and depending on how happy I am, I may consider purchasing a thin Zalman fan like Tony and relocating it to the left side. Update: It appears that there is not enough clearance on the left-hand side of the case, even with a thin fan. Furthermore, it is potentially very dangerous due to the power supply. I am extremely pleased with the modification; I think it is very neat, effective, and nothing that I have carried out is permanent. Questions or Comments?If you have any questions, comments, or feedback about anything on this page, please feel free to get in contact with me. A big thanks to Toppy.org.uk for being a brilliant site dedicated to the TF5800PVR!
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