Stacking Equipment

[LindaH]

The Dish satellite receiver that we've been taking with us during our winter sojourn (ViP211k) has vent holes on the top, so I never put the Winegard Trav'ler control box on top of it for fear it would limit air flow to the receiver.

We will now be taking our new ViP612 DVR with us.  It is about 1-1/2" wider than the 211k and we have limited space in the cabinet where it will reside.  The 612 doesn't have vent holes on the top, so I'm wondering if it would be OK to put the Trav'ler control box on top of the receiver.  It sure would make getting to the control button easier if I could stack them!

 

[eddie1261]

Worst case, glue 4 thread spools to the bottom and you get a 1.5" standoff.

[Chad Heiser]

Something like eddie suggests will work or what I typically do is add a wire stand (something like this) in the electronics cabinet to make a shelf.  Put one box on the floor of the cabinet and the other on the shelf to allow for air flow to both.  I always use velcro or TV grips to keep the boxes in place.

[LindaH]

I tried a wire shelf like you use, Chad, but it doesn't work in our cabinet because It's a weird shape and I can't get one leg of the shelf inside the cabinet.

I might try something like Eddie suggested, although I'd probably have to use something shorter because I don't think I'd have enough room in the cabinet to do an additional 1.5" in height.  I'll have to take a trip out to the RV and do some measuring.  Maybe something like a double of layers rubber washers might work.

[eddie1261]

A wire cookie cooling rack would work too. 

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

If a closed cabinet, plan on some way for hot air to exit.

[LindaH]

12 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

A wire cookie cooling rack would work too. 

I do have a couple of small ones that might work.  The biggest problem would be keeping them in place so they and the Trav'ler controller don't go sliding around when we're on the move. 

12 hours ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

If a closed cabinet, plan on some way for hot air to exit.

I always leave the doors open when the receiver is on.  In the past, I've also had a small battery-operated fan in the cabinet that I use if it's warm.  I don't know if that fan will fit in the cabinet now, what with the larger receiver.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

Remember a DVR is always on

[LindaH]

4 hours ago, Mark and Dale Bruss said:

Remember a DVR is always on

We mostly boondock, so when we're done watching TV at the end of the night, the inverter gets turned off.  We also have a separate power strip in the cabinet where the receiver resides which can be turned on and off.  It's turned off except when we're actually watching TV.  So, yes, there will be periods of time when the DVR will actually be off.

[Smitty77_7]

I was in one persons trailer about 1 year or so ago, and they had used curtain rods (three of them) to slide a light weight music DAC up above their DVR. About 2" gap from the DVR to the bottom of the DAC. They also drilled I think it was 3 1" holes toward the top of the cabinet, into the cabinet next to it, so that more of the heat from the electronics would disperse. He said he'd been monitoring temps, and would have added a small pancake computer fan to help suck the air out of the electronics cabinet, but that he did not feel it was needed. 

He also said that only after one stretch along Destruction Bay area on the way to Alaska, did he find the DAC (And the three curtain rods.) had shook down on top of the DVR. He added a hunk of thick tape (Believe it was the double sided tape, that is a bit thicker then most.) below the ends of the curtain rods, has never vibrated down since then. 

Best of luck to you,

Smitty

 

[rynosback]

Interesting that you brought this topic up.  I was worried out proper venting also.  So I just put racks for my components.  

This link will take you a pic of it and what I used.

 

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f29/entertainment-system-9672.html

 

[NoDirectionHome]

I just use these

https://www.ebay.com/p/3M-White-Tapered-Square-Rubber-W-0-81-X-0-52-Bumpon-Pad-Adhesive-SJ5514-X46/1518863249?iid=401288053014

 

[LindaH]

I'm still not clear on why I can't just put the Trav'ler control box directly on top of the 612 receiver since it (the receiver) doesn't have any vent holes on top that would be obstructed by the control box.

At any rate, I can't use racks, which would be ideal, because of the odd shape of the cabinet...I tried that with the smaller 211k receiver and I couldn't get all four legs of the rack inside the cabinet, so I know it won't work with the larger 612 receiver.

I'm going to try using some felt glide pads that are about 1/4" thick and see if that works.  If not, I'll have to come up with some other solution.

 

[morninghill]

Put four felt pads on one component, press a small amounnt of museum putty on each pad. Put another felt pad on each dab of museum putty, second pad has adhesive face up. Stack your next component. You now have 1/2” spacing. 

Crude, but it works. I use velcro to secure the bottom component to the cabinet, keeps the stack from shifting.

[Mike and Claudia]

And here I thought that camping meant Roughing It.  Of course Claudia thinks that Roughing It means being further than 8 miles from a Wal-Mart.