Oh dear, fan or no fan, this issue seems to be making waves. For the record I think the toppy is a great device, no argument. My only point is you've got to wonder the wisdom of a device that does get hot and, if you are not careful, doesn't go into standby when you're finished with it. I also fear that after some heavy use the top cover of the toppy will discolour with the heat.

I think the toppy is a bit like a TVR, a device for the enthusiast. A Toppy isn't your everyday run of the mill PVR and that’s probably why we all love it.

So why is it a given that fans are noisy?
The one in my Sony RDR-HX 910 is extremely quiet.
Is it not a question of quality of construction?
I have to agree that the my Topfield,which is not enclosed,does get extremely hot,and one does wonder,not withstanding the references to Australia,what effect it will have on the long term reliability of components.

Calm down about what? I think you might have miscontrued some of the prior postings - the Toppy section is quite a calm and friendly place . Personally, it doesn't bother me that you like the idea of a fan in your Toppy, I just disagree that it's required and the evidence seems to back this up.

...but the references to Australia are key, surely?

I agree that there's no reason why a fan should be intrusive, but if you scan over nearly every forum for other PVRs that include a fan you'll find at least some references to people complaining about the noise. Now - assuming that the Toppy is operating within tolerance, and it seems to exist in far hotter countries than ours without impact on longevity, does it matter that it gets hot? IMO, it doesn't, so why bother with a fan?

I'm playing devils advocate (slightly). There are indeed those in Australia that have modded their boxes to include a fan (haven't the link to hand, but a Google should throw it up). However, this is clearly a minority of Australian users, which should tell you something about how well the Toppy performs "running hot" in light of the fact that there don't seem to be a flood of complaints about failures and the Toppy is pretty popular there...

Well, on the hottest day of the year here so far (28C) my toppy's HDD diag program reported the HDD temp as 55C, far enough below the magic 60C (in the specs for reccomended temp range, will work higher though) for me not to worry about it. To be honest, I think I was having more problems with the heat than the toppy did.

Oh, one thing I will point out, the temp of the HDD in my sky+ box is ALOT higher than the one in the toppy and that has a fan so case design has alot to do with temps as well as just slapping a fan on.

Isn't it fluctuations in temperature, causing expansion and contraction of soldered joints for example, more damaging than a continuous 'high' temperature?

That's correct. When I used to do fault finding on electronic equipment we used to spray a suspect component or joint with freezer spray. This sudden change in temperature would sometimes make any intermittent fault appear.

The Humax has a very similar design to the toppy but it has a little quiet fan which almost makes you wonder if it actually doing anything. There is no reason why other PVRs can not incorporate a fan that you can not hear to keep things cool inside. After all these types of quiet fans are readily available to buy and cheap. After hours of use the humax case is cool to the touch. But if it is so similar to the Topfield perhaps Humax could have just left the fan out if when it gets hot there wont be any adverse effects. Either they had a good /specific reason to put a fan in or they are erring on the side of caution - maybe too much.

What is strange is that the Fusions have a loud fan - right under the hard disk actually - yet get quite hot anyway. I wonder why it can get so hot (with the fan that it has) when the Humax has a really small fan at the other end of the case to where its hard disk is. Anyway, if the temp inside the toppys is getting close to recomended thresholds and you are paranoid then you can always fit a quiet fan I'm sure. There might even be the relevant connector somewhere on the motherboard. I realise the aussie may not be complaining too much about the heat (and they live in a hot country we dont. But isnt it more likely the case (in such a hot country) that they have air conditioning or fans because of that - whereas our houses dont have such measures and when it gets hot for two weeks of the year its absolutely unbearable! I mean imagine for most of the year it being so hot here and not changing anything to make indoors cool. Even for that two week stint we have of hot weather every year I consider getting a portable air conditioning unit - then think its not worth it - then the next year wish I had done already lol! Anyway, does anyone see what I mean about differences between Australia and here? I still dont think its anything to be worried about - after all - how many people have had machines go wrong and it looked as though it was heat related? I dont recall anything like that.

Fusion must've cut corners with their fan. You can see why though with the retail price of a quiet fan around a tenner. A tenner on the price of a PC for a quiet fan is fairly insignificant. Add that tenner to a PVR price and you're either going to step over one of CJL's magic price points and people aren't going to buy, or you're losing some profit.

Ah, but Sid says it's too ambitious, and Sid is an honourable man...

For Sid is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men.

Come I to speak in Sid's overheated Toppy's funeral….
It was my friend, faithful and just to me:

Aye; three times an air conditioner was offered to it; and three times it refused.

Have you men lost your reason?

My heart is under the TV there with Sid's Toppy,
And I must hit pause till it reboots to me.

...

Act III, Scene III...

My Toppy is on constantly (nearly) and is barely luke warm to the touch. Fusion FVRT100 definitely runs hotter when left on. I don't think the fan is the issue at all guys.

Sid, I keep getting the wrong end of your remarks I think - Toppy is a bit like a TVR ?? I know someone with a TVR, he keeps having to use bathroom sealant to keep out the water and his rear wind-screen just fell out. Also the engine is made by that giant of modern motoring ROVER.

A toppy is nothing like a TVR.

Does it have a fan though?

Bet it does...

Misunderstanding, the point I was trying to make is that like a TVR a Toppy (and I know as I write this its going to get me into trouble) is not main stream and is more suited to an enthusiast because like a TVR you will be constantly fine tuning it etc etc. If you like a Ford Focus is to a Digifusion as a TVR is to a Toppy. Please note that I did not say a TVR was rubbish or unreliable. I to know TVR owners and their love their cars, that’s all their talk about. I love my Toppy and it’s all I talk about.

I never fine my Toppy, Sid. It runs plain vanilla and has been now since the beginning of April 2005.

OTOH we span our 911 into a tree.

See, if we'd left it on the drive we'd probably still have it.

A 911? How vulgar

Those of us with class drive a Citroën DS.

In the grand scheme of things I think the tree probably deserves most sympathy followed by the overheated and component stressed toppy.

Vulgar, yes, but it was a lovely car. Ten years old when we got it; eleven when it and Mrs r went to build a "flet".

I always wanted a DS21 Pallas, but the desire coincided with my being 11. My grandad divied up an old Saab 96 and fortunately, in those days, you were allowed to take a gifthorse anywhere withoiut losing face.

Mine's a DS 23EFI Pallas, semi-auto, left hand drive, built Feb 73.

Beautiful car to drive, and this year I've got it on a policy with no mileage limit, so I shall have to get it out more and show off the re-spray.

For the boy racer moments, of course, I have a CX GTi Turbo. Not quite in the 911 league, but gratifyingly fast.

Nothing moves you like a Citroën, as they used to say.