I recently switched from an open shelf system to an enclosed cabinet and of course the temperature inside the cabinet very quickly skyrocketed to unsafe levels for my electronics. My cabinet contains:
UPS/Power conditioner - always on, surprisingly small amount of heat generated
DVR - always on, constantly records on 4 channels, significant heat generated
A/V reciever - Significant heat generated when on
Cable box - generates surprising amount of heat even in standby mode
XBOX - significant heat generated when on
Wii - moderate heat generated when on
Squeezebox music player - minimal heat when on
Before installing the fans, I plugged in the controller and set the temperate probe inside the cabinet after the A/V Receiver had been running for about 30 minutes. The temperature inside the cabinet at that time was 95 degrees F. Since installation, the temperate inside my cabinet has not exceeded 80 with just the A/V receiver on, and 82 with the A/V receiver and the XBOX on. With everything off that can be off, the temp never exceeds 79. I have the fans in 'Auto' mode so they turn off below 78 degrees. During the night when only the DVR and the UPS are running the fans are usually off.
The fans have 3 speeds, low, medium and high, and 3 modes which are easily set:
On:
Constantly running at the speed you set until you turn them off
Auto:
Fans come on at a temp you set. Fans turn off when the temp is 4 degrees (can be changed to 2 degrees) below the set temp. Fan speed is set by you
Smart:
Fan speed varies according to the measured temp. You set the temp when the fans should be on HIGH. The fans will be OFF if the temp is more than 8 degrees (or 4 if the 'variation buffer' is set to 2 degrees) BELOW this value. They will be on LOW if the temp is between 8 and 4 degrees lower, and MEDIUM if the temp is 4 degrees or less lower than the set temp. For example, I have mine set to a 2 degree variation and my temp is set to 82. Below 78 degrees the fans are OFF. At 78-79 the fans run slow. at 80-81 they run medium and at 82 or higher they run on high speed. Since I have components always running, I found I was not able to get the temp below 77 degrees at any time even with the fans running constantly so these settings seemed to me to be the most efficient for my setup.
Installation: The kit comes with 2 plastic templates, one for the fans and one for the control unit, which double as gaskets to help reduce vibration (I have no noticeable vibration). These templates make it very easy to cut the correct size hole in the cabinet as well as drill holes for the mounting screws. The kit comes with a choice of 2 mounting screw options, machine screws with bolts or wood screws. Simple instructions are included. The power adapter plugs into the back of the control unit. The fan unit plugs into a USB port on the back of the controller. The temperature probe is already attached to the controller, place it in a suitable spot in your cabinet and secure it with the provided self sticking cable manager. The whole process including cutting the holes took less than 30 minutes.
Take some time to experiment with fan speed and mode to find out what works best for your specific setup. I arrived at my current settings after several days of trying different settings to see what worked best.
Overall, I could not be happier with this product! It keeps my cabinet cool even when everything is on. Fan noise is unnoticeable on slow speed, barely noticeable on medium and even on high speed is not intrusive. It works great as a table piece in our home.
