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Sky + noise, when not being used?
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[Deleted User]
Posts: 7 Forum Member
Hi,
I was thinking of getting Sky + to use with the Pioneer DVR 5100, but I don't intend to pay for the extra features.
I just want the S-VHS output. I was wondering does the Sky + box make any noise when not being used?
Thanks for any help
I was thinking of getting Sky + to use with the Pioneer DVR 5100, but I don't intend to pay for the extra features.
I just want the S-VHS output. I was wondering does the Sky + box make any noise when not being used?
Thanks for any help
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Dan
I've heard about the hard drive and fan. However, the fan only switches on when the Sky + box becomes too hot.
Most of the heat is generated by the use of the hard drive, so if the hard drive is not used the Sky + box should remain quiet. Am I correct?
I notice a slight hum from the hard drive when the TV, radio, etc. is off in the living room and no-one is talking.
Regards
Mark
However, the box might not work without a drive connected. I don't know.
Trust me, sky+ boxes are not noisey. Unless you have super senstive ears.
Dan
At night I can switch the Pioneer off and still enjoy watching TV, but if I switch off the Sky + box I'll lose the satellite channels. Does anyone know if disconnecting the power to the hard drive will cause problems?
Thanks
Version 1 Hard Drive might like to know you can get the version 2 drive directly from Pace. (01274 537132)
V1 is ball-bearing driven and gets noiser over time.
Version 2 doesn't suffer the same problem so if your buying a new
V2 box, noise shouldn't be an issue.
I've got a drive on order and don't expect any compatibilty problems
@ £150 each but will keep you posted. At least it will be cheaper than a new box.
Geez, you can buy a Maxtor fluid bearing 40Gb drive for about fifty quid that is 100% compatible with Sky+. May even be the same drive.
Regards
Mark
and I'll turn the other one around. As long as it is 100%.
I see elsewhere people using Maxtors but not succesfully.
I'll take your advice on this so long as your sure I'll get the right result.
Regards
Jules
The original drive, the drive fitted to all Pace boxes, are 5400 rpm Maxtor drives. Before the dual record problems I initially fitted a 7200rpm 80Gb DiamondMax Plus 8 Maxtor drive and that behaved flawlessly.
As it happened I'd recorded something on it that I simply couldn't afford to lose for any reason, so I took the 80Gb drive back out and fitted a 7200rpm 40Gb Maxtor drive. It too has behaved flawlessly ever since I fitted it.
The 80Gb drive still behaved perfectly recently when I temporarily re-fitted it to transfer the programmes on it to DVD. I debated leaving it in as I'd now got the programmes I wanted to keep securely on DVD, but in the end I put the 40Gb drive back, what with all the 17min bug problems with oversized drives.
It would appear that any fluid bearing Maxtor will work in a Sky+ box, and they certainly don't cost £150 to buy.
Regards
Mark
Anyway I rang Pace and told them how disgruntled I was at their (special) drive and
they've given me a returns number, so my biggest loss there is for the postage each way.
It does pose one question for me. How does the Fireball's 27 decibels compare with
a 40g fluid drive from Maxtor? There's only £1.00 difference in the price from Dabs.
Will the fireball eventually sound like the old drive because it's running all the time?
Sorry! Thats's 2 questions isn't it?
Oops! that's 3.
The fan in my V1 box comes on quite a bit even in standby - and I have removed the disk from the box and replaced it with an externally-mounted 120GB drive, so I don't believe the fan is influenced by the presence of the disk. In fact, I am convinced the heat from the HDD doesn't spread throughout the box at all - it just sits in that corner toasting the disk. The fan seems to be influenced mostly by the power supply inside the box.
A Sky+ box will work perfectly well with no HDD - it will simply function as a normal Sky box. It will however give an error message if you press record, something like "System fault - contact Sky blah blah blah".