Keep your A/V Equipment Cool!

Posted by admin

December 4, 2007

Keep your A/V Equipment Cool!

antec a/v cooler

Tell us something we don’t already know - heat is the number one killer of electronic equipment. Poor ventilation will bake your gear like an egg on asphalt on a hot summer day. Until the electronics industry invents a way for integrated circuits and SMDs (surface mount devices) to generate less heat; we are forced to design our equipment racks and cooling systems to accommodate proper airflow and heat dissipation.

This problem exists in our home stereo systems, home theater systems, recording and video editing studios, home computers, laptops and on and on. It’s a problem everywhere. As technology advances, inventions become smaller and smaller, and they do generate less heat, however we still have not solved the problem.

Solutions for thermal control and temperature management in electronic devices range from oversized heatsinks, super fast rpm fans, intercoolers, water cooled piping systems, and even to liquid immersed systems. (some have completely immersed their personal computers in cooking oil, and believe it or not, it works. Not a practical solution however as it requires a special case.

The pitfalls in cooling are excessive noise from the super fast cooling fans, increased power consumption for the fans, and larger equipment racks. Someone please invent something to help alleviate the problem!

Enter Antec’s and the VERIS™ family of Media Components. The A/V Cooler is designed to channel the heat away from you’re a/V equipment. Don’t let the product name fool you though. This has many useful installations and is not solely limited to A/V equipment in your home.

The A\V Cooler is designed to sit on top of you’re a/v equipment and channel the heat out the vents on the back of the cooler. Sitting at less than two inches high, it easily fits in between your gear.

The av cooler is designed with an aluminum top plate, and padded risers, so it is not only tough, but also sensitive to your equipment. Antec used carbon glass for the shell itself which makes it very sturdy and very light. The front of the a/v cooler has a three position power switch which controls the fan speed to high, low, or off and a soft blue power LED.

The a/v cooler is powered by a small 12 volt ac adapter. At the highest speed, you can barely hear it running at all. Definitely worth investing in a few of these.

Although a very nice innovation for home theater, and professional audio situations, it does have one minor flaw. The underside houses the dual fans which are situated in the middle of the unit. These should have been adjustable, as we all know av equipment ventilation slots may not always line up with the fans above. It is a much needed device regardless, as it will still be able to divert the heat.

Manufacturer: www.antec.com

Phone: 1-800-22ANTEC (US) / +31 (0) 10 462-2060 (EU)
(MSRP) Retail Pricing (USD): $119.95

Specification:

Rated Voltage DC 12V
Warranty: 3 years
Operating Voltage 12V±10%
Speed Control - High, Low
Air Flow - (high) 8.0 CFM                               (low) 5.5 CFM
Static Pressure (high) 2.532mm-H2O            (low) 1.424mm-H2O
Input Current (White Led) 0.42A 0.30A
Speed (high) 1600±10%RPM                         (low) 1200±200RPM
Acoustical Noise 28.7dBA 22.45dBA
Input Power - (high) 5.04W                             (low) 3.60W
Dimensions - 1.8”(H) x 14.2”(W) x 16.9”(D)
Weight - 4.4lbs / 2kg
Life – Continuous operating under normal temperature
Operating temperatire - (25 °C or 77 °F)
Fan Life - 35,000 hours