Hi to all. Does anybody have any advice about effectively cooling an AV cabinet.
I have just built an enclosed cabinet, because I have a new screen to put on it, and it is getting rather warm inside when the receiver is on. Sky+ seems to run very hot too. The cabinet has louvre doors and vent holes in the shelves, but it isn't quite enough. With a new Amp on the way I think I need better cooling.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Kev.

I have mahogany cabinets for both my Sony Plasma screen and AV stuff and separately(this is an old HMV cabinet complete with hinged lid for turntable) my hi-fi gear.

In both cases, I wouldn't dream of closing the doors when the equipment is in use - and I tend to leave the doors open for at least a half-hour afterwards too.

My equipment is pretty cramped by most standards but it seems to be absolutely fine under these conditions. And my doors are solid so the remotes wouldn't work if closed... ;-)

Not sure if this helps but it's all I have to offer!

Good luck

Hi, and thanks. I have solved the problem myself, just this week. I bought a couple of Pc hard drive cooling units, both dual fan, from ebay for £3 each!, and connected them to a 12v dc adaptor that I chopped the connector from and separated the wires to give me + and - polarity wires. This cost me £7. I then mounted the 2 fan units to a couple of timber rails and fixed them to the wall behind my gear so that one blows over the vents on the amp and one over the Sky+ box. They shift lots of air ( enough for the other half to moan about a draught! ) and are reasonably quiet. Only when it's just dialogue can you really hear them. I have got them switched just as on / off at the moment, but I will put them on a time switch so that I can run them for a while after shutdown.
Regarding remote usage. I bought a Philips remote extender , which works very well with my Pronto. The only proviso being that it has to be situated right in front of the Sky receiver eye for it to work consistantly. Fortiunately all of my other equipment is not so fickle and picks up the signal regardless. It also looks nicer than most extenders too. Have a look on Amazon if your interested. It was about £35.

As an addition to this, I have also bought a Pc extractor fan and mounted it venting out of the side of the cabinet. It is wired in with the other fans. It sure sucks lots of warm air out. Enough to keep things real cool. Kev.

Hi, Although rather late I have a suggestion for your remote/extender problem.

My AV equipment (9.1 receiver, CD, MD, Cass, DVD-RW/HDD, VHS & Cable box) are housed in a cabinet and controlled behind closed doors with a Harmony remote using a range of fab products by "Xantech" - www.xantech.com

They have a huge range of IR receivers, emitters, switchers, modules & connecting blocks ranging from descreet (in a range of finishes to blend in), to almost invisible.

I use a microlink IR, a one zone connecting block with 4 emitter ports and, 4 dual blink mouse emitters. This allows me to control 8 components by sticking the emitter to the IR window of each component.

I purchased the Xantech system with a Smart remote 6 years ago. I have upgraded my remote for a fourth time and replaced many of the original components but the Xantech sysytem remains the same and, I have never had a problem with stray signals or any other associated problems.