smart-e 4K-RX9000, User Manual

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4K-9000 USER MANUAL V1.1
© 2018 Smart-e (UK) Ltd www.smart-e.co.uk PAGE | 58
21.4 THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
The 4K-9000 has an operating temperature range of -20 – 50 degrees Celsius, this is the ambient
temperature of the environment where the unit is located and defines the range of temperatures the unit can
operate in. Every electronic device will have an operating and storage temperature range defined in its
specification.
The ambient temperature recommendation is defined by the manufacturer to enable the unit to operate safely
and consistently. If the ambient environment does not fall within this specified range, there is a danger that the
unit could malfunction or in the worst case fail.
Power consumption within electronic devices increases with the more operations a device must perform, the
more power consumed by a unit the more heat develops and hence needs to be dissipated. The most common
form of heat dissipation users are aware of, are heat sinks on processors within PCs, the heat from these heat
sinks is then carried away by fans, in laptops the fan speed can be heard to increase quite rapidly when
performing heavy tasks.
HDBaseT application with data rates of up to 10.2Gbps ensures a lot of heat needs to be dissipated. Within a
HDBaseT matrix this is done with the use of heatsinks and fans, in small receiver and transmitter devices the
incorporation of fans, whilst not impossible, would make units very cumbersome. Most transmitter and
receiver HDBaseT devices tend to utilise the metal case in which the units are housed as a heat sink, therefore
HDBaseT units can often feel warm to the touch after they have been operating for a period of time. If the
environment where the unit is located is already warm this will reduce the effect the case can have as a heat
sink.
Electronic chips often utilise a thermal cut off, that is if the chip gets too hot the device will seize operation to
protect itself from damage. Passive electronic devices such as resistors or capacitors, will be affected by
temperature and change properties, if this occurs to a significant point it may affect system operation.
A thermal issue may show itself by either power or HDBaseT link being lost after a period of time. When a
HDBaseT link is lost the most likely problem is going to be noise induced on the CATx cable as discussed in
previous sections of this manual but if all advise has been followed and problems still persist, assessing for
thermal issues is another area worth consideration.
Handy tips for avoiding thermal issues:
1. Where possible place units in temperature-controlled environments
2. Try to locate devices away from screens as they generate a lot of heat
3. Locate units where there is good air flow
4. Avoid placing units in wall cavities wherever possible
5. Use a digital thermometer to measure temperature of HDBaseT units case if issues encountered