Here is a slightly weird question.

I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.

Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front
of the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was
thinking of using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it
with the HTC mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe
thing to do. It would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.

Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.

In article <su4rlq$vi7$1@gioia.aioe.org>, BungleBob
<bunglebob@thejungle.com> wrote:

> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.

it's fine

BungleBob <bunglebob@thejungle.com> wrote:
>
> Here is a slightly weird question.
>
> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>
> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front
> of the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was
> thinking of using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it
> with the HTC mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe
> thing to do. It would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.

Have you checked if the set-top box or/and the TV have an (unused) USB
port?

If so, you could use that to power the USB desktop fan. Cools the
set-top box when in use and is off when it's not used.

> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.

Leaving the mobile phone charger plugged in all day should be fine
(given it's an official charger).

I don't leave my USB chargers powered up (no need), but I've many
other AC/DC adapters which are powered up 24/7.

Bottom line: You should be fine. (Famous last words? :-))

On 2/10/2022 9:19 PM, BungleBob wrote:
>
> Here is a slightly weird question.
>
> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>
> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front of
> the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was thinking of
> using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it with the HTC
> mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe thing to do. It
> would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.

No problem. Actually you should put in several fans. One directly on top
of the vents on the STB (i.e. <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R659J8Z> and
then an intake and an exhaust fan in the cabinet. You may want to run
them at as low speed as possible to minimize noise.

On 2/11/2022 11:23 AM, sms wrote:

> On 2/10/2022 9:19 PM, BungleBob wrote:
>>
>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>
>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
>> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
>> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>>
>> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
>> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
>> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front of
>> the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was thinking of
>> using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it with the HTC
>> mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe thing to do. It
>> would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.
>>
>> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
>> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.
>
> No problem. Actually you should put in several fans. One directly on top
> of the vents on the STB (i.e. <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R659J8Z> and
> then an intake and an exhaust fan in the cabinet. You may want to run
> them at as low speed as possible to minimize noise.

The two specs you are concerned with mostly on fans is the noise level and
the airflow (in addition to wattage if running off of a power supply).

They all use standard specs for those three measurements.

On 2/11/2022 9:56 AM, knuttle wrote:

<snip>

> The two specs you are concerned with mostly on fans is the noise level and
> the airflow (in addition to wattage if running off of a power supply).
>
> They all use standard specs for those three measurements.

Right, but you can run multiple DC fans at lower speeds and achieve
sufficient airflow at lower noise than a single fan at higher speed.
When I was an apps engineer and selling processors to STB companies, our
main advantage was that they could do a fan-less design with our chips
which was a prerequisite for STBs at the time. But it was still better
to include a fan that was running slow enough to not be audible.

On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:
>
> Here is a slightly weird question.
>
> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.

I have several doing exactly that.

I just avoid the very cheap ones.

>
> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front of
> the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was thinking of
> using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it with the HTC
> mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe thing to do. It
> would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.

You can buy instead 12 volt computer fans; some of them are very silent
(big and slow (1500 rpm) would be your target). Then, instead of an USB
charger, you could buy a 12 volt power supply; some of them are variable
voltage, in steps, so that if your fan is fast and noisy you can lower
the voltage, and thus reduce speed and noise.

Just be very careful with the polarity.

--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.

On 2022-02-11 20:40:41 +0000, Carlos E. R. said:

> On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:
>>
>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>
>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
>> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
>> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>
> I have several doing exactly that.
>
> I just avoid the very cheap ones.

I'm not sure if this is a cheap charger or not. It seems to be an
official HTC one.

I might just have to try it when I'm able to keep chekcking it to make
sure the charger doesn't get overly hot. No point in making that area
of the room even hotter or the lesser risk of a fire.

>> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
>> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
>> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front
>> of the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was
>> thinking of using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it
>> with the HTC mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe
>> thing to do. It would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.
>>
>> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
>> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.
>
> You can buy instead 12 volt computer fans; some of them are very silent
> (big and slow (1500 rpm) would be your target). Then, instead of an USB
> charger, you could buy a 12 volt power supply; some of them are
> variable voltage, in steps, so that if your fan is fast and noisy you
> can lower the voltage, and thus reduce speed and noise.
>
> Just be very careful with the polarity.

I did look at computer fans on a computer parts webstore since that
would be fairly easy to attach to the back of the TV cabinet in a tidy
way, but wasn't sure about the power supply for them running outside of
a normal 'plug-n-play' computer case. Not a huge task, but it could
mean cutting off the connector from a brand new power supply (no more
warranty) to direct-wire it up to the fan.

It would cost more, at around US$40, since I already have a USB fan and
phone charger.

BungleBob <bunglebob@thejungle.com> wrote in
news:su6jv2$d3q$1@gioia.aioe.org:

> On 2022-02-11 20:40:41 +0000, Carlos E. R. said:
>
>> On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:
>>>
>>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>>
>>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to
>>> power a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave
>>> these wall chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all
>>> day.
>>
One can buy wall outlets with USB sockets built-in. Just look for highly
rated ones on Amazon or Walmart to be sure to select a good model. There
are also separate surge protector modules with built-in USB ports that
just plug into a regular outlet

In either case it is hard to believe that such a unit would receive a UL
rating (or European equivalent) if the the USB portion wasn't sturdy
enough.

Also remembered extension cords with multiple AC outlets and USB ports
are available.

On 2022-02-11 22:27:24 +0000, MajorLanGod said:
> BungleBob <bunglebob@thejungle.com> wrote in
> news:su6jv2$d3q$1@gioia.aioe.org:
>> On 2022-02-11 20:40:41 +0000, Carlos E. R. said:
>>> On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>>>
>>>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to
>>>> power a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave
>>>> these wall chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all
>>>> day.
>
> One can buy wall outlets with USB sockets built-in. Just look for highly
> rated ones on Amazon or Walmart to be sure to select a good model. There
> are also separate surge protector modules with built-in USB ports that
> just plug into a regular outlet
>
> In either case it is hard to believe that such a unit would receive a UL
> rating (or European equivalent) if the the USB portion wasn't sturdy
> enough.
>
> Also remembered extension cords with multiple AC outlets and USB ports
> are available.

A new extension/powerboard with normal and USB sockets is definitely a
longer-term answer. I can just replace the powerboard used at the
moment for the TV, SkyTV box, and DVD player. The whole lot could be
turned on and off in one go from the wall socket.

On 2/11/2022 4:24 PM, BungleBob wrote:
> On 2022-02-11 22:27:24 +0000, MajorLanGod said:
>> BungleBob <bunglebob@thejungle.com> wrote in
>> news:su6jv2$d3q$1@gioia.aioe.org:
>>> On 2022-02-11 20:40:41 +0000, Carlos E. R. said:
>>>> On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>>>>
>>>>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to
>>>>> power a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave
>>>>> these wall chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all
>>>>> day.
>>
>> One can buy wall outlets with USB sockets built-in. Just look for highly
>> rated ones on Amazon or Walmart to be sure to select a good model. There
>> are also separate surge protector modules with built-in USB ports that
>> just plug into a regular outlet
>>
>> In either case it is hard to believe that such a unit would receive a UL
>> rating (or European equivalent) if the the USB portion wasn't sturdy
>> enough.
>>
>> Also remembered extension cords with multiple AC outlets and USB ports
>> are available.
>
> A new extension/powerboard with normal and USB sockets is definitely a
> longer-term answer. I can just replace the powerboard used at the moment
> for the TV, SkyTV box, and DVD player. The whole lot could be turned on
> and off in one go from the wall socket.

In the cabinet with my receiver, a router, etc., I have two small 12V
fans that I installed by drilling large holes in the back. The receiver
has an A/C socket so I plugged an adjustable voltage AC-DC adapter into
that socket and power the fans from that adapter. I run the fans on 9
volts which provides enough CFM. Actually now that I have no STB anymore
(everything is built into the smart TV, I can probably get rid of the fans.

On 2/10/2022 9:19 PM, BungleBob wrote:
>
> Here is a slightly weird question.
>
> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>
> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat.

Have you thoroughly vacuumed the ventilation areas of the box to clear
away dust blocking air flow?

On 2022-02-11 22:20, BungleBob wrote:
> On 2022-02-11 20:40:41 +0000, Carlos E. R. said:
>> On 11/02/2022 06.19, BungleBob wrote:

....

>>> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until
>>> the weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.
>>
>> You can buy instead 12 volt computer fans; some of them are very
>> silent (big and slow (1500 rpm) would be your target). Then, instead
>> of an USB charger, you could buy a 12 volt power supply; some of them
>> are variable voltage, in steps, so that if your fan is fast and noisy
>> you can lower the voltage, and thus reduce speed and noise.
>>
>> Just be very careful with the polarity.
>
> I did look at computer fans on a computer parts webstore since that
> would be fairly easy to attach to the back of the TV cabinet in a tidy
> way, but wasn't sure about the power supply for them running outside of
> a normal 'plug-n-play' computer case. Not a huge task, but it could mean
> cutting off the connector from a brand new power supply (no more
> warranty) to direct-wire it up to the fan.

Try Amazon, they have a reasonable ample offering.

>
> It would cost more, at around US$40, since I already have a USB fan and
> phone charger.

Fan: 10 euros.
Power adaptor: 15€.

At amazon, search for B01L6PMB1I, for example. I have that one, very silent.

And something similar to this:

https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B075MW2MW7/

Of course, the socket doesn't fit, you have to connect wires.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 2/11/2022 4:24 PM, BungleBob wrote:

<snip>

> A new extension/powerboard with normal and USB sockets is definitely a
> longer-term answer. I can just replace the powerboard used at the moment
> for the TV, SkyTV box, and DVD player. The whole lot could be turned on
> and off in one go from the wall socket.

Just remember that you want an exhaust fan directly on top of the vents
holes in the set top box. A fan in the cabinet is not going to do much
of anything.

<https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lkzN0RHYL._AC_SL1001_.jpg>

On 2022-02-12 18:07:28 +0000, Bob F said:
> On 2/10/2022 9:19 PM, BungleBob wrote:
>>
>> Here is a slightly weird question.
>>
>> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
>> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
>> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>>
>> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
>> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat.
>
> Have you thoroughly vacuumed the ventilation areas of the box to clear
> away dust blocking air flow?

It is cleaned regularly a few times a year, so wasn't that dusty. It
was simply a case of the awful humid heatwave causing teh box to
overheat.

On 2022-02-11 05:19:54 +0000, BungleBob said:

> Here is a slightly weird question.
>
> I got an HTC mobile phone charger that I was thinking of using to power
> a USB desktop fan, but I'm not sure if it is safe to leave these wall
> chargers plugged into the wallsocket and providing all day.
>
> Being summer here at the moment, the weather is even more stinking hot
> than usual and it is causing our SkyTV set-top box to overheat. At the
> moment we have put an ordinary desk fan sitting on the floor in front
> of the TV. That is working okay, but is a messy solution. I was
> thinking of using a small USB fan inside the TV cabinet and powering it
> with the HTC mobile phone charger, but I'm not sure if that is a safe
> thing to do. It would be turned on from around 8:00am till 11:00pm.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas about doing this? It would only be until the
> weather cools down, although probably needed again next summer too.

Thanks for the replies. They confirmed what I had already thought.

Just in case anyone else comes across this topic with a similar
problem, I did find a simple solution today. Being the weekend with
more time, I was able to take the SkyTV box out of the TV cabinet. I
tried the USB socket on the back of the box and it worked fine with the
USB fan, so I didn't need the HTC phone charger or a new powerboard. I
had previously tried the USB sockets on the TV, but they didn't supply
enough power to run the fan. To fit the USB fan in the cabinet I also
had to lower the shelf a little, so that will also give the box more
breathing space.

It's up and running now, so I will see how it works. The weather has
been a lot cooler today and hopefully it won't get that hot again.

On 2022-02-13 04:15, BungleBob wrote:
> On 2022-02-11 05:19:54 +0000, BungleBob said:

> Thanks for the replies. They confirmed what I had already thought.
>
> Just in case anyone else comes across this topic with a similar problem,
> I did find a simple solution today. Being the weekend with more time, I
> was able to take the SkyTV box out of the TV cabinet. I tried the USB
> socket on the back of the box and it worked fine with the USB fan, so I
> didn't need the HTC phone charger or a new powerboard. I had previously
> tried the USB sockets on the TV, but they didn't supply enough power to
> run the fan. To fit the USB fan in the cabinet I also had to lower the
> shelf a little, so that will also give the box more breathing space.
>
> It's up and running now, so I will see how it works. The weather has
> been a lot cooler today and hopefully it won't get that hot again.

I tend to not use that solution, I always put fans in a dedicated USB
charger.

The rationale is that it is a large load on the box (usually laptop or
computer here) and will cause it to overheat, and possible reduce its
lifetime.

If the USB port on a box gives up under the load, months later, that is
a much heavier loss than an external charger failing. It is only an
"if", an improbable thing (I hope), but I simply avoid that risk.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 2/14/2022 5:04 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:

<snip>

> I tend to not use that solution, I always put fans in a dedicated USB
> charger.
>
> The rationale is that it is a large load on the box (usually laptop or
> computer here) and will cause it to overheat, and possible reduce its
> lifetime.

Actually a fan is a tiny load. About 150-200mA. A USB port can supply a
minimum of 500mA and in reality it will supply 800-1000mA before it
shuts down from over-current. The 5 volt supple in a PC can supply very
large amounts of current.

In article <sudr9j$t6m$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> > I tend to not use that solution, I always put fans in a dedicated USB
> > charger.
> >
> > The rationale is that it is a large load on the box (usually laptop or
> > computer here) and will cause it to overheat, and possible reduce its
> > lifetime.
>
> Actually a fan is a tiny load. About 150-200mA. A USB port can supply a
> minimum of 500mA and in reality it will supply 800-1000mA before it
> shuts down from over-current.

not all ports support more than 500ma, especially if it's a peripheral.

laptops and desktops usually do, because people connect hard drives and
phones, which need additional power.

older laptops don't, thus the need for the cables with two usb plugs,
to siphon additional current from a second port.

> The 5 volt supple in a PC can supply very
> large amounts of current.

not through a usb port, it can't.

his point is very good. replacing a cheap power adapter is a lot easier
and cheaper than whatever the device is.

On 2022-02-14 13:04:01 +0000, Carlos E.R. said:
> On 2022-02-13 04:15, BungleBob wrote:
>> On 2022-02-11 05:19:54 +0000, BungleBob said:
>>
>> Thanks for the replies. They confirmed what I had already thought.
>>
>> Just in case anyone else comes across this topic with a similar
>> problem, I did find a simple solution today. Being the weekend with
>> more time, I was able to take the SkyTV box out of the TV cabinet. I
>> tried the USB socket on the back of the box and it worked fine with the
>> USB fan, so I didn't need the HTC phone charger or a new powerboard. I
>> had previously tried the USB sockets on the TV, but they didn't supply
>> enough power to run the fan. To fit the USB fan in the cabinet I also
>> had to lower the shelf a little, so that will also give the box more
>> breathing space.
>>
>> It's up and running now, so I will see how it works. The weather has
>> been a lot cooler today and hopefully it won't get that hot again.
>
> I tend to not use that solution, I always put fans in a dedicated USB charger.
>
> The rationale is that it is a large load on the box (usually laptop or
> computer here) and will cause it to overheat, and possible reduce its
> lifetime.
>
> If the USB port on a box gives up under the load, months later, that is
> a much heavier loss than an external charger failing. It is only an
> "if", an improbable thing (I hope), but I simply avoid that risk.

Both the box's USB port and a phone charger are/were really only
temporary solutions until I have time to properly look into getting a
new powerboard with USB ports. So far the SkyTV box seems to be a lot
cooler to touch and no more freezing problems.

If only the USB port on the box "gives up", it's not really a great
problem since it's not used for anything (apparently it's only there
for an external modem, which SkyTV never introduced anyway). Even if
the whole box stops working Sky would have to replace it, although they
might charge and we would lose the recorded shows.