Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[AMPatrick]

I've had my DIR-857 operational for about a week now.  Works great!  However it does run very hot (compared to other routers that I have used) - probably because it must be using a very fast processor in order to achieve the connection speeds and features that it supports.  BTW: There is no fan in the 857, it uses simple convection cooling with lots of "cooling" slots around the perimeter and in the bottom.

Because of the amount of power the DIR-857 consumes, I upgraded the "cheap" 12 volt 2 amp OEM power brick that shipped with the DIR-857 to an "industrial quality" 12 volt 2.5 amp (continuous rated) power supply.  The new power supply runs cool even though the DIR-857 still runs hot.  Now I won't have to worry about the OEM power brick failing (most of the problems I've had with my prior routers were due to failing power bricks).

I just wanted to ask if others feel that their DIR-857's also run hot (and I'm talking a case temperature of just over 110 degress Farenheit on the underside of the 857).  Has anyone felt the need to place their DIR-857 on a "netbook" cooler (with fans that blow up cool air) to help cool it?

[kargo27]

That's interesting about the power brick.  Do you have a link to the one you're using now?

Mine's running pretty cool, but I have it elevated on a wire storage cube like one of these modular things:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=16719773&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&rkg_attid=415381042&zmam=77312802&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=16719773

Hope that helps!

[AMPatrick]

This is the link to the power brick that I now use with my DIR-857:

http://www.rpelectronics.com/Media/Data/S-RPT30-12-P5-A2.pdf

However I did need to replace the DC connector at the end of the wire to one that fits the DIR-857.

They also carry a 3.3 amp model that looks very good but is probably overkill for the DIR-857

[FurryNutz]

I would be very careful of adapters and voltages and amps used on these routers. Could fry it if over amp'd. I highly recommend using only OEM adapters. I've never had one fail on me from DLink.

[AMPatrick]

It's too many volts that will fry a router or any other piece of electronics.  You should never over-volt.  In terms of amps, the router will draw only as many amps as it needs to operate at the volts it has been designed for regardless of how many amps the power supply is capable of providing.  The issue with many under-powered / poorly designed power supply bricks is that if they are pressed too hard for too long (meaning they can't provide enough amps to the router at their rated voltage), they will break down.  The other issue with cheap power bricks is with poor quality capacitors - they break down after a few years especially if the power brick runs warm.  In 80% of the electronics failures I have had, simply replacing the power brick with an industrial quality power supply fixed the problem.

On the other hand you don't want to put a power supply capable of producing 20 amps at 12 volts for a router that was originally designed for 12 volts 2 amps - it should work fine but it would be overkill!  Power supplies that only need to produce a fraction of the amps they were designed for run very inefficiently and waste more power than a better matched supply.

In terms of the equipment that I have used over the years and my experiences, I'm going to stick with industrial quality power supplies.  I have never had any failures with these.  However, I have had many power bricks fail on me (and the symptoms are usually erratic behavior of the electronics - failing power bricks tend to generate lots of "noise" and ripple).

[FurryNutz]

Good luck. Enjoy.

[JavaLawyer]

I've been closely following this thread. AMPatric, are you an electrical engineer? Your knowledge suggests so.

For many months now DCS-932L and DCS-930L (wireless network camera) owners have been looking for an alternate (longer) power cord, but no one has had the wherewithal to understand the specs and suggest an alternative (the cord is very thin and quite short). If you have the time and would care to take a look at the specifications, here are the product pages:

http://mydlink.com/product/DCS932L
http://mydlink.com/product/DCS930L

Thanks. . . 

[FurryNutz]

It might be of some help to to post some information regarding these power bricks that seem to work better then standard power adapters. 

[JavaLawyer]

We also see periodic posts in the ShareCenter boards related to dead power bricks. So this is a not-so-uncommon problem.  NAS and routers are typically on 24x7, resulting in a persistent burden on the out-of-the-box power bricks.

[AMPatrick]

I've been closely following this thread. AMPatric, are you an electrical engineer? Your knowledge suggests so.

For many months now DCS-932L and DCS-930L (wireless network camera) owners have been looking for an alternate (longer) power cord, but no one has had the wherewithal to understand the specs and suggest an alternative (the cord is very thin and quite short). If you have the time and would care to take a look at the specifications, here are the product pages:

http://mydlink.com/product/DCS932L
http://mydlink.com/product/DCS930L

Thanks. . .  

I couldn't find the specification for the power brick for the DCS930L - you'll have to look at the OEM power brick to see what D-Link used.  The DCS932L uses a 5 volt 1.2 amp power brick - tip polarity and size is not specified - so again, you'll have to look at the OEM power brick.

When searching for a replacement power supply, I use the following guidelines:
1. The output voltage and output polarity (AC or DC on the tip) MUST be the same as the OEM supply.
2. I usually like to go a little higher on the maximum current output (the amps).  I generally go 20% higher (50% higher if the OEM power brick runs warm).  For the DIR-857 (which had an OEM power brick rated at 12 volts 2 amps, I choose an industrial quality power supply rated at 12 volts 2.5 amps).
3. I normally choose "universal input voltage" switching power supplies (the most common these days) rated to run using an input voltage of anywhere between 100 volts and 240 volts.
4. The "tip" size (inner diameter, outer diameter, polarity (+ or -), and length) need to be compatible with the power input socket on the device that needs to be powered.  You many need to use a caliper on the OEM power brick to get these dimensions.  If the polarity is not marked, then you need to use a voltmeter (multi-meter or VOM)  to find out.
5. I prefer a "brick" style power supply rather than one that plugs directly into a wall socket.  However there are cases where a wall mount might works better.

If I cannot find a power supply that has a suitable "tip" in terms of size or polarity (+ or - on the tip) or if the length of the output power cord is not enough, I order up additional wire and a proper size tip.  I cut off the original tip, splice on as much wire as I need to get the length I want, and carefully solder on and internally insulate the new tip.  You need to be careful to insure you have the right polarity on the tip and good internal insulation when you do this.  You should also have a multi-meter (voltmeter and ohm meter) to test you work before you plug-in.  Note: After soldering and before screwing the cover onto the new tip, I test with a voltmeter and if all is well I use silicon sealer to "goop around" the solder joints and fill the inside of the screw cap.  I then screw on the cap and let the sealer set before using.  The solder connectors on these tips are so small and fragile that they easily bend and short circuit unless you do something like this.  I have never had any problems after having discovered the silicon sealer trick.

Having said this, there are power bricks available that have interchangeable "tips" with switchable polarity and some even have switchable output voltages.  So if you don't do soldering and don't understand multi-meters, then this may be the solution for you.  Just insure that whatever "universal" power brick you select has adequate output current (the amps) to power the device and that you can "switch in" the exact same voltage and polarity as the OEM power brick.  Note that these universal power bricks tend to be fairly pricey.

In terms of suppliers, a "Google" search for a power brick specifying the "volts" you need should easily turn up a couple of hundred.

I have always found "DigiKey" to be a supplier of quality components.  You can find their list of power bricks at:  www.digikey.com  (or www.digikey.ca if you live in Canada like me).  Look in the section called "Product Index" -> "Power Supplies - External/Internal (Off-Board)" -> "AC DC Desktop, Wall Transformers".  Since they carry over 4000 different types, you'll need to fill-in the filter to limit the search.  The best way is to do this is to select the "output voltage" you need and select a range of maximum currents (example: for an OEM power brick rated at 2 amps, I would select everything between 2 amps and 3.3 amps maximum current output).  This normally brings back a page or two of possible power bricks.  You can then look at things like tip configuration, polarity, cable length, tip size, price, manufacturer, etc. and then make your choice.

Hope this helps...

[JavaLawyer]

Thank you for the detailed response and efforts looking at the DCS-93X cameras. I will share this information on the other boards. 

[jm2012]

 Agreed it runs VERY hot - much more so than my previous dir-655.

[FurryNutz]

The 857 does have more features and does more than the 655 does. The 857 is well ventilated so it runs at the temps it designed for and has been probably tested beyond that.

[Beeder]

What kinds of network traffic was going on when you felt it was hot? (110 degrees F really isn't that bad, btw: less than 50 degrees C is normal for cpus in this class).

[cmecutu]

I put mine on a netbook cooler on the second day after realizing it just ran pretty warm hot regardless. after that she runs nice and cool. better safe than sorry, even if the specs allow it to run at that temp.