[Coco] Caring for a CoCo

[Bruce W. Calkins]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aaron Wolfe"


> Hi,
> <snip>
> Are there any tips for running an old Coco as "safely" as possible?
> They seem to get pretty warm along the top side where the vents are,
> especially my 6309/512k upgraded model.  Would removing the shell
> improve cooling?  Possibly cutting a hole and installing a small fan?
> Are the components designed well enough for 24/7 operation in general,
> and does this raise any special concerns?
>
> Thanks for any tips
> -Aaron
>
> --

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I have one CoCo 3 that I installed a Pentium 1 fan in the top cover and ran 
its power line to the hard drive power supply.  I had the Dragonfly fan in a 
CoCo 1 but that never seemed to help, and the buzz was annoying.  I saw a 
multi-pack on eBay recently that had a fan mounted to the right of the 
ROM-Pack slots.



In all truth, the Pentium 1 class CPU heatsink fan in the vents of the CoCo 
3 is about all the fan any CoCo 3 can use.  Aside from the RAM we just are 
not dealing with the speeds and power consumption that make for a lot of 
heat.  Also, I'm given to understand that there is little reserve in the 
CoCo's power supply to run a fan with.



Bruce W.