Ventilation holes on the underside?

[RRMark]

In the (general) warnings at the front of the manual it states 'do not block any ventilation openings'. Just that I fancy getting and gigging the Helix in the lid of this, for some alround kick and lead protection from bandmates and stage invaders.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/thon_effect_case_for_line_6_helix.htm

I presume the holes are not that important? unusual place for ventilation and pretty much covered on my living room carpet, no signs of overheating yet. From the looks of it they would be pretty sealed by the foam in the case... But then why the holes otherwise?

[doug316]

Ventilation and heat dissipation is an important issue when building a product like this. There's no telling how much margin they've built in to ensure all the components are kept within the specifications of each. All of these have margins and that can vary from chip to chip, unit to unit. I have seen products where they have convection simulations to demonstrate that airflow is generated and cooling is maintained properly given the placement of the boards, heat sources (semiconductors, etc.) and the vents. If you change a variable, the results are completely invalid. The hotter it runs, or the tighter the margins, the more you risk. So there's no telling!

 

Thanks for posting. I too have mine on the carpet, I might need to put something flat underneath it.

[Digital_Igloo]

Our operating temperature benchmarks are about 10°C higher than most of the industry, although we'd still prefer if people didn't bury Helix in deep shag carpeting on very hot summer days.

[RRMark]

Ventilation and heat dissipation is an important issue when building a product like this. There's no telling how much margin they've built in to ensure all the components are kept within the specifications of each. All of these have margins and that can vary from chip to chip, unit to unit. I have seen products where they have convection simulations to demonstrate that airflow is generated and cooling is maintained properly given the placement of the boards, heat sources (semiconductors, etc.) and the vents. If you change a variable, the results are completely invalid. The hotter it runs, or the tighter the margins, the more you risk. So there's no telling!

 

Thanks for posting. I too have mine on the carpet, I might need to put something flat underneath it.

Our operating temperature benchmarks are about 10°C higher than most of the industry, although we'd still prefer if people didn't bury Helix in deep shag carpeting on very hot summer days.

Thanks guys,

Do you think the operation of the unit would malfunction, allowing to be shut down, or would permanent damage have been done by this stage? Guessing I could cut a big 12" central strip of the foam out from the lid, so the feet have a decent area of padding around them and there would then be enough air access purely from the sockets end.

[talwilkins]

Our operating temperature benchmarks are about 10°C higher than most of the industry, although we'd still prefer if people didn't bury Helix in deep shag carpeting on very hot summer days.

 

What about those flightcases like the first post mentioned?

I have that exact one. Do I need to worry?

[fukuri]

I would cut some gaps in the foam under the vents

[line-6-user]

How about adding a thin sheet of plywood or Perspex under the Helix, so that the rubber feet don't sink in the hard foam?

 

I just checked mine for heat, to the touch it's warm, checked it out with a laser thermometer and it read 35 C. This is after four hours running and just sat on the desk.

 

Is the shell been used as a heatsink?

[theElevators]

Hi there.  I'm planning on playing an outdoor festival in a month.  In case of rain, just hypothetically, would it be terribly bad if I put the HELIX Floor inside a clear trash bag?  

[HonestOpinion]

8 hours ago, theElevators said:

Hi there.  I'm planning on playing an outdoor festival in a month.  In case of rain, just hypothetically, would it be terribly bad if I put the HELIX Floor inside a clear trash bag?  

 

The Helix seems pretty forgiving in regards to heat but this sounds like a recipe for overheating your device or electrocution to me. I would set up some kind of three sided box over it before I ever put my device in a bag. And hey, playing in the rain is just plain dangerous as in potentially fatal unless you have a properly covered stage anyway. I have done it(hopefully never again) against my better judgement and defying all natural survival instincts because it was a show I had been really looking forward to combined with a monumental failure of said judgement. It was a case of the frog coming blissfully unaware to a slow boil in the pot as the covering on the stage gradually failed under torrential rain.  Does "Is it a bad thing that my pedalboard is sitting in at least a 1/2 inch of water and the PA, backline, and everyone on stage is soaking wet?" sound familiar. If so, well, it shouldn't. I feel lucky to have lived to tell the tale.

[datacommando]

12 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

I feel lucky to have lived to tell the tale.

Extremely lucky.

 

It has been my experience that wet, combined with electricity, could lead to very sudden death!.

 

Even with a rubber covered stage, I would still give it a big NO.

 

If stuff starts to get wet, have someone backstage ready to flick the power off and leave the stage.

 

EDIT:

I recently watched the Ron Howard documentary of the Beatles tour of the USA which describes exactly what we are discussing - here’s the quote that appeared in the review in Rolling Stone:

 

”Most of the open-air stadiums lacked proper shelter, and several shows were forced to continue despite torrential downpours. Clutching electric guitars, and flanked by stacks of amps and mics, the threat of electrocution was very real. “We flew off to St. Louis and it was pouring rain,” recalls tour roadie Ed Freeman, who freely admits that his only qualification for the role was his friendship with the Beatles’ support band, the Remains. “My job was to sit backstage with my hand on the plug and the instructions were: If anyone fell down, knocked out by the shock, then I would pull the plug and that would stop the show. It was a joke.” Within days they would swear off touring for the rest of their career.”

[silverhead]

15 hours ago, theElevators said:

Hi there.  I'm planning on playing an outdoor festival in a month.  In case of rain, just hypothetically, would it be terribly bad if I put the HELIX Floor inside a clear trash bag?  

No worse than shaving in the bathtub with an electric razor, and dipping the head in the water to clean the blades.....

[DunedinDragon]

If you want a simple fix for allowing better airflow as well as a better incline on your Helix floor, I use two fairly good sized door stoppers, one on each side at the rear of the board.  It's not fancy, but it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MTX9DK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[HonestOpinion]

13 minutes ago, DunedinDragon said:

If you want a simple fix for allowing better airflow as well as a better incline on your Helix floor, I use two fairly good sized door stoppers, one on each side at the rear of the board.  It's not fancy, but it works great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MTX9DK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

That is one pro level doorstop, looks like it was made for a pedalboard.  I was expecting to see one of those brown rubber jobs :-)