ATV1 near death - worth fixing or replace w/ ATV2?

[PantherJeep]

My 2007-vintage ATV is in a bad way. It freezes up after about 5 minutes of use, and on reset the intro video has blotchy artifacts all over it when it plays. Since I don't sync media to it and only stream from my iTunes server I'm disinclined to think it's a hard disk problem, but maybe not? ATV Diagnostics do say there is a problem with networking but don't list a specific fault. I've done a factory reset & rolled through the updates, but it would seem the problem exists in hardware.

So my question is, is it cost-effective to track down a replacement logic board for it or just say hang it all and get an ATV2? I can't seem to find any links to purchase replacement logic boards, so it may well be academic in any case. Thoughts?


-Brian

 

[mchalebk]

The original ATVs are notorious for running hot. Has anything changed that might have caused yours to run hotter than it used to? If so, you might try to remedy that. If not, it might still be temperature related (since it works for a few minutes before acting up).

For diagnostic purposes, you might try having a fan blow on it while you use it. If it works while being actively cooled, there are things you can do to help. For instance, the ATV does not need that rubber pad on the bottom. You could remove that and see if it helps. I think I've read about some people using USB-powered fans to help cool them. You might want to search to see what others have done.

If the unit is actually dying, it is not (IMO) worth paying someone to fix it.

 

[PantherJeep]

The original ATVs are notorious for running hot. Has anything changed that might have caused yours to run hotter than it used to? If so, you might try to remedy that. If not, it might still be temperature related (since it works for a few minutes before acting up).

For diagnostic purposes, you might try having a fan blow on it while you use it. If it works while being actively cooled, there are things you can do to help. For instance, the ATV does not need that rubber pad on the bottom. You could remove that and see if it helps. I think I've read about some people using USB-powered fans to help cool them. You might want to search to see what others have done.

If the unit is actually dying, it is not (IMO) worth paying someone to fix it.

It doesn't seem to run any hotter than it has previously, at least not to my finely-calibrated fingers. I've always kept it up on blocks to maintain 360° airflow (since day one - I've never liked how hot it gets) and have tried using a desk fan to blow air over it. Doesn't seem to make any appreciable difference, but I'll try peeling the rubber foot off it and see if that helps. Thanks for that suggestion!