What is it in an RTL-SDR dongle that gets so hot?
Thanks
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SDR Dongle Heat
- Thread starter DeaconHarry16
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Yes it gets pretty warm, idk if there’s a way to cool it down
Good read
I've used something like this on a handful of mine. Works pretty good.
Aluminum Heatsink with 3M Thermally Conductive Heat Transfer Tape
boatbod
Member
They do get hot while in use, which is why I won't buy any of the "mini" variants because they just don't cool well enough for my liking.
I found this in a review of the rtl-sdr.com v3 dongle, which i use.
They work well and I have no other experience with any other dongles, just curious.
Thanks for replys...
The new rtl-sdr.com dongle gets really hot, significantly more than previous generation, so raised my concerns with the manufacturer, who replied the following:
"The heat produced is normal, and the V3 is expected to get a little hotter as there is an extra amp in there for the HF circuit, drawing about 20-30mA extra. However, the V3 has much better heat dissipation because we redesigned the PCB to have much larger copper sink areas (in internal PCB layers, which other dongles don't have), and to allow the heat to be extracted via the thermal pad much better. The result may be a hotter case, but cooler insides."
Cooling is not necessary per se, stock dongle performed without hiccup left under the sun in temperatures exceeding 100 Fahrenheit / 40 Celsius degrees for 7 hours, and its brother worked flawlessly for a week on max gain ADS-B duty.
They work well and I have no other experience with any other dongles, just curious.
Thanks for replys...
The new rtl-sdr.com dongle gets really hot, significantly more than previous generation, so raised my concerns with the manufacturer, who replied the following:
"The heat produced is normal, and the V3 is expected to get a little hotter as there is an extra amp in there for the HF circuit, drawing about 20-30mA extra. However, the V3 has much better heat dissipation because we redesigned the PCB to have much larger copper sink areas (in internal PCB layers, which other dongles don't have), and to allow the heat to be extracted via the thermal pad much better. The result may be a hotter case, but cooler insides."
Cooling is not necessary per se, stock dongle performed without hiccup left under the sun in temperatures exceeding 100 Fahrenheit / 40 Celsius degrees for 7 hours, and its brother worked flawlessly for a week on max gain ADS-B duty.
slicerwizard
Member
If you think your SDR is hot, it's probably got a metal case. If so, it'll be running cooler than the cheap plastic-cased junk and you likely don't need to worry about the heat.
Yes...metal case...
VladeDoddy
Member
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- Feb 4, 2021
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The V3 RTL dongles I own used to get pretty warm when I had them laying on a wooden shelf. Now I have them laying on top of a CD changer that has a metal case and they are noticeably cooler now. If you have something metal to set it on that might help dissipate the heat
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