Barkings! | The Small Dog Apple Blog

My Time Capsule Gets Hot!

Posted 2009-11-05 09:03 in Other-Tech-News by Rebecca Kraemer

I can honestly say that Time Capsule is one of my favorite Apple products. I have a 1TB Time Capsule at home that holds backups for three of my machines. It’s a beautiful thing when I come home from a long day at work, open up my MacBook Pro and see the Time Machine wheel start spinning as it automatically starts my backup. Despite my personal adoration for the Time Capsule, it’s been getting some flack on the internet because “it gets hot.”

One thing to remember about the Time Capsule is that it houses a 3.5” server-grade hard drive. A hard drive is comprised of spinning platters and they do get hot; not hot enough to melt their plastic housing, or injure someone, but fairly warm nonetheless. The Time Capsule also has an internal fan and temperature sensors that monitor the internal temperature to ensure the device is performing within the proper temperature range.

Despite those features, we do occasionally get returns from people who are afraid their Time Capsule is running too hot. Nine out of ten times we stress-test the Time Capsules and never find anything wrong with them. But this is what I found on that “10th” time:

I have to say my jaw dropped when I saw AirPort Utility open and display this error. I had never seen it before! I walked over to the Time Capsule and found that the fan was running on high and it truly was unusually hot. I also noticed there was a physical separation in the case around the rear left ports. Out of curiosity, I disassembled the Time Capsule and found that the case was dented around the power supply.

While the power supply did not actually look swollen, I had to believe that the damage was somehow related to it due to the proximity. It still remains a mystery, but I was happy to find that Apple had programed the Time Capsule to give the end user such a clear message in the event that the Time Capsule really was overheating.

If you ever get this message at home, the best thing to do is ensure that there’s nothing blocking the airflow around the device. If the Time Capsule has breathing room and is still reporting issues overheating, unplug the device and bring it to your nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider for support.

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  1. You really should read the Apple support thread about all the TC’s that die after 18 months due to overheating and failure of the power supply. The fan does not run, according to many accounts, and is not designed to run until the unit is in its death throws. There is even a memorial site for all the prematurely dead TC’s. Your praise for the TC is curious in view of the actual record of the TC.
    See Apple Support thread here:
    http://tinyurl.com/yffwqah

    See the TC Memorial page here:
    http://timecapsuledead.org/


    — Balao    2009-11-07 12:40    #

  2. I have seen those sites and that’s exactly what this article is in response to. Compared to the thousands of Time Capsules that have been sold, the folks who have responded to those threads make up a small, albeit vocal, minority. As I’m entitled to my opinion, from personally using and repairing Time Capsules I respectfully disagree with the rants against them.


    — Rebecca    2009-11-07 12:49    #

  3. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion. I’m not here to deny that. However, as for the Apple Support discussion, I don’t think the comments there qualify as “rants,” rather a quite expected reaction to one’s TC dying prematurely. That so many have died is undeniable and documented (and that is just a sample of folks who have found the memorial site). That Apple won’t let you recover your own data (as happened to me when they replaced the unit), is inexcusable. Now that’s not a rant, just a fact.


    — Balao    2009-11-07 12:54    #

  4. I have now repaired 6 broken down ones, plus helped several people do repairs.. all had dead swollen capacitors… If you don’t unwrap the power supply you cannot see them… but even good electrolytic capacitors running near their max operating temp, 105C, (TC is 90C or above) the manufacturer rated life span is 2000hrs.
    The fan has no outside airflow… and is running upside down as it was designed to draw in from the bottom, but someone forgot to put a hole in it.


    — LaPastenague    2009-11-07 14:24    #

  5. I have to tell you that my confidence in Apple is shaken over my recent experiences with my 500 GB Gen-1 Time Capsule purchased in March 2008. For 17 months the device was flawness. Suddenly it just stopped working. A trip to the Apple Support area yielded no clues about the problem. However, their support discussions had plenty of information on the WIDE SPREAD failure of the power supplies in these devices. I was an early adopter of the TC technology. Folks like me are now experiencing a high rate of failure. Others will follow this 18 month failure rate time line.

    Regardless, it was Apple’s complete lack of acknowledgment that frustrated me. There are thousands of postings in their discussion groups and other forums easily found via Google. They just stick their head in the sand. I was somewhat fortunate that I had an Apple Care policy on my previously purchased Macbook. They offered a refurbished Gen 1 500 GB at no charge. Very fair. However, they offered no assistance on data recovery and refused to allow me to recover the data. I couldn’t accept their “trust me” attitude that they have a policy to destroy all hard drives in order to protect the consumer. Are you kidding? My backups contained years of medical, banking, career and other personal information. The straw that broke the camel’s back was a statement from one of their genius kids… “Well, don’t you backup your backup?”

    No I’m not going to trash Apple. In fact I purchased a new gen-2 1TB TC to replace the old one that I kept as a paper weight. I’ll purchase other Apple products. But I certainly don’t feel their products quality no longer justifies the price premium. My advice, “Buyer Beware.”


    — Lee    2009-11-09 08:20    #

  6. Lee,

    how is your new TC doing ? It is also getting very hot or have they fixed the problem ?


    — Chris    2009-11-20 06:30    #

  7. It’s been great to far. For a comparison, I find it’s warmer to the touch than an Airport Express (feels like a heating pad on low) and cooler than my LaCie Mini (external hard drive designed to look like and sit under a Mac Mini).


    — Rebecca    2009-11-20 07:45    #
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