I couldn't find a reference to this in the manual so I thought I'd throw the question out:

Is it safe to disconnect the PCIe cable for the Mojo DX when both the Mojo and computer are still on? Or should one or both of the devices be off (as with Firewire) to avoid damage to the hardware?

Thanks for any insight.

jd

The computer should be shut down when you disconnect the cable.

I have a very similar question. I have a Nitris DX which is LOUD. When I am doing Pro Tools audio mixes on the same machine I would like to have the Nitris DX off. What would be the best way to do this?

I mean, obviously I could have no power going in at the time of booting and that would be safe. But I have to switch around in my work a lot and it would be nice if was safe to hold the power button in until the Nitirs DX turned off once booted if I had forgotten to pull the power to it...

straight from the engineering testers mouth......

And if you'd like to compare the effects of disconnecting the DX hardware while the system is running, the I'd also suggest opening the computer and attempt to remove the Graphics card, RAM or system hard drive while it is running. 

The DX hardware is connected via a PCI card, that means that it's an external device connected directly to the MoBo.  Disconnecting any currently powered device that is directly connected to the MoBo is bad news bears.

The larger issue being presented here though is that the the Nitris DX needs a bonafied power button... I know I wish it had one.

I like that two of big requests for the original Mojo/MojoSDI was that it needed to be HD-capable and have a power button.

The DX was introduced which is HD-capable and has a power button, but the power button doesn't seem to do anything!!  lol

Hmmm, I guess the problem is one of PCIe devices not being hot-swappable, therefore they need to come on when the system comes on to be recognised. To be able to turn them off, the driver would have to be capable of allowing it, and forcing a rescan of the PCIe bus. Under XP, this might work by doing an uninstall in device manager, but next time you boot, you might need to reinstall the driver. Not ideal.

Insteed, lets looks at the reason to turn it off - noise. I haven't used any DXs yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if is yet another example of manufacturers using cheap, loud fans in their pro gear. Any one been subjected to a HVR 1500 or SR deck? They sound like planes taking off. Probably the DX uses 40 or 60mm fan (s) and there are very quiet versions of such fans available if Avid could be bothered. You could probably replace them yourself, but I'm sure this would invalidate the warranty.

There are 2 x 80mm (or is that 60mm I'm not sure) at the front which could be massively improved upon for about £30. And there is a 40mm in the power supply which claims to be a noise killer according to what I've found on the net. Al together they cook up quite a row. I would replace them and have the expertise but at 8K for one of these I won't risk the warranty! And yes I have been subjected to an SR deck - blimey!

I don't think the MojoDX has a fan and neither the NitrisDX nor MojoDX are terribly loud, the monitor I'm using right now is actually sitting on the MojoDX and I can't hear it.  I've worked in a couple of suites outfitted with NitrisDX and I don't find them to be loud at all. 

If the room must be absolutely silent it may be worth looking into moving the computer and equipment to a dedicated machine room

Kenton.VanNatten:

If the room must be absolutely silent it may be worth looking into moving the computer and equipment to a dedicated machine room

I wish! I am doing pro tools mixes and Avid onlines in the same finishing room. Anyway I have now put all the noisey video gear on one power circuit so that it can be turned off when mixing. I've got sensitive (fussy?) ears I guess

When I set up large encoding batches as I leave for the night, it just kills me to leave the Nitris DX on all night.  I'd really prefer to turn it off over night.

Kenton.VanNatten:

I don't think the MojoDX has a fan and neither the NitrisDX nor MojoDX are terribly loud, the monitor I'm using right now is actually sitting on the MojoDX and I can't hear it

Clearly earing it here, the sound of his fan is more disturbing than the sound of the macpro fans while not being actually louder (there both under a desk at approx 2m from my seat). I'll wait for the warranty to expire and switch the fan. Putting the device further from the seats or locked in some area is not a solution, we need easy access to the rear, the headphone jack and its volume control.

Obviously there is some disagreement here. This old thread suggests that loud fans may be a fault.

http://community.avid.com/forums/p/73247/409970.aspx#409970