Just wondering if it's anything serious? Well, not serious, but anything out of the ordinary? The blackening is on the front panel, near the FET, which has the "CAUTION: HOT SURFACE" sticker on it, so that's probably why. I just wanted to make sure. There's a picture below

looks like a typical case of the panel transformer ionising the air and making dust and dirt stick to the inside of the plastic case, the heat also makes dirt stick to it - my guess is its halfway up your wallpaper above the panel too, the transistor also gets very hot and makes dust in the air stick to the case.

Other than cleaning excess dust from around the panel there is nothing much you can do.

Edited November 11, 200421 yr by DNS Security

Thanks! It was a bit dusty inside, but luckily, all the gaps around the panel have been sealed with decorator's filler or something, so it's not gone outside the panle itself.

Thanks! It was a bit dusty inside, but luckily, all the gaps around the panel have been sealed with decorator's filler or something, so it's not gone outside the panle itself.

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Yep - that sort of thing will happen on pretty much any electronic devices! I bet if you open up your printer, your TV, PC monitor, you will find exactly the same sort of marks.

D7

Thanks! It was a bit dusty inside, but luckily, all the gaps around the panel have been sealed with decorator's filler or something, so it's not gone outside the panle itself

If all the holes in the panel are sealed then this will cause the panel to heat up and cause premature component failure.

all the gaps around the panel have been sealed with decorator's filler or something

It`s never a good idea to block the panels air circulation. That`s a prime cause for overheating.

I just had a look, and there's only filler on the top and sides of the panel, so at least some air is getting in from underneath. Do you reckon it would be a good idea to remove it all? I don't want the thing catching fire

I would, otherwise you may get a convection current and it may blow the paperwork out of the panel.

I may be sticking my neck out here, but personally, I reckon your panel will be fine! Most of the air that gets into a Veritas 8 end-station gets in from behind - as the panel is off-set from the wall to allow cable ingress. Provided air can still get in from behind, you should be OK. And I reckon air CAN get in, otherwise you wouldn't have those pretty patterns on the inside of the lid.

D7

And for the air to get to the behind it needs to.....?

That's right, get to the back from the sides. It might be ok as it is but it's definitely not recommended, I'd remove the filler to be on the safe.