I've never seen heat affect the unit. It contains no amplifiers, and very little in the way of moving parts, so heat isn't likely to be a factor in any of the problems you describe.

It's interesting that the "slo-mo" bug you had took so long to correct. I've seen it happen a few times, and I was always able to correct it instantly by forcing a hard reboot of the unit (by removing it from the sled or removing its power plug).

The fact that it was running one of the starfield visuals when the slomo bug hit is good information. I, too, have only had it happen when I've been running visuals. I haven't had it happen since I've been in love with the "Now and Next" info screen. Perhaps it's related to the unit starting with certain visuals on the screen?

The high-pitched "beep" problem... Was it the standard beeping that's built-in to the unit? Was it indicating a stuck button?

Tony Fabris
Empeg #144