ccihon
100 W
I have a KT controller mounted in a rigid tailbox on my trike - its mounted to the hinged lid. I have added holes front and back of the box to encourage air flow, but do not have a good way to run the controller out in the open - need to keep it dry, and keep the wiring harness tidy.
So far, on light rides the controller stays cool - just feels warm to the touch - but now out temps are approaching 100 degrees F, and I've noticed If I push the bike hard, the thing does get hot.
First question - how concerned should I be? I assume these things can take some heat. Maybe the main issue might be heating up enough to deform the plastic lid I have it mounted to - it has never come close to that.
Second question - would it make sense to add a fan to intake cool air - exhaust hole already there. If so, I could choose to add 5v unit and drive off the 5v throttle feed? Or, use 48v fans - or, buck converter down to 12v? I can switch control these for when I prefer the fan off - or even introduce speed control, I suppose. Main thing is to add some airflow, but not create a noisy buzz-box.
Some pics illustrate the current set - up. Battery is mounted low, just the controller is in the box, leaving room for some storage. I have added holes forward and back of the controller for airflow since taking these pics.
So far, on light rides the controller stays cool - just feels warm to the touch - but now out temps are approaching 100 degrees F, and I've noticed If I push the bike hard, the thing does get hot.
First question - how concerned should I be? I assume these things can take some heat. Maybe the main issue might be heating up enough to deform the plastic lid I have it mounted to - it has never come close to that.
Second question - would it make sense to add a fan to intake cool air - exhaust hole already there. If so, I could choose to add 5v unit and drive off the 5v throttle feed? Or, use 48v fans - or, buck converter down to 12v? I can switch control these for when I prefer the fan off - or even introduce speed control, I suppose. Main thing is to add some airflow, but not create a noisy buzz-box.
Some pics illustrate the current set - up. Battery is mounted low, just the controller is in the box, leaving room for some storage. I have added holes forward and back of the controller for airflow since taking these pics.