Hot instruments act up

[dwilkieo]

Gang,

On my Nordic Tug 32:

My Fusion radio starts to sound very fuzzy and actually starts to hiss after it's been on for a few hours on a hot day. It is mounted in my overhead instrument pod and must get really hot. If I turn it off and let it rest, when it comes back on it sounds great again.

Also have had some touchscreen failures on my Raymarine ES128. Lots of hot weather lately and long run times in a smallish nav pod. Question: Could hot weather and closed up box contribute to it's failure?

Ultimate question:

Should I consider mounting PC cooling fans on both pods? Has anybody done this? It would be easy to wire them so they come on with the 12v breaker that powers the instruments. Could face forward and not be visible at all. I am looking for recommendations for fans based on a desire to have low amps and very quiet.

Love to hear your opinions or experiences either way.

TIA,

David

 

[Comodave]

Heat is absolutely one of the worst thing for your electronics. As far as the pod before you mount a fan it may be enough to drill some vent holes in the top and bottom of the pod. But if you need a fan they make a lot of low current and quiet fans. I use these from Amazon. They are 5” so that could be too large for your application but you can look at them to start. They draw 50 mAmps and are bery quiet.

Noctua NF-F12 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (120mm, Brown)

 

[C lectric]

I agree that heat is the enemy of many electronic devices.
I agree that some drilled vent holes may help.
I agree more with the fans.

Try one only first with an air entry hole at the opposite end of the compartment. If not enough then try a second of the same type.

I suggest the single first as I have found in some circumstances that two fans close together can create a lot of noise, harmonics, where ne larger one will be dead quiet.

12VDC fans are available down to about 2" across which use absolutely minimal power. These may be to small. Look at the 3 or 4".

I have some although for a different purpose purchased from Newark ELectronics. THere are other vendors such as Mouser or a local electronics store.

I strongly suggest getting fans with ball bearings, not sleeve bearing. COsts a wee bit more but longevity and no upkeep for years is my choice. I still have sleeve bearing fans and they are a pain, noisier, and require oiling every year. I am slowly replacing them with ball bearing types.