Lights and high ambient temperatures

Just as a cautionary note, going back and reading this.. If your ambient air temps are >40C you really are going to need to look at either


(a) moving your psu's somewhere where they are going to be kept cooler ( inside in A/C conditions )
(b) lots of forced air cooling.. ( and i really mean lots )
(c) Active cooling...




I have had to do the active cooling for a job, its really hard work!


Water cooled PSUs?
 
I have sprouted on on a fair few threads about heat and power supplies especially when they are jammed in small boxes and multiple supplies are put in the same enclosure. It's quite usual here in the southern part of Aussie and many other places throughout Aus for the lights to be powered up when the ambient temp is still 40C. Some nights over the Xmas period it probably won't get below 30C overnight. I always recommend having an excess of power supplies and having them just idling most of the time. The supplies are comparatively cheap and I have personally started changing the way I put together enclosures so that the inbuilt fans vent directly to the outside air.
Realistically if you are using the supplies where the ambient is higher than about 30C and you're running at >50% load then fan forced cooling is a must.
 
AAH said:
I have sprouted on on a fair few threads about heat and power supplies especially when they are jammed in small boxes and multiple supplies are put in the same enclosure. It's quite usual here in the southern part of Aussie and many other places throughout Aus for the lights to be powered up when the ambient temp is still 40C. Some nights over the Xmas period it probably won't get below 30C overnight. I always recommend having an excess of power supplies and having them just idling most of the time. The supplies are comparatively cheap and I have personally started changing the way I put together enclosures so that the inbuilt fans vent directly to the outside air.
Realistically if you are using the supplies where the ambient is higher than about 30C and you're running at >50% load then fan forced cooling is a must.
Click to expand...

Good advice and one that I think many dont think of
 
Buy a cheap fridge, stick in the middle of the garden, and put all your controllers in it?
 
Qiang Fu Kiwi said:
Buy a cheap fridge, stick in the middle of the garden, and put all your controllers in it?
Click to expand...

Or.... buy a fridge, stock with favourite beverages, drink said beverages and have an epiphany that you (not you, Andrew) should not jam so much electronics into those enclosures!
 
AAH said:
...... the lights to be powered up when the ambient temp is still 40C. Some nights over the Xmas period it probably won't get below 30C overnight.
Click to expand...

I think the answer is to move somewhere cooler! :)
 
Just catchup up on my reading

I have the same issue, highest daytime temp last xmas was 48.9 and lowest night time "display" temp was 27 (dec 1 to jan 7)

I had 4 nights were it was too hot to turn on the lights, over 37

I had all the controllers and power supplies in, sheltered from sun , boxes but this wasn't enough I had 3 controller failures, not full, just missing channels (240v controllers) and 2 dc power supplies fail and even light strings fail

This year i will be adding fans to the enclosures, but I may go the small fridge idea ....
 
Troy said:
Just catchup up on my reading

I have the same issue, highest daytime temp last xmas was 48.9 and lowest night time "display" temp was 27 (dec 1 to jan 7)

I had 4 nights were it was too hot to turn on the lights, over 37

I had all the controllers and power supplies in, sheltered from sun , boxes but this wasn't enough I had 3 controller failures, not full, just missing channels (240v controllers) and 2 dc power supplies fail and even light strings fail

This year i will be adding fans to the enclosures, but I may go the small fridge idea ....
Click to expand...

I think you live in an area where you need lots of ventilation and make sure you only load your power supplies no more than 50 to 60% tops, remember electronics and lights can handle these temps as long as there is good ventilation to disapate the heat
 
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