Is it OK to mount a Kid in a cabinet with about 1 cu ft of space with no venting? I'm assuming not, but If I can, I have a great spot to put it. (Top of the closet in the Trailer) Otherwise, my choices are somewhat limited, with one being on the outside of the bathroom wall with the back to the back of the shower wall which is basically a 1/8" layer of Luan plywood covered with the very thin plastic shower surround. Not a lot of moisture (None really) gets in this space. The only other places have wall thicknesses not conducive to mounting unless I make a panel surround, of which, I really don't have the space.
I could vent the cabinet, and could put a fan that would probably only need to run when charging... I can make a simple current sensing circuit to turn it on and off, and since it doesn't charge at night, well, Fan will not be on.
Comments? Ideas?
With my very first solar energy system, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I had my battery box vent muffin fan connected to the solar in between my isolation diodes and the panels. It only ran when there was sun and of course whenever it was charging. Worked treat to ensure the box was vented during charging.
The Kid uses passive cooling (no fan) so you probably need to vent an enclosure.
Having said that I would drill a couple 4" or so holes, one directly below the controller and one above. I would mount the fan in the lower hole, blowing in so it forces air over The Kid from below and vents out the top. Point being you will want the airflow to go over The Kid's AL housing.
Just from here.
Tom
Tom,
And here I thought you were going to say you had a bicycle powered fan, peddled by a dinosaur.
I have mine mounted in the wheel well along with the batteries, converter. I am only using one 260W panel. It has not gotten hot yet to my knowledge. There is an open area underneath the converter which serves as a vent. Photo attached.
Thanks Guys.