Fan shipping with V5's

[lwillisjr]

Received my F48v5 today. First Falcon controller I ever purchased that came with a fan. Came with a miniature fan to mount on the controller. Do I need to closely monitor the temp of the v5? Is overheating an issue? What temp is too high?

[darylc]

The f48v5 and to an extent the f48v4 use a lot of power, due to all the chips that send data to/from the receivers.  The fan is to ensure there is airflow over the power regulator.  The board will run cooler at 5v than 12v but that may not be an option for everyone.  I don't believe there is any published spec on temperature.  Avoid putting it in a fully enclosed container - make sure any box has ventilation and that combined with the fan would be fine I imagine.

[JonD]

I live in Iowa and do not worry about installing fans if only running in the fall/winter.  When I sat them out to run my permanent lighting for the 4th of July, I did have to install a vent and fan, as they were running too hot.  If you open the door to your controller, and it feels like you just opened an oven door, it might be time to consider cooling it down.  

I have not seen any specs on Falcons, but a MeanWell LRS-350-12 power supply suggests the normal operating temperature should not be higher than 70c/158f degrees.

[k6ccc]

I'm in the Los Angles area so we DO get some pretty warm weather after I have started setting stuff up.  My Falcon controllers are all v3 so they did not come with a fan.  However all of my controller boxes are ventilated with fans - either controlled by the F16v3 or a thermal controlled switch.  I also have temperature monitoring in each controller box.  Even with the controller boxes painted white, the sun heats them far more than the electronics do.  I've measured over 120 degrees with no power to the box during the peak of the day.