Cooling the Duet 3 boards
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I was wondering what type of cooling arrangement I should put in place for the 6HC and 3HC I just got. The documentation mentions maintaining air flow behind the unit for the Duet 2 boards, but nothing for the 3 series. Should I add heatsinks for the drivers? Put a cooling fan in the case directly over them? I have a polycarbonate NEMA outdoor enclosure that is housing all of the electronics for the printer, so right now there are no openings at all, but i definitely am going to add them, I am just not sure what and where I should be doing that.
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Pic of my enclosure so far
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Same thing, cool the backside of the board. Datasheet for the mosfets (i believe) to be used for the stepper drivers suggest the heat is conducted primarily to the board
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OK, I was thinking that the package would be similar and cooling would be the same. I have an extra 5015 blower fan I think I will mount up in the case to blow across the back of the unit.
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In this case I would probably add some venting to the bottom of the case and then use a fan at the top as exhaust. This would draw cool air in from the bottom and work along with convection to draw the warm air out the top.
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Awesome, thanks for the ideas!
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Was thinking the same with natural convection, but not sure how well it would work with the psu fan in its current orientation(?) so i derailed a little and didn't get back on track.
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I could make a small diverter to put behind the PSU and direct the output upwards
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Unless you are running the stepper motors at high current, you won't need to cool the drivers. However, if that enclosure will have a lid on it, you need to ensure that fresh air can enter it and warm air can escape, mainly to keep the PSU cool. Best is to draw air in at the bottom and let it escape at the top so that it is helped by convection.
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Yes, It has a lid that will hinge closed when I've got it all set up. I think I will do as Phaedrux suggests and add vents at the bottom and a fan at the top, letting cool air in and letting it pull hot air up and out. Maybe a pair of 40mm fans in the top corners and a vent along most of the bottom. That should be enough movement to keep the components cool...
I am just running 6 regular NEMA 17's and a Hemera, so I don't think the current draw is very high.
