I received my FlightFeeder yesterday and got it up and running (Site 280897). The antenna is safely on the roof, and the Pi enclosure is sitting indoors, completely out of the sun. It’s been online for about 20 hours, but I’m already getting a warning that the CPU temperature is hitting 70.1°C (158°F).
I live in Culiacán, Mexico, and our current outdoor ambient temperature is around 36°C (97°F).Even indoors and out of direct sunlight, the heat seems to be trapped inside the completely closed FlightFeeder case, and passive cooling isn’t cutting it.
Has anyone dealing with hot weather modded their provided FlightFeeder to improve airflow? I’m considering opening it up to apply some copper heatsinks to the chips or rigging a small fan to pull the hot air out. I’d love to hear what cooling setups or mods have worked best for you all to keep the Pi healthy.
Does the FlightFeeder have any type of ventilation holes in the case? If so, use a small 6-8 inch electric fan to blow across the case of the feeder. You could also elevate the feeder so it is not sitting directly on the surface where it is placed. The fan can be on the lowest speed or higher, depending on the noise level of the fan that is comfortable for you.
This program will monitor the performance of your feeder, so you can see and possibly adjust the settings that you are allowed to as to improve the performance of your station. These feeders tend to run 30-40F degrees higher than the ambient temperature of the environment that it operates in.
Thank you so much for the suggestions and for taking the time to help!
Yes, the FlightFeeder case does have ventilation holes. I will definitely take your advice: I plan to elevate the unit to increase the surface area and point a small fan to blow directly across the vents. Hopefully, this will help push the trapped heat out of the chassis.
Regarding graphs1090, since this is the official FlightFeeder appliance provided by FlightAware (and not a custom PiAware build), the system is securely locked down by them. I don’t have SSH access or the credentials to log in and install additional software, so I have to rely entirely on the basic stats provided on my FlightAware site page.
I really appreciate your input and the tip about elevating it!
