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Originally Posted by JohnnyGrey
Keep the controller in the car. Put it in an enclosure with a fan that sucks air from the cabin. In the summer, port the exhaust air to outside the vehicle. That will keep you cool too since it will get rid of all the stale air in the car. In the winter, let it recirculate in the cabin. You'll be glad to have that heat, and it will be shielded from the elements..
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That was another option I was thinking of, using the heat from the controller to warm the cabin, and completely enclosing the controller is a good idea since the Kelly is not all-weather optimized. Its also not isolated, so reducing any chance accidental shorts is a good thing. I do want to avoid running a fan the whole time if I can, but I can duct air from the hood vent easily enough.
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I'd suggest avoiding the heat pump as its just overkill and overcomplex. Your going to be adding weight, cost, and more things that can go wrong. Follow your KISS rule. Stick the controller somewhere that its going to get enough airflow. Use ducting if need be.
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I know I'm breaking my own rules here, it just sounds like a fun experiment. I have most of the materials sitting around already, and I need to mount the controller on an aluminum plate anyways. The biggest cost would be the check valve and gauge. I think the weight would be pretty negligible though, 6-10 feet of tubing and a cup or two of liquid. I would need to adjust the pressure seasonally, so It wouldn't take much maintenance.
I got the idea from work, where we started using heat pipes to cool some heavy duty LEDs. They were getting super hot, now they remain room temperture, or cooler.