Power adapter use

[Wp100]

Hi,

Have got one of these Power Adapters that came with an Akasa usb hdd caddy and it dual 12v /5v, both at 2A rating, seems well suited to my total load of 500ma needed in an arduino project.

However at that load the adapter does get comfortably warm to the touch after a hours use.

I intend to have it running 24/7 so wondered if these adapters are suited to that and though supplied to be used externally wondered about fitting it within an enclosure that has some ventilation holes ?

Also wondered if carefully drilling/cutting some holes in the adapters body would aid its cooling or simply cracking open the whole case if thats possible without destroying the contents ?

 

[alec_t]

It is obviously intended to be used with a free flow of air around it, so any enclosure would restrict air flow to a greater or lesser degree and raise the temperature of the adapter.
I don't see how you could safely make holes in the adapter. There would be a high risk of damaging internal components.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Don't fit it in an enclosure, leave it external as intended.

If you want a mountable PSU then simply buy one, they are 'cheap as chips' from China

 

[Dick Cappels]

I suspect that drilling holes would make the power supply less fire safe. At the very least the sealed case will contain smoke and other gasses in the case of failure.

 

[AnalogKid]

Modifying the supply in *any* way (electrical, mechanical, thermal, phase of the moon, etc.) will violate all of its safety ratings (the group of symbols in the bottom quarter of the label). As above, you almost certainly can buy an open frame (bare pc board) or industrial (perforated metal enclosure) supply of similar performance. Note that with the open frame supply, *you* are primarily responsible for the safety aspects of its use.

ak