Quote:
Originally Posted by sanddrag
I'd be curious about this same test but with no fan. Did you happen to perform that at any point?
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No, we didn't. I'm not sure how much additional practical data we'd get from that. Here's my take on it. We found that a Talon without a fan can be killed by a very high (by FIRST standards) amount of current for an extended time period. In fact, you can't generate that much in FIRST because of the 40 amp breakers.
I think the data in the user manual really covers the rest of the questions with regards to FIRST applications. For instance, look at the 30 amp data in the user manual. Keep in mind that a single cim pulling 30 amps through an entire match is fairly unlikely.
The graphs show data for a 3 minute match and a 7 minute cool down. Using that data you'll be wandering into a temperature zone you probably don't want to stay in after four consecutive back-to-back matches. So, it appears that unless you find a novel way to keep them cool without a fan, you may want a fan on a drive train application.
Of course, we could attempt to quantify this further with more scientific tests, but I think it would be a waste of time. If teams choose to go without fans in high-current applications, they should grab an infrared thermometer and check the Talon after practice matches to see how much your temps are changing. Or measure the current you're drawing, and extrapolate from there using the User Manual charts. Or get really fancy and wire a thermistor back to the cRio and log the data.
If only we had endless time to play
