HiFi Control Set Pad Doesn't Like The Heat

[awj223]

Interesting thing I've been noticing with my HiFi Control Set: it doesn't like the heat. I mounted it on my instrument panel bezel, just underneath the instrument panel. The bezel is black and the HiFi Control Set control pad is also black. It becomes very hot if the Sun strikes it directly and the car is closed and it's warm outside. When this happens I notice that the LED on the control pad does not illuminate. The external LED lights up green, like normal, but then the external LED flashes red and stops flashing. It does not ever turn blue, even after I cool off the control pad and press POWER.

This first happened to me last weekend when I parked in the Sun; even after the control pad cooled off, it would not boot. It didn't boot until I killed power to the ALP entirely and then reapplied power (by turning the key to the OFF position and back to ON) with the control pad cooled down. It happened again today.

I never saw this issue with the standard control set pad through last summer. Is there some thermal protection circuitry in the HiFi Control Set pad that's activating now that it's getting warmer outside?

[Tman]

I would change the location , a lower one ...or add a little shade\mini-palapa

[awj223]

I would change the location , a lower one ...or add a little shade\mini-palapa

I can easily be more diligent about putting up the sunshade, or move the control down so it is never in direct sunlight. I'm just wondering if anyone else has been seeing this same issue.

If I see this happen again, I'll use my infrared thermometer to see how hot the thing is getting.

[BestRadarDetectors]

I can easily be more diligent about putting up the sunshade, or move the control down so it is never in direct sunlight. I'm just wondering if anyone else has been seeing this same issue.

If I see this happen again, I'll use my infrared thermometer to see how hot the thing is getting.

I would be interested in knowing exactly how hot your control module has to get before it fails and would be interested in sending another one to verify if it's with just your unit.

[RedRocket]

I'm just wondering if anyone else has been seeing this same issue.

Nope.
Still pretty cool in the Northeast daytime & even cooler at night. Won't have Cali. temperatures till July.

[awj223]

I would be interested in knowing exactly how hot your control module has to get before it fails and would be interested in sending another one to verify if it's with just your unit.

I will be on business travel from tomorrow until 4/29, but if you'd like to send me another one, I can test it. I already have an infrared thermometer that I keep in the car to measure the temperature of my brakes, and can easily use it to measure the temperature of the control pad.

[awj223]

I will be on business travel from tomorrow until 4/29, but if you'd like to send me another one, I can test it. I already have an infrared thermometer that I keep in the car to measure the temperature of my brakes, and can easily use it to measure the temperature of the control pad.

Update: I parked the car at The Shops at Tanforan, right before going to the airport. The seabreeze was howling though, and the temperature outside of the car was in the mid 60s. Inside the car it only got up to about 95-105°F. Measured the temperature of the control pad and it was 125°F. It did not experience the issue. If I had to guess, I'd say that the temperature of the control pad is between 150-175°F when this issue occurs.

BRD: I think you'd be able to test this by putting a control pad in the Sun on a black surface, and covering it with a transparent plastic or glass lid to simulate being in a car. I also sent you a PM.

[ApexOnYou]

I may be experiencing the same issue right now. My control set is mounted in a compartment with a lid which I've been leaving open lately. I just got in my car and upon startup the ALP shut down halfway through the word "defense". The control set is warm but nowhere near hot, it's 52* outside and the interior surfaces are maybe 80*F, if that. Tried rebooting it five times and it only worked once, the other attempts resulted in shut down. Never had this issue with the standard control set which I ran in the same location last summer (it easily saw 100*F surface temps).

I have a video of what's going on if it is of any use; I'm on my phone right now but I could upload it tonight.

[BestRadarDetectors]

I may be experiencing the same issue right now. My control set is mounted in a compartment with a lid which I've been leaving open lately. I just got in my car and upon startup the ALP shut down halfway through the word "defense". The control set is warm but nowhere near hot, it's 52* outside and the interior surfaces are maybe 80*F, if that. Tried rebooting it five times and it only worked once, the other attempts resulted in shut down. Never had this issue with the standard control set which I ran in the same location last summer (it easily saw 100*F surface temps).

I have a video of what's going on if it is of any use; I'm on my phone right now but I could upload it tonight.

Are you on the current 5.1.1 firmware?

[awj223]

I may be experiencing the same issue right now. My control set is mounted in a compartment with a lid which I've been leaving open lately. I just got in my car and upon startup the ALP shut down halfway through the word "defense". The control set is warm but nowhere near hot, it's 52* outside and the interior surfaces are maybe 80*F, if that. Tried rebooting it five times and it only worked once, the other attempts resulted in shut down. Never had this issue with the standard control set which I ran in the same location last summer (it easily saw 100*F surface temps).

I have a video of what's going on if it is of any use; I'm on my phone right now but I could upload it tonight.

Mine doesn't even get that far. The external LED turns on (green), then switches off. The control set LED never lights up at all. If I try to force the ALP to turn back on (by holding down the POWER button), both LEDs flash red the way they do when it is manually powered down. Only after power is completely removed (by turning the key to the OFF position) and the control set cools down will the ALP boot properly.