V1 and heat? Need to send it in?

[LAC_STS]

I live in S. FLA. I have only had my V1 since Christmas time so I haven't had to deal with the heat really until recently.

I read a members post here somewhere saying that heat is a RD worst enemy.


Lately its been getting up to 90-95 down here in the peak of the day time.


I felt my V1 after letting my car sit in a parking lot for about 30-45 mins and the case was so hot if I had kept my fingers on it much longer it would have burned my fingers. Really that hot. Probably because its metal.


So should I send my V1 in for a check up now that I let it get that hot? I guess I'm gonna have to start taking it out of the car which is a PITA.

[<<JAZZY>>]

Keeping electronics out of the sun is always a good idea. Mount your V1 up high and out of the sun or behind some tint (non-metallic) at the top of your windshield. If it is extremely hot, pull it down and bring it with you to keep it safe, or lock it in your glovebox.

Valentine One Specifications

Temperature Range:

Operating: -20&#176;C to +70&#176;C (-4&#176;F to +158&#176;F)

Storage: -30&#176;C to +85&#176;C (-22&#176;F to +185&#176;F)

[GreenRadar]

no matter what the temp is out side i always take my detector down just and lock it in my glove box, that way in case it does heat up during the day i won't have to worry about it heating up

[Weeth]

I live in Texas and my radar gets really hot. When I'm at home, I bring it inside (what valentine recommends) and when I stop somewhere I usually put it in the center console (for security). If I'm parked somewhere for a while I'll put it into the trunk of the car as it's the coolest place of the car. (no windows to trap light i.e. greenhouse effect)

Valentine's Temperature Range is: Operating: -20°C to +70°C (-4°F to +158°F)
Storage: -30°C to +85°C (-22°F to +185°F)

I don't think you should send it in; Just don't leave it in direct sunlight for a long time.

[LAC_STS]

I do have limo tint on my car and I have the V1 up as high as it can go. thats why I havent been taking it out for security reasons because you cant see it from out side it is up so high.


But I will start taking it down and putting it in the console or trunk. I just didnt know if I should sent it in.


Glad I dont have to.



Thanks guys.

[CJR238]

I never understood why we believe heat is killing our RD's. Though its a factor it seems to me not a big deal. Its rare for a car to get above 120+ and these devices are designed to work well within the temperature limits of a car.

Some tests which show interior temp of a car:




So in conclusion heat (in most cases) in side a car wont effect the RD's life expectancy by much if at all. It may however exasperate an existing problem.
Operating temps of RD's are from ~20 degrees to ~150 degrees and its rare to reach those extremes.

[fire65]

That's why I never take mine down and I live in SW OK. It gets hot as anywhere. They were built to take it.

[SNSRADAR]

Nice Graph. A picture is worth a thousand words.

[zerbey]

The V1 is designed to sit in hot cars, I've actually scolded myself a couple of times turning it on. I doubt leaving it in the heat will harm it, but I still try and avoid direct sunlight where possible because I'm paranoid about my $400 investment.

I wouldn't loose to much sleep over it, just keep it high up and behind the tint strip and it shouldn't get too warm.

[LAC_STS]

I was gonna do this a few days ago but it has been raining and cloudy and not hot outside.


Today when I did this my car had been sitting outside a store for about an hour and the outside temp display on my car says its 95 degrees outside.


This is the laser thermometer I use to check that my self built computers motherboards and external temp sensors are reading correctly when I am overclocking.

This is how hot the V1 was after just an hour. It is mounted as high as possible mostly behind the tint strip on the windshield. The suction cups are as close to the black dots on the tint strip as they can get and still stick.









So, I think that the V1'a metal case contributes to this. Like when you get into a really hot car and the metal part of the seat belts will burn you.