Cdu heat ?

[Derekm]

Hi can anyone please advise me where to mount a cdu on my baseboard.

My baseboard is on my bench so not ventilated underneath.

Should I not mount under the baseboard but on the back of rear scene board.
Also 10 x pl10e installed will they be ok , heat etc.

Thanks in advance

[ntpntpntp]

CDU's don't heat up, if that's what you're worried about?  They charge up the capacitor over a second or two, then discharge quickly when you fire a point.

Point motors don't heat up unless the button is stuck and you don't have a CDU.  One of a CDU's jobs is to limit the current to a safe level once the initial "thump" of power has gone through the point motor.

Mount the CDU where it is convenient to access the power feed and the wiring to your control panel switches.

[edit] Actually, in the days when I used a single CDU it sat in a box along with the power transformers for my controllers and lighting circuit.  A single multi-core cable carrying all those low voltage supplies then came up from the floor to my control panel.
Nowadays I build a small CDU for each point - I'm not suggesting you do that unless you want to be able to fire many points at the same time :-)

[Newportnobby]

Many a CDU is fitted into an unventilated control box by modellers (as mine is) with no issues. My Morley controller also has a built in CDU.
I think you have nothing to worry about heat wise.

[Derekm]

Thank you for your advice.
As a matter if interest where is the best source for boxes to
Mount pcb boards cdu etc.

Many thanks

[ntpntpntp]

@Derekm   In the old days I would have suggested wandering into a local Maplin store.  I know the brand has re-established as a purely online operation but I've not yet checked their current range.

"electronic project boxes" and "electronics enclosures" are available from amazon, ebay, electronic suppliers such as RS etc.  Depends what size and style you want, google will find you loads of them 

[Bealman]

Australia electronics chain Jaycar have an excellent range of enclosures. I believe they have a UK presence.

[themadhippy]

I believe they have a UK presence.

they've got a co.uk web address but

Products are dispatched from Australia, so local customs duty & taxes may apply.
Please read this website for information on paying VAT and customs duty.

and the £20 P+P make them more expensive than even mouser.

my goto for this sort of thing is cpc ,but for a single box  the £4 p+p for orders under £17.50  make them less competitive than the likes of ebay .if your not fussed about the look you might find something of the shelf in the likes of screw fix or tool station for example https://www.toolstation.com/junction-box-ip55/p15207

[GrahamB]

They don't produce enough heat to worry about.

However, I had one that started smoking. I caught it in time so I will never know if it would have caught fire. It was a Gaugemaster CDU and, under their lifetime guarantee, they changed it without argument. Sadly it was so badly burned they couldn't identify what had gone wrong and suggested an inline fuse which I have now fitted. I'd have to check the rating if anyone is interested.

Just one final point. I mentioned the lifetime guarantee. The failed CDU was something like twenty years old!