programmer or serial killer?

[Zscoundrel]

Jonathan Hutchins wrote:

>
>I was bemused the other day to see specifications for operating altitude - up 
>to 50,000 ft. if I recall - on the specs for a motherboard the other day.  
>What, are the sealed capacitors gonna blow if the pressure's too low?  
>
Well, actually, some of the capacitors use a "moist" electrolyte paste 
that could possibly have water vapor boil off in extremely low pressure 
environments.  These are more typically found in power supplies but they 
do exist so the question is not as far fetched as first proposed.  They 
are usually vented but if the vent were clogged, it is possible the 
'can' could split or pop.


>I doubt it, that's probably just the highest they tested it.  Get the 
>atmosphere too thin around some high-voltage components too thin and they 
>will start spontaneously arcing, but I doubt there's much danger for a 
>standard motherboard at 70k.
>  
>
Actually, I believe that vacuum is a better insulator than the gaseous 
stew we use for atmosphere.

>Anyway, speaking of specs, you should find both the acceptable operating 
>temperature range for your laptop, as well as the storage range which should 
>go quite a bit lower, and possibly the amount of time to allow the laptop to 
>reach room temperature before operating it, right in the good old owner's 
>manual or user's guide.
>  
>
This is good advice.  When I worked at the plant that made airplane 
radios, we tested to ridiculously extreme pressures and temperatures, 
but still published minimum and maximum operating ranges for a reason, 
and that range was where the unit operated properly.