The Arch Enemy of Electronic Equipment - Heat

   

Very often as we design home entertainment systems for our clients the issue that arises is: where will our equipment be housed? There are many options and in the past few years it has gotten to be easier and easier to remote locate the equipment (but that will be the subject of another blog!). Today we want to address system installers, the enemy of all home entertainment systems and most importantly; the electronics themselves.

There is evil lurking in many home systems and that evil goes by the name of HEAT! If we had a nickel for every client or designer whose response to our caution is “we’ll get the cabinet guy to drill a couple of holes in the back”; well let’s just say, we would have a lot of nickels!

Today's electronics are as sophisticated and complex as computers and fully require proper planning to avoid the components becoming damaged due to lack of ventilation. 85ºF is the maximum recommended constant operating temperature for most equipment; it will help provide a long service life for the equipment inside an enclosure.

Why 85ºF? Most studies have shown that for every 10ºF rise over 85ºF, digital equipment life is reduced by approximately 40%! However, the Uptime Institute states, “For every 18 F increase above 70 F, long-term reliability is reduced by 50%”. Clearly there is a need to control the temperature inside electronic enclosures. It is essential that the hot air that is created by many electronic components be cycled away from the components quickly or else! Or else what?

• Heat that builds up prematurely ages electronics in a best case scenario. Two years spent in a hot cabinet can be the equivalent of many times that spent in a properly ventilated cabinet.

• If enough heat is present it can cause thermal failure. The electronics shut down at a specific temperature in order to avoid more damage or something worse. That temperature is usually about 139 degrees.

It’s really easy to overlook this in the design process, but please don’t or you will end up paying for it in the form of systems that don’t operate correctly or cause you to have repeated service calls by your electronics system provider; and really neither of you wants that! The good news is there are good and inexpensive products that will keep your system humming along nice and cool and happy; BUT it is important that you plan on which to use while you are in the DESIGN stage. Its much easier to not have to dismantle systems and modify cabinets in the client’s home, it is simple, easy and less expensive to do it in the cabinetmakers shop!

If you contact us and mention this post on Superior Woodcraft’s blog or Superior Woodcraft's facebook page I will send you a thermal management white paper that will help you manage this issue for your clients or yourself! If this information is helpful please pass the link on to a friend and help them as well.

Contact mark@stoneglidden.com

This article was written by Mark Glidden of Stone + Glidden.  Stone-Glidden is an award winning design and installation firm, integrating audio-video, lighting, security, and automation for new and existing homes throughout the Delaware Valley

Superior Woodcraft is a local custom cabinet maker from Doylestown, Pa - the heart of Bucks County.


Stone + Glidden - Doylestown
148-1 North Clinton Street

Suite One
Doylestown, PA 18901
Ph : 215-348-4525
Fax : 215-348-4530

Stone + Glidden - King of Prussia
628 B Street
King of Prussia, PA 19406
Ph : 610-270-2850
Fax : 610-270-0696

Source:
Superior Woodcraft, Inc.
Superior Woodcraft Blog