Removing Electric Instruments in Winter .

wrote:
Is it true or just an "old wives tale " ?

For several years now I've removed all the instruments with liquid
crystal displays ( LCD's) from my sailplane on the advice I got from an
"expert " some years ago . I was told that if you store the glider with
instruments in an outside hangar where the temperature drops to below
-20F at times , then that is very hard on the LCD's . I did in fact
have an old Garmin start up in the Spring one year after winter
storage, the screen turned brown then expired .

The specifications on modern LCDs vary, but typically the low end of the
storage temperature range is usually somewhere in the range -40C
(-40F) to -20C (-4F). High end is generally 80C (176F).

Marc

In our business, we use a wide variety of scientific and engineering
instruments and sometimes end up in extremes of temperature. We have
had equipment fail to operate at temperatures below freezing, but
recover when warmed up.

LCDs seem to survive in all conditions we have experienced (-20 to +140
F), although they may not all be readable. It's common for
consumer-grade LCDs (such as you might have on a PDA) to suffer from
black screens on hot days here in Arizona. I also found an expensive
oscilloscope with color LCD screen unreadable below freezing, while an
older ( and cheaper) greyscale LCD was fine.

Some solders also may have problems at very low temperatures - if my
memory serves me right, lead has a phase change that can exacerbate dry
joints in sub-zero temperatures. Connectors are also a possible source
of problems, especially if exposed to vibration and temperature
extremes.

Mike


On Nov 28, 5:18 pm, Marc Ramsey wrote:
wrote:
Is it true or just an "old wives tale " ?

For several years now I've removed all the instruments with liquid
crystal displays ( LCD's) from my sailplane on the advice I got from an
"expert " some years ago . I was told that if you store the glider with
instruments in an outside hangar where the temperature drops to below
-20F at times , then that is very hard on the LCD's . I did in fact
have an old Garmin start up in the Spring one year after winter
storage, the screen turned brown then expired .The specifications on modern LCDs vary, but typically the low end of the
storage temperature range is usually somewhere in the range -40C
(-40F) to -20C (-4F). High end is generally 80C (176F).

Marc