27 Jan
2014
27 Jan
'14
7:53 a.m.
On Jan 27, 2014, at 9:17 AM, Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
wrote:
We're all reasonably aware of the tendency for vintage hardware to get a little flaky
if it's too hot - but what about the other side? I expect that the electronics
aren't particularly troubled by the cold, but what about tape units, floppy drives,
hard drives, magnetic media? When is it too cold for them to work reliably?
My DEC 1976 peripherals handbook says 10 to 40 C for several disk drives (RS04 and RK05)
but for the RP04 it shows 15 to 32 C. It also shows humidity as 20 to 80%, max wet bulb
25 C, minimum dew point 2 C. (Is wet bulb == dew point? I?m not sure.) RP03 is also
given as 15 to 32, 20% to 80%.
RX01 has the same specs as RP04 plus an additional rule: max temperature gradient of 11 C
per hour. Tape drives (DECtape as well as 1/2 inch models) also list the RP04 specs.
Bottom line, I?d aim for 15 C minimum, and keep the humidity under control. In fact,
especially for tapes, the humidity is probably the biggest concern ? you might want to
take the given specs and narrow them down some more to be safe.
paul