15 Aug
2012
15 Aug
'12
7:03 a.m.
On 08/15/2012 07:02 AM, Mark Wickens wrote:
On 14/08/12 19:20, Earl Evans wrote:
Where I am humidity is the issue, thing like rust, molds, condensation,
and vermin (mice and bugs)
are the risks. Mice are deadly to electronic gear.
Hint if you must do the garage, build a fake false floor (1ft platform)
that can circulate air
as that will keep the most humid colder air off the gear.
Allison
Hi folks,
I'm a little concerned about the load that my PDP-11 cabinet (rack
mount,
dual RL02 drives) is putting on the floor in my daylight basement.
Also,
I'm thinking that recovering the space might be nice, so I was
considering
moving the PDP-11 system back to the garage.
If any of you have a PDP or other big-iron systems in the garage, how do
you deal with temperature extremes (hot in summer, cold in winter)?
Do you
simply not operate the computer when it's too hot or cold? Do you think
it's a risk to even store the system in the garage?
My location is Portland, Oregon, so it doesn't really get super cold
in the
winter. I think the coldest I've measured in the garage is 50F. But
summer can get pretty warm. It's scheduled to get 85F today, and we had
100F a week or two ago. Of course the garage doesn't get as hot as
outside
temps, but it can get up there.
I realize heat can be a big enemy of computers/electronics. Also, since
the RL02 drives are mechanical and precision devices, they might not
take
well to temperature shifts.
Thoughts?
- Earl
Earl,
My question to you is why you are fighting the urge to move it to your
living room. Call yourself a retro-computer enthusiast? ;)
Seriously, I've found that humidity is as much of a killer as extreme
temperature changes. Even though the temperature in my basement
remains fairly constant the dampness that comes from living in the
Lake District seems to kill stuff far quicker than if I store it in
the garage with the associated large temperature delta.
Regards, Mark.