Effect of COLD

The largest problem will be condensation. If moisture accumulates, it fill mix with any contaminants to produce a nice conductive film which can destroy (short out) all of the electronics on power up. The second (and much easier to deal with) is mechanical tolerance issues. Things contract when they get cold and expand when warming up (we all know this). If the devices are turned on (especially older items) the effects can be significant enough that the mechanics will be out of tolerance and bind and possible bend or break. This is easily cured by NOT turning them on until they have completely reached room temperature. As I said, the moisture problem is much more severe. If the items are packed in SEALED packaged with a decent amount of Sodium Silicate (or other drying agent) this should not be much of a problem. But (unfortunatley) we usually dont pay this much attention when packing "average" gear for storage. One technique I have used successfully is to (at least partially) disassemble the device [covers off at a minimum] while it is still extremely cold. After my finger thaw out, I will then bring it in to an enclosed area that has almost no humidity (hot air heating, dehumidifier, chemical water absorbers) and let it warm up in there. This will usually eliminate the formation of and condensate. Hope this helps. David. -----Original Message----- From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Mike Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2004 4:03 PM To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org Subject: Effect of COLD Is there any problem with data stored in a garage when the temperature drops to -20? I just found out where my moved a bunch of my machines (Cromemco, nabu, pets, Tandy's). Any precautions to take when moving them back indoors? Mike -- Ottawa, Canada Collector of vintage computers http://www.ncf.ca/~ba600