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Does the cold weather effect my system
https://mail.karaokescene.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5758		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  troystr68 [ Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Does the cold weather effect my system
some times I store my DJ system   in my truck in my garage. As I live in the chicagoland area it gets quite cold. What do I need to do to protect and ensure my gear always work? I gig at least 1 a week. DO I need to warm it up first ? How long do I need to? HELP
Author:  Guest [ Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
Yeah, you need to allow everything to warm up to near room temps, but your biggest worry is the temp transients that occur between hot and cold....cause

As your gear passes from hot to cold, and cold to warm, it might be exposed to high humidity.....Dew point.....Condensation.....Moisture.....and wah-wah.

Paper cone speakers will suffer first from exposure to condensing moisture. If you leave your gear in a trailer, then make sure to park it indoors so it doesn't experience the heat/cold cycle of winter sun/night exposure.....summertime is bad enuff, but winter cycles are worse.

It's more a moisture thing than a temp thing.
Author:  WazAnOkie [ Wed Nov 30, 2005 8:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
I have had the same concerns on temperature differences, and so I bring at least the CDG player into the house and try to keep it in a normal temp range.  Temp changes fogs up my digital camera where it cant be used for a while sometimes - I just hate to imagine how much moisture would form on the inside and mess with the cdg player and the other sensitive components.

If you wear glasses (or know someone that does), just think about what happens when you go into a warm room after being in the cold for a while.
Author:  Guest [ Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
Yep,

Pretend you are a paper-coned speaker that needs to keep your starch to sound decent.

I don't think I would leave my audio gear in the back of a garaged pick-up truck tween gigs....Winter or summer.
Author:  Lonman [ Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
Give everything at least an hour to warm up to room temp.  If you can, store it in a heated area when not in use.
Author:  dj john [ Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
definately wait an hour (two would be better ) I've even had to place a cd under a light to warm it up and remove the "fog "
Author:  karyoker [ Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
A few suggestions...  My comp is a 2 unit with 2 power supplies.  One is used to power the lcd monitor. 12v@6 amps.  It also powers the fans in the computer case and is turned on with the main power strip.  Originally I hooked up this way to have a cool down after the computer is shut off and the exhaust fan in back pulls directly across the hard drive.  In winter it warms up the hard drive and critical components by pulling warm dry air thru before the computer is turned on.  I also have a 12 volt fan out of an old tower mounted in the mixer case which can do the same thing...

Touch anything metal to see if its too hot or cold An old rule of thumb on the farm was if you couldnt keep your fingers on a bearing because it was too hot it is time to shut down. Same goes for heat sinks etc one can touch metal areas to see if they are warmin up or too hot.. I remember back in the old days if the band left their guitars out in the cold it took 2 hours to get them tuned up....

In the summer grease in the morn In the winter grease at the end of the day. What does this have to do with it?  Remember when moisture freezes it expands and breaks anything its in

I thought I knew what cold was till I spent the winter up at Great Lakes...  BbRRRRR
My old system dont like the cold at all!!!!
Author:  Flipper [ Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
I don't recommend storing equipment in extremes cold or hot.  In the winter or summer leaving your car for just a couple of hours can produce pretty extreme conditions for your equipment to be stored in.

I use Dri-z-Air packs to help with condensation problems. You can purchase them in just about any size you want. They normally come in the packaging that electronics products are shipped in and they usually have a Toll Free number you can call or a website address on them so you can order.

I use one that is about 4" square in my Rack, Computuer Cases, and Mic and Cable boxes. They are dry as a bone all of the time. I consider this to be just like a little extra insurance policy to reduce the risk of moisture. I change them out about every 3 months or so as they are really cheap.

Before I went computerized my player would fog up and I carried a cheap electric hair dryer in my gig bag. I would open up the tray and warm up the player on low heat. It worked great.
Author:  eben [ Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
My suggestion is to look at the manual, they usually will list the temperature recommendations. Usually, there are two sets of temperatures they will list, operating temperature and non-operating temperature. They will also list the operating humidity range. Not all devices will list it and you may have to ask their tech support to get these numbers.

Many electronic equipment operating temperatures tend to be about 5C to 35C (about  40F to 95F) but it varies from equipment to equipment. That means you should wait until the temperature is within that band before using the unit. Typical humidity range go from 5% to 90% non condensation (also varies from equipment to equipment). Again, you should make sure you are in these range before firing up your equipment. If you follow these specs, you should have no problems with your equipment.

Typical non-operating temperature is usually in the range of -20C to 60C. Again, it varies from one to another. This is your "storage" temperature. If your temperature exceeds the numbers of your equipment, consider storing them indoors.

Lastly, they may list the temperature gradient on their specs. Typically they are 10C per hour. That means if you store it in -20C and the operating temperature is at 10C, you need to take 3 hours of slowly increasing temperature before operating the unit. Otherwise you may get condensation and water+electricity=disaster.

What you need to do is find the most sensitive equipment from your list and use that as the guide to temperature, gradient and humidity in operating and storing. It will help with your equipment's life as well as maybe warranty.
Author:  flashbaxstudios [ Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
I concur with the humidity issue. Temp. is also a major issue, especially if u live in the southern climates where you can leave a cold cup of coffee in your car in the morning and then get a hot cup of coffee the minute you set foot back in the car.  I have actually had a molded guitar case warp from leaving it in the trunk while I went to work that day. Having many years experience with cold weather and fragile equipment you will find that anything that is left in the cold weather is going to deteriorate. While the paper speaker cone is a good analogy there are other things to consider. Condensation builds up inside the voice coil as well, which can cause premature failure. Plastics exposed to heat and cold can crack or weaken, especially if there are any UV rays involved. I have had numerous guitars that have had the finish checked(cracked) from going between warm and cold environments. In fact I foolishly left a guitar in the car one early morning only to find that the finished had checked badly and the guitar was covered with frost.  Not pretty, especially on a vintage instrument, but the frosted spider web looked pretty. LOL Flashbax
Author:  Guest [ Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Does the cold weather effect my system
Yep,

Quality MI gear is expensive. And you have to spend freely to compete for great sound causeand it takes lots of MI gear to offer effects and full range sound. But we do all that to please the singers and maybe get the best gigs, huh?

Trouble is, as you outfit your system and grow bigger, you have to deal with hauling and storing all that sensitive and expensive stuff....And let's face it, it's the hauling and set-up and teardown that wears on us and the gear....If you include poor storage conditions, then you can expect to replace certain items often.....Now why is it that the items most sensitive to handling and stowage is always the most expensive?
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