There's an old story of the first IBM laptop that was going to the show for promoting it. The sales lady was using it on her lap... as in laptop. And the heat generated over the flight time while she tuned the presentation, yes we carried backup batteries; the heat "ironed" her synthetic skirt to the panty hose she was wearing. When she tried to stand to exit the plane... the skirt was stuck to the panty hose and pulled down... New cooling system effort was started the next day. As I recall, there was a metal base and no fans for cooling as the metal base was sufficient... in the lab...
Since then... all the devices, either EU's or IC's, I've run across have thermal shutdown conditions. But betting on "all" devices would be unwise. I have run across way to many "substitutes" that do not follow expected assumptions of performance, and cheep too! >________________________________ > From: "Aldous, Scott" <scott.ald...@aei.com> >To: IBM Ken <ibm...@gmail.com>; EMC-PSTC (E-mail) <EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG> >Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 4:05 PM >Subject: RE: laptop -> house fire > > > >I don’t believe it. Yes, a notebook computer will get hot with the vents >blocked. Will it generate enough heat to ignite clothing it is resting on? I >highly doubt it. According to this website: > >http://www.tcforensic.com.au/docs/article10.html > >Cotton ignites at 250 degrees C (for some reason it’s in the table for >plastics). Even hay doesn’t ignite until it reaches 172 degrees C, according >to the same site. Notebook computers will not get that hot even with all vents >blocked. Thanks to the magic of Google, I happened to find a CB report online >for a notebook computer. I won’t link to it just in case it’s not supposed to >be public, but it got several blocked vent tests (CB report issued by UL). It >ran for several hours for each test in ambients between 28 C and 29 C. The >hottest temperature recorded inside the computer, according to the report, was >81 C. Cheesecloth was not charred or ignited for any of the tests. It was a >relatively low power computer (the AC adapters it can use are rated 65W out), >but there is a long way to go from 81 C to 250 C. > >There had to have been some additional type of fault there, as has been >suggested by John and Ted. > >Scott Aldous >Compliance Manager/Engineering Lab Manager >AE Solar Energy > > +1.970.492.2065 Direct > +1.970.407.5872 Fax > +1.541.312.3832 Main >scott.ald...@aei.com > >1625 Sharp Point Drive >Fort Collins, CO 80525 > >www.advanced-energy.com/solarenergy > > >From:emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org] On Behalf Of IBM Ken >Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2013 1:13 PM >To: EMC-PSTC (E-mail) >Subject: Re: laptop -> house fire > >"P.E.I. deputy fire marshal Robert Arsenault demonstrates how vents on a >laptop computer can be blocked when it is sitting on a pile of clothes. (CBC)" >Why did he pick that brand of laptop to demonstrate with? XD > >Does anyone have more information on this incident? > >On Tue, Mar 12, 2013 at 2:49 PM, Brian Oconnell <oconne...@tamuracorp.com> >wrote: >Blocked vent test anyone? Forseeable misuse? I like my computers well done. > ><www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2013/03/06/pei-laptop-hou >se-fire-computer-584.html> > >- >---------------------------------------------------------------- >This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc >discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to ><emc-p...@ieee.org> > >All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: >http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html > >Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at >http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used >formats), large files, etc. > >Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ >Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html >List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html > >For help, send mail to the list administrators: >Scott Douglas <emcp...@radiusnorth.net> >Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org> > >For policy questions, send mail to: >Jim Bacher: <j.bac...@ieee.org> >David Heald: <dhe...@gmail.com> > >- >---------------------------------------------------------------- >This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc >discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to ><emc-p...@ieee.org> >All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: >http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html >Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at >http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used >formats), large files, etc. >Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ >Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html >List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html >For help, send mail to the list administrators: >Scott Douglas <emcp...@radiusnorth.net> >Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org> >For policy questions, send mail to: >Jim Bacher <j.bac...@ieee.org> >David Heald <dhe...@gmail.com> >This message, including any attachments, may contain information that is confidential and proprietary information of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. 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To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to ><emc-p...@ieee.org> >All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: >http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html >Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at >http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used >formats), large files, etc. >Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ >Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html >List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html >For help, send mail to the list administrators: >Scott Douglas <emcp...@radiusnorth.net> >Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org> >For policy questions, send mail to: >Jim Bacher <j.bac...@ieee.org> >David Heald <dhe...@gmail.com> > > - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to <emc-p...@ieee.org> All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieee-pses.org/emc-pstc.html Attachments are not permitted but the IEEE PSES Online Communities site at http://product-compliance.oc.ieee.org/ can be used for graphics (in well-used formats), large files, etc. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas <emcp...@radiusnorth.net> Mike Cantwell <mcantw...@ieee.org> For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: <j.bac...@ieee.org> David Heald: <dhe...@gmail.com>
