making enclosures for electronics

Indoors, I would say it holds up pretty well, if you finish it and keep it dry. Maybe a few hundred years? But, it does not last forever...

Does it not only have to last as long as the remaining life of the laptop? What are the chances that the next laptop has the identical dimensions?

I have built some boxes for electronics. I always drilled lots of holes for air circulation. Put the holes so that the heat can escape upward and some cool air can come in below the heat. It should be OK. If it does warm up a bit, you can always install a fan. They have some very quiet fans for computer now.

Be aware that internal temperatures in laptops can get very high.

Look for CoreTemp, a free program that reads the temperature of the processor to see just how hot the specific device runs.

The dual core Intel processor in my laptop can hit 172F or more when working hard. This is in conditioned space that's 78F. Expect higher internal laptop temperatures if the ambient temperature is above 78F.

These were built by a Master Electrician that I "know" through another usenet group. They are old and I can't speak to how they held up. (He hasn't answered that question yet. I'll let you know if/when he does.)

PC/AT

PS/2 M30

PS/2 M30/286

PS/2 M70

That's generally measuring Tj (Junction temperature, the highest operating temperature of the actual semiconductor) or Tc (the temperature of the processor chip case itself).

The air temperature within the laptop is significantly less, assuming that the heatsinks, cooling devices and ventilation openings are functioning correctly.

Electric Comet wrote in news:nkaf17$7se$1 @dont-email.me:

Unless you put the wood in direct contact with some part of the electronics that is very hot (i.e. try to use the wood as a heat sink) I would expect the wood to have a longevity factor several orders of magnitude longer than the electronics.

John

"Lee Michaels" wrote in news:576980a6$0$9309$c3e8da3$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com:

One thing to keep in mind about a fan is that it sucks power. If you're on a battery, having a fan could mean significantly reduced run time. It might be worth considering a switch (automatic or manual) and making sure your case is as open as possible.

Puckdropper

All true, but I allow for the laptops that get set on upholstered furniture and carpet and inhale lots of the stuff that nakes "dust bunnies". I've cleaned large wads of that material out of a number of laptops. If the user isn't aware of keeping the vents clean and avoiding upholstered surfaces, the airflow drops drastically and the internal temperatures go up rapidly.

I agree. I've seen many a Fender, with wood cabinet, guitar tube amp that ran plenty hot. I never saw the wood destroyed. Most of the old tube radios had wood boxes. Didn't seem to hurt them either.

this is a more efficient design and lower power so will not get that high

my concern is more to do with longevity

i am going to try and see how it does

It depends on what that's measuring. If it's a thermal diode on the processor chip itself, 172F isn't all that hot (

I heard back from the gentleman that built these.

PC/AT

PS/2 M30

PS/2 M30/286

PS/2 M70

He said that they were built between 1986 - 1991, adding "They lasted until they were too obsolete to use. I never had the RF interference problems everyone predicted but that is probably due to the way IBM made the boards."

krw wrote in news:lasomb1eees6pfpnvm47pe18dhkg3rrces@

Exactly so. In most cases what's being measured (because it's what's we can really control) is the case temperature. But as you note, some devices have an internal sensor measuring the die (junction) temperature.

It would be unusual to find a case temp rating above 85C in a commercial grade product. That roughly corresponds to a junction temp of 105C. Automotive grade parts are usually spec'd for a case temp of 125C. There is a significant price premium for that temperature grade.

John