How to REFRIGERATE an external mobile disk?

SileX · Post by **SileX** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:04 pm

Is there a way to REFRIGERATE an external mobile disk? It is used to boot Macs at home and at work (a way to carry all the work from one place to another), and overheats, blocking the Mac.

LaCie Rugged Hard Disk 320GB 7200 rpm
http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=11135

Thanks.

SileX · Post by **SileX** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:01 pm

For the record:

It worked fine since November 2008, but started overheating and blocking the Mac when the ambient temperature reached about 40 degrees Celsius, even though the disk was inside a refrigerated building.

The cooling was just to recover data from the disk without the Mac blocking. Believe it or not, an ice pack (out from the freezer) inside a plastic bag on top of the external overheating disk did the trick (after taking the orange rubber protection off). With a little help from me taking the freezing block out and over the disk to keep it cool but not to freeze! I could recover all the disk contents.

Now LaCie is repairing it.

40974111 · Post by **40974111** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:30 am

Refigeration per se is designed to keep a temperature stable, but is not good at reducing temperatures.

You also run issues of condensation. I'd try to come up with a different option.

Hopefully Lacie replaces it for you

Olle P · Post by **Olle P** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:32 am

The ambient temperature range for operation is specified to 5 - 35 C according to the specification sheet.

Perhaps you could just add some heatsink to the aluminium side, and/or have an external fan blow at it?

Actively reducing the temperature below ambient is generally a bad idea.

Cheers
Olle

Cryoburner · Post by **Cryoburner** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:00 am

The rubber bumpers between the internal drive and its case may be insulating it, preventing effective heat transfer to cool the drive. Checking the PDF data sheet at their site, it looks as though the drive is rated for use in environments up to 35Â° C. While you may be in an air conditioned building while operating it, it's possible the drive has warmed up while being transferred between work and home. It would probably be best to make sure it's cooled back down before turning it on.

The drive might be able to transfer heat a little easier if its outer metal case were in direct contact with a suitable surface, such as a metal desk, without being lifted off of it by the rubber sleeve. Even better might be to open the outer case and insert some form of heat conductive material between the internal drive and its case. Of course, these measures may reduce the drive's resistance against impacts.

SileX · Post by **SileX** » Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:06 am

Cryoburner wrote:The rubber bumpers between the internal drive and its case may be insulating it, preventing effective heat transfer to cool the drive. Checking the PDF data sheet at their site, it looks as though the drive is rated for use in environments up to 35Â° C. While you may be in an air conditioned building while operating it, it's possible the drive has warmed up while being transferred between work and home. It would probably be best to make sure it's cooled back down before turning it on.

The drive might be able to transfer heat a little easier if its outer metal case were in direct contact with a suitable surface, such as a metal desk, without being lifted off of it by the rubber sleeve. Even better might be to open the outer case and insert some form of heat conductive material between the internal drive and its case. Of course, these measures may reduce the drive's resistance against impacts.

Actually, the drive was always left stand for hours before using when moving from one place to the other. Among other things, the car, which has air conditioning as well, takes half an hour from one site to the other...

Otter · Post by **Otter** » Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:15 am

Do you have the same problem with the new/refurbished drive? If so, have you tried pointing a fan at it?

SileX · Post by **SileX** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:25 am

Otter wrote:Do you have the same problem with the new/refurbished drive? If so, have you tried pointing a fan at it?

The new one arrived a few days ago, and so far, so good.

The disk is always used inside, where there is air conditioning (about 28 degrees C or so at most). Curiously, the disk gets hotter in the morning when there is no air conditioning, than the afternoons with air conditioning, even with the same ambient temperature on both cases. I guess that is because the air conditioning generates streams of cold air that refrigerate better the disk.