Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!fernwood!portal!cup.portal.com!FelineGrace
From: FelineGrace@cup.portal.com (Dana B Bourgeois)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: The Fanning of the Amiga
Message-ID: <43149@cup.portal.com>
Date: 10 Jun 91 22:37:56 GMT
References: <3004@public.BTR.COM>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 30

[in response to Thad's posting about correct cooling air flow design
in computer equipment...]

I'll just tell this little tale and not moralize about it.  :)

ABout 6 years ago, I was at our annual family reunion held in Portland, Or.
One of my cousins worked at <local electronics manufacturer> and they had 
a project that packed quite a bit of heat-generating stuff into a modern
looking pedestal case.  No one working on the project had experience
in cooling design.  They were having over-heating problems.  Another
cousin made some remarks about how to fix the problem.  A lively 
discussion ensued.  The bottom line is that these guys were without a clue
on how to design the cooling air flow path.  They were ready to listen
to anybody who sounded reasonable and who didn't recommend a redesign.

This is perhaps extreme but I think a lot of design teams do not have
an expert on cooling during the concept phase and if no heating
problems are experienced during proto-typing I would guess that no
expertise will ever be called in until feedback from manufacturing or 
from customers causes changes to the design.  

HOpefully it is not this bad now.  Hopefully companies take cooling
into account when designing equipment.  Then again, maybe the need
ahas gone away with the big heat generators (power transistors, 
tubes, linear power supplies, etc.) and even less expertese is around 
than before.  I don't know.  But echoing Thad, it would be nice (very
nice!!!) if maintenance in dusty environments were part of the design
parameters.

Dana Bourgeois @ cup.portal.com