Guys don't turn on your monitor as soon as you get it...

M

mista ting

Gawd
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
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I remember getting an LCD a while ago when it was winter....brought it in it was cold to the touch and noticed condensation on the screen. But me being a nub turned it on and it came on then just cut off for good....the condensation must of fried it..

i just got my NEC and it also has condensation on the screen i'm going to leave it for a couple hours to get room temp......
 
yeah, on cold days, I leave stuff in the box for a little bit of time, first.
 
Hmmm I've never thought twice about letting a component sit first. Then again I am in California where it doesn't really get all that cold in the winter. Just how cold are you talking about?

Also would this apply if, for example, you came back from a several week long vacation and had turned your heater off during that time? Would you need to let all of the components in your house warm up before you turned them on?
 
I once brought a copier in from a cold room where it had been stored for months, turned it on, and promptly blew the tube or whatever they call it that provides the light source. $150 for the replacement and more for the labor. Lesson learned.
 
Isn't it just common sense to not turn on any delicate electronics when covered with condensation? It's just not a great combination...
 
This applies to EVERY electrical component. If the component has cooled down in winter, wait a while until it warms up a bit closer to room temperature so it doesnt gather condensation water, which is BAD.
 
mista ting said:
I remember getting an LCD a while ago when it was winter....brought it in it was cold to the touch and noticed condensation on the screen. But me being a nub turned it on and it came on then just cut off for good....the condensation must of fried it..

i just got my NEC and it also has condensation on the screen i'm going to leave it for a couple hours to get room temp......
Click to expand...

Well thats common sense and goes for ANY electronics.

Always warm electronics to room temp. I'd leave it for
24 hours.
 
msny said:
Well thats common sense and goes for ANY electronics.

Always warm electronics to room temp. I'd leave it for
24 hours.
Click to expand...

24 is bit overkill. 1 hour should be good enough, depending on the size of the object. Use your hand to check if its warm or cold to touch and you should be fine.
 
MaZa said:
24 is bit overkill. 1 hour should be good enough, depending on the size of the object. Use your hand to check if its warm or cold to touch and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Not overkill at all, warming it for a longer time will insure
that static electricity wont be a problem

Cold dry air, is a as bad as moist.
What one feels to the touch has nothing
to do with the electronics themselves.
 
MaZa said:
24 is bit overkill. 1 hour should be good enough, depending on the size of the object. Use your hand to check if its warm or cold to touch and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

I'd be a bit more cautious ... In my view, the major concern is not whether the device temperature has reached ambient, but rather whether the condensation generated during that process has had time to completely evaporate ...
 
jvsfms said:
I'd be a bit more cautious ... In my view, the major concern is not whether the device temperature has reached ambient, but rather whether the condensation generated during that process has had time to completely evaporate ...
Click to expand...

True. Even if the object itself has reached the ambent temperature, question is that has the water evaporated yet. But personally I havent seen home electronics collect that much water that it would be a problem after an hour or two. Though that is just my experience, someone might have worse experiences.

*edit* This is about general electronics, amplifiers, computer parts and videogame cartridges and so on. I have absolutely no experience with LCD monitors and TV's, how they react to cold and how fast they warm up and be safe to use.
 
sennagp said:
what if the new electronics you buy IS a microwave :\
Click to expand...
Sup dawg, we heard you like microwaves, so we put a microwave in your microwave so you can microwave while you microwave.

I just wanted to hear how it would sound. Damn funny I might add (since I haven't seen this one in awhile).

P.S. Credit goes to drleospaceman for being the first. ;P
 
Another thing-- won't a cold monitor flicker sometimes, just like what happens if you turn on overhead fluorescent lights in a cold office? I once saw this happen with a Samsung 215w that had sat all night in a room where the temp had fallen during the night to about 58 degrees (F). The flickering was pretty strong. I quickly turned it off, let the room warm up, and everything was fine. I learned to keep the room a little warmer.

It was 5 below zero here last night.
 
I would think most people would allow cold devices to warm up before using them. Do you just put your car into drive it tear it up the street when its been sitting in your cold garage all night, or do you start the engine and let it warm up before pulling out?

I'm gonna file this one under not an issue :)
 
This is a great tip for people. I really wish there was some type of warning on the boxes.
 
Given that I live in the south and temperatures rarely get to freezing in my area, it isn't normally a problem.
 
Honestly I travel all around the US.. I live in Arizona though. I really dont see why people live alot of places.. like Pittsburgh for example. Allways overcast... only a few months where weather is actually "good" rest its too high of humidity or just crappy ass coldness with snow. Down here we have blue skys 300+ days of the year... Never had to worry about condensation or shoveling my driveway.. and if I want snow or to go skiiing I'm 45mins away from a resort... Thx for the heads up though. Would of NEVER thought about that not unless it was super obvious.
 
thanks for this advice! my roomie just jumped on the eyefinity bandwagon

ordered 3 monitors from ebay - fedex dropped them in the snow in big plastic bags... they were only out there for about an hour but they were good and cold...

i came home right as he was about to hook them up...

needless to say im sure something would have been cooked... they were downright frosty!

thanks again op, we'll never know but your advice im sure saved $500 worth of monitors
 
You can see it on most spec for LCD and Notebook

Storage temp -45 to +45

Usage Temp: +5 to +45

And Puro trucks and wharehouse, are not heated very well
 
Makaveli@BETA said:
Do you just put your car into drive it tear it up the street when its been sitting in your cold garage all night, or do you start the engine and let it warm up before pulling out?
Click to expand...

The latter. It got into the single digits with wind chill a few nights ago, but that was as cold as it's been in the 15+ years I've lived in this area. When it gets below freezing people start freaking out. ARMAGEDDON!!!

To the OP, thanks for the tip. Some people consider it common sense, but not everybody thinks about this kind of thing. Always a good idea to let cold electronics come to room temp before using in a warm room.
 
msny said:
Well thats common sense and goes for ANY electronics.

Always warm electronics to room temp. I'd leave it for
24 hours.
Click to expand...

Kinda hard to put my car in the house and let it warm up before I start it up and drive somewhere. lol
 
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