Heat A Danger To Electronics

CANTON (WWJ) - This week's hot temperatures can spell disaster for electronics like computers and cell phones.

"If your air conditioning goes out, you really don't want to be using your computer, because no matter what internal cooling you have, there's no way it can be cooled enough," warns Corey Siegel, a service technician at Canton Computers Inc. in Canton Township.

Solid state electronics can begin to fry and break down at temperatures much above 120 degrees. Siegel said most systems run 10 to 20 degrees warmer than room temperature. And when room temperature is 100, "it gets much harder for the system to keep the temperatures inside" from reaching the danger zone.

Screens can also be damaged by heat, Siegel said.

"Things you do not want to leave in a hot car are laptops, cell phones -- anything with an LCD," Siegel said. "They tend not to like extreme hot or cold. Don't leave that stuff in your car for a long period of time."

According to a San Francisco State University study, the inside temperature of the car left outside in 90-degree weather reaches 119 degrees in 20 minutes and 133 degrees in an hour.