Re: computer hypothermia -- help!
On Thu, Dec 26, 2002 at 01:35:24AM -0500, Nori Heikkinen wrote:
> on Thu, 26 Dec 2002 12:24:18AM -0600, Kent West insinuated:
> > Nori Heikkinen wrote:
> >
> > >right ... i forgot to mention (important, i realize) that not only
> > >was [the computer] in the car for 4 days, it was also in the car
> > >when it hit a deer going quite fast.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > So, how fast was the deer going? ;-)
>
> :) well, i'm not sure, but it was directly orthogonal to the
> direction i was going in, at highway speeds ...
>
> seriously, can an impact like that fry a computer? i've made backups
> and am going to fool aroud with connections in the morning, but i'm
> wondering what i'm looking at here ... it seems kind of dire. :(
harddisks can withstand a pretty hefty G-load: 70G for the quantum
Fireball TM drive for which I happen to have the manual.
However, if you calculate the G-forces for a drive dropping from
5cm (2 inches) onto a solid table, you'll get VERY high numbers
(at least 500G!).
Now, if you were in a car, and you survived, something tied to the
car probably didn't experience enormously high G-forces. However,
if the computer was in the back, and allowed to start moving before
hitting something solid, then chances are that it experienced WAY
too high G-forces.
Now the number in the manual is a guarantee: the manufacturer
guarantees that if you stay below 70, the drive will still work.
OEMs may actually want to test that number before they buy it.
In an uncontrolled experiment, you might easily hit 500G and still
have a drive that sort-of works.
On the other hand, from the sound of it, it sounds as if you need
to reconnect everything inside the computer, and it will work again.
Roger.
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