The packaging and thermal management of electronic equipment has become an important issue because of increased power levels and the simultaneous miniaturization of the devices. With the advent of denser device packaging and faster intrinsic speeds, cost, reliability and size have been improved, but, unfortunately, packaging and thermal management have not followed at the same … [Read more...]
Design and reliability considerations in avionics electronics packaging
In the avionics industry, regulatory agencies and standards organizations, such as Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) [1], Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (ARINC) [2], and Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) [3], have developed sets of test procedures that help design engineers test and verify their designs and prevent any safety-threatening failures. Too often, however, … [Read more...]
Use of thermal analysis information in avionics equipment development
IEEE Standard 1332-1998 [IEEE 1998] requires that, "The [equipment] supplier shall determine the customer's requirements and product needs," and that, "The [equipment] supplier, working with the customer, shall include the activities necessary to ensure that the customer's requirements and product needs are fully understood and defined, so that a comprehensive design … [Read more...]
Cooling Electronics at High Altitudes Made Easy
Introduction High altitude air cooling has always been somewhat of a mystery to the uninformed. The first reaction to the situation is that there is just not enough air at altitudes greater than six kilometers (20,000 ft). At times this may be true, but many things can be done to improve the cooling and obtain an acceptable design. The most important thing to remember when … [Read more...]
Thermal management of telecommunications cabinets
Figure 1. Thermal analog model of an OSP enclosure Introduction Over the past twenty years, telecommunications electronics have become increasingly decentralized - moving ever furtherfrom the controlled and protected environment of the Central Office intothe Outside Plant (OSP). The OSP environment contains rain and humidity,dust and pollutants, significant daily and annual … [Read more...]