Cassi Creek: During
the last week, I noticed that my laptop was running at what I felt to be an
overly hot temperature with a nearly maximum fan speed. The diagnostic tool onboard courtesy of
Toshiba confirmed my concerns. I blew
all the dust off the intake and outflow screens and stacked a second cooling
pad beneath it. This helped a bit until
yesterday.
Since I
record and upload weather data every 5-15 minutes, depending upon the proximity
to unpleasant weather, this laptop remains up and running about 16
hours/day. Laptops are designed to be
taken off line between usage periods.
The heat buildup that occurs if they are run over longer periods can
damage the CPU and other components.
Last night I
recalled that Li-ion batteries can overheat and even cause fires. Since I leave my battery in place all the time,
I pulled the battery and watched the numbers slope downward. It also occurred to me that I had been
promised a second battery at the end of a two-year warrantee period. A quick search turned up a new battery. Naturally, it was not labeled to indicate
which computer it fit. So I popped it in
and watched the numbers drop even lower.
I’m mildly surprised that the solution was so close at hand. Toshiba batteries are expensive. I’ve never found a knock off that fit
correctly.
While trying
to cool the computer, I was also trying to get the wood stove to burn at a
higher temperature. We bought a load of
oak cut to length for our smaller than normal wood stove. The wood is extremely dense and has been hard
to get to burn. The air flow though the
firebox seems somehow restricted. I
spend several hours fussing with the stove on nights when we burn it. Last night, at about the time I changed
computer batteries, the stove wood caught well and burned hotly through the
rest of the night. I hope I can coax it
into better performance tonight. I found
a couple of air inlets that may have been blocked by ash or bits of unburned
wood. Five minutes of scraping and
brushing may have helped. We’ll see what
tonight brings.
The sun is
shining brightly and the snow is melting.
For the first time in a week, we are under no severe weather alerts.
Correction: Gloria tells me that she suggested I check the battery. So that must be how it occurred. Her memory seems to be better than mine these days
Correction: Gloria tells me that she suggested I check the battery. So that must be how it occurred. Her memory seems to be better than mine these days
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