In the People's Republic Of Maryland temperatures are falling like a stone. Tonight the weather prognosticators are calling for 20, while tomorrow night's low will range from 2 to 6 degrees f..

About two years ago I discovered that prolonged exposure of your keyboard to extremely cold temperatures can have a detrimental effect on liquid crystal displays (LCD). In most instances the effects are not permanent, but they are very annoying. Essentially, the extreme cold causes the LCD to not respond to electrical signals, thus the screen is slow to respond, and quite often it may appear very dim. Even when the brightness and contrast controls are used to offset the problem, the screen will remain very dim until it reaches proper operating temperature.

The same turns out to be true with laptops. The screen will be very dim and unresponsive until it reaches proper operating temperature.

There have been a few instances where permanent damage to LCD displays has been reported, particularly when temperatures dip below zero f..

Another problem I stumbled across was with solid state amps and PA systems, which in some instances are left in the van or vehicle much of the time. The components all have an optimal operating temperature, which in most instances is a fairly wide range of 50 to 150 degrees. When the temperature is lower than freezing, the amp will often have lower than normal volume. However, as the amp's temperature raises the volume tends to rise as well. You may start the job with a low volume only to find that after a few minutes the level is considerably higher.

The only option you have under these circumstances is to make sure the most sensitive equipment is brought in from the cold. Not only will it be safe from the elements, but additionally, safe from the formation of condensation due to extreme temperature and humidity changes.

Cheers,

Gary

Not I good idea to leave your Martin D45 outside tonight !! LOL



Definetly give plenty of time for equipment to come up to ambient room temp before even turning on the power. Lot's of condensation can occur too.

Try to keep it in an insulated case to minimise the condensation buildup. Today I checked outside the door and found UPS had left a data collection terminal from a customer and I missed him last night. I brought it in, waited a couple hours, opened it up and found lots of condensation still inside. Left it open for a while and it all dryed up fine.

It got down around zero her last night with lots of wind (wind chill-20 f).

Easy to forget about all this...

Lee

Not to worry... I am making a huge "carbon footprint" to help out.....

We will get things heated up!! LOL

Lee ... exactly right ... the kb is the first item in and the last one out ... when I get to a gig the kb comes out of the case, placed in a safe spot to 'get acclimated', and then the rest of the truck is unloaded ...
t.

temp tonight expected to be about 10 degrees ... tomorrow;s high at about 16 - 17 ...
Many school districts have already closed schools for tomorrow ...
DON'T THESE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE COLD IN THE NORTH EAST IN THE WINTER????????

With the temps and forecast of 'light snow', tomorrow night's gig should be sparsely attended... too bad ...
t.

PS: Steve ... I'm playing "Shamrock's" with Phil Mullin tomorrow night ...
t.

[This message has been edited by tony mads usa (edited 01-14-2009).]

Shreveport LA mid 60's Sunday

I rent a small weather controlled storage facility just for times like these and times when a have a couple of days off and want to get the gear out of the SUV. I don't have anywhere to store it at home without dealing with steps. And this old guy doesn't want to deal with steps.

I was looking forward to it anyway, but with the cold weather I'm really looking forward the the Shreveport arranger jam. Rock on baby!

Joe

------------------
Songman55
Joe Ayala