daBowsa Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 So I know what the manuals say and recommend, but how harmful is cold to keyboards? The last few weekends we've been playing ski resorts and ski towns - we pack the van after the gig and drive to the hotel. The gear stays out all night, and it does get *cold*. I'm not really interested in breaking down gear after the show, packing it in the van, unpacking some of it to bring in the hotel, and repacking in the morning. I know its a risk, but how much of a risk is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 How cold is cold? From what you described, I wouldn't leave my gear in these conditions. Typically electronic equipment will handle much colder 'storage' temperatures than 'operational' temperatures, so you may be ok. Don't turn on the gear until it's gotta a chance to 'warm up' a bit, though. I'm not sure what the IC's that they use in synths are rated at, I would be interesting in finding out. Usually the manuals will say something about this. One of the killers is the temperature differential though. If the temperature rises too quickly you can get condensation which will potentially kill the electronics when you switch it on. You can also end up getting condensation in the LCD display, making it unreadable - or worse, fry it as well, and these are expensive suckers to replace a lot of times. Also, if the temperature rises more quickly on one part of the board than others (plastic vs metal, for instance), you can have parts that were glued together come apart, or maybe even warp. Static tends to be a major problem in cold temperatures too, so be careful. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Extreme heat and cold are potentially dangerous to all electronics. In my line of work we have cool our products to -5°C, I can sit there and just watch 'em die. Normal cold though, I wouldn't worry about too much. "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Of course! Condensation. I completely forgot about that. THAT'S probably why the manuals warn about cold so much. "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 I'd imagine we're talking about 15-20°F for the overnights. But by the time sound check rolls around, everything's been loaded in and sitting for a good hour or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan O Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 So what gear are you using ? Dano PS..this has been the most snow on the east coast in a long time . No more drought . www.esnips.com/web/SongsfromDanO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Something I will ad to the above points. Some plastics get brittle after freezing. This used to be a big problem with keyboards or anything that had membrane switches. Maybe you have seen old gear in which the plastic over the switches has cracked or broken away. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daBowsa Posted February 12, 2003 Author Share Posted February 12, 2003 I'm using a QS6.1 and an A-33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postman Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 You're probably going to be ok. You're car stereo can handle it. My cell phone gets down to those temperature regularly. The important thing is to let the units warm up to room temperature before turning them on. Otherwise you run the risk of damage caused by condensation on the circuit boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 EXtreme cold may make the onboard battery temporarily 'die' and you could lose your 'settings'. DO you carry a 'card' in case your battery dies? No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 One thing I've done when leaving my gear out overnight (and this was in -28 F Grand Forks, North Dakota) is to bring the gear in but leave 'em in their cases for a couple of hours; this avoids the rapid temperature differential that someone else mentioned, and minimizes condensation too. I've still got my 1983 DX-7 and its membrane switches are still prestine. I envy you playing ski areas, that's a scene we're trying to break into but not having much luck yet. Lots of rich, pretty people who don't smoke and are too tired to fight, yeah! Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 I just now remembered ... I once saw a sound guy with a hair dryer warming up a mixer once. That's probably not a bad idea. I use a Roland A-80 as my midi controller and sometimes I leave it in the car overnight myself. I get on the job and the keys are sluggish. Of course, since I'm bald, I have no regular use for a hair dryer, but I bet that would warm things up and dry things up as well. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovepusher Sly Posted February 12, 2003 Share Posted February 12, 2003 Originally posted by dabowsa: So I know what the manuals say and recommend, but how harmful is cold to keyboards? As has been mentioned, bring the equipment inside a couple of hours before you turn it on. The last few weekends we've been playing ski resorts and ski towns - we pack the van after the gig and drive to the hotel. The gear stays out all night, and it does get *cold*. You may suffer more from leaving you gear in the truck all night. Years ago we had a trailer broken into and, I've heard of whole trucks being pilfered. I'm not really interested in breaking down gear after the show, packing it in the van, unpacking some of it to bring in the hotel, and repacking in the morning. I know its a risk, but how much of a risk is it? Leaving your equipment out is a MAJOR RISK, you can't do the gig with no gear. Change up your routine and, I recommend at least taking your axes to the room with you. Sly Whasineva ehaiz, ehissgot ta be Funky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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