From 2011: How Cool Is YOUR Cockpit???

Aviation publications LOVE to write about all the new wiz-bangs that are seen front and center is today's cockpits... the latest generation of cockpit displays are about a slick as things get these and look sexy as hell. BUT... what about the BEHIND the scenes... those components that allow all those super-cool new technologies to remain... well, super cool?

So... we spent some time with some of the coolest people we know, the folks of Sandia Aerospace, to get the skinny on avionics cooling fans and why such inexpensive devices might be some of the best bargains in all of aviation.

Sandia notes that, "It is well known that reducing the temperature at which electronics components operate increases their life expectancy. The avionics you depend on for critical navigation and communication functions endure one of the harshest environments of any electronics... the avionics stack!

 Today’s avionics are housed in smaller and smaller packages that retain heat. They are also subjected to chimney effect, where the heat from the bottom radios rise throughout the entire radio stack, increasing overall operating temperatures. Today, engineers are making greater use of surface mounted devices to reduce size and weight. And although these devices use less power, they are more sensitive to heat."

Mind you, its not enough to just keep things cool... but to let you know when they aren't... Sandia offers three cooling solutions that offer fault detection outputs that can notify a pilot whenever the cooling unit drops below a preset level. This allows you to get service for the unit as soon as practical, and reduces potential harm to your avionics.

FMI: www.sandia.aero, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews