5 ms·

"Maximum altitude: tested up to 16,400 feet (5000 meters)" Does anyone know how or where they do this testing? Seems quite bothersome to do.

borgel 7y ago
Might happen in a thermal/vac chamber. Seems easier than non artificial options!
nickserv 7y ago
Bolivia's capitalLa Paz is at more than 3500m, El Alto in the same metropolitan area is at more than 4000m. Not saying this is where they were tested (I have no idea), just pointing out that these altitudes are not necessarily far from major metropolitan areas and international airports.
ghego1 7y ago
This made me wonder, why is max altitude a limit? Is it due to cooling (less air)? I'd be glad to know more if anyone has some insights
- Shaddox 7y ago
  I'm not a specialist, I just read up about it some time ago so take what I say with a grain of salt. Basically there's two issues affecting electronic chipsets at high altitude : air density and cosmic rays. The reduction of the air density can mess with the cooling system. Cosmic rays contain radioactive particles which can cause soft failures to occur in solid state electronics. EDIT : Found an interesting paper about it with more details : https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6046/529f05a65e182ac9323ef8eb26b2075d0e13.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6046/529f05a65e182ac9323ef8...
- dredmorbius 7y ago
  Low humidity -> static. Lower air density -> less heat transfer, so components run hotter. Air pressure may affect disk drives and other sealed / fluid-dynamic systems. Capacitors and other electronics might possibly be affected. Apparently displays and printers (liquid ink) are strongly affected. Arcing increases with elevation. https://highaltitudelife.com/electronics.htm https://highaltitudelife.com/electronics.htm https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=24254 https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=24254 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derating
dredmorbius 7y ago
Among other use-cases, high-elevation astronomical research can strain hardware. ESO, the European Southern Observatory, has its Llano de Chajnantor observatory at 5,100m (16,700 ft), in the Atacama Desert. Low humidity is a major concern for electronics due to static buildup and discharges. Not sure how much Apple kit they use.

borgel 7y ago

Might happen in a thermal/vac chamber. Seems easier than non artificial options!

nickserv 7y ago

Bolivia's capitalLa Paz is at more than 3500m, El Alto in the same metropolitan area is at more than 4000m. Not saying this is where they were tested (I have no idea), just pointing out that these altitudes are not necessarily far from major metropolitan areas and international airports.

ghego1 7y ago

This made me wonder, why is max altitude a limit? Is it due to cooling (less air)? I'd be glad to know more if anyone has some insights

Shaddox 7y ago
I'm not a specialist, I just read up about it some time ago so take what I say with a grain of salt. Basically there's two issues affecting electronic chipsets at high altitude : air density and cosmic rays. The reduction of the air density can mess with the cooling system. Cosmic rays contain radioactive particles which can cause soft failures to occur in solid state electronics. EDIT : Found an interesting paper about it with more details : https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6046/529f05a65e182ac9323ef8eb26b2075d0e13.pdf https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6046/529f05a65e182ac9323ef8...
dredmorbius 7y ago
Low humidity -> static. Lower air density -> less heat transfer, so components run hotter. Air pressure may affect disk drives and other sealed / fluid-dynamic systems. Capacitors and other electronics might possibly be affected. Apparently displays and printers (liquid ink) are strongly affected. Arcing increases with elevation. https://highaltitudelife.com/electronics.htm https://highaltitudelife.com/electronics.htm https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=24254 https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=24254 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derating https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derating

dredmorbius 7y ago

Among other use-cases, high-elevation astronomical research can strain hardware. ESO, the European Southern Observatory, has its Llano de Chajnantor observatory at 5,100m (16,700 ft), in the Atacama Desert. Low humidity is a major concern for electronics due to static buildup and discharges. Not sure how much Apple kit they use.