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The Ars Technica version of this story [1] has more detail. The tl;dr is that Starlink dishes have an upper limit of 50°C and a lower limit of -30°C. While thes

The Ars Technica version of this story [1] has more detail. The tl;dr is that Starlink dishes have an upper limit of 50°C and a lower limit of -30°C. While these limits are fine for consumer electronics used indoors, they're obviously inappropriate for outdoor electronics. [1]: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/06/starlink-dish-overheats-in-arizona-sun-knocking-user-offline-for-7-hours/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/06/starl...

gpm 5y ago
> they're obviously inappropriate They're unfortunately constraints, but for 95% of people they're workable constraints. If there are difficult problems with bumping these limits (I have no clue), it could just become part of the market definition.
- quanticle 5y ago
  Only if you're counting people who live in San Francisco and other similarly temperate climates. I live in Minnesota. Last week, the high temperature, in the shade, was about 40°C. A device in the sun would easily see its temperature exceed 50°C. In the winter, overnight lows can go to -40°C. An outdoor device with thermal limits of -30°C to +50°C is not fit for purpose in many parts of the Midwest.
  - gpm 5y ago
    I'm in Toronto incidentally, not sf. I suspect overnight lows of -40 are ok, because it sounds like it's -30 after the self heating. There are definitely reports of people having it work through 40 degree heat waves, but I suspect that's close to the limit. Keep in mind it is white, so the sun isn't as bad as it could be. I don't have stats to back this up, but I think it's the case that most people live in reasonably temperate climates, 50 degrees is really frickin hot (dangerously so), -30 degrees is really frickin cold (dangerously so).
    - quanticle 5y ago
      Agreed that 50°C is really hot, but you have to remember that 50°C includes the ambient heat plus the heat generated by the circuitry. My cable modem gets noticeably warm (and I can hear its internal fan spin up) when I download a large file that saturates my connection for a while. I could easily see the internal circuitry of the Starlink dish going over 50°C under load even when external temperature is 40°C. From what I'm reading, it looks like the dish is passively cooled, which I find surprising. I would have expected at least a small cooling fan or something to provide a bit of airflow for convective cooling.
    - HarryHirsch 5y ago
      Large tracts of the US have a continental climate, where temperature excursions are common. Remember that Starlink is marketed at people living in the flat countryside.
- mcguire 5y ago
  95% of which group of people?
  - gpm 5y ago
    Otherwise potential starlink customers. Like most stats, it is made up.
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  For something that's likely to be mounted on a roof, and is outputting around 100 watts of its own heat, the range where problems happen gets a lot bigger.

gpm 5y ago

> they're obviously inappropriate They're unfortunately constraints, but for 95% of people they're workable constraints. If there are difficult problems with bumping these limits (I have no clue), it could just become part of the market definition.

quanticle 5y ago
Only if you're counting people who live in San Francisco and other similarly temperate climates. I live in Minnesota. Last week, the high temperature, in the shade, was about 40°C. A device in the sun would easily see its temperature exceed 50°C. In the winter, overnight lows can go to -40°C. An outdoor device with thermal limits of -30°C to +50°C is not fit for purpose in many parts of the Midwest.
- gpm 5y ago
  I'm in Toronto incidentally, not sf. I suspect overnight lows of -40 are ok, because it sounds like it's -30 after the self heating. There are definitely reports of people having it work through 40 degree heat waves, but I suspect that's close to the limit. Keep in mind it is white, so the sun isn't as bad as it could be. I don't have stats to back this up, but I think it's the case that most people live in reasonably temperate climates, 50 degrees is really frickin hot (dangerously so), -30 degrees is really frickin cold (dangerously so).
  - quanticle 5y ago
    Agreed that 50°C is really hot, but you have to remember that 50°C includes the ambient heat plus the heat generated by the circuitry. My cable modem gets noticeably warm (and I can hear its internal fan spin up) when I download a large file that saturates my connection for a while. I could easily see the internal circuitry of the Starlink dish going over 50°C under load even when external temperature is 40°C. From what I'm reading, it looks like the dish is passively cooled, which I find surprising. I would have expected at least a small cooling fan or something to provide a bit of airflow for convective cooling.
  - HarryHirsch 5y ago
    Large tracts of the US have a continental climate, where temperature excursions are common. Remember that Starlink is marketed at people living in the flat countryside.
mcguire 5y ago
95% of which group of people?
- gpm 5y ago
  Otherwise potential starlink customers. Like most stats, it is made up.
Dylan16807 5y ago
For something that's likely to be mounted on a roof, and is outputting around 100 watts of its own heat, the range where problems happen gets a lot bigger.