iPod Cold Temperatures - How bad for Ipod HD?

[adk]

I live in a part of the country that gets pretty darn cold in the winter. I also like to leave my ipod in my car to play it over the stereo. I know that cold startups are bad for Harddrives, but how bad is it to use my ipod when it's been sitting in a 20 degree (fahrenheit) car all night?

 

[tominated]

i dunno what it will do to the hd, but it will make the battery life shorter (temporarily). you can just rub it between your hands to heat up the battery and hd

 

[04440]

Give the battery some good warm loving... It'll make it last longer.. How sweet

 

[adk]

battery life is not a problem, as I run it off of the cigarette lighter.

Back on topic, how bad is it for my ipod's hard drive to run at a temperature below freezing?

 

[AP_piano295]

battery life is not a problem, as I run it off of the cigarette lighter.

Back on topic, how bad is it for my ipod's hard drive to run at a temperature below freezing?

I think the effects at that temperature are pretty small though that is'nt a professional judgement.

 

[haiggy]

I thought it depended on how quickly it warms up.... if it gets too hot too quickly it creates moisture on the inside and can cause water damage.... anyone here to correct me?

May as well just slip it in your coat pocket or pants pocket.

 

[archurban]

why don't you take it into home when you don't use it? I leave nothing in my car when I am not in there. especially electronics.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

According to the specs for the 4G iPod hard drive, and I can't imagine the 5G HDD's being much different, if any...

Temperature
Operating From 5 °C to 60 °C
Non-operating From -20 °C to 65 °C
Shipping From -40 °C to 70 °C
Humidity
Operating From 8 % to 90 %
Non-operating From 8 % to 90 %
Shipping From 5 % to 90 %

 

[jsw]

I doubt that the cold is good for the screen, and I too wonder why you can't bring it in with you. Below-freezing temps are not good for most consumer electronics as operating temperatures.

 

[adk]

I doubt that the cold is good for the screen, and I too wonder why you can't bring it in with you.

General Laziness.

Also, the ipod is rather well concealed in a locking glovebox since it connects to my car stereo.

If the reason it's bad to run HD's cold is because of the condensation when it warms up I'm not too worried since cold winter air is also extremely dry.

 

[jsw]

If the reason it's bad to run HD's cold is because of the condensation when it warms up I'm not too worried since cold winter air is also extremely dry.

Like I said, I'd be more worried about the screen than the drive, but best of luck. A little below freezing won't be bad. A lot below freezing could seriously muck with things, esp. the screen and battery. i guess it depends on how cold it gets and how much you subconsciously want an excuse to get a new full-screen iPod when they're released shortly.

 

[bearbo]

General Laziness.

Also, the ipod is rather well concealed in a locking glovebox since it connects to my car stereo.

hmm... the locked glovebox is not well concealed as much as water liquid/vapor is concerned

If the reason it's bad to run HD's cold is because of the condensation when it warms up I'm not too worried since cold winter air is also extremely dry.

cold winter air is not dry, not in terms of relative humidity anyway, it's the hot winter air that is dry.

it's not just condensation that affects electronics at low temperature... when the temperature is low, the physical property of metal changes dramatically, makes it rather... crispy... also some lubrication inside of the harddrive might even freeze at low temperature, which could do some serious damage to the harddrive among other parts...

but i don't think 20F/-5C is gonna be that serious... condensation wise, if you are concerned about that, put your ipod in a ziplock bag or something (are you using the control of the ipod or the control on your dashboard?)

 

[dukebound85]

hmm... the locked glovebox is not well concealed as much as water liquid/vapor is concerned



cold winter air is not dry, not in terms of relative humidity anyway, it's the hot winter air that is dry.

it's not just condensation that affects electronics at low temperature... when the temperature is low, the physical property of metal changes dramatically, makes it rather... crispy... also some lubrication inside of the harddrive might even freeze at low temperature, which could do some serious damage to the harddrive among other parts...

but i don't think 20F/-5C is gonna be that serious... condensation wise, if you are concerned about that, put your ipod in a ziplock bag or something (are you using the control of the ipod or the control on your dashboard?)

well cold winter air is drier than hot winter air but like you said cold winter air has a higher relative humidity than hot winter air.

my advice is just dont use your ipod right after it has been in a cold environment. let it warm up to the surroundings

 

[killmoms]

Just take it in, you lazy bugger.

 

[abeyk]

just get a case to keep it warm

 

[PunkFlavoured]

Hopefully this answers your question, it was taken from the iPod Safety Manual.

"Keeping iPod within acceptable temperatures:

Operate iPod in a place where the temperature is always between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F). iPod play time might temporarily shorten in low-temperature conditions.

Store iPod in a place where the temperature is always between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave iPod in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range."

Although it says not to leave your iPod in your car, I think it's referring to the fact that it can exceed 45C on really hot days in some areas. So it sounds like as long as you don't operate it before it has a chance to warm up to at least the freezing point, you should be good.