Temperature sensitivity?

[PhatAl]

Hey all...

Last night I removed my DMS to take inside to add and remove music. No software or firmware update (at least not that I could see.) I have always had some trouble getting cradle to see the DMS, but for some odd reason, it connected and loaded the first time!

But no such luck when I attempted to put it back in my VW Phatnoise (in stock location in trunk of Passat sedan) this morning, when the outside temp was 20 degrees. I tried several times to remove and plug the DMS back into its recepticle.

I am dearly hoping that once it warms up today it will work and that it hasn't, by coincidence, just died.

Has anyone else experienced this? I've had mine for over a year and never had this problem.

Thanks.

[PhatAl]

Okay. Now I am getting concerned. The temp rose above freezing and it still doesnt work. I removed and reseated the cartridge several times but no luck.

No lights at all on the unit and I get "NO CD" on the head unit.

Guess I'll start looking at the troubleshoot info in the manual.

[PhatAl]

Update... (for anyone who cares...)

Checked the fuse... no problemo.

Run DMS thru Dr Disk (or whoever he is..)

Removed Phatbox from cubby and unplugged cable from box (cable IS crimped   )...

reattached cable and the lights came on!

Looks like I'll being doing something about that cable though may just move brackets so as not to go back as far into cubby.

It's still cold outside.    

[admin]

I seem to remember lots of temp. related threads in the old forums.  I don't know if anything was ever verified though.  I, myself, have never had that problem - but I live in Charlotte and it doesn't get below 25 very often.

[bibeaud]

Mine would not load or work properly last night when I was leaving work around midnight (10 deg F).  Once the car warmed up, the music keg worked fine.  Just like a CD Changer, it needs to have the vehicle warm up a bit before you start it.

[LloydDobler]

I think it's the fluid dynamic bearings in some drives that are sensitive to cold, and I suspect that's the problem with most of the VW units.  I have a keg and a VW box flashed to Keg firmware, and my VW box won't work if it's been left out overnight in anything under 40 degrees F.  My Keg works fine down to 25 degrees F or so but I haven't tested it lower than that.

If I bring my cartridge into the house at night it always works the next day regardless of temperature, but I'm tired of taking it in and out for a 5 minute drive to work, so I am leaving it inside for the duration of the winter.

The part I hate the most is that I have to crawl into my trunk to get to the plug when it fails, and unplug to power cycle it.  The last two times it failed I used the head unit fuse to power cycle it but I really hate redoing all the settings in the head unit.

[PhatAl]

If I bring my cartridge into the house at night it always works the next day regardless of temperature, but I'm tired of taking it in and out for a 5 minute drive to work, so I am leaving it inside for the duration of the winter.

When mine failed the cartridge HAD been inside.  I really believe that the cable was bent too much and the cold made it contract just a bit more.  So I'll redo the brackets giving it more room if it ever warms up again outside here in the D.C. area.

The part I hate the most is that I have to crawl into my trunk to get to the plug when it fails, and unplug to power cycle it.  The last two times it failed I used the head unit fuse to power cycle it but I really hate redoing all the settings in the head unit.

Why don't you just install a switch somewhere on the remote turn on wire. But isn't the unit OFF when the HU is off??

[sbingner]

Why don't you just install a switch somewhere on the remote turn on wire. But isn't the unit OFF when the HU is off??

The phatbox is off when the HU is off, but the 8051 stays powered up unless it loses power.  That's why whenever you've lost power, it will power up then turn off whena  DMS is inserted... it is checking to be sure the 8051 is running the same firmware that's on the DMS

[LloydDobler]

Why don't you just install a switch somewhere on the remote turn on wire. But isn't the unit OFF when the HU is off??

There is no remote turn on wire.  The keg is powered from the head unit via the keg cable.  So I have 3 choices.  Pull the cable from the back of the keg, pull the cable from the back of the head unit, or cut the head unit backup power which resets all its internal settings.

And if I had known this would be a problem I would have built a power switch into my homemade cable.

[bazmk2]

The environmental operating figures of the new hitachi drives are +5 to +55 celcius

Non operating is -40

That may explain non operating drives in the cold

product sheet:

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/4k120/4k120.htm

It also quotes 1000G as shock figures, that'll be why it don't skip when goin' round those corners, either that or I'v momentarily passed out from the G that I don't notice