Well-Designed Fan Solution Provides Improved System Reliability and Better Performance

All electronic devices are affected by heat, be it a mobile device, a computer, a TV or a point-of-sale system.

 

This is due to the fact that every electrical component in an electronic device generates heat and virtually all electronic components have minimum and maximum temperature ratings or a tolerance range, which are defined by the component manufacturer.

 

However, exposure to extended periods of heat can cause materials to change their basic characteristics, thereby affecting the component and in turn the device as a whole. Moreover, failure rates increase as temperature increases even in the safe temperature range.

 

IBM, a provider of server technologies, point-of-sale solutions and more, has released a white paper entitled “Point-of-sale reliability: A case for proper heat management,” which indicates that a properly designed fan for a system is an ideal solution for the above problem.

 

Generally, product designers face the challenge of disposing of that heat, while designing an electronic device. The only solution is to remove the heat from the device in a timely fashion by utilizing a fan. A single small fan or several fans can be fit inside the electronic box to force external cool air inside and force the hot heated air out of the box. A well-engineered fan solution always delivers higher reliability characteristics and will also provide a much lower internal operating temperature, extending the lifetimes of all components in the product. This, in turn, increases the life of the device as well as enhances long term system reliability.

 

The field experience of IBM (News - Alert) -- conducted over many years with millions of POS systems -- validates that a careful selection of fan type with suitable bearing construction, air flow characteristics, acoustic impact and fan speed control must be considered. In addition to fan speed, operating temperature also affects reliability of the fan. Even, the bearing construction has a remarkable effect on long term fan reliability.

 

Now, it is indicative that a well-designed fan solution makes it easier for the product to be utilized in much higher operating temperature environments, and also allows for the use of higher-power, higher-performance, low-cost CPUs. Ultimately, a suitably designed fan solution is required for improved reliability and better performance of a system. In other words, the presence of the fan will dramatically improve the failure rate characteristics of all the other components in the product.