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Introduction:::...
Few
things on this tiny planet of ours are both as loved
and hated as heat. It can kill and it can nurture,
it can make us comfortable or leave us distressed,
it can start fires that destroy forests and it can
trigger the flowers that break cover every spring.
For
computer users heat can be anything from a minor byproduct
to a brick wall that halts our overclocking plans
dead, and how you deal with it can vary just as much,
with the more timid of us reaching for maybe a couple
of 12v case fans or a water cooling system while the
mavericks strap on their spurs and go in search of
a little liquid Nitrogen and some good gloves.
To
some extent, we tend to know which components in a
PC are likely to be hindered by the demon heat, but
with new chipsets or new cooling systems come new
challenges. Before we can cool the components in our
PC that are spoiling the party, first we have to identify
them, and that means monitoring the temperatures accurately
as we turn up the pressure.
Modern
motherboards do a fairly good job of relaying CPU
temperatures to us, but what if you suspect your hard
drive, MOSFET, memory or North Bridge are getting
too toasty for comfort? Well, you could hold a flat
temperature probe against them and hope you get an
accurate reading without getting burnt in the process,
or you could opt for an altogether quicker and safer
method.....a non-contact IR thermometer!
On
test today I have the MT4 from Raytek, one of the
biggest industrial temperature measurement instruments
companies in the world.
Company
Facts (From Their Site)
Founded in 1963, Raytek designs, manufactures,
markets and services a complete line of infrared,
noncontact temperature measurement instruments for
industrial, process control and maintenance applications.
With Worldwide Headquarters in Santa Cruz, California,
USA, European Headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and
South American Headquarters in Sorocaba, Brazil, Raytek
has also established strategic business units in the
United Kingdom, Japan, China, and France, as well
as distributors in over 60 countries around the world.
| Specifications: |
- Temperature
Range: -18 to 275°C
- D:S
(Distance to Spot Size): 6:1
- Response
time: 500 mSec, 95% response
- Emissivity:
Pre-set at 0.95
- Accuracy:
±2%, or ±2°C whichever is greater
- Laser
sighting
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With
a street price around the £80 mark, I've seen
these thermometers used for just about everything
from monitoring vivarium temperatures to tracking
paranormal activity. But do they work? How good are
they and should you own one?
Onwards!
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