Customer installs Minco heater/controller in ruggedized computer

Product: Polyimide heater/sensor, temperature controller
Market: Military/Aerospace
Application: Warm hard disk drive in laptop computer

Ruggedized laptop computers have been used by the military, law enforcement and emergency services for years, but they are becoming necessities for mobile professionals in field service, insurance, and telecommunication industries, as well. The commercial market does not require the extreme ruggedness as military users.

As an example of how ruggedness requirements vary, the military laptop will withstand rain at a rate of four inches per hour and the commercial version will withstand the spill of a Coke or coffee into the keyboard. When the customer came to Minco they had a good idea of what they wanted: a dual-element heater with flex leads and a controller to be surface-mounted to the flexible substrate.

Instrument engineers worked with the customer to improve the design of the controller. The installation of the surface-mount components, including a thermistor, is automated. Because of its fine lines and .019" spaces, the zero-insertion-force (ZIF) connector must be precisely mounted on the circuit. Conformal coating covers the controller components.

When the customer supplied his components list, we found out that he had been getting the heaters from a competitor known for their low prices. The integrated heater-sensor-flex the customer asked Minco to supply is considerably more complex than a basic etched heater and it greatly simplifies assembly. This integration gives Minco a distinct advantage over its competitors.

This customer also purchased a heater to warm an LCD. Thermal-Clear heaters and “picture-frame” Kapton heaters are two ways keeping the monitor of a laptop operational in cold weather. Extended performance LCD’s are rated to –20°C; military specifications require laptops that operate at –40°C.