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Ask Slashdot: Keeping Personal Tech Cool In Extreme Heat?
An anonymous reader writes "I live in the Middle East. Summer temperatures occasionally reach 60C/140F, well over the operating specs for most consumer tech. Quite a number of work and residential compounds are secured, prohibiting everything from computers to cameras to phones to USB sticks to car remote controls. When I know that I'm visiting one of those compounds, I end up leaving all the tech I can at home or in the office, and only bringing a cell phone, and leaving it in my car. However, "only a cell phone" has quickly morphed into "only two cell phones, a car MP3 player and remote, and .... ooh, shiny... a new tablet... and an electric razor just in case I have to touch up before a party in a compound." I'm wondering what kind of technologies we have for keeping all this tech cool for four hours in the car. Overnight events might last longer, but won't be as hot."
When I was much younger, I had a truck with a second deep cycle battery in the back. Wiring went from the hot side of the alternator to a battery isolator (think two big diodes) so when running both batteries charged, but they couldn't draw off each other. I could run the deep cycle battery completely dead and not affect the starter battery at all. Once I even trickle charged the starter battery from the deep cycle and effectively jump started myself by jumping the isolator terminals.
There's probably more practical ways of doing it for a once-off but if this was a regular occurrance a large secondary deep cycle (or trolling) battery hooked to a cooler set to a moderate temperature may fit the bill.