The day started and ended clear but clouds formed during the midday resulting in the temperature fluctuations seen in the plot. The ambient temperature in the shade was measured with a fourth Thermochron about four miles away.
Thermochrons have an upper temperature limit of 185 deg F so the dashboard curve is clipped where it exceeded this temperature.
My cell phone battery has a stated temperature limit of 140 deg F. Since I leave it in the glove box most of the time I was curious just how hot it gets in there. I've also been curious about the temperature in the truck. During the summer I ran another test with three Thermochrons placed strategically around the car's interior. One was placed in the aft drink holder on the center console. A second was in the glove box and a third was in the trunk. A Dallas Semiconductor Hygro iButton was used at home to record the outdoor temperature while the test was going on.
The following plot shows the four temperatures over the span of a week. As expected, the console saw the highest temperature, a bit over 150 deg F. The glove box was a close second. Although the extra thermal mass and lack of convection resulted in a smoother temperature history, the temperature still broke 140 deg F, basically right at the limit of my cell phone battery. The trunk was the coolest spot of all, never reaching 120 deg F.
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Latest update: August 7, 2005 |