Had the worst field day in 5 years last Saturday

I was out at the dig site near Elko, Nevada, and we hit a layer of pure bedrock after just 3 hours of scraping. The auger bit snapped on the fourth attempt, and then the batteries on our survey GPS died simultaneously. I spent the rest of the afternoon hauling empty buckets back to the truck in 95 degree heat. Has anyone else had a whole day where literally nothing cooperated?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_derek5d ago

Did your GPS batteries die because of the heat?

the_robert5d ago

Man, that heat is brutal on electronics. Totally believe it could kill GPS batteries. They're not built for direct sun like that. Mine gets hot to the touch after an hour on the dash. I'd bet those batteries just swell up and quit.

verawhite3d agoTop Commenter

Right, the swelling is the worst part. Once those lithium cells start puffing up from the heat, they're basically done. I had a dash cam battery do the same thing, just bloated right up until the case cracked. It's not even just the direct sun, it's the trapped heat inside the car that just cooks them slowly. You'd think they'd figure out a way to shield them better, but I guess the cost would go way up.