Thermal Environments of Embedded Applications

Embedded Applications run the gamut of specialized computing needs. Ranging from Telecommunications to Medical Equipment, embedded systems tend to have one thing in common; they are good at doing one specific function. Unlike their more general computing counterpart, the PC, embedded systems often operate in extreme conditions. These conditions could be extreme temperature conditions ranging from -40 to +85°C, to "always on, always available" mission critical computing applications such as Military/Aerospace. This paper discusses several embedded applications, their thermal environments and some of their unique power management considerations.