© National Instruments | 4-7NI sbRIO-9651 System on Module Carrier Board Design GuideNI sbRIO devices integrated into an enclosure or system with proper thermal dissipation canbe deployed in high- and low-temperature environments. However, the 85 °C local ambientoperating temperature rating of the sbRIO-9651 SOM does not mean that the externaltemperature of the natural convection environment such as a room or larger enclosure can be85 °C. In this way, properly designed NI sbRIO devices may still require an external ambienttemperature of 70 °C or less and may still require specific mounting requirements to ensure thatthe local ambient and thermally-relevant component maximum operating temperatures arewithin specification.Understanding Thermal SpecificationsA deployed system has several temperature measurement locations that indicate the thermalperformance of the system and the devices the system contains. For example, in a naturalconvection system, the temperature of a critical component will be higher than the temperatureof the air in the immediate vicinity of the component. This local air temperature will also behigher inside an enclosure than in the room ambient that surrounds the enclosure.Figure 4-4 identifies these types of ambient temperatures.Figure 4-4. Ambient Temperatures1 External ambient temperature2 Internal/enclosure ambient temperature3 Carrier board4 sbRIO-9651 SOM5 Local ambient temperature6 Enclosure4 52163
