Why a Helium Leak Disabled Every iPhone in a Medical Facility

Motherboard ^ | October 30, 2018 | By Daniel Oberhaus

[backwoods-engineer]

Another reason to avoid designing in MEMS oscillators... I don’t.

[Yo-Yo]

So what is the advantage of a MEMS clock vs. a quartz crystal?

[Swordmaker]

Apple iOS devices can be killed dead, dead, dead, by a leak of Helium gas. . . not so with Android devices. Hospital worker discovers strange epidemic of dead iPhones and iPads during the installation of a new MRI machine when it developed a leak in the Helium venting of its cryogenic cooling system leaking Helium into the hospital atmosphere. The Helium atoms invaded the system clocks of the iOS devices causing the run faster and faster until the devices completely crashed. Android devices do not use the same type of system clock and are not susceptible to this type of crashing. Word to the wise, don't fill Helium balloons while using iOS devices! —PING!

Apple iOS Devices
and Helium Vulnerability Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[mkmensinger]

In addition, everyone in the hospital sounded like Donald Duck.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bkmrk.

[Swordmaker]

So what is the advantage of a MEMS clock vs. a quartz crystal?

Uh, Helium detection?

[SunkenCiv]

Helium is such a male privilege / sexist word. The element should be called Shelium.

[wally_bert]

Undetermined-personium.

[Menehune56]

So what is the advantage of a MEMS clock vs. a quartz crystal?

The link on iFixIt from the original article on Motherboard is well worth reading. This is their explanation:

But quartz oscillators have some problems. They don’t keep time as well at high (and low) temperatures, and they’re a relatively large component—1×3 mm or so. In their quest for smaller and smaller hardware, Apple has recently started using MEMS timing oscillators from a specialized company called SiTime to replace quartz components.

[Yo-Yo]

I did something extremely daring, something that rarely happens with Free Republic comment posters...I read the fine article.

MEMS clocks are smaller, more temperature stable, and use less power than quartz crystal clocks.

[roadcat]

Guess I’m lucky, having recently filled a bunch of helium balloons for my granddaughter’s birthday party. My Apple Watch and iPhone work fine. A couple kids popped balloons in the house. Guess it takes a lot of helium, like 90,000 cubic meters, to infiltrate the tiny openings in our devices.

[ifinnegan]

Wow

[Secret Agent Man]

Fronthole-ium, or Frontpole-ium.

[wattsgnu]

Hmmmm. Read the article. I should try that sometime.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Read the article”???

There are too many fine comments that need to be read.

[farming pharmer]

This evaporated helium is usually pumped out of the facility through a vent

What a waste. I thought they recycled the helium.

[\/\/ayne]

And when people call the voices are high-pitched like Munckins.

[mabarker1]

Bkm

[Yaelle]

Because They-I-um is too hard to say.