Why did some PCOS machine failed during election day?

Last May 10, 2010, the Philippines had its very first automated elections for both the National and Local positions. And 3 weeks since then, we see numerous comments on the said election.

And one of those comment is the sudden failure of some (if not many) Precinct Count Optical Scan (or PCOS) machine during the day of the election. From the computer technician's point of view, there is quite obvious explanation as to why some PCOS machine fails.

This machine has the similar components of a simple computer system. And we all know that an electronic components' enemy is heat. The election was held in various public schools in which majority (or almost all) of them does not have any ACUs. And in one classroom or voting precinct, it is comprised of several precinct clusters in which there are so many voters in that cluster. Not to mention, with all those people inside a voting precinct, and with the heat accumulated by the machine, it is no wonder that the chances for that machine to fail is more likely. Although during the machine testing, they've performed well, we all know that the ventilation inside that room is very much different compare to the actual election day.

This article only discuss that actual operation loophole of the PCOS machine during the election. And although it actually performs well, we should always consider that these electronic machines need proper ventilation to prevent shutdown and equipment failure. Therefore, in the next automated election, the officer who organize the precincts should ensure that the place is actually well-ventilated. And in the viewpoint of an I.T. hardware expert, we should keep in mind that excessive heat in an electronic component or equipment can greatly deteriorate its performance in the long run.