Die on Mars

Tang Yue dragged out the emergency oxygen system.

Unlike OGS cabinets, which use molecular sieves and electrolyzed water to produce oxygen, the emergency oxygen production system uses a non-renewable chemical oxygen source and relies on the catalytic decomposition of solid chlorate to produce oxygen. This system is very old and simple, but very reliable. , there is no complicated mechanical and circuit structure, which means that it is almost impossible to malfunction.

This system has been kept in the first aid kit as a backup in case of emergency. If there is a problem with the OGS, the crew in the station can rely on it to provide oxygen. The oxygen produced by the emergency oxygen production system is enough for six people to breathe for twelve hours. , and can also replenish oxygen for the life support system of Mingguang Kai, which is enough to support the timely evacuation of the Kunlun Station for the scientific expedition team members under normal circumstances.

However, the OGS at Kunlun Station has always been reliable. It has been used for so many years without any major problems, so the spare parts have been stored and have never been put into use for so many years.

The emergency oxygen system has a high degree of integration. It is usually installed in a box. When taken out alone, it is just a rectangular body with a length of 60 centimeters and the thickness of an adult's arm. It weighs about 10 kilograms. It has a white plastic shell and an alkali metal tube integrated inside. The mixed grain column of chlorate, as well as the electronic ignition and gas filter compression device, as long as the switch is turned on, the internal grain column will start to react under the action of the catalyst and release oxygen.

There's even a strap on the thing so the user can wear it on their back if they wish.

A rectangular oxygen production system unit can produce a total of 1,500 liters of oxygen, and there are six such units in Kunlun Station.

Laomao shut down the OGS system, and the green indicator light on the cabinet slowly turned off.

The computer detects that the OGS cabinet is closed and starts alarming.

"Shut up." The old cat said coldly.

The computer shut up.

Tang Yue put on his breathing mask. There was still a certain amount of oxygen left in the hall of Kunlun Station. He was not in a hurry to turn on the backup oxygen production system because it was non-renewable and was a disposable product. The more you use, the less it would be, so you could save some money. Province.

Lao Mao and Tang Yue opened the cabinet and carefully took out the control motherboard of the temperature control system. Tang Yue smelled a vague smell of burning.

"Something is burned." Tang Yue whispered.

The old cat nodded slowly, took out the tweezers in his hand, and sorted out the messy cables one by one.

"Is there a short circuit somewhere?" Tang Yue held an electric pen in his hand, squinting his eyes and looking around. Repairing home appliances was his specialty.

"It may be that the chip is affected by the single-event effect of high-energy radiation, and there is something wrong with its control logic." Lao Mao said.

The so-called single event effect is the impact of high-energy radiation in the universe on semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. In the eyes of ordinary people, the information inside a computer is binary 0s and 1s, but in terms of physical hardware, the essence of this logic is actually electric charge. Integrated circuit components generate operational logic through the recognition of electrons - and the elementary particles carrying high energy in the universe can interfere with the work of the circuit and lead to logic errors. Some errors are harmless, but some Errors can cause logic flips and even burn the hardware.

The more sophisticated and high-frequency computers are, the more likely they are to have this problem.

This is why the computers in the Mars project are relatively backward. While VR systems have already become popular on Earth, original displays and buttons are still used in the space station and Kunlun Station for safety reasons.

"But the temperature control system of OGS is similar to that of Gree air conditioner. Such a silly, black and thick design will also be affected by the single particle effect?" Tang Yue frowned.

"It's hard to say. The problems caused by high-energy radiation are purely accidental natural disasters. The probability is very low, but they are unpredictable and difficult to eliminate." The old cat shook his head, "It's just that they generally don't cause too serious consequences. At most, they are blue. If the screen freezes, just restart it and it will be fine."

Tang Yue used a screwdriver to remove the screws on the motherboard protective cover one by one, and then threw them on the dinner plate. Lao Mao pulled the computer's data cable over and connected it to the motherboard's test interface.

From the appearance, it is difficult for them to find the source of the fault, because there is no obvious damage to the motherboard, only a few spot welding footnotes are burnt black. If there is a problem with the chip, then software must be used to test it.

Lao Mao sat in front of the computer and began to test the functions of the motherboard.

"Based on my many years of work experience and keen intuition." Tang Yue carefully looked at the components on the motherboard, "I think it's probably two..."

"Control unit No. 3 is damaged." Old Cat raised his head after completing the inspection.

"That's right, it's Unit Three!" Tang Yue said, "I was about to say it was Unit Three!"

He gently pulled out the processor of the No. 3 control unit and looked at the light carefully. The chip itself was only as big as a fingernail, and the internal structure was completely encapsulated. Only the fine metal pins on both sides could be seen, and there were eye-catching Intel trademark.

From the outside, he couldn't find any problems. The structure of the semiconductor chip was completely enclosed in the small black square, but there was no doubt that there must be an error somewhere in the processor, and it was a serious error. Due to limited conditions, Laomao cannot further explore the source of the fault. Semiconductor itself is a precision industry. If you want to find out what is inside the chip, you must polish off the surface package. This requires professional equipment and professional personnel. Only Intel and Huaqiangbei in the world can do this, Laomao cannot do this.

Lao Mao and Tang Yue re-plugged and unplugged the chip and tested it many times, but finally had to admit that the thing was completely damaged.

"Damn it, this thing is useless." Lao Mao slapped the keyboard, "There must be hard damage inside it, that is, physical damage, which cannot be repaired by software."

"If the motherboard cannot be repaired, what will happen to the temperature control system?" Tang Yue asked, "Will we have to live like Eskimos in the future?"

"Without a temperature control system, sooner or later the room temperature in Kunlun Station will drop to minus 50 degrees. Even the Eskimos will freeze to death... Where is the backup?" Old Cat said, "It really can't be repaired. Let's replace it with a spare one. Bar."

Tang Yue pointed to the chip on the plate, "This is the backup."

The old cat frowned, "What?"

"Lao Wang and the others overhauled the OGS cabinet once when they were still here, and replaced all the replaceable parts with new ones." Tang Yue picked up the chip on the plate and shook it, "This is the last one in Kunlun Station. OGS temperature control system processor... The next batch of replacement chips was supposed to be shipped in a year, but now it will never be shipped."

This time it was the old cat who glared.

"You mean there's no need to change?"

Tang Yue nodded.

The old cat held the screwdriver in its paws and was silent for several seconds.

"I...fuck!"