What will my (or yours) mindset be when I am 85 (and hopefully still alive) ?

Pause if you will this Sunday 21st Sept 2025. Think about where you are. Now you may be in the prime of your life, your earning capacity is the maximum, your health is well and under control, you have ample reserves in your bank account and assets. If you are in this place, well and good, but think what or where you will be physically and mentally say 20 to 25 years on. 

What would you need to do, to think that you have had a good life at 83 or 85 years of age ?

This set me thinking when I watched a Youtube video about a Brit who has lived in Singapore these last 20 years, his first Japanese wife passed on just 3 years into their marriage when they were both living in Singapore and he decided to stay on, even though he was burdened financially and emotionally with 2 young toddlers. Very tough on him and crucial decisions which he made and he is now on Youtube telling his life story and what would make his life meaningful.

I strongly believe that if I use my dilligence, talents, and relationships I can and will make a difference to the lives of people that matter to me. 

My immediate family, my extended family, my company, my close friends and then on further afield to my alma mater, my school and business associated friends and then so on and so forth.

If I have made an impact, then when I am  85, I will be relatively satisfied to myself that I mattered to some people who meant so much to me.

My mindset would then be preparing for my next stage, death. I am not very religious, but I believe that God exists and He should be guiding me as I move on in life.

My ties with my Alma Mater remain ever strong

 

L to R : Chew Ping Nan, Andrew Lee, Fong Kai Yew (front), S Thedasidas (back),Gurdeep Singh (Glasses), Yours Truly, Charles Tay (with Mahjong tile), M Chandrakanth, Yap Tzin Haen (Hat with  7  Glasses), Hong Heng Chow (Blue Hat) 

Yesterday I attended the St Andrew's Alumni Annual Dinner held at the School Hall. I graduated from secondary school many decades ago, yet when I meet my school and classmates, I am talking with them like we were still in Secondary 4 !

We swapped stories about who got into trouble with the principal and got caned, who was the top boy of the school (Dux), and who recently became gradfathers. The lovely flow of life.

No airs, no expectations and best of all no comparisons. Just being in the present and talking about the past. 

It was such a lovely and august dinner, many thanks to the managing committee and the Alumni President Terence Han and his team for making this a dinner and a get together to remember.

Up and On !! 

Temperature Shock Tests

 

2 Zone Temperature Shock Tests from QRA International Pte Ltd.

QRA International offers very competitive prices with reports for 2 zone temperature shock tests at our Labs in Singapore. Temperature Ranges :

Typical Test Range from :

- 65 C to 150 C

Cold Zone : from - 80 to - 40 C

Hot Zone   : from + 70 to 200 C

Transition Time : approx. 10 seconds

Number of Cycles (settable) : 100, 500, 1000 

Cycle Duration (typical) : 30 minutes

For more information please contact : 

QRA INTERNATIONAL PTE LTD.

Website : www.qra.com.sg

Email    : mark@qra.com.sg

Why Use Test Laboratory Services ?

 

When your company is a small start up and it is time for Quality Assurance, there will be an internal management meeting, several key questions will come up :

a) Do we test in house of send them to outsource testing ? 

What are the Pros and Cons for outsource testing ?

Pro (For points) 

Outsource testing is very convenient, PROVIDED the Lab service provider is familiar with the types of testing.

+ On call (or social media)

+ On short notice (upon PO and availability of test equipment)

+ No service issues (they take care of the equipment)

+ (BIG) No rental of factory space (the equipment is in their Lab)

+ Reports provided (upon request and additional costs)

+ No big ticket CAPEX purchase (test chambers new costs USD 40K and above each) 

+ No need for trained staff or expertise to hire to ensure machine runs smoothly during duration of test.

+ (BIG) No need to pay increasing electricity bills.

Cons

-  Proprietary data is not exclusive

-  Machines may be booked till a long time later

-  No impressive machines on show to your clients.

Well these are the Pros and Cons as far as I can think for Laboratory Services

Dunning Kreuger - Height of Ignorance and Stupidity - My Own Experience.

 

Many of you would have heard of the Dunning Kreuger effect, or the height of stupidity. Essentially this is the peak of Mount Stupid. You do not even know what you don't know.

I know personally of people who are so ignorant and stupid, yet overstate their abilities until they fall flat on their face, that is when they receive a 'wake up' call that they are out of their league, and maybe then, they will learn from their mistakes.

I had a period where I thought, I knew everything there was to know in the environmental simulation industry and ventured in project management without the proper tools to weather

a) delayed deadlines

b) unfulfilled deliverables

c) very unreasonable customers

d) arrogant procurement 

e) rude top management.

In short, I was ignorant and rather stupid to believe that with a little knowledge and many years of experience, my team and I would be able to weather all the storms of project delivery and compliance.

I also trusted too much on outsource equipment suppliers without proper audit of their full facilities, so the result of the 2 projects which my company secured (each project worth was over S$ 1.2 million at the time of order) was :

> 1 delivered on time, specifications met and slight delay in payment

> 1 delivered on time, specifications not fulfilled, numerous redesigns, numerous meetings and thrash outs, many sleepless nights and liquidated damages, resulting in lower profit margins, weight loss and some mental distress for several months.

That was my Mt. Stupid period (2015-2016). I went to the valley of despair ( end 2015-mid 2016), my other business units were all shut to focus on settling the major project, else, the result would have been catastrophic and business closure, possibly company bankrupcy. 

We made out of it scarred but unbowed. The experience was put to great use, and we went on as a company to deliver many more such systems worldwide.

The slow climb up was arduous, but it was necessary - for me as a person and also for the company.

The lessons learnt ?

Never ever think you are invincible and know more than everyone. Now, I use these strategic steps ever so often in my daily work :

>Under Commit 

- Never give the whole performance away, if its at the edge of the technology spectrum, always talk through the expectations with the customer and try to lower them. It sounds counterproductive as technology always is pushed to the boundaries thats where the legends in tech are made. 

- Can I as the business owner afford to take this risk ? Well the decision above is my answer.

>Over Deliver

- Deliver better than what you promise. Then everything will be 'hunky dory' 

The other way around where 90% of suppliers do is a sure fire way to failure ;

- Over commit on their specifications 

- Under deliver on their deliverables.

It is a sure fire way of failure and the subsequent consequences of that failure will follow. 

>Do multiple Risk Assessments of the Potential paths to take, playing out possible end game  scenarios with realistic expectations of each and every outcome.

Slowly and surely ; 

Up and On. 

    

Can I get 300,000 views by October ?

 

                                               Dear Readers. 

                                   

                                               Make my day. 

28 Sept 2025. - Update 

We have close to 280,000 views. Average daily views of almost 1000. At this rate, hitting 300,000 views by October is definitely achievable and worth celebrating !

 

What a typical PCB experiences day in day out as far as temperature changes go.

 

Imagine this  modern day PCB motherboard, this is a multi-layer one which has numerous materials layered over each other, for example :

1. FR4 ( polyimide substrate)

2. copper foil laminate

3. solder masks

4. silk screen

5. ceramic substrate.

If this is your handphone or laptop PCs, there is daily temperature cycles going on when you power up your PC from sleep, or 'off' more. The temperature will go from (say) 23 C (inside the casing of your laptop) to maybe as much as 40 C in the course of the day.

When it is powered off, the temperature inside the laptop (PCB) will then slowly go back to 23 C in the evening.

Now, the key to this post is this. In the event, during the heatup phase, the temperature of the board rises. The  COEFFICIENTS OF THERMAL EXPANSION is different for all of the 5 different materials above, and hence some would expand faster than others, thereby pulling the neighbouring material.

When cooling down, the reverse effect is there, and hence there will be faster cooling of some materials than others.

When repeated hundreds of times a year (there are 365 days per year) then there is a chance than the incessant heat cool heat cool will result in BREAKAGES in the connection between the materials of the PCB motherboard, resulting in an open circuit and hence non functioning of the PCB motherboard.

Material selection is key and the QA and QC tests of temperature cycles is necessary to ensure that there are no catastrophic failures due to this repeated temperature cycles for at least 10,000 cycles or the expected lifespan of the laptop (say 5 years).

It is advised to do selective temperature cycling of PCB motherboard (powered up no less) in Test Labs or in house BEFORE the boards are shipped out to the next partner in the electronic supply chain to ensure 

> Quality

> Reliability

of the product is upheld.

What do I think of when I run ? A Repost from Nov 2022

This is an very interesting question which I do ask myself from time to time. Do I go into a 'robot mode' and just switch off everything or do I let some thoughts invade into the zonal spaced out state of mind which sometimes freaks me out at the sheer clarity of thought ? The 'Aha moment' which only comes when I am is truly at peace with myself and shut out everything ?

                                               My 8 K run last year on my birthday 

The answer is a bit of both. To be frank, when I set out, I actually zone out and focus on 3 aspects of my self. This is the intial part of my run until I find a rhythm to run at a pace which I am comfortable. 

a) My focus on the road ahead

I am super focussed and just stare straight ahead through my Oakley sunglasses (I have over 20 pairs) and subconsciously avoid the strollers, prams, small children, elderly people and slower runners either going in my direction of coming at me. 

My recent familiar runs are either at East Coast Park (B1 carpark vicinity start) or Pandan Reservoir and the runs are 6 K to 8K in length. 

There were numerous close calls and even one where I caused an aspiring rollerblader to fall flat on his face, much to his girlfriend's angst !

While my pace has slowed down a lot, I am still hopeful of bumping up the velocity or pace to something like 6: 00 mins per km or 10 km / hr. 

b) My breathing.

I usually start out the run by concentrating on my breathing ensuring that each breath is measured and I am amazed by the fresh air I can actually intake. I breathe deeply to the extent that my lungs ache. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. We, so often, take for granted our ability to do the simple task of breathing that when you focus on it, you actually appreciate the one of 3 organs which fundamentally keeps us alive (the other 2 being the heart and brain). 

c) My legs.

I have always had strong and stiff legs. They have been both my boon and my bane. They were and still are very strong. I always thought I had iron legs. In my teenage years, my swim club mates called be "Stiff Austin" (a joke about the 6 Million Dollar Man Steve Austin who had bionic lags haha) because well my legs were really stiff and hard. I recall playing football in the courtyard of the Club way back in the mid 70s and I didn't wear shoes.

So one time, I recall, I kicked hard at the rubber ball at the goal, and MISSED. Instead, my leg kicked the huge exposed root of the 160 year old tree. The bark of the tree actually came off and my leg though sore, was still intact.

Thats how strong my legs were !

After the first 2 things are settled, I will just go into a Zen Like Zone and run without paying much attention to my surroundings. However, as the kms go by my mind will start to wander and normally things so random will just pop into the mindfulness zone.

Here is one such thought. I dreamt up a decision tree process while I was running. Only today 10th July have I had the courage to write it down.

Please take a look at my innermost thoughts when I run.

In a nutshell, running on a Saturday leaves me happy, and ecstatic. So I will run based on my decision tree logic as shown above.  

Multilateralism

9 months into the Trump presidency, and the world is still reeling from the come and go up and down tariff rates emnating from the White House. It upends global businesses who depend on :

- stability of trade relations between blocs or countries

- a free world with as little conflict as possible

- trust between long established partners who have had successful win - win trade arrangements for multiple decades since WW2.

All 3 of the above factors are thrown out the window. The case is now for multilateralism and small countries like Singapore as especially vulnerable to the 'changes in the wind'. 

Chamber Repair Services, we provide in 10 countries in Asia and 12 in Europe

What we can and should do ? Embrace Multilateralism and Run with the Ball

1. Companies (small in particular) - to come together, network and work together to form strategic alliances across continents for the mutual advancement of their goals.

We currently are signing 2 MOUs and agreements with some players in the more established part of the world in our field of biomedical testing to promote shared goods and services. 

2. Adoption of :

Digitization in Company Systems 

My company is embarking on this now, to put into place a document management system on the cloud as well as digitization of reports and data for data retrieval in the long run.

AI for marketing for social media maximization

The world needs access to the best and most competitive goods and services. If your company is a major player in a small niche, advertise the fact regionally and globally. 

Scale up the business to capture global demand. 

We secure business from Europe, US and Australia apart from Asia nowadays quite regularly. This is unheard of for us 10 years ago.

Connect with Big Players for funds, experience and opportunities.

There is no time better than now to do this. Reach out the big players who have decades more experience and reach in the industry you specialise, and connect.

You will be surprised at what may turn out. 

  

ASTM F 1980 - 16 video ; your questions answered right here

 

Here is a short video of how the ASTM F 1980 - 16 functions, the key takeaways, the effectiveness and how clients in biomedical industries perform these tests, the durations, the typical temperatures set, the humidities set, all the key questions are answered by me. 

My experience in serving more than 15 years in this very rigid and demanding industry is here for sharing.

Carpe Diem.

 

Temperature Pressure and Humidity Changes for Aircraft Components

Parts manufacturers around the world, if they are serious about their quality and reliability testing. They MUST do Transport Simulation testing - and very rigorously too. Let me run through the temperature, humidity and pressure changes. 

Say the aircraft A320 is sitting on the tarmac, and the engine is started, everything is ready to go. The tarmac is in the hot Doha desert, and the temperature is a sweltering 60 C. Humidity is in the mid 70%. Air pressure is at sea level or 1000 mbar (1 bar). 

Once the control tower gives the signal, the plane does a few turns to proceed to the correct runway, the temperature is still the same as above. 

In the space of 15 minutes, when the plane takes off from the runway to the cruising altitude of say 35,000 feet (11100 m), the temperature drops drastically to -40 C, there is almost no humidity and the air pressure is dropped down to say 300 mbar. The plane is at 35000 feet.

That means to simulate this condition in the Lab, the settings on the chamber to test component parts of the plane engine or exterior (such as rudder, fluid manifolds etc) must resemble something like this.

Time 0 

Temp  : 60 C

RH      : 70%

Press  : 1000 mbar (1 atm)

Time 15 

Temp  : -40

RH     : 10%

Pressure : 235 mbar (0.235 atm)

 

Hence the chamber MUST replicate the change rate of +60 + 40 or 100 C in 15 minutes, that is approx. 6.67 C / min change rate

Pressure needs to also get down pretty quickly to 235 mbar.

The chamber required just to follow the environmental changes is what we call the Environmental Stress Screening Chamber or ESS chamber which QRA can provide for a competitive price.

We occasionally also offer ESS services to customers although the costs of running these tests are not inexpensive, owing to the high electricity usage, the machine maintenance costs and the number of cycles and total test time.

For more information, consult the experts, 

https://www.qra.com.sg/our-services

https://www.qra.com.sg/our-products

 

Key Parameters to Control for Environmental Testing of Products for Quality and Reliabillity

There are 4 Key Parameters which manufacturers must bear in mind when designing a robust product - this is based on decades of experience working with the best in class and industry for electronics, aerospace and defence and automotive.

1. Temperature Extremes.

2. Dwell Times at the Extreme Temperatures

3. Rates of Change in deg C / min from Hot Extreme to Cold Extreme

4. Duration of One Cycle and Number of Cycles Run in total.

Temperature Extremes. 

Typically if a manufacturer wishes to do environmental simulation, they must simulate the condition which the product is being subjected to, plus add further extremes just to ensure that the product can perform wider than the expected range of usage.

Dwell Times at Extreme Temperatures.

How long the products are kept at the temperature extremes is dependent on the product itself. From experience, the dwell times at the extreme temperature zones do not go beyond 6 hours, before, moving up or down to the next extremes.

A simple analogy of a robust product you (as a person) can try for yourself. If you have strong immunity, and you are daily subjected to temperature cycling, from airconditioned room at 23 C to cold bath, to hot morning of 30 to 35 C, enter the car at 25 C and then down to 20 C (air cond takes effect), to the office and so on and so forth. 

Your body is subjected to temperature cycling though not as extreme as some products, so if your immune system is strong, then nothing happens.

If you are weak, you will fall sick.

Its as simple as that.

Robust products will need to be subjected to temperature cycling to ensure their 

a) useability and functionality 

b) robustness 

during the most strenuous of times, and temperature cycling does that. 

Rates of Change in C / min. 

Typically a gentle temperature cycles is from 1 C / min to 3 C / min. 

More severe change rates can range from 5 C / min to 20 C / min.

The change rate of Temp / min is to stimulate FAILURES in the product (for QA), these failures are attributed to the different Coefficient of Thermal Expansions of the materials used for the product such as 

- polyimide base (PCB)

- nickel/gold underfill solder bumps

- gold wire connections

- epoxy substrate for ICs.

Number of Cycles Run 

500 to 1000 cycles run are common numbers for manufacturers who want to test run their products resilience and robustness.

QA Sampling (What Percentage ?) 

5 to 10 % of the first batch should be sufficient to qualify the reliability - provided that the yield of 95% is attained.

So for a first batch of 1000 product run.

50 to 100 samples are chosen and tested under QA set conditions.

Of the (say) 100, 95% must PASS the QA test for the rest of the production run to continue and then ship out.

This is only a rule of thumb. 

It is by no means reflective of any one industry which MAY be much more stringent or less stringent depending on which industry.

CARPE DIEM. 

https://www.qra.com.sg/

Email : mark@qra.com.sg

Train your Mind and your Body - Hard work pays off

I read this on my Linked In Feed this morning. This is so apt for me and for my readers. There is a centuries old African proverb which goes like this. 

A lion and a gazelle wake up to a new dawn.

The lion knows he must run faster than the slowest gazelle if he is to get a meal and not starve, so he has go get up, train his hunting prowess day in day out, lie low in wait, surprise the pack and hopefully track and bring down a gazelle.

The gazelle knows he must run faster than all the lions, else he would be the lion's lunch for the next few days. He has to run faster, be smarter and eat where there are no hungry lions on the Savannah. He has to be swifter, smarter and more prescient else he is someone else's meal(s).

Its a daily struggle for survival. 

The lion chases and just misses the gazelle - he will go hungry.

The gazelle looks up upon hearing the approaching lion and darts away - he lives for another day.

The sun is up - its another day.

Life dosen't reward those who sit idle. Whether you are chasing a dream or fighting to live, motion is NON NEGOTIABLE.

Stop waiting for the perfect conditions, the stars are all aligned in your favour, your 4D numbers look good. 

Stop waiting for permission.

The sun is up.

Start Running. 

 

Environmental Simulation Testing - Why Do It ?

In my previous post, I stated that Environmental Simulation Testing of a product is ESSENTIAL  for a product to be tested in the factory before it even sees the light of day in the first customer's hands.

Environmental Simulation Testing. Why Do It ?

Well, let me give you a fictional (maybe real) story.. 

Nowadays its very common for practically 80% of people in Singapore to travel out of the country at least once a year for work or holidays, so the obvious travel companion they bring along apart from their passport, wallet, smartwatch is their smartphone. 

So lets say Mr. Tan Boon Yang and his wife embark to a Japan 8 days trip which includes Osaka Universal Studios, Tokyo Disneyland, the usual onsen with gorgeous views and of course Mount Fuji.

Lets say Boon Yang and wife depart during the December holidays without their grown up children. 

At the mid point, the highlight of the tour is the walk up to Mt Fuji's 5th station, and it is a must do and everybody wants to take their pictures for lifetime memories, and bragging rights of "been there done that" etc.

Its snowing, and the outside temperature is a chilly -10 C. No matter, they brought their winter coats, thermal underwear, extra thick socks, the works. There are so many Instagrammable moments up there and Mrs. Tan wants a 'wefie' with her beloved hubby. They ask one of their tourmates to take some with Mr. Tan's phone (no brand here for obvious reasons heehee)

The tourmate obliges and goes to 'Photo' mode, and 'hey !' the smartphone hangs. 

They cant get their once in a lifetime pix !! 

"Lousy XXXX" and the cusses all start coming out.

You can bet the next time, its time for a smartphone change, it would be THAT brand they consider to buy next. That above is the answer WHY. 

A product like a smartphone is not just to make and take calls, it is to make lifetime memories and feel good emotions. When the task is at hand, it must not let the boss (or the owner) down. 

So, manufacturers, PLEASE test your products in the factory Beyond the normal day to day temperature and humidity conditions. For customers who live in tropics and near temperate climates, the manufacturer MUST test the following SIMULATION conditions below :

Tropic Based Clients 

Temp : - 20 C to + 60 C

RH     : 20 to 95% RH

Why ? Like I elaborated above, the tropical customers DO from time to time, travel to places of interest which have extremes in temperature as well as some humid conditions.

So -20 C could be for some places like top of mountains and 60 C could be like Middle East deserts (read World Cup 2022) or the Grand Canyon. (see pix below)

Temperate Based Clients 

Temp : - 60 to + 60 C 

RH    :  20 to 95% RH

Many countries which have 4 seasons, like US, Canada, most of Northern Europe, Russia and North China have harsh winters so the phones MUST be tested for those conditions - its not an option but a mandatory test.

So after establishing the WHY do the Environmental Testing, I will embark on another post as to the Key Parameters to set when doing Environmental Testing.

Seize the Day my friends. 

Why do Environmental Testing ?

Why do Environmental Testing ? 

Let me show you a typical product of an everyday person. 

Here is the picture of my old handphone S10, its battered, stuck with scotch tape, some small cracks front and back but its still workable. Its easily 6 years old, and way past its lifetime. Thankfully I have gotten a new one early this year. From the same brand, to be frank.

How did it make it so far in this day and age of everchanging products many not lasting more than 1 year ?

RELIABILITY.

What is reliability ? 

It is quality of a product in terms of features, functionality and the cosmetic case over time. 

QUALITY 

What is quality ?

It is the performance of a product, which gives the best use of its function for its price. It can be anything from :

> smartphone

> pod speakers

> Electronic Pad or Tablets

> car components (speedometer, brakes, onboard dashboard, EV lithium batteries etc)

Any manufacturer determined to build a brand MUST embark on both 

1. Quality Assurance (QA)

2. Quality Control (QC)

of their production else, they are as good a gone, in a short while.

But before even the QA and QC process, for each and every new model for the manufacturer,  the manufacturer must perform the following :

1. Sourcing of good quality components, materials and sealants for the proper assembly from reliable suppliers. The design of the new product must cater for all kinds of assembly mismatches, and materials degradations. 

2. Ensuring that at every production point, there is proper CAR (corrective action request) carried out to find the root cause of any failure in the product's functionality and performance.

If the failure is minor (below the just noticeable line), perhaps it can move on to the next process. If it is major, a complete production stop must be carried out and a complete design review must be carried out and changes made immediately.

A key process in the QA or QC in any manufacturer is the continued use of environmental chambers for the maintenance and possibly long term improvement of their products quality and reliability. Environmental chamber use in both inhouse and out of factory has been employed for 8 decades since after the end of World War 2.

An educated management with a suitably trained workforce MUST do environmental testing. In the following post, I will weigh in on Environmental Simulation, with the smartphone manufacturer as a classic example.

Hence Why do Environmental Testing ? 

From the manufacturer's standpoint, IF you make good quality and reliable products, with good after sales support, your brand name will ultimately improve, together with strong customer loyalty, against cutthroat cheaper competition.

That is why you do QC, QA testing of which Environmental Testing forms a big part of.

Look out for the next post, my friends.

For a no obligations discussion for more information, my team and I would be happy to chat on email, please see below :

E : mark@qra.com.sg

     qrasales@qra.com.sg

CARPE DIEM.   

Preventive Maintenance of Chambers - Singapore and Thailand

 

At QRA we offer Preventive Maintenance and Calibration Services of many makes of chamber for competitive fees. 

From small ovens to Walk In Chambers, QRA has been the trusted service partner for numerous companies in South East Asia for over 2 decades.

Preventive Maintenance Services Include :

1. Mechanical Parts Inspection and Testing 

2. Electrical and Electronic Inspection and Functional Testing

3.  Refrigeration and Humidity System Inspection and Testing

4.  Controller Testing and Tuning

Reports : 

1. Preventive Maintenance 

2. Calibration Reports 

will be submitted upon successful PM and Calibration. 

For further enquiries, please visit :

https : //www.qra.com.sg/our-services

or Email : mark@qra.com.sg

We will be most happy to hear from you !!

Temp Cycle Tests - Mid Sized Chamber Tests

 

Temperature Cycling Chamber 

At QRA International we have several chambers equipped to do Temp Cycle Tests from -40 to +100 C for the purposes of :

> Stress Screening 

> Environmental Simulation Tests

of products ranging from electronics, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, biotech and aerospace for purposes of :

> enhancing reliability

> stimulating infant mortalities in the factory before shipout.

Key Performance Data :

> Change Rate : 2 - 3 C / min from Hot to Cold

> Low Temp : - 20 C 

> High Temp  : + 100 to 150 C

> Dwell Time  : 5 min to 5 hours

Email and write in to either of these :

> General enquiry : qrasales@qra.com.sg

   Specific Enquiry : mark@qra.com.sg 

for a no obligations quote and have a friendly chat with us !

Athletic Chambers from QRA International - Enhancement of Elite Sportsmen Performance.

 

 Laying Out the Insulated Panels at Aspetar Hospital, Doha 

QRA International has a flagship product for the world since 2016. The athletic chamber is the 'secret weapon' for many national sports associations for the purposes of peak performance enhancement of their sprinters, court game players, middle and long distance runners especially in the leadup to a major regional, international or global event. 

Many athletes have been using the  environmental chamber low O2  regimen to condition their bodies to get maximal performance for up to 2 weeks after use. 

Singapore's fine performance of its court, track, sailing, and high jump athletes post COVID is testament to the proper use of these top end equipment, together with a comprehensive coaching regimen, sleep and nutrition schedules which have made us a mini sporting nation.

QRA International has been fortunate to sell, install and commission 4 such chambers worldwide to the top National Sports Associations. They are :

1. Sports Singapore

2. Defence Organization Singapore

3. Aspetar Qatar Hospital

4. University of Canberra Sports Research Institute.

We are but one of 4 major brands worldwide producing such chambers for human and athlete use.

 

Levelling of the Floor at Aspire Doha 

The chamber in a nutshell is just a controlled environmental room. 

The limits of the controlled environment of the chamber is determined by the limits in which our world's environment. However, since there are no ultra marathons in -40 C in Kamchatka or Siberia, there is no need to control the temperature to -40 C. Most chambers which we design reach lows of 0C or -20 C. The control of -20 C means that the panels used for the chamber must be polyurethane filled for proper insulation, else 'sweating' of the exterior walls of the chamber will occur (say inside is -20 and outside is 30C) due to insufficient insulation resulting in condensation - which will be a major electrical shock risk. 

The highest temperature reached is +50 C which can be reached in desert climates like the Sahara and Gobi deserts. 

Temperature Range (Athletic Chamber) : 0  C to +50 C

Putting Up the Panels 

Humidity levels are typically from 20% to 95% (Singapore's humidity is easily 70 - 80% most times of the year). The humidity in the chamber is controlled using steam generation (100%) and a cooling coil to reduce the RH by condensation. Rather overuse of power, but it generates the necessary humidity nonetheless. 

Therefore Relative Humidity : 20 - 95%

For elite athletes and conditioned athletes to train inside the chamber, QRA employs the use of Amine scrubbers which typically 'catch' the CO2 molecules from the air passing through and 'cleaning' the air to be pumped back into the room by this method. Many modern day submarines employ scrubbers to filter out the CO2 and pump back the cleaned air into the cabin of the craft, ensuring that the submarine can stay underwater weeks or months on end.

Human beings emit a lot of CO2 out into the atmosphere and a surprising fact if that many people die in enclosed spaces due to Carbon Dioxide poisoning rather than Oxygen deprivation or too low levels of oxygen when they are trapped in an enclosed space (say a closed mine, or skiers in a crevice). So the enclosed air must be 'scrubbed' clean and recycled back into the enclosed room or chamber. 

CO2 safe levels : less than 2000 parts per million per m3 of air.  

Jobsite 

In summary, QRA INTERNATIONAL can provide the following : 

Walk- In Athletic Chamber for up to 10 people 

Size : 6 m x 6 m x 3 m 

Temperature Range : 0 to 50 C

Temperature Control : +/- 3 C 

Humidity Range          : 20 - 95%

Humidity Control         : +/- 5%

CO2 Control               : less than 2000 ppm per m3 of air inside chamber after 1 hour of intensive use.

O2 Control                 : 20.9 % ppm (seal level) to 8.9% ppm (8000 m)

Solar Intensity          : 400 W / m2 to 1200 W / m2. 

Contact us Now for a detailed Discussion and No obligations Quote 

Email :    mark@qra.com.sg

Website : www.qra.com.sg

Price Range : US$ 200,000 onwards 

Small Batch Testing Services

 

Small Chamber which can accommodate up to 400 samples depending on sample size. 

QRA International tests any products from Biotech and Pharmaceutical industries for Temperature and Humidity for durations ranging from a few days to up to 5 years continuous testing. 

Temperature Range : - 40 to 150 C. 

Humidity Range          : 20 to 95% rH

If interested, do contact  by email : mark@qra.com.sg 

or visit https://www.qra.com.sg/our-services 

for more information

 

80 to 20 Rule - Signal to Noise Ratio.

 

The billionaire Kevin O'Leary once commented that the top billionaires, had easily 80 percent to 20 percent of their day focussed to 

- signal  (80)

- noise (20)

I realised only recently, that this is so true. The top successful folk  focussed 80% or more of their next day to getting and acting on the signal. The must be done items, no matter how unpalatable those must be done items can and must be.

The 20% noise is their down time, their other side of their life, relationships and niceties.

Its so true, and if practiced well, the plan normally moves and in many cases, it moves fast.

School of Life - Things to do

There are 5  values I have learnt from the School of Life which separates the winners and the 'also rans' in life. Let me list them down broadly. Having the Vision and Grand Plan for my business or myself is easy.  Pursuing it and doing the day to day steps to achieve the Grand Plan is always the toughest part.

1. Discipline

2. Focus on my tasks 

(a) Grand plan laid out - refer to it

(b) day to day

(c) mid term

3. Resilience, Grit, Physical and Mental Pain Management

4. Doing what Must be Done even if I hate the task

5.  Rest when necessary.

Reflect on these 5 Values for a while. 

A working lunch in the Office yesterday