On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:40:36 -0800, the infamous "Michael Koblic"
scrawled the following:

I have three sets of cheap digital calipers bought in Canadian Tire. The
have all been working fine and agree with a micrometer to within 0.001". Two
weeks ago I tried to use the one I keep in the workshop to measure something
of the order of 4" when the calipers refused to measure anything past 1.5".
I brought them into the house where they started working fine as soon as
they warmed up.

The second set did exactly the same thing today.

The temperature in the workshop is 9.5 deg C.

Replacing the battery made no difference. What is the likely cause?

The small capacitors on the circuit boards can freeze and explode
during cold weather (it happened on my sprinkler timer), so keep them
in the house. Batteries can, too, can't they? I've never lived in
those extreme climes so I don't have anecdotal evidence.

--
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;
it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
-- Seneca