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I have an Rpi2 out in my garage, today it is about 35f degrees out, and the CPU temp is 28.2c.

Is this too cold, how cold is too cold?

Is there a min I should be concerned about, and what will happen if it gets to cold?

I know generally speaking, the cooler a computer is the better off it is, but I would think that at some point it has to get to cold? What would happen if it get to cold? would it just shut off?

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    I've left one out in < -20 °C (-5 °F) for 3-4 hours a few times, inside tupperware; I think I noticed the SoC get down to ~18-20 °C. I don't think you will have any problems.
    – goldilocks ♦
    Commented Nov 21, 2016 at 8:30

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Unless you're somewhere really really really cold your Pi's going to be fine. User James Adams (listed as the Pi Foundation's Director of Hardware Engineering) on the raspberrypi.org forums states the following in relation to the BCM2835 used in earlier Pis:

Theoretically the operating temp. range is determined by the range of the component with the smallest range.

The Samsung eMMC and Samsung LPDDR2 are all rated for -25 to +80 degrees C, so the range is -25 to +80. (BCM2835 and ana SW are greater range than this, caps are -25 to +85).

However that is the max range for the silicon die – so a user would have to take into account the heat generated when in use and make sure this does not cause the temp. to exceed 80C.

Those figures should hold fine for the Pi 2, so you're looking at a minimum of -25 degrees C. If your Pi's that cold I hope that you have a large hat and some mittens.

There are anecdotal reports (the link to the original writeup has rotted) of Pis working down to -110 degrees C in nitrogen, which is reassuring for anyone living in chillier climes.

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  • Solder slowly changes its modification at low temperatures, with the tin becoming a powdery aggregate. But this depends on the actual solder alloy used. 100% Sn starts to change its modification already below +16°C, adding minimal Ag or Cu helps a lot. For military equipment which has to work at extreme low temperatures leaded solder is still used.
    – Janka
    Commented Nov 21, 2016 at 3:29
  • Can confirm: stuck my pi in a freezer (as a DIY logging thermometer to confirm temperature fluctuations -- it worked reasonably btw) and no problems at all while maintaining -18°C for hours. The CPU component was considerably hotter than environmental temperature of course (even if idle 99.9% of the time).
    – Luc
    Commented Jun 14, 2021 at 22:51

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