On Jun 15, 8:53*pm, geoff wrote:
In message
, Man
at B&Q writes

On Jun 14, 7:49*pm, geoff wrote:
In message , Dave Osborne
writes

geoff wrote:
In message o.uk,
Dave *Liquorice writes

If stuff survives the first few days or weeks of regular use it will
essentially last forever. Always assuming that it has been designed
well, no components right up at the top of their power rating with
inadequate methods of removing the heat resulting in scorched circuit
boards and weakend joints after a year or three of use or simple
component failure due to being under too much stress.

Lovely sweeping statements based on invalid assumptions there

Not at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathtub_curve

Yes, at all

Your assumptions concerning good design, components not being stressed
and heat transit are only ones that can be made in an ideal world

they are certainly not encountered in real consumer electronics

We were talking car ECUs.

Were we ****

"Let me show you what it followed on from

* "hit it with the heel of
* your 'and'"

* Absolutely. First rule of electronic repair, hit it.
* if that doesn't work, hit it again, harder.
*
* When you are as experienced as me you will do this without prompting


Absolutely.

In our electronics lab where we maintain *very* expensive electronic and
electro/hydraulic equipment, whacking things with a rubber hammer is a
standard fault-finding technique.

The vast majority of faults are not fancy electronic failures.
90% are mechanical, connector, chaffed wire, etc.
Of the remaining 10% electronic problems, 90% of those are PSU-related.
Only a very small percentage is actual gubbins-failure."

Nice attempt at a swerve there

Not at all.

Which followed on from the OP. I'll let you lok up the title.

It was a good generalization anyway, not restricted to car ECUs in any
way.

MBQ