On Jun 16, 8:46*pm, Steve Walker wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:49:22 +0100, 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

And I'm not sure how you equate "essentially last forever" with what
parts 2 and 3 of the curve - random and wear out failures

Tin whisker growth in germanium transistors?

Regrowth of fuse link in fusible link PROMs and PLAs.

Tin whiskers are causing concern again in some spheres with unleaded
solder.

Commercial grade FLASH memory in MP3 and the like is not so good,
especially the multi-level cell versions.

MBQ