On Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:11:00 -0800 (PST), Bob Villa
wrote:

Third, most flat panel sets are put together out of crappy components,
especially the capacitors.

Dell is hoping there are no more of those crappy-caps around!

Dell was not using "crappy" capacitors. What they were doing is the
same thing that almost every other manufactory is currently also
doing. They are rating their electrolytics as close to the bitter
edge of failure as possible. That saves a few pennies in cost by
using a lower voltage electrolytic but shortens the capacitor life. My
guess(tm) is that Dell's OEM supplier in China selected the capacitors
based upon faulty calculations, where it was designed to blow up in
about 5 years, instead of the 1-2 years specified in the class action
suit.

"Determining end-of-life, ESR, and lifetime calculations for
electrolytic capacitors at higher temperatures"
http://www.dfrsolutions.com/uploads/white-papers/Uprating_of_Electrolytic_Capacitors.pdf
At the bottom of the paper, note the various ways in which the ESR can
climb as a result varying conditions. At 105C (rated max temp), a
typical capacitor will have its ESR increase 5 times (and therefore 5
times the dissipation) after 3500 hrs of normal operation. For
24hr/day operation, that's only about 5 months of continuous
operation.

This has nothing to do with the original question, but I thought it
might be interesting.

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558
# http://802.11junk.com
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