Date   : Wed, 07 Dec 2005 21:20:07 +0000
From   : Darren Grant <darren.grant@...>
Subject: Re: Vanishing electronics suppliers

On 7/12/05 8:27 pm, "Ian K" <BBCmail@...> wrote:
> 
> I have found as a Photocopier service engineer repairing rather than
> replacing things is becoming harder to do. Especially with PCBs, in the
> past the average copier would be controlled by some form fairly
> straightforward off the shelf logic that would be easy to follow through
> and find fault with. These days things are so sophisticated and complex
> that most in depth PCB fault investigation and repair can only be done by
> a specially trained engineer with specialist diagnostic equipment which
> can make even fairly simple faults uneconomic to repair.
> 
>> Of course it'll take a while after the incentive's there for people to
>> make do with what they have before companies actually start producing
>> decent products again rather than cheap junk...
> 
> With luck the additional costs of the WEEE directive will make companies
> think more about making a product that can be maintained more easily
> rather than just replaced every couple of years.

It is the increased complexity that makes it impossible to build something
repairable. PCB's need to be multi-layer to fit the components on without
needing a room to host the latest copier. Features that needed 25 IC's are
now performed by 1 microprocessor to increase the flexibility. If you
imagine a car that now instead of 1 engine now had 24 tiny engines, how
could a mechanic repair it ?

If anything I think we will simply see devices becoming more complex
performing many tasks. As much as possible will be performed in software to
allow the functions to be changed in software instead of throwing out
hardware.

I don't see anything change how repairable something is, it will still cost
less to dump a board than it will to pay an engineer to fix it.