An electronic question

[RCBH928]

hello

this question for those who understand the field of electronics

I always wanted to know why electronics malfunction.
I am sure a lot of people would say wear and tear. but that is not the case, what if the equipment have not been used much at all, its just old.

i can understand something like rotating drive in a cd player for example , or lithium going bad in an old battery...but other than that...why they stop functioning as time goes by...

[dlmvii]

Electronic components have a very low tolerance for corrosion

also, breaking capacitors in half rarely helps.

[Seganerd]

It's called planned obsolescence. Almost everything you buy is made to break so you will end up buying again, and again. Countless electronic devices that I have bought (like a laptop or ipod) have a one year warranty and breakdown after a year and several months.
Unlike other things you can buy like a chair, or a guitar, with electronics you can't see crappy craftmanship.

[RCBH928]

are you saying that you can actually build an electronic device that can live for like 100-200 years just like other commodities like furniture and clothing and weapons?

[ZenLogikos]

Yes, electronic and mechanical devices CAN be made better(with higher quality components), but that raises the costs. When trying to mass produce an item, maufacturers always try to lower costs. The middle point between cost and lifespan is where most products fall.

[RCBH928]

I am really interested in this

So i can make like a dvd (and dvd player) that would work 200 years ahead, and a hard-drive that will never go corrupt, and a pc that will always work for 150 years. A tv that can be switched on after 170 years?

Like I can basically have a hard-drive time capsule and some one in the future will dig and find it and it iwll still work?

i want to know if it is possible, I always thought its out of the characteristics of an electronic device to malfunction within 10-20 years

[Ivo]

i want to know if it is possible, I always thought its out of the characteristics of an electronic device to malfunction within 10-20 years

I'm sure that it would be possible if people researched into it, but it wouldn't ever be viable to mass produce them so nobody researches into it. However I'm sure than in some scientific experiments they actually build electronics that are durable, in some cases because it isn't possible to then go and replace or fix problems.

Perhaps an actual example that is probably applicable is the Voyager probe, which was sent out with a gold record:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record
It isn't really a piece of electronics, but it is similar in some ways to a DVD.
I think that record must be really durable, otherwise it is missing the point. Gold itself is one of the most stable things available, even with a lot of cosmic rays hitting the thing.

Ivo.

[lordofduct]

I am really interested in this

So i can make like a dvd (and dvd player) that would work 200 years ahead, and a hard-drive that will never go corrupt, and a pc that will always work for 150 years. A tv that can be switched on after 170 years?

Like I can basically have a hard-drive time capsule and some one in the future will dig and find it and it iwll still work?

i want to know if it is possible, I always thought its out of the characteristics of an electronic device to malfunction within 10-20 years

In theory...

that doesn't mean we will. Nor does that mean you can. Some of the materials required for certain tasks just don't last that long... they corrode far to quickly.

Like the DVD themselves. The glue that holds the plastic to the reflective pitted surface just isn't going to last that long. And there isn't a glue out there that will last that long. Or In a HDD there is even more issues to come across. Especially because it has moving parts.