I have been noticing how electronics die with out cause

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by juggler

Harry may be on to something with the lead-free solder. This is part of the RoHS (reduction of hazardous substances) initiative that has caused electronics makers to change/update many of the components on their circuit board designs. Makes the enviro-whackos happy, but I believe quality has been negatively impacted.

That said, as someone who designs high tech electronics for a living, I can assure you that there are absolutely no "timers" or other embedded gizmos that cause the device to die after a preset time period. That's just silly.

p.s. unless you are talking about inkjet cartridges. There's some nefarious stuff going on with some of them.

My HP OfficeJet d145 had a battery in it (quarter size) that kept power running to a timer. If you didn't use up all the ink in the carts fast enough it would reach the timed limit and refuse to print. I solved the problem by unplugging the printer, removing the battery for a minute, and replacing it. No more error message.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

You can thank the misguided attempts of eco-nuts for part of it. The requirement of lead-free solder is a known problem, and it affects smaller circuits more than the old massive electronics we used to have. So instead of having a tiny amount of lead that might somehow escape into the environment, we have lead-free electronics that fail and require constant replacement - which is as damaging to the environment as the lead, if not more so. Short-sighted regulations and de-facto laws like that are one of the primary reasons that I no longer tolerate the insanities of the "Green" evangelists.

My advice is to buy electronics with the understanding that they now have a short lifespan, and that your money will be lost within a few years. I find that I'm no longer interested in buying most of the electronic doo-dads anymore because of the problems.

Keep a (relatively) small amount of lead out of the environment and load up the landfills three times faster.

Brilliant!

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Keep a (relatively) small amount of lead out of the environment and load up the landfills three times faster.

Brilliant!

I've already thought of a solution to that. Require that all large electronic devices be designed of uniform size and shape, with lego-type interlocking faces. Then, instead of putting 100-million of them into landfills every year, they can be snapped together to build low-income housing or box-store malls.