| It is threads like this one that put normal people off posting on forums!
It would be hard to find a thread out there with more nonsense and misinformation than this one.
The 'leave it on overnight' myth is as asinine as running in speakers and having directional arrows on speaker cable.
1. All MOS ICs are made by diffusing impurities into a silicon wafer. That diffusion never stops and when it reaches where it going the device will fail! Diffusion is a physical chemical process whose rate is determined by temperature. Perhaps if you only expect your electronic equipment to have a life of three years like a PC this is ok but it is best to turn the gear off when you are not using it.
2. The life span of caps is largely determined also by temperature. Leaving them on 24-7 will shorten their lifespan.
3. Your can read off the power consumption of the desk on your electric meter and the cost per kW-hr is on your electric bill. Also the power consumption is given in the documentation.
4. The tin in the new lead-free solder will grow out and short out adjacent connections on the very fine pitched IC leads and this process too speeds up at higher temperatures.
5. There is no EU directive preventing any manufacturer from supporting any of their desks just because there is old solder on them - SSL or any other manufacturer is perfectly free to support any product from any era. Fortunately, there are dozens of small service companies that will support your old desks, as long as they are not digital. |