Complexity
I was junking some old computer stuff, but as usual, opened the cases to see if there were any salvage possibilities. I was quite surprised when I looked inside a ten year old US Robotics 28Kb modem. The number of parts, complex ICs, surface mount devices, transformers and so on is amazing for such a simple application. Now, the work is probably done with one or two ICs and very few external components.
Even at that level, repair would be quite difficult with all surface mount ICs. No wonder its cheaper to just chuck out a non-working box and upgrade to a faster, smaller and more power efficient device. Still, I get a guilty twinge when I toss something like this. It goes back to my entire history of fixing just about any electronics gadget that came my way. From my first start in electronics, my job, my justification for existence was to keep the wheels on the track, so to speak. I fixed things. In industry, there was no choice. Machinery and electrical equipment had to be fixed and fixed in a hurry. Production couldn't wait for purchasing to issue paperwork and go out for bids on the latest and greatest. I spent a lot of hours keeping obsolete gear running.
Once we changed over to PLCs and computer control, a lot of the repair work was limited to external sensors, switches and motion parts. Overall, the reliability went way up. The way I had defined myself to others changed as well. Now, I was more of an applications person, making decisions about upgrades, designing new ways of doing a job with new tools. Internally, the complexity went way up. Externally, simpler and more reliable.
Everything changes. Most of what I see is good. Smaller and faster is the mantra of the age. Fixing this shiny new gear becomes impossible. We are all appliance operators now. No wonder some of us are nostalgic for skills no longer needed. Still, I have few regrets. Having a broad background and a historical perspective on electronics and mechanics give me an appreciation of where we are and where we are going. Computers, the internet, HD television, cell phones, reliable cars and all the rest of our technological world are based on the work we've done before.
In spite of forces in the world trying to reset society to the middle ages, we technologists will prevail. We can't retreat. I can't go back to those days of tubes and that is more than OK.
Earle Rich
Mont Vernon, NH
Still optomistic
Even at that level, repair would be quite difficult with all surface mount ICs. No wonder its cheaper to just chuck out a non-working box and upgrade to a faster, smaller and more power efficient device. Still, I get a guilty twinge when I toss something like this. It goes back to my entire history of fixing just about any electronics gadget that came my way. From my first start in electronics, my job, my justification for existence was to keep the wheels on the track, so to speak. I fixed things. In industry, there was no choice. Machinery and electrical equipment had to be fixed and fixed in a hurry. Production couldn't wait for purchasing to issue paperwork and go out for bids on the latest and greatest. I spent a lot of hours keeping obsolete gear running.
Once we changed over to PLCs and computer control, a lot of the repair work was limited to external sensors, switches and motion parts. Overall, the reliability went way up. The way I had defined myself to others changed as well. Now, I was more of an applications person, making decisions about upgrades, designing new ways of doing a job with new tools. Internally, the complexity went way up. Externally, simpler and more reliable.
Everything changes. Most of what I see is good. Smaller and faster is the mantra of the age. Fixing this shiny new gear becomes impossible. We are all appliance operators now. No wonder some of us are nostalgic for skills no longer needed. Still, I have few regrets. Having a broad background and a historical perspective on electronics and mechanics give me an appreciation of where we are and where we are going. Computers, the internet, HD television, cell phones, reliable cars and all the rest of our technological world are based on the work we've done before.
In spite of forces in the world trying to reset society to the middle ages, we technologists will prevail. We can't retreat. I can't go back to those days of tubes and that is more than OK.
Earle Rich
Mont Vernon, NH
Still optomistic