Questions tagged [durability]
The durability tag has no summary.
22 questions
1 vote
3 answers
327 views
What are low cost ways to ruggedize electronics?
I'm looking for low-cost suggestions to improve the ruggedness of a small electronics product that includes LED lights, a piezo, Bluetooth MCU, and 1000 mAh battery. I created digital ice hockey ...
- 19
1 vote
1 answer
59 views
Choosing a durable 4 wire connection coming from the edge of a cylinder [closed]
I am making a set of electronic bagpipes, and i need to connect the PCB holding the optical sensors for the fingers to a synthesizer board through a cable of a couple of meters. For the moment i haven'...
- 11
0 votes
3 answers
197 views
What would happen if I powered a 5 V heater with 6 V?
I have 2 mini heater pads (carbon fiber) for gloves that are rated at 5 V. In series they have 6 + 6 = 12 Ω resistance. I have a 6 V power supply (~6.25 V by my last measurements), and I'm planning to ...
- 189
1 vote
0 answers
186 views
What is the chemical compound leftover on vintage 80s/90s PCBs with their distinctive characteristic smell?
Most people know the smell of vintage/ancient electronics. There a lot of questions about this smell on forums, but nobody explains what the cause actually is or what the chemical formulation of this ...
- 1,435
2 votes
6 answers
309 views
What types of mechanical failure that electronic components might face? Which are the most common?
Which components are the most prone to mechanical failure, via shock or vibration? For example, I know that a speaker coil will generally be more delicate than a fixed resistor, and a IC chip will ...
- 135
3 votes
1 answer
591 views
Mating cycles - alternatives to standard connectors
During my search for an IP22 or higher connector for SMT assembly I have realised that there are few options except USB and audio jacks that can take >1000 mating cycles. I don't want a standard ...
1 vote
0 answers
763 views
Temperature vs. lifespan: the 10 degrees Celsius 'rule'
TL;DR: What's the origin of the 10 degrees Celsius rule? I have heard many times that for every 10 degrees Celsius, the lifespan of components gets halved. There are many documents on the web quoting ...
- 1,099
2 votes
2 answers
280 views
How to roughly know if a electronic scheme will fail soon and protect from it?
I am thinking of a farming project that includes using some board like Arduino, Raspberry Pi or Onion Mega (the list is not exclusive). As the system will work with sensors and support life of its ...
- 189
1 vote
2 answers
170 views
Can I use stall detection as my only obstacle detection or will that damage the DC motors over time?
I plan to build a robot that is likely to bump into a lot of things quite often. I know I can detect if a motor has stalled by measuring the amps it is pulling and would like to use that as a simple ...
- 163
4 votes
1 answer
4k views
USB connector durability: plug vs socket
I've been searching for information about USB connectors durability and I have found those numbers: Type-A: 1,500 plug-unplug cycles Mini-A: 1,000 plug-unplug cycles Mini-B: 5,000 plug-unplug cycles ...
- 41
47 votes
6 answers
33k views
Is there a technical reason why most touch screens use glass rather than plastic?
Most modern touch screens in portable devices are made of glass. This glass often breaks if accidentally dropped. Also, it is very reflective, making it difficult to use in strong light. I know that ...
- 952
1 vote
2 answers
232 views
Frequent switching on/off a chip/module
Typically, is the likelihood higher for a chip/module with Vcc = 3.3V to break if it gets switched on and off frequently over a prolonged period? For instance, on for 3s and off for 3s, continuously. ...
- 173
1 vote
1 answer
747 views
Do CPLD devices lose non-volatile memory over long periods of time?
I have devices that use Xilinx XC9572XL CPLDs. They haven't been used (as in: not powered at all) for almost seven years, and symptoms would point to the CPLDs being at fault. I couldn't find much on ...
- 504
1 vote
2 answers
346 views
how can I "ruggedize" a 3.5mm jack on consumer electronics?
I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this. I've had repeated issues with stress on 3.5mm jacks causing breaks to the solder which means either rewiring or throwing the headphones out. ...
- 113
0 votes
2 answers
2k views
Why SD card is less durable than internal storage in smart phones? [closed]
For instance, Raspberry PI managed to destroy SD card in few weeks. (It seems to be a common problem.) However, internal storage in a smartphone works well for several years (5-years-old Nexus One is ...
- 111