RE: Use of Tantulums - DRSSTCs

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "McCauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley@xxxxxxxx>

Just because something cost a lot doesn't mean an engineer designed it
properly.

Dan



>I once paid about AUD$1000 for 2 service techs to drive 300K
>and spend a
>day dismantling a colour doppler echocardiograph machine of
>mine.  Out of
>all the 50 or so boards they tracked down the fault by the 'follow the
>trail of smoke test' to a faulty tantalum.  They got a new one
>for less
>than $1. They did not have nice things to say about Tantalums in aging
>equipment as it is a common problem apparently.
>The Echo machine cost $AUD 250,000 10 years before I inherited it.  It
>weighs 300kg, has 15 cooling fans and a 1400W power supply.
>Of course the
>current model is hand luggage suitcase size, far more advanced
>but still
>costs $100,000.
>Peter