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Forum Index : Electronics : On standby or off? Shock load?

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domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 02:08pm 30 May 2012
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Hi,

In the bush I switch off the sat decoder, TV and PVR; not to save electricity but worrying about voltage fluctuations and outages. The sat decoder rescans after switching it back on.

As a general rule, should electronics be left switched on and warm as the inrush current damages (?) equipment? I remember the days when PCs could be fixed by the "laying on of hands", i.e., pressing the black chips down as the repeated warming/cooling made the chips rise out of the mounts.

Thanks.

Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
davef
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Joined: 14/05/2006
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 499
Posted: 09:39pm 30 May 2012
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As a general rule I'd say there is no rule.

Somethings undergo more stress being turned on and off, ie filament type light bulbs, and hard drives. Well probably old hard drives because these days some operating systems will spin-down hard drives after an idle period. I haven't had a hard drive failure in the last 10 years and I am turning them off when not needed.

We are told to turn all computing equipment off when we go home at night.

Soldering iron tips last longer when they are only used when needed. My ADSL modem dried it's electrolytics out when only switched on when used after about a year. I suspect that if I had left it on 24/7 it would have only lasted 3 months.

PC monitors and switch mode systems often use to fail at switch on, but the electros also dry out if left on. Nowadays it seems best to just turn them off when not needed.

I think if the equipment is properly designed then turning on and off seems to the "general rule".

My 2cents worth . . .
 
domwild
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Joined: 16/12/2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 873
Posted: 01:18pm 31 May 2012
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Thanks, Dave.
Taxation as a means of achieving prosperity is like a man standing inside a bucket trying to lift himself up.

Winston Churchill
 
Warpspeed
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Joined: 09/08/2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 4406
Posted: 06:11pm 03 Jun 2012
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Yeah, some things deteriorate faster if you don't use them, like rechargeable batteries, and the possible risk of corrosion damage from condensation and moisture.

Mechanical things tend to wear out faster with constant use, so it is really a tough call...

I suppose you need to look at common failure modes, and decide for yourself if something is much more likely not to work because it has not been used for a very long time.

I know for sure that a car driven every day is much more likely to start, and get you there, than one that has been sitting under a tree and totally ignored for five years.

Cheers,  Tony.
 
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