I fully support 7LM's view that solid state electronics don't wear out.
I'm sorry, but that simply isn't the case. Solid state electronics can and do wear out over time. If they didn't, my career for the last 30 odd years wouldn't have existed. Which isn't to say that some hardware can last for decades with no issues because it can and does. A lot of it comes down to the quality of the components used. Cheapo capacitors for instance. I can't remember how many Thomson Sky boxes I've rebuilt the power supplies on because of failed (cheap) capacitors, but it's a lot !!
Resistors can go open circuit, or change value, transistors can fail, go short circuit or open circuit as can diodes. Granted modern kit is much more reliable than say 20 years ago but failures can and do occur.
Apologies for being off topic .
I think its a question of degree.
Component failure is a risk from the day of manufacture and with many components (especially cheap capacitors) that risk increases with age of equipment. But I don't accept that the rapid turnover of PC hardware, in which many people feel compelled to engage, is always called for.
I also like to look into things when they break and if not fix them, at least figure out what killed them. It is a very long time since I identified any electronic gadget that died of anything other than capacitor failure, with the sole exception of a 20-odd year old digital clock where a totally unstressed high value resistor had gone O/C.
The trouble with electrolytic caps is that even within rated limits of voltage and temperature, manufacturers' stated life expectance is often just a few months pif continuous use. So, for 'always on' devices it is usually a bad idea to buy a capacitor that simply meets the requirements of voltage, ripple & temperature, it will likely fail in less than a year. But life expectancy is typically doubled with every 10 degree temperature reduction. Similar (less dramatic) rewards can be expected by reducing voltage and ripple currents below the max rated. With such considerations (and added cost) then, it is quite possible to design equipment with a 'probable' life of many many years.
Best of all though IMHO, when some Far Eastern capacitor factory springs up out of nowhere, claiming to exceed Panasonic quality at a fraction of their price, manufacturers should see it the same context as an email from Nigeria asking for help disposing of the family income.
