The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts?

Warning:  slightly technical but mostly cost and expense language.  Reader discretion advised.

 

This isn't a new thought...but it's current, a number of broadcasters are lamenting it, and since a client just got bitten by it, I want to get it back out there. 

 

A few years ago, someone went to a Cadillac dealer repeatedly, checking prices on all the parts of a new Caddy.  By the time he totaled everything, the parts for a new car would have cost about 5 times the dealer price - and you'd have to build it yourself.

 

Kinda reminds you of that Johnny Cash One Piece at a Time song.

 

Well, if you think cars are bad, take a run at broadcast gear.  It's been true for awhile but it's getting worse.  Pick a part - any part - and then brace yourself.  It's going to cost you plenty.  Even if you can find them at general parts sources like Digi-Key, MCM or Mouser, calling the manufacturer will get you a number that will send your eyes rolling.

 

And, it's worse if it's a custom part.  I had two occasions to witness that in the last couple of weeks.  One was a transmitter and the second was a simple CD player.  $1000 for a panel meter?  And when you call them and say that there's no info in the manual about the actual meter movement, you're met with, "Yeah, uh.  I don't know what to tell you except we have 4 in stock."  

 

Cool.  And since this particular unit is in the final stage of a transmitter, you can't just pull any replacement or guess at the value.  Well you could, but your client is exposed to the possibility of an NAL.

 

Same is true - but worse - with the custom items like coils in a combiner.  You get the feeling that there's a marketing guy and a techie sitting in a bar together, rubbing their hands together, waiting for a failure.

 

And a CD player?  Laser and lens shouldn't cost $200.  They just shouldn't.

 

Yes, I know.  There are development costs.  When you're only building a couple thousand of something, you have to make your money back somewhere.   And keeping a service center working can be expensive.  Of course, managers and bean counters don't want to pay more up front.  And, frankly, a lot of techies would rather see expenses in the repair budget than in capital expenditures.  

 

Maybe the solution is to buy two of everything and put one in moth balls.  Then cannibalize it for parts.  But you have to have the fortitude to pull that first part from a perfectly good box to fix one that's failing.  And, BTW, if you get that past the bean counters, let me know.

 



You Think that 7805 Will Heal Itself?

They Never Heal! I seldom beg…but I have to this time. Anyone who’s doing field service…please...when you pull a bad component, throw it out – or at least find a bucket and clearly label it, “Bad Parts I’m Hoping Will Heal.” How many times have you entered a site for the first time to find drawers full of components with solder on them (as if they’ve been removed from a circuit) or labeled, “removed” or “E-B short” or just “bad”. Here’s what I’ve found. No bad part has ever healed. Fuses stay blown. Transistors stay shorted and open diodes are open forever. So get rid of them. And the ones that can be fixed…send the choke off and have it rewound or get rid of it. What a time waster to have to re-declare a MOSFET DOA so that you don’t install it and find that the same symptom prevails, or worse, new ones pop up. It’s a simple request. Throw them out. If you really want to keep them, put them in that bucket or nail them to a piece of wood or curl their leads to make cute little bugs. It’ll save the owner countless billed hours and you lots of headaches. One important note: If there’s a possibility of an insurance claim, document every part failure and replacement and hang on to all of the parts until the claim is settled. If you want to take things one step further, do a real inventory. Right. Count ‘em all. First, you’ll be surprised what you have for emergencies and second, it makes emergency repairs a lot easier and faster. Of course, it helps to sort and store everything so it can be found, otherwise, it’s all for nothing. Now, the problem with all of this is that there’s never enough time – and ask the average owner if he/she’ll approve overtime so that you can take inventory and catalog, and the answer probably will be no. Maybe you can play back the part above about saving money on future repairs. That might get you an OK. Then again, maybe not.