Electronic equipment failure

Nature

Although amounts spent by manufacturers on production testing are increasing rapidly, a rising percentage of faulty equipment is being delivered to customers. Every step in the manufacture of an electronic product, for example, produces defects of which a certain number inevitably remain undetected. There is a direct relationship between the percentage of undiscovered defects and the cost of the final product, since some defects must be accepted if costs are to be kept down. Such difficulties are likely to get worse rather than better with the introduction of more sophisticated techniques, such as integrated circuit technology, and with the increasing complexity of equipment which such techniques make possible.

Incidence

Electronic equipment failure most often occurs in complicated radio-electronic equipment, such as computers and automatic control devices. The principle causes are imperfect soldering, poor contact in plug and socket connectors and internal defects in the elements.

Claim

A transistor protected by a fast-acting fuse will protect the fuse by blowing first (Klipstein's fifth law of production).

Counter-claim

Electronic equipment failure is often overstated as a significant issue. In a world driven by rapid technological advancement, occasional malfunctions are merely a minor inconvenience, not a crisis. Most devices are designed with redundancy and support systems, ensuring that users can quickly adapt or replace faulty equipment. Instead of fixating on failures, we should celebrate innovation and the continuous improvement of technology, which ultimately enhances our lives far more than the occasional glitch detracts from it.