3) The chips
are cheap and easily availble. They're pin-through-hole
DIPs. Dike out the old one and solder in a new one.
Likewise in my example -- the boards each had two Optical Isolators,
which were significantly less than a dollar the set.
Keep in mind that there are costs beyond that dollar. Yes, the costs
of the parts is obvious, and the techs time is also pretty obvious,
but there is more. WAY more.
Doing more component level repair means more techs on staff. More
salaries. With more salaries comes more health care costs, more little
benefits, more equipment, more floorspace, which mean a bigger
building - and then there are the extra personnel people needed to
handle the techs - and their salaries, health care costs, little
benefits, equipment, floorspace - which means you need an even bigger
building, with more maintenance staff, and their salaries, health care
costs, little benefits, equipment, floorspace - which now with a
bigger building comes more property taxes, maintenance costs, material
handling equipment and the servicing they always need, and then the
new shelves to put the part, and the costs to erect them, which may
mean some temps or even more maintenance personnel...
OK, I could go on ALL NIGHT. Yes, the costs incurred for repairing
that little dollar part may have only tiny fractional effects on all
of the above mentioned stuff, but as things start to multiply, you
find that there is a lot of money being dumped into a department that
does not actually make any money.
--
Will
