21 Jul
2015
21 Jul
'15
7:19 p.m.
On 07/21/2015 06:46 PM, Tothwolf wrote:
I dunno about that. When I've done commercial
boards such as industrial
process controllers and CPUs for customers with nearly unlimited funds,
I charged the customer based on an hourly rate. Since I use a vacuum
desoldering tool, changing out 10-15 aluminum electrolytics on a board
took me not much more time than 1-2. Most of the time spent on a board
that comes out of the field is spent on cleaning, testing (before and
after repairs) and prep, and it only takes a few seconds to pull the
solder off of a couple of component leads. Replacing aged electrolytics
wholesale on these types of boards also meant I didn't need to worry
that the same board would be back on my bench again in the next 3-6
months. These days, I'm not taking on any new commercial work though,
there was just too much demand due to all those shoddy far-east made
capacitors, and it meant I pushed aside all my own projects.
Commercial/industrial boards are a whole different matter and I agree
with you there. The quality of the service performed is of more
importance, often that the cost. Consider a floppy controller board for
a name-brand PLC. You can get one for about $5000--not the PLC, but the
floppy board. The customer expects the PLC to last the life of the tool
it's controlling--30 years is not atypical.
I've often thought that if some of the scrappers out there could
recognize some of the stuff they ground up for precious metals, they'd
think twice.
I might think twice about doing a board that was fragile with age, but
otherwise, change 'em all. Like replacing both headlight bulbs if one
goes out--it's just a matter of time before the other one goes.
--Chuck