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| Thread ID: 142616 | 2016-08-04 23:11:00 | Electronic Question | Roscoe (6288) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1424054 | 2016-08-04 23:11:00 | I have an old valve radio and I have noticed that it runs much better when it is run on a daily basis. I wondered if the same thing applies to solid state equipment. I have an Alkris Digital Satellite Receiver that initially came up to operating within about 5 to 10 mins. Now it can take up to 40 mins before it is operating. I was wondering if that was because it is usually only used for a few days one weekend a month. Would it be advantageous to fire it up on a weekly or daily basis and let it run for about 3 or 4 hours? That is usually about the amount of time we have it going in the evening when watching the TV (once a month). Your help is appreciated. |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 1424055 | 2016-08-05 00:53:00 | It is not updating its own software is it. | CliveM (6007) | ||
| 1424056 | 2016-08-05 00:53:00 | I think once a month for a few hours, as you are doing, should be good. That would be enough to keep it happy and dry inside. There must be something else happening if it takes up to 40 minutes to "warm up". | rumpty (2863) | ||
| 1424057 | 2016-08-05 02:01:00 | No Idea if sitting idle affects the lifespan of electronics or not, but I do know the most common time for failure is during startup and to a lesser extent shutdown. The initial power up stage is hardest on most electronic devices so I'd suspect adding too many extra power up cycles would have an adverse affect on longevity. Simple illustration of the point, how many times have you seen an old school incandescent bulb blow almost immediately when you turned it on. Most gear does last pretty well if just left on, but there's obviously a trade off there also. |
dugimodo (138) | ||
| 1424058 | 2016-08-05 02:34:00 | It is not updating its own software is it. I don't think so. It would have to be connected to the internet to do that, would it not? It is nowhere near an internet connection - it is in our motorhome. Besides, it takes that long every time it starts up. |
Roscoe (6288) | ||
| 1424059 | 2016-08-05 02:56:00 | The valves have heaters whose job is to boil electrons off the cathode so they're free to move. Over time the cathode gets polluted by contaminants in the vacuum. It needs to get really hot to produce any electrons. So your valves are probably getting old Having said that, I went into a specialist shop to get valves for my tape recorder and the guy said I was wasting my money - it would be the capacitors (My parents bought the Philips tape recorder about 1958. I'm curious to know if anything is still on that tape. Perhaps Michael Holliday's Story of My Life? Connie Francis Breaking in her newly-broken Heart?) |
BBCmicro (15761) | ||
| 1424060 | 2016-08-05 03:13:00 | I just resurrected an old reel to reel was my in-laws | gary67 (56) | ||
| 1424061 | 2016-08-05 04:09:00 | I doubt there's anything on our tapes. 50 years is too long for the magnetic particles to remain oriented I remember coming home from primary school to find everybody smirking and not speaking. Turns out they were recording me. (The microphone is in the pic. I think it's a carbon type.) Dad connected our radiogram's speaker to the recorder and us 6 kids hammered the machine by endlessly recording and replaying the hit parades on 2ZA |
BBCmicro (15761) | ||
| 1424062 | 2016-08-05 05:40:00 | The valves have heaters whose job is to boil electrons off the cathode so they're free to move. Over time the cathode gets polluted by contaminants in the vacuum. It needs to get really hot to produce any electrons. So your valves are probably getting old Having said that, I went into a specialist shop to get valves for my tape recorder and the guy said I was wasting my money - it would be the capacitors (My parents bought the Philips tape recorder about 1958. I'm curious to know if anything is still on that tape. Perhaps Michael Holliday's Story of My Life? Connie Francis Breaking in her newly-broken Heart?) I have seen a failed burnt valve from a large floor tensile and crush tester (100 ton capacity) I use to operate for crushing materials. Built in 1965, driven by small interchangeable cogs for varying the horizontal crossarm speeds. One day, around 1989, took a "long" 20 min for it to drive crosshead downwards. Faulty valve - Local supplier and I think the UK parent (Instron (www.instron.com.au)) company had no valves - old tech. Our engineer sourced one from the back blocks of Russia - which their industry was still using them. |
kahawai chaser (3545) | ||
| 1424063 | 2016-08-06 05:18:00 | I have seen a failed burnt valve from a large floor tensile and crush tester (100 ton capacity) I use to operate for crushing materials. Built in 1965, driven by small interchangeable cogs for varying the horizontal crossarm speeds. One day, around 1989, took a "long" 20 min for it to drive crosshead downwards. Faulty valve - Local supplier and I think the UK parent (Instron (www.instron.com.au)) company had no valves - old tech. Our engineer sourced one from the back blocks of Russia - which their industry was still using them. You can still get valves from Russia. Jaycars have a few, but you would have to order any special ones. |
mzee (3324) | ||
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