Extension of the intended lifetime of products

The struggle to keep product prices low forces compromises that may reduce uptime. Do you use solutions to extend the trouble-free operation of electronic devices?

Equipment running on stand-by .
For appliances without a mechanical power switch that completely cuts off the power supply for years I use extension cords with a switch, or even plugs with a built-in switch. TVs, set-top boxes, monitors, washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves do not need to run on stand-by. A common failure is damage to the power supply through depletion or a power surge. The disadvantage of unplugging the power supply is incorrect time on the built-in clock or longer start-up time of the decoder.... Of course, there are appliances that are worth having a continuous power supply e.g. radio alarm clocks or washing machine/dishwasher where we have set the cycle to start in 5 hours when there is a cheaper tariff. Fewer idle hours under power can extend the life of equipment. We will also minimally reduce energy consumption by doing this. Of course, this does not affect mechanical wear and tear, or electronic damage to e.g. triacs and executive relays switching high-power loads such as heaters. For household appliances connected to the water mains, it is advisable to turn off the water supply with a valve when not in use to reduce the risk of flooding.

Continuous flow controls .
Convenient solutions are back box or rail-mounted radio remote-controlled relays. Such devices are often enclosed in a box when retrofitting an installation. I have noticed two types of power supplies for radio relays, these are either transformerless power supplies or switched-mode power supplies. In the first, the film capacitor loses capacitance or the Zener diode is damaged. Switch-mode power supplies, on the other hand, become damaged over time due to the ageing of the electrolytic capacitors or, more often, damage to the inverter circuit. The actuator of the devices is the relay and the rest of the circuit is galvanically isolated, so I specify an external DC power supply. Usually radio relays require a 12V or some newer 5V supply. I happened to use "12V" DC from a nearby buffer power supply to power such devices after reworking the power supply circuit and changing the markings on the case. Using a transformer power supply to power a group of such devices significantly extends their uptime.

LED lighting .
In the days of incandescent lighting, soft starts extended the life of incandescent bulbs by eliminating the current surge on the cold filament. LED lighting is often price-optimised and LEDs are forced to operate with high current and poor cooling. For LEDs in the form of 'bulbs', modifications are difficult. However, for off-the-shelf plafonds and illuminators with an external or built-in DC power supply, more advanced electronics engineers can lower the value of the forced current . The brightness of the source decreases, but the failure-free time increases significantly.

. Firing relay contacts .
A well-known trick of experienced electronics engineers is to connect sections of relay contacts in series often switching large currents. This method significantly increased the relay's failure-free operating time. Nowadays, one can consider the SSSR relay module . A solid-state 'relay' does not have mechanical contacts, but you have to reckon with the power loss on the triac/ thyristors and less resistance to current and voltage surges. One can also think of a so-called 'perpetual relay' where the switching operations are performed by the semiconductor element, then the EMR relay contacts are connected in parallel to the semiconductor.

Toys that quickly drain batteries or break down .
In many toys with luminescent elements, the LEDs run at high current, which gradually damages the LEDs and quickly drains the battery. Simply selecting a series resistor of 150-500Ω (depending on the circuit and supply voltage) will significantly extend the battery life. The current-limiting resistor is often overlooked by far-left manufacturers of various luminescent toys, and the conversion is very simple. In toys equipped with motors, it is worth considering the use of accumulators to reduce the number of disposable cells and batteries.

Do you use solutions to extend the trouble-free operation of electronic devices?

Have you noticed which devices break down frequently after the warranty period has expired and what causes the breakdown?