Digital Scope powered 24/7

[Mikebits]

What is the consensus on running a DSO 24/7? Is turning off after each use harder on the scope than leaving on? What about the LCD display?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I wouldn't have thought it would make much difference?, but leaving it on permanently (when it's an item which is only used very occasionally) is a huge waste of electricity.

 

[jpanhalt]

I suspect the most important time-limiting factor is the lifespan of the screen. OLED's still have relatively short lifespans. For LCD's, the limit may be related to the method used for backlighting.

Here are two discussions of TV lifespan:
LCD Backlight
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-long-do-tvs-last-morrisons-mailbag/

OLED Longevity
https://www.cnet.com/news/seven-problems-with-current-oled-televisions/

Sixty-thousand hours may sound like a long time, but that is only 6 years 10 months when on full time. I would also be concerned with collection of dusts and other airborne particulates on the electronics and mechanical components when left on.

John

 

[crutschow]

I always turn electronic devices off when they are not being used, including my computers, and their reliability has always been good.
I even put a plug-in power timer on my two Satellite receivers so they are completely off late night and during the daytime hours when I never watch TV, since they consume near 30W apiece, even if you use the remote to turn then "Off" (which apparently just turns off the video output).
I have a 7-day timer so, for football season, they are naturally turned on earlier on the weekends.

 

[Mikebits]

I was always told the inrush currents of power up can shorten the life span in power circuits. Of course a well designed unit would have soft start.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I was always told the inrush currents of power up can shorten the life span in power circuits. Of course a well designed unit would have soft start.

Electronics mostly fail when you turn them ON or OFF, but as I said above in reality there's little difference - particularly for something like a scope which is only used occasionally.

 

[nsaspook]

I've had analog and DSO scopes (even the cheap Chinese ones ) as signal monitors on for years in an industrial setting. The cooling fans on the cheap ones are usually the first thing to fail.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The cooling fans on the cheap ones are usually the first thing to fail.

That's probably quite true

Same on PC's really, fans start to get noisy relatively soon.

 

[nsaspook]

That's probably quite true

Same on PC's really, fans start to get noisy relatively soon.

The cheap fan dying has been the root cause of billions of dollars in equipment failures. In my case it's not because of dirt as most of them operate in an ISO class 1 clean room. The bearing are just crap and turn to dust in a few months of continuous operation.
Most are replaced by something from **broken link removed** for trouble free operation for years.

 

[Paul_L]

I always turn electronic devices off when they are not being used, including my computers, and their reliability has always been good.
I even put a plug-in power timer on my two Satellite receivers so they are completely off late night and during the daytime hours when I never watch TV, since they consume near 30W apiece, even if you use the remote to turn then "Off" (which apparently just turns off the video output).
I have a 7-day timer so, for football season, they are naturally turned on earlier on the weekends.

 

[Paul_L]

I am with crutschow 100% if it isn't being used unplug it. I use timers on a lot of things around the house to include my furnace. No point in making hot water at 3 am. Back in my Air Force days we use to leave the radar systems 24/7 figuring that it would be hard on them if they were turned off for the weekends. Somewhere in the mid-80s they were shut off every weekend. I was one of many doing maintenance on them and we never knew the difference. the just need a few hours to stabilize when turned on.

 

[gearhead63]

Electrical components have a shelf life...........whether they are being used or not, they only last so long. It's engineered into the design.
If you bought stuff that lasted forever you'd only buy it once.
But leaving equipment run shortens it's usable lifespan. JMO.