panic mode
Well-Known Member
i remember time when seeing resistors with only 3 bands was not out of this world (sign i'm getting old?)
tolerance was just 'invisible' or 'body color' representing 20% (mainstream was 10% and 5% was 'precision').
no doubt SMD is dominant these days in anything compact but the through hole components are not dead yet.
i see lots of through hole parts on larger power devices, of course on older equipment and nearly all prototypes.
also quite often spare part is taken from another unit, specially when working in field and later on, the other unit is repaired in shop.
and finding color coded resistor on a large board is a breeze when it's color coded.
working with smt in same condition is not very likely to happen in field, and if you drop something, you'l most likely never see it again.
one need to take it back to shop, sit down, make sure there is nothing else on desk, pull lamp closer and aim it at suspect, i mean board...
but i like smt exactly because of small size. advances in miniaturization made many things we enjoy today possible.
tolerance was just 'invisible' or 'body color' representing 20% (mainstream was 10% and 5% was 'precision').
no doubt SMD is dominant these days in anything compact but the through hole components are not dead yet.
i see lots of through hole parts on larger power devices, of course on older equipment and nearly all prototypes.
also quite often spare part is taken from another unit, specially when working in field and later on, the other unit is repaired in shop.
and finding color coded resistor on a large board is a breeze when it's color coded.
working with smt in same condition is not very likely to happen in field, and if you drop something, you'l most likely never see it again.
one need to take it back to shop, sit down, make sure there is nothing else on desk, pull lamp closer and aim it at suspect, i mean board...
but i like smt exactly because of small size. advances in miniaturization made many things we enjoy today possible.