I bought 2 pairs of Mitutoyo digital calipers back in 1998 (when I was wealthy!!). One pair went in my toolbox at work, and have gone through hell, the other pair spent about the first 5 years next to the computer for use when drawing parts in CAD, and then the last 7 years in my home workshop.
Well a month ago the pair at work died.- no display, nothing. Put a new battery in - nothing. Tried another battery out of a working set of calipers - nothing. Oh well, they have been through hell and I guess 12 years isnt bad.
So a week later I go to use my ones at home. Nothing, no display, nothing. New battery, nothing.
What the hell??
The conspiracy theorist would say that their
value engineering was a bit miscalculated (i.e. they
should have "died" on the same day). On the other hand, consider the components in an electronic measuring gage. The first hand-held units made in the early-1980's cost serious $$$ (I spent nearly $10,000 on one for a program in 1984) and rarely lasted more than two years regardless of how you cared for them. All it takes is one of the very fine "leads" to flex too often, get slightly corroded, thermally cycle too far, and "poof" -- the magic is gone. They have certainly gotten better (and cheaper) over the years, but they are
still a compromise of cost, weight, and functionality.
The first commercial "home computer" hit the market in 1974 (IMSAI, SWTP, and RCA/Elf). They were expensive, unreliable, and extremely hard to use. The price started dropping and reliability and ease of use started improving in 1979. Trillions of dollars have been spent on the development of such beasties over the intervening years. Who here is using a computer that is 12 years old?
There are quite a few Model A's and early Peugot's still in service. Can you imagine
any modern production car being
runable in another 30 (much less 100) years?
