- Joined
- Dec 5, 2017
- Messages
- 464
Indeed. That's been true in the electronics business for a long time. I graduated from the Navy's Electronics Technician Class "A" school in 1970. For the next several years I was stationed at various places as a technician. Vacuum tubes were still in widespread use, discrete transistors were common and becoming more so, and we were hearing rumors about these new fangled "integrated circuits". Everything got troubleshot down to the component(s). One piece of equipment I worked on regularly had "potted modules" which were basically discrete components encased in a block of epoxy with pins out the bottom.
In 1979 I went back to school on a more advanced system. All digital, pretty much everything but the power supplies were high density circuit boards with IC chips. By then, it was "run the diagnostics and replace the boards it tells you to replace." Some thinking required to interpret diagnostics, and maybe peek at a signal here and there with a oscilloscope to confirm it, but the most important thing was a complete and well-stocked spare parts kit.
In fact, one component of it, an early digital computer, didn't even go that far. They used what they called the "handspread" method: Run the diagnostic, put your "social finger" on the board it called out, and replace that board and any on either side of it you could cover with your hand! True story!
I shudder to think what electronic "troubleshooting" has devolved to in this day and age.