Growing up my dad always told me that computers last a long time because there are no moving parts. I have since learned that while they do last longer than mechanical systems, they can't last forever. Furthermore technology evolves at such a quick pace, while a computer may still work, it eventually becomes so slow compared to newer ones that it may seem broken.
This week I had the computer interface on my dishwasher go bad. Rather than buy a new dishwasher, I had a repair person come to take a look at it. He quickly diagnosed the board that handles the user input (a fancy way of saying button presses). Unfortunately they don't make that part any more and so I am stuck paying for the service visit and a new dishwasher. I don't mind the price of the service call as I now know the problem and won't wonder if it could have been fixed for less than the price of a new dishwasher.
While earning my degree in Electrical Engineering, I discovered that there are actually a number of problems that can occur with computers and electrical components. I thought I would list them out should you experience a similar problem with one of your computer-controlled appliances.
- Magic Smoke Escaping - While working in the electronics labs at school, we had a running joke that all components contained magic smoke that allowed them to work correctly. Sometimes a student would apply more power to a resistor than it could handle and the resistor would burn up, letting out all of the magic smoke. It left a nasty smell and everyone knew what happened.
- Capacitors failing - Capacitors are one of those components that have a relatively short lifespan. Unlike resistors, when capacitors fail, they do so with an explosion that sounds like a loud cap gun. Well at least they do when you apply too much power. If the capacitor is old, it may leak and then stop working slowly. My guess is that one of the capacitors in my dishwasher failed slowly and that is why it no longer works.
- Water is Bad - Electricity and water are not good to mix together. When the service technician came to look at my dishwasher, we found a leak and there is also a good chance a part got corroded and stopped working. For those with waterproof electronics, companies will spray a chemical on the electrical components that creates a water-tight seal to protect them. It actually works fairly well but is not a guarantee water will keep electrical components dry. Sometimes that barrier fails and the water will release the magic smoke from a very important part of the phone.
- Metal Migration - This is something I learned about in school but have never seen actually happen. Basically electricity coursing through semiconductors will move some of the material to the point it fails. This will only happen inside of integrated circuits or chips. It can happen with memory or logic chips. As I mentioned, I have never seen it happen in practice but it is something engineers have to take into account when designing components.
I have already ordered my new dishwasher but now that I have thought about the issue a bit, I'm sure if I removed the user interface, I could easily locate the failed capacitor or resistor and replace it. I have the technology and the troubleshooting know how. The only cost would be time. Then again, I would also have to fix that leak too. It is so much easier just to buy a new dishwasher.
