Obsolete PCBs or boards lacking circuit schematic diagrams present a conundrum when there’s a need for repair. Online searches for old datasheets may not be productive. What happens when obsolete boards must be fixed but there is only one “golden board” left?
The scenario often arises in the military sector where equipment has a long operational life but the original manufacturer may be long gone, and the relevant documentation is unobtainable. The military must maintain its equipment no matter how long ago a product was designed and assembled. The ability to repair or replace legacy components is essential for military readiness, but it can also be costly.
When systems have an operational life of upwards of 25 years, the support strategy for spares and repairs is critical. Product support often evaporates when companies are taken over, restructured, or closed. Rapidly changing technology also makes support problematic. Consumer products, for example, often lose support long before the end of their operating life. But obsolescence is unacceptable for a product lacking a physically and functionally identical (form/fit/function) replacement that is also part of a validated system having a long life. A change to a new component in critical equipment such as military gear or medical diagnostic machines may be enormously costly and could require recertifying the whole system.
See this article for the solution: https://www.testandmeasurementtips.com/the-challenge-of-testing-obsolete-pcbs-faq/
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