[X4U] Do computers "microwave" themselves?

[Randy B. Singer]

On Jun 13, 2008, at 11:22 AM, zapcat wrote:

> I was having a discussion about why computers "get old," and the  
> other person's contention was that computer circuitry "microwaves  
> itself," thereby causing degradation of the components.
>
> Now, whether the guy is referring to literal microwaves or just EMF  
> I don't know, but is there some validity to his comment?

I've never heard this.

I can tell you from my personal experience that most Macintosh  
personal computers never "die," they are simply eventually replaced  
with a newer model.  Most long time Mac users will tell you that they  
have three or four Macs in perfect working condition in a closet  
somewhere.

Those few Macs that I've seen that have failed (physically) usually  
have suffered from the effects of heat cycling.  That is, as the  
components have expanded and contracted over time from the Mac  
heating up and cooling off, eventually tiny cracks have formed in the  
solder joints holding in discrete components, creating a  
discontinuity.   These cracks, known as "cold solder joints" are  
usually easy to fix with the touch of a soldering pen to reflow the  
solder.

I've seen lots of Macs that have been diagnosed with a failed power  
supply that actually simply had cold solder joints around the power  
supply.  No new power supply was really necessary, just a few touches  
with a soldering pen.

___________________________________________
Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
http://www.macattorney.com/ts.html
___________________________________________