Nordhavn
0
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2007
- Messages
- 285
- Points
- 28
16.438356164384 years to be exact
I'd take MTBF ratings with a grain of salt though. Ever see what MTBF ratings are for these days for PC hard drives? How many have you had fail? ALL of the failures I've seen were MUCH sooner than half a million hours!
With diodes those TALL ratings are based on continuous use in controlled conditions. A pointer has much much harder conditions! Namely operating temperature, frequent ON/OFF operation, ambient environments that can subject it to harsh electrical exposure from RF (do you set your pointer next to a cell phone, for example?) Even though these things seem feeble in comparison it's the cumulative damage that adds up to the day it dies or changes output suddenly.
Good thing these diodes have 1000 hour+ advertised lifetimes.
Then when you factor in the geek factor of over driving it does not go for long.
Fortunately for pointers our eyes say uncle and they are not turned on for very long. So it may seem like they are lasting longer than they really are!
I'm surprised no one has come up with an hour meter for their portable laser system! That would be neat to have just as cars have an odometer.
You would be surprised at how seemingly a little use adds up! I just bought a diesel ATV over the summer (end of August) and cannot believe I have over 150 miles/34 hours on the clock just from riding around the ranch doing chores and hitting the trails! It's nuts! No wonder tractor tires don't seem to last that long but they do because of the mileage that goes on them from going 'round and 'round like the cool RATT song.