Test Equipment Addicts of the Future?

[BillB]

So, fifty years from now do you still think there will be test equipment addicts?

If so, what will they be hoarding collecting?  Will the vacuum tube boat-anchors currently filling peoples living rooms and bedrooms still be around/valuable?  Or will the new legion of addicts be sweating over some ebay auction for a vintage FeelTech FY6600 or a barely used Mega328 LCR meter?

Will it be harder for them because everything is made of plastic now and built to last for a few years rather than the built-for-a-lifetime gear of yesteryear?

 

[Fungus]

Why do you think today's gear won't last as long?

It won't run out of storage space. It's not something we install ever-more bloated apps on. There's no battery to wear out.

These are the reasons your smartphones and PCs need replacing but it doesn't apply to test gear.

[BillB]

Just the general, pervasive use of lesser quality materials in just about anything made these days.  Plastic cases instead of metal are more prone to incidental damage.  Plastic knobs, soft buttons, materials that trade longevity for Eco-friendliness, planned obsolescence, etc.   

Combine that with the disposable nature of society these days, people are more apt to toss something than fix it, so more stuff will head to the landfill more quickly than in the past.

[maginnovision]

I don't even throw my kids cheap toys out. Little wire here, solder there, all fixed.

[BillB]

I don't even throw my kids cheap toys out. Little wire here, solder there, all fixed.

Present company of TEA hoarders excepted.

[kj7e]

Compare almost anything made by HP from the 1960s to almost anything made today.  The quality and ruggedness is just not there anymore.  Also the inherent complexity and number of components which increase the likelihood of failure and decrease the possibility of repair. 

The classic gear that we have now is timeless, everything else will become disposable.

[abraxa]

Will the vacuum tube boat-anchors currently filling peoples living rooms and bedrooms still be around/valuable?

If an EMP hits then they certainly will be since they won't be affected.

Aside from this, I expect test equipment technology to become more and more able while the average hobbyist may not benefit from that very much. Even today, $1000 can get you a scope that is more capable than the average hobbyist will ever need.

[LoFi]

So, fifty years from now do you still think there will be test equipment addicts?

Sure... and they'll be debating:
- the merits of high-quality Made-in-China equipment vs cheap-but-lower-quality made-in-India stuff
- Techniques for using bio-solder to repair and refurbish vintage embedded bio-testers without causing brain-damage, and how to use a desoldering gun to remove outdated bio-circuits from nerve tissue 
- whether Fluke equipment is worth the relatively high cost, whether Brymen is as good or better, and when Fluke will finally upgrade their best-selling Fluke 87 multimeter

[Bicurico]

In 50 years all test equipment will be mainly software based as can be seen with current SDR.

Also, look at modern SA. They now fit in a single PCB.

So, in 50 years we will be collecting smaller devices that are just highspeed ADC and DAC with connectors and the rest will be software licenses...

I fear that thwre wont be much to collect then, as the software side will be pay per use or subscription...

Regards,
Vitor

[bd139]

This is the future: http://www.the-odin.com/genetic-engineering-home-lab-kit/

Much as the cheap electronics labs turned into a hobby and job for people and then they took the job home, I expect there to be a rise in second hand Agilent biotech kit being available to future TEA.

[VK5RC]

One of the bigger issues for today's test gear is the computer and operating system that they use, computers are so volatile. Getting a modern computer to talk to a 3458 is quite a challenge as it was designed to talk to a much different OS.

[Bicurico]

I guess you can still achieve a lot with virtual machines.
But yes, can be a problem if old ISA or just PCI cards are involved.
But in 50 years we TEA will be looking at 10 year old devices, from 40 years from now.
And I bet those will be mainly software defined devices.

[med6753]

I don't care.  I'll be taking a dirt nap.