[Elecraft] K1/K2 longevity?

[Rick Shindley]

Does anyone know what the expected mean time to failure (MTTF) for the K1
and K2 designs?

I have read here recently where someone posited buying K1s and K2s as
investments and saving them in unbuilt form. I would hesitate doing that
because many of the chips used will no longer be available in the future,
especially the custom programmed ones. If the rig is improperly assembled in
the future and a part is damaged or otherwise found to be defective, finding
a replacement for it may be impossible! Too, if the kit arrives for storage
with an unprogrammed part (an infrequent, but non-zero problem), the
investor wouldn't know about it until the rig is assembled!

Elecraft may be warehousing certain critical components to support the
future service needs of their mature product lines. But, doing so costs
money today and the parts may never be used. It's a dubvious investment for
a small comany. Too, devices hold favor in design circles for much shorter
periods today.  The modern designer is frequently met with "Not for New
Designs" stamped on component specs just months old! The the chips so common
today may be unavailable in just a few years.

Having said this, I believe that a K1 or K2 would be more valuable assembled
and verified to work, before being put away for storage. At least the
programmed chips should be verified in a working rig first before being
stored. But then, there is the issue of how long the programmed chips can
retain their programs?  Is it ten years?

If a rig is built for the ages, it would be good to remove solder flux from
the boards. I know Elecraft says it's not important and it's not for the
normal life expectancy of the rig (whatever that is). But that stuff does
dry out over long periods of time and it can become resistive. Also, for
circuit boards in radios intended to compete with Methusela's rig, consider
coating them with some type of sealant such as "Humiseal", to limit
corrosion. There must be many more things that can be done to convert a rig
into a time machine.

Rick KC0OV
K2 1360

p.s. Methusela runs a homebrew QRO spark tx. Listen for him anywhere on 160
and 80 during the warm summer months!  He has a bad fist! :>)