18-02-2017, 08:36 PM
(18-02-2017, 03:27 PM)Nowhere-Man Wrote: I discovered a faulty AF117 on another radio. However I find these to be generally a very hardy transistor.
In which case you have been very lucky! All AF11x and OC17x transistors are plagued by a tin whisker problem which has been discussed at length on various forums - it was even the subject of a very interesting NASA investigation but, unfortunately, the NASA site http://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/anecdote/af.../index.htm comes up with a DNS error. Perhaps it's been TRUMPled on ...?
However, our very own Mark Hennessy has written a detailed article on the subject but without the fantastic electron microscope pictures in the NASA report.
