> "A rebuilt linear power supply will actually OUTLAST a switching power
> supply.
> I can prove it as I replace switching power supplies all the time.
> People are
> like "oh, my linear power supply finally died after 10+" and I'm
> replacing
> arcade switching power supplies that die after 3 years. While this
> might not
> be noticable in home use, a rebuilt linear supply (replacing the
> rectifier,
> caps, diodes, etc) will be more reliable in the long run"
>
I'll agree to a certain extent-- you see a lot of 10+ year old Linear
supplies working just dandy now, but dead PC switching supplies seem
pretty common.
*However*...
It's been my experience that when a switching power supply dies it
seldom harms the electronics it's attached to-- that's not a safe bet
with linear supplies. Switchers tend to lose power on all rails at
once, but many switching designs can drop just one voltage and keep the
rest going. That *can* cause damage on a lot of designs...
-Clay
