Re: gEDA-user: Contact reliability

[Karel Kulhavy <clock@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> >>>
> >>Somehow you have to force a DC current of perhaps a few amperes.  This 
> >>only needs to be done for a short period of time.  Less than 1 second.
> >
> >
> >And what is the voltage at which even the thickest layer of oxides is 
> >guaranteed
> >to break through?
> >
> 
> A good question, but difficult to answer.  You will have to conduct 
> experiments.
> 
> But, as I understand your application, this contact will be opened only 
> during maintenance.  So a human will be nearby.  The human can verify 
> that the new contact is successful.

How would the human check? Sometimes when thermal creep moves oxidized and
nonoxidized areas around, the impaired device start and stops working randomly.

Is there some bad-contact-o-meter where you stick probes into the circuit and
the display will read
"On February 14 2007, 16:07:15 UTC, this contact will temporarily fail, the
packetloss pattern will be:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!..!!!.!!.!!!
!.!.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...!!!!
"?

Cl<