Solving the problem of reading values on smd resistors

Well this is going to save our old eyes !

So fault finding without the circuit/schematic will also be fun if we think a resistor might be high.

They claim "green" reasons for not printing on the components, but I reckon its just money.

If they wanted green they wouldn't contribute to throw away devices.

As an example from UK and South Africa :-

Philips TVs in the 70s were well thought out for the service man, the panels would hinge for access , and there would be plug-in modules. All the components were well marked, and each TV came with a circuit/schematic and component layout inside.
The crt would last 10 years ( Philips had a history of experience with vacuum devices like light bulbs xrays etc )

They had a faithful following who would only buy Philips TVs because they lasted 10 years, where others would only last 3.

But of course they sold a lot less TVs than the other makers, so suddenly from the K9 chassis, the CRT would weaken after 3 years, like everyone elses, no more circuit/schematc in the back cover, no helpful access for repairing.

I guess you cant blame them, its progress ......

Meanwhile it seems cars got more and more reliable, but let rust and fashion dictate when a customer would buy a new one....

Old farts bar talk, who's round is it anyway ?

I try and view this type of thing from a glass-half-full kind of perspective. Since I am on a tight budget, I get a lot of my supplies and components the old-fashioned way. Geekcycling. Those older items make it so much easier and productive. Like you said- many of the parts are built to last, unlike today's.

Many things lend themselves to being salvaged from the old equipment that you do have to toss. Power supplies are an obvious one- hard to beat a PC power supply for clean 5v and 12v. Printers have stepper motors and a ton of hardware. Virtually all older equipment has worthwhile components to desolder and use- power resistors and transistors, switches, and always take ribbon cable. Network cable is GREAT hookup wire, eight conductors. A two meter network patch cable is really sixteen meters of wire! Never let a good heatsink go to a dumpster.

Like you said, the older stuff always is always labeled-- while the newer stuff, not so much- and so much harder to manage SMD devices anyway...

My thoughts....

1206/0805 devices are the only big ones that can have values printed on them.
0402 and smaller don't have any values printed on them anyway.
Pick and Place machines don't need these printed values.
Only hobbyists and micro-scale manufacturers doing tweezers by hand will be MAYBE affected by this... and it's not a big deal anyway, if they're careful and have a system in place to populate their boards.
Nobody keeps their SMD parts all in one box. Each part gets it's own storage compartment. So reading the values isn't required.
Of course, if one drops an unmarked SMD part into another compartment box, then it's going to be a pain.... but that's failure of the user's work process... why does he have open compartments for SMD parts? Each compartment should have covers and only one compartment open at any one time.

Only hobbyists and micro-scale manufacturers doing tweezers by hand will be MAYBE affected by this

I dont know how many people on this Arduino forum have pick and place machines and a perfect storage system ?

I have measured many smd resistors over the years while fault finding, but if you dont know what its supposed to be, it makes it harder...

Old farts bar talk, who's round is it anyway

I hear yea. But when you consider what a TV cost you back then compared to now (in inflation adjusted money) of comparable size you will see they are made cheap because they are very cheap. A TV (of comparable size) is not longer the major purchasing decision is was way back when. I recall the very first RCA color TVs back in the 50s costing over $1000 at the time.

What cost $1000 in 1954 would cost $8423.01 in 2012.

Lefty

True Lefty, I can still remember in the UK in about 1968 ? a billboard advertising Murphy TVs, " the only hand wired TV " it was wire wrapped, while everyone else had switched to pcbs.

So as you say TVs are not a big commitment anymore, TV repairs here are just a backyard business by flyby nights now, as a qualified guy cannot make money out of it anymore.

I cannot beleive the money that is being spent on celphones now though, it doesnt make sense to me, they should call them toys that you can also phone people on as an app.

Boffin1:
so suddenly from the K9 chassis, the CRT would weaken after 3 years, like everyone elses, no more circuit/schematc in the back cover, no helpful access for repairing.

Ahhh - conspiracy theory ....

Except it seems painfully true. Total lack of spare parts for ANYTHING. The economy is booming, people have something to use their earned money on - the enviroment is suffering.

I agree:

Boffin1:
Old farts bar talk, who's round is it anyway ?

Oh... I can take then next one. Just enjoyed a slightly out-of-date Christmas beer (full strength, large bottle)

Cheers Skål
Bunden i vejret eller resten i håret

Well, I won't be buying their products anymore, not that it matters so much to them.

we had this issue with a supplier at my work, they wanted to not print values on 1% resistors, why I dunno they were 805's, they only did it on a few models.

we fought it, threatened to change suppliers, they complied ... who knows, I think its just lazyness on popular values so they can crank them out