Question about Arduino Leonardo: Average Lifespan?

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1

Hi,

I am an undergraduate student using an Arduino Leonardo for my senior design project. We are asked to write about various properties of the materials that we use, and we would like to know what the average lifespan of the Arduino Leonardo is (or any Arduino microcontroller). We are not very experienced with Arduino and have not used one long enough to know how long it can last. So, how long do you think the average Arduino microcontroller lasts before it needs to be replaced?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

2

About 200 years (if you are using a screw shield so you don't wear out your pins)

UnoScrewOnUno.jpg
UnoScrewOnUno.jpg1073×826 153 KB

ScrewshieldProto.jpg
ScrewshieldProto.jpg994×667 105 KB

3

From the atmega328 datasheet:

  1. Data Retention
    Reliability Qualification results show that the projected data retention failure rate is much less than 1 PPM over 20 years at 85°C or 100 years at 25°C.

Also: http://support.atmel.com/bin/customer.exe?=&action=viewKbEntry&id=266
http://www.atmel.com/about/quality/reliability.aspx

4

Ok, so I was off by 100 years. My bad.

5

Nah. You correctly identify the most likely component to fail: the connectors!
Neglecting for the moment that these are often used with not-quite-matching "shield" connectors, or bare wires, which makes them relatively suspicious from the beginning, this sort of connector is usually specified for a rather small number of insert/remove cycles...

6

That's why I bought my screw shield.

7

Ok, so I was off by 100 years. My bad.

"Two orders of magnitude" makes the error sound very slight!

Ray

8

Either way the memory retention is better than mine... :smiley:

9

In my shop... about 3 days.

10

mrburnette:
"Two orders of magnitude" makes the error sound very slight!

Two orders of magnitude would mean an error of 100 times the correct value - i.e. 10,000 (or 1) where 100 is correct.

...R

11

Two orders of magnitude would mean an error of 100 times the correct value - i.e. 10,000 (or 1) where 100 is correct.

I should have paid more attention in math class! My bad :frowning:

Ray

12

I like the economists' attitude - a successful economic forecast is when you get the sign (+/-) correct. :slight_smile:

...R

13

It would probably outlive the OP if he used the screw-shield.

14

Robin2:
I like the economists' attitude - a successful economic forecast is when you get the sign (+/-) correct. :slight_smile:

...R

I remember a cartoon many years ago:

  • Lab all destroyed with smoking debris,
  • Scientists in burned lab coats,
  • Lead scientist at blackboard with a very long, complex equation,
    pointing to the decimal point in the results... and saying:
    "Gentlemen, this is a decimal point, when used appropriately..."