Do electronic sights age?

[Doc Safari]

I'm thinking of putting a Comp M4 or other Aimpoint in storage with no battery in it for SHTF.

Do electronic sights deteriorate over time just from age, or should that sight be GTG in ten years?

[BrigandTwoFour]

I would guess that the answer is yes. But for an unused device sitting in storage without being powered, that time will be very very long- probably longer than your lifespan.

[Doc Safari]

I kept looking after posting this thread.

Here's some info, but some of it is kind of technical. For example, I don't know if an RDS would have an electrolytic capacitor, but I'm not sure.

http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/67933/how-do-unused-electronic-components-age


The bad "agers" in electronics are electrolytic capacitors, and the commonly repeated estimates on their age range from 15 to 25 years (and in debates of electrolytic cap aging, someone always comes up with an example of some perfectly working 30+ year old device with original electrolytics.)


People restoring old electronics will often replace all the electrolytic capacitors before even trying to power it on.

Beyond that, corrosion is the main enemy. If it's sealed against corrosion, it will last an astonishingly long time. Epoxy chip packages are slightly less durable than the ceramic ones.

[BrigandTwoFour]

I don't think most RDS would use capacitors, they don't have enough power draw. For our uses, the battery serves as the capacitor.

Degredation can happen from corrosion, but that is mitigated by storage (as pointed out). Use can also affect lifespan, as the repeated turning on and off of the electronics will eventually wear out the contacts. The latter is mitigated by robust design. It could take a long long time and many tens to hundreds of thousands of cycles, but it will get there. I can't think of anything in existence that wasn't designed with some kind of lifespan in mind.

[Doc Safari]

I don't think most RDS would use capacitors, they don't have enough power draw. For our uses, the battery serves as the capacitor.

Degredation can happen from corrosion, but that is mitigated by storage (as pointed out). Use can also affect lifespan, as the repeated turning on and off of the electronics will eventually wear out the contacts. The latter is mitigated by robust design. It could take a long long time and many tens to hundreds of thousands of cycles, but it will get there. I can't think of anything in existence that wasn't designed with some kind of lifespan in mind.

This gets back to whether an ACOG or an Aimpoint is better for long term SHTF planning.

People complain about the life of the tritium in the ACOG, but if the electronics in an Aimpoint have a finite life (especially while in use), then that would be a factor also.

[Outlander Systems]

Component oxidation can occur. I've seen vintage electronics with heavy oxidation still function.

YMMV

[Schadenfreude]

I wonder if aimpoint, eotech use lead free solder? Lead free = board failure due to a short eventually developing across the soldier pads. Military applications usually use leaded solder to avoid this.

[Schadenfreude]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whisker_(metallurgy)