Posted by Ken on May 29, 2000 at 19:14:15:
In Reply to: Re: Savage ignition problem solved!!I (nice to know) posted by Bruce Clarke on May 29, 2000 at 18:31:46:
I've been working with a supplier of electronics chips to major automotive companies and I've got some insight into why replacement parts cost as much as they do. I'd imagine that because of lower volume, motorcycle electronics' cost are higher.
Most inexpensive commercial electronic yield greater than 95% at the first test steps. The auto electronics I see start yielding at 65% and seldom top 90% at initial testing. Engine control modules which use flash memory technology have, in addition, long and multi-step processing times through test. Any device with programable memory have multi-step test processes.
Many of the parts that I work with are very sophisticated, systems on a chip that are in ways
more complicated that home computer chips. Not only do they have computers (CPU, memory modules (2 or 3 different kinds), communications, but they have controls for sensors and power supplies.
Also, there is a philosophy of only buying and building just what you need, so there is a tendency to never over supply. This keeps the price up. I don't think there is any black market out there to plug into.
Although I don't know for sure, my guess is that when you are buying a replacement part, you may be paying 5 to 10 times the cost of the part.
Although not operating at high clock speeds, they do operate at moderately higher temperatures and high vibration levels. I think producing a quality product is a real honest objective of all of the companies. I don't think anyone wants to knowingly put out a low quality product and everyone works real hard to achieve that.
KTRSD