Obsolescence Components, devices, equipment or processes are obsolete, only if they no longer perform the required operation or can no longer be repaired.

When budgets are tight, it makes sense to upgrade equipment rather than completely replace it. Coined the "DO" program, resulting products provide plug compatible replacement components for systems which are no longer supported by the original manufacturer. Deferring Obsolescence in inustrial control systems is quite often a good way of reducing capital cost requirements.

This approach is solving functional and maintenance problems is especially effective for large systems when:

• challenging economic times result in tight budgets
• the purchase price of the equipment to be replaced is high.
• custom software is required to implement the system.
• re-engineering is required to make the transition to the new equipment.
• downtime for installation of the new equipment would have large production losses associated with it.

Smaller systems are also candidates for Deferred Obsolescence provided there are multiple installations of identical equipment.

Notes on Deferred Obsolescence

Sometimes equipment that no longer performs the total required function, can be upgraded to include features which will extend the system's life. This approach may defer the purchase of replacement equipment for 5 to 10 years, at (conservatively estimated) one-tenth to one-third the cost.

Often equipment that no longer can be repaired is due to the unavailability of one or more electronic component on a system circuit board. This renders the entire equipment installation obsolete. Digital Engineering has on many occasions avoided this obsolescence by redesigning circuit boards, using current technology, to be electrically and functionally compatible with those containing the obsolete components.

In each case, Digital Engineering guarantees that the replacement product will be compatible in every way, and will be of manufactured quality equal to or better than the original equipment.

The following are some of the products that have been developed and installed, and currently marketed through the Deferred Obsolescence program.