Capacitor maker zapped with price-fixing charge A Japanese electronics maker has been indicted in America for fixing the prices of electrolytic capacitors. The US Department of Justice suspects Nippon Chemi-Con was one of eight global manufacturers that conspired to drive up the price of the ubiquitous components for more than 15 years. The indictment is part of an ongoing …
So, once again, the entire world gets duped by a price fixing cartel and once again it is only America who will gouge these companies for billions.
Admittedly, the EU has on occasion stepped in and discharged its duty to protect its citizens, but somehow, I very much doubt the UK's, go it alone, department for bending over backwards will ever hold corporations to account. Even when the heavy lifting of proof has been done by the eager departments of others.
As usual, if you're a British citizen, any redress for corporate overcharging will need to be rectified by buying a car boot load of gear stolen from a warehouse along with instigating a couple of fraudulent insurance claims.
Surely it would be better for society all round if our justice system acted instead of leaving it to each and everyone of us to seek our own karma balancing restitution?
@Rol
I very much doubt the UK's, go it alone, department for bending over backwards will ever hold corporations to account.
In it's time, the "Department of Trade and Industry" was referred to as the "Department of Timidity and Inaction" in Private Eye.
note:
Department of Trade and Industry was replaced by
"Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills"
and
"Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform"
The names may have changed, but I doubt they will do anything
The Department of Trade and Industry was replaced by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills were replaced by The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills was replaced by The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Only America is large enough to take on such companies but even, based on past actions, the US does not act to protect American Citizens, even when they claim they are.
If we are lucky someone will write about this in a few years and we will find out how Nippon Chemi-Con became targeted. Miss one payment, fail to fall in line, bite off more than allowed, try to compete or do as requested has cost other companies dearly. And there is always the need to remind everyone what can happen if the game is not played by the rules.
Meanwhile smaller countries and their citizens are fodder, geese to be plucked at will. Could citizens of those countries change that? Sure but first they would need to have governments that represent them and their interests before all others. Without that in place our systems will ensure nothing changes. The best that can be hoped for yet more promises, bright flashing lights, new deck chair arrangements and better lies.
Surely it would be better for society all round if our justice system acted instead of leaving it to each and everyone of us to seek our own karma balancing restitution?
But what's in it for the people in Government who control the justice system? How would it help them to become even richer and more powerful? Generally speaking, it's the wrongdoers in the corporate world who have the dosh and directorships to splash around, not "society as a whole"
Isn't that the price of electronics I buy is a few cents higher per capacitor or whatever. It is that despite fixing prices high, they didn't bother to make capacitors that fucking last. Instead we got treated to the bulging capacitors of the early 2000s, and even though that issue was fixed they are still one of the more failure prone items in modern electronic devices.
Had they invested a bit of that windfall into making better products so that capacitor failures were rare I wouldn't begrudge them a little profit padding.
Had they invested a bit of that windfall into making better products so that capacitor failures were rare I wouldn't begrudge them a little profit padding.
I wonder how many failures are down to the equipment designer rather than the component manufacturer. Poor design will lead to (electrolytic) capacitors being operated too close to their specified voltage or ripple current limits, coupled with insufficient attention being paid to internal temperatures in equipment which cannot always be properly determined from case temperatures; capacitors can be very sensitive to excess temperature - two effects are that the maximum voltage and ripple current they can withstand both reduce as the temperature rises.
I am not trying to let component manufacturers off the hook; I am just pointing out that in - service failures may not be entirely their fault.
As a producer of product the ideal sale is a machine that needs replacing just after the guarantee runs out. Gell capacitors are ideal for this - the speed with which the dielectric gell will eat through parts of the capacitor and cause failure at normal room temperatures can be calculated to within a month over two or three years. Its not much more expensive to make them last 5 years rather than 3 but a nod and a wink over a long lunch could easily ensure your product lasts past two years but almost certainly not four.
I doubt its written into the product spec but I bet it was discussed over a long lunch or two.
"Poor design will lead to (electrolytic) capacitors being operated too close to their specified voltage or ripple current limits"
Not to mention the likely shorting whiskers of legally mandated lead-free solder which grow over time effectively enforcing a far more limited lifespan on modern electronics.
ISTR that the bulging / popping capacitor problem was somehow related to a newcomer to the market offering components at discount prices.
Unfortunately, it seems that the formula for something-or-other (Electrolyte related?) was not up to snuff, rumour had it that the formula had been "borrowed" (snuffled?) from a competitor.
Result - tears before bedtime some years later.
>> End result.
PSU's Failing after a number of years???
That's them working as designed then.
I have an Amplifier (Class A, 30W/Channel) that I designed and built in 1972. It works fine. Had to resolder a few joints a decade or so ago but that's it.
Nowadays, components are used because they are a few pennies cheaper than a better and longer lasting one. Running close to their design limit is done by design to ensure that they don't last very long, just longer than the mandatory warranty period.
Only few, and mostly non-native English, will get the reference.
Unfortunately being older rather than younger is also a prerequisite.
But since we're on the subject:
There was a young curate from Kew
Who kept his pet cat in a pew
He taught it each week
A new letter in Greek
But it never got further than µ.
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