One suggestion I have is to make the components as simple and generic as possible so they will still be available to repair it in the future. Getting a working ASIC in 50 years may be near impossible, but through hole resistors, caps, and 7400 series logic chips will still be easy to find.
Also think this question would be good for retro computing groups. They can tell you what their common failures are so you could avoid them.
OK, say constant operation at room temperature indoors.
No matter how well temperature and moisture controlled your environment is, I highly doubt that 100 years is easy. 100 years? 876,000 continued hours of operation? Large companies regularly have expensive recalls because of premature failures for all kinds of reasons. Components fail for myriad reasons and I think to get 100 years you’ll need careful component selection, de-rating, plating, thoughtful solder selection, conformal coating, etc.
One thing I’ve heard repeated all over the internet is that NASA has great studies and guides on electronics longevity, but I can’t seem to find much online and most of what I find is about radiation, temperature or motion hardening which isn’t as relevant on Earth. If anyone has specific links I’d love to read them.
Also think this question would be good for retro computing groups. They can tell you what their common failures are so you could avoid them.
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