MAX-24-Dean
Veteran Member
Using SMT is a lot less less expensive to use for any function than a dependable relay system.All I know is a new one cost me about $70, but had I been at home instead of 1100 miles away, I would have replaced those relays with an external cluster of higher current ones wired via cable to the original location.
Often, a company will put a Surface Mount Technology (SMT) printed circuit board in something that previously worked fine in super simple state (like the flasher above) just to make it look "complex" and charge more for it, apparently. And, I've noticed that a lot of the components on those boards have a little zero printed on them. They are nothing more than jumper wires made to look like resistors and make you think the circuit is more complicated than it is.
They just don't pass the savings on to the customer. Thereby increasing there profit margin.
It also increases the demand for Electrical Engineers to come up with solutions to increase profit margin.