What are advantages and disadvantages of integrated services?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of integrated circuits?

• Answer:

  To start, while integrated circuits are smaller and usually require less power to operate, they are extremely difficult (if not impossible) to modify or repair. They almost always have to be replaced, and if the IC or "chip" is a proprietary chip, then the entire unit may have to be replaced. The IC is also more susceptable to electric damage from a power surge than its beefier component cousins. IC's have the advantage in weight, size and power consumption, giving IC's the nod on portability. They are also less prone to damage from physical jarring -- known as "solid state." When would you use non-IC components? High voltage applications certainly! Also, most musicians prefer the sound quality of tube amplifiers over transistor amps. Answer Prior to the widespread adoption of integrated circuits, electronic systems consisted of components, such as transistors, resistors, capacitors and resistors, wired together on a board. This was labour-intensive and therfore expensive, as well as contributing to electronic faults when the process worker installed the wrong component, or allowed components to touch. Integrated circuits eliminated all that, because they can be consistently mass produced to very high quality standards. One disadvantage of integrated circuits is that they can be unsuitable for custom designed equipment, because high volumes are needed in order to justify the design and tooling costs. One way of creating some flexibility is to use a hybrid design - with key components in the IC, with some components left outside the IC to provide flexibility in component values. Another disadvantage of integrated circuits is that design corrections and incremental design improvements are not readily made. If a design error is found in a traditional circuit, it is relatively easy to modify each system to fix the problem, even under warranty. A potential disadvantage of integrated circuits is the cost of replacing an IC that has failed. However, this is a more apparent than real problem, because labour is usually the main cost of repairs. While the cost of buying a new component may be higher, the labour cost of diagnosing and replacing it is usually lower.