chiplonkar
I know very well about the "taking pride in maintaining very old equipment with minor rectifications". I used to do that also.
But, when I thought about it (getting older, as we all are) I realized that there would be no one after me that could do just that. And I also realized that next time, I would have the same problem. And the time after that possibly even more so.
So, I do not maintain old devices any more. The plant or customer, as the case may be, is better off in the long run if new, well-documented and servicable with today's tools equipment are allowed to replace the older ones.
It may hurt - knowing that it is "only a minor component" that needs to be replaced - but if there are five or ten people around the world involved in the search for the right documents, and then trying to get readable scans and discussing if they are valid or not, does also cost. And the procedure is not guaranteed to lead anywhere.
No, better than to replace the drive.
In an emergency, when delivery times are long and production loss is huge, there should always be valid documents and spare parts available. If they are not - then maintenance has not done their work properly
Gunnar Englund
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.