 - Duty cycle is the proportion of time during which a component, device, or system is operated. The duty cycle can be expressed
as a ratio or as a percentage.
Suppose
a disk drive operates for 1 second, then is shut off for 99 seconds, then is run for 1 second again, and so on. The drive runs for
one out of 100 seconds, or 1/100 of the time, and its duty cycle is therefore 1/100, or 1 percent.
The more a circuit, machine or component is used, the sooner it will wear out. Therefore, the higher the duty cycle, the shorter
the useful life, all other things being equal. If the above-mentioned disk drive has a life expectancy of 1,000,000 hours based on a
1 percent duty cycle, that same device's expectancy would probably be about 500,000 hours based on a duty cycle of 2 percent, and
2,000,000 hours based on a duty cycle of 0.5 percent.
| LAST UPDATED: |
27 Nov 2000
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