The firt/last

[old_tv_nut]

Motorola taught themselves a lot about plastic (epoxy) encapsulated transistors. The consumer electronics div. found that some were failing prematurely and worked with the semi division to devise accelerated tests and then the fix for the early failures. Transistors that met military specs requiring a long shelf life but short use life were not appropriate to a TV application that required 10 year life with many of those hours under use (bias voltage, heat, and humidity). The only environment more stressful is automotive. Pressure cooker tests were developed, and contracts written such that parts would have to be re-qualified if any changes were made to the production process or materials.