Penn State University Libraries - Equipment Lifespan

This equipment life-span list is based on research by Richard Post of Ohio University titled "Life-span, Obsolescence, and Depreciation in the Management of Educational Technology."

• Digital still camera: 3 yrs.
• Digital video camera: 3 yrs.
• VHS video camera: 5 yrs.
• Document camera: 3 yrs.
• Wireless microphone: 5 yrs.
  

• Carts/stands/cabinets: 10 yrs.
• Flip chart: 10 yrs.
• Tripods: 5 yrs.
  

• Laptop: 4 yrs.
• Misc. cables: 5 yrs.
• External disk drives: 3 yrs.
• Zip drives: 3 yrs.

• Pointers - laser/standard: 3 yrs.
• Scan converter: 3 yrs.
• Closed Caption decoder: 3 yrs.

• 16mm: 8 yrs.
• Data/video (computer): 4 yrs.
• Film strip: 10 yrs.
• Opaque: 13 yrs.
• Overhead: 10 yrs.
• Presentation scanner: 3 yrs.
• Slide projector (2x2): 10 yrs.
• Slide projector dissolve control: 5 yrs.
• Slide projector wireless remote: 5 yrs.
  

• Screens: 7 yrs.
  

• Televisions: 6 yrs.
• Data/video (computer): 4 yrs.
• Television-VHS-DVD combo: 4 yrs.
  

• Digital Video Disk (DVD): 6 yrs.
• DVD/VHS combination: 6 yrs.
• Laser disk: 6 yrs.
• Beta videocassette: 6 yrs.
• VHS vidercassette: 6 yrs.
• Multistandard videocassette: 6 yrs.
• U-Matic videocassette: 6 yrs.
• Video wave analyzer: 6 yrs.