I'm encountering some equipment breakdowns ussualy after a long weekends. The problem is an equipment that wont turn on. I found the source to be a power supply or switching regulator failure. I have read some experiments on capacitors that shortened its service life after turning on and off. is it really true that you are creating stress on equipments in turning them on and off? Is it a good idea to let my equipments in idle?
It makes sense to me that the changes in temperature associated with powering on after having had a chance to cool off would create some physical stress on power supply electronics and capacitors.
What is unknown is if the additional use of having the display and other circuits on 24/7 (over long weekends and Christmas vacation) would cause enough stress to cost more in display and other repairs than you might be able to save in power supply repairs.
I don't think this question can be answered in general terms, each piece of equipment must be considered on its own, but I can tell you that the life of your Agilent equipment won't be negatively impacted by normal daily power cycling.
Best regards,