thebdude

As far as electrical components are concerned, ones that are printed on a PCB (printed circuit board), the burn-in is generally performed by the manufacturer to check whether the chemical etching process for removing the unused conductor(usually copper) was completed susccesfully. the burn-in process simply involves passing a current through, making sure that no connectors were etched too small to handle the current. This saves them from shipping out faulty components. The process of burning in lets the manufacturer find the "crib deaths". Meaning, finding the components that will die within hours of the first use. As I said, it is to the advantage of the manufacturer to burn-in their equipment before being distributed. Unless you are somewhat paranoid, or just want to take extra precautions, then you can still do the burn-in, though it is 99% un-necessary.