Schematics

It may be naive but I do not think it silly. I have usually tried to get a service manual and schematic for my equipment, especially if I plan to keep it for a long time or if I have thoughts of modifications.

A few years back, I had an input noise problem with a Pioneer Elite tuner and I asked a local dealer/tech if he would look at it for me. He said that it would be pointless without a schematic because of the complexity of that unit but, when I said that I had the service manual and schematic, he readily took it on. Cost me 1 hour of his time and about $10 in parts. That was 12 years ago and the tuner continues to work superbly.

Kal

Congress hasn't gotten around to requiring that yet, as far as I know.

No. It's the manufacturer's intellectual property.

I was asking because a friend claimed that he was accustomed to getting a schematic in his time, he is much older than most of us.
I understand that it is a matter of protecting ones intellectual property, but most electronic equipment can be reversed engineered, so those that want badly to illegally copy will manage to find a way, and the hobbyist who doesn't have the resources will be stuck.