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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@gXXmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: repairs and obsolescence ish
Date: Fri, 9 May 2025 12:53:06 -0400
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On 5/9/2025 6:32 AM, zen cycle wrote:
> On 5/8/2025 8:51 PM, AMuzi wrote:
>> On 5/8/2025 7:03 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>>> On 5/7/2025 12:38 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>>> On 7 May 2025 00:17:10 GMT, Roger Merriman <roger@sarlet.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Rather depends on the how and the why, I believe has been a push 
>>>>> back by
>>>>> consumers for example with car dashboards in that while screens and 
>>>>> so on
>>>>> are fun, they’d like some buttons still please and so on.
>>>>
>>>> There is hope for push buttons, in the name of safety.
>>>>
>>>> "Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again
>>>> Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than
>>>> being drunk or high - no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using
>>>> touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its
>>>> senses."
>>>> <https://www.wired.com/story/why-car-brands-are-finally- switching- 
>>>> back-to-buttons/>
>>>> "Automakers that nest key controls deep in touchscreen menus forcing
>>>> motorists to drive eyes-down rather than concentrate on the road ahead
>>>> may have their non-US safety ratings clipped next year."
>>>>
>>>> Sorry, but you'll need a Wired Magazine subscription to read the
>>>> entire article.  If you don't want a subscription, you might find the
>>>> reader comments interesting.
>>>>
>>>> In my never humble opinion, buttons, touch screens, haptic feedback,
>>>> voice control, gestures, sign language and AI all have their good and
>>>> bad points.  The trick is to attach numbers (fatality rate, accident
>>>> rate, cost, fashion, etc) to the various schemes and settle on the
>>>> least disgusting and most tolerable method.
>>>
>>> I greatly prefer physical buttons, switches, etc. while driving. 
>>> Fortunately my EV mostly uses those for common functions; but there's 
>>> still a problem. Many switches are flat, low profile and all in a 
>>> dense row. Even if I did memorize that something like "Defrost" was 
>>> the third one from the left, it would be difficult to locate it by 
>>> touch.
>>>
>>> A possible solution would be switches with covers, etc. molded in 
>>> different shapes that gave a clue about their function. I'm reminded 
>>> of the increase in airplane safety (in WW2, IIRC) when the pilot's 
>>> lever for "flaps" was shaped like a wing cross section. The adjacent 
>>> lever for "landing gear" was shaped like a wheel.
>>>
>>> What I eventually did was get a pack of ~5mm self adhesive 
>>> hemispherical rubber bumpers. I stuck those on certain buttons, the 
>>> ones I push most often, so I could find them by touch. It was a big 
>>> improvement.
>>>
>>
>> Agreed that different controls ought to be different in shape, style, 
>> format.  I moved this heater fan switch from one car to another over 
>> the years. It's just below the dash of my Malibu now:
>>
>> https://oldchevytrucks.com/pub/media/catalog/product/s/k/sku-images- 
>> el- el118_blower_switch_non_fresh.jpg? 
>> width=600&height=778&store=default&image-type=imagecamera
>>
>> And isolated simplicity!
>>
>> My shop truck has demons in the turn signal/wiper/washer/brights 
>> switch.  Can't ever turn off the wipers,
>>
>> So I added a simple push button on top of the dash, wired through the 
>> wiper fuse.  The fast/slow function in the stalk still works.
>>
>> I can't imagine scrolling through the menus of a touch screen trying 
>> to clear sleet/salt/crud on the windscreen in freeway traffic.
> 
> I don't know this for a fact but I'm pretty sure windshield wiper 
> controls won't be found in a touch screen menu even on the newest cars. 
> It's invariably a stalk control.

I may be wrong, but I thought NHTSA or some other agency once mandated 
certain control feature designs on cars. ISTR a mandate for standardized 
positions of Park, Neutral, Reverse, Low and Drive for automatic 
transmissions. Maybe they mandated wiper control on a stalk?

It hasn't worked with turn indicators, through. It seem most American 
drivers are baffled about that left side stalk. What could it possibly 
be for???  ;-)


> 
> For a time in the early 1980s I drove a beat-to-shit 1974 ford Capri 
> (manufactured by ford of germany). It was a great, fun little coupe 
> except for the fact that it had extreme body rot. The linkage to this 
> thread is the windshield wiper control was activated activated by a 
> floor switch similar to the old american high-beam switch. However, the 
> washer control was on the stalk along with the high beam switch.
> 
> I drove it for about a year until it wouldn't pass inspection due to the 
> body rot. I sold it for parts to someone who wanted the engine. I drove 
> it to the guys house with a friend following me. As I turned into the 
> buyers driveway, I heard a loud thud. When I got out of the car it was 
> obvious the car was leaning heavily to the right side. We tried to pop 
> the hood, which seemed to be jammed (it wasn't before), and once it 
> released the car dropped another few inches. It turns out the right 
> front strut mount had completely rotted out and punched its way up 
> though the fender, where it was stopped by the hood until we released 
> the hood latch. The buyer chuckled because he just wanted the engine 
> which still ran great.
> 
> good times :)

Perfect design! I've linked to this before - another perfect design:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45280/45280-h/45280-h.htm

-- 
- Frank Krygowski