black foam strikes again - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2023, 11:14:42 pm
content: So my opinion developed years ago, that people who stuff black foam into machinery are bad and that its not a real engineering solution compared to proper vibrational mounting and whatnot. Why do I think this was deemed 'easier' then a few vibrational hardware components? Are the sheet metal guys really that abrasive that you can't ask for a design change instead of stuffing foam into it? Or is it the obession with cheap enclosures that makes mold die changing 'unrealistic' (you know, compared to fuckin stuff with screws and hardware that makes it.. modifiable... like a box that you can extend by changing the side walls rather then some one piece magic bonus in my pocket right now on release solution). I almost feel like the products with the slickest one part 'modern' look at the most susceptible because they blew 90% of their tens of millions of dollars budget making crazy over engineered injection molds made that have 2 microns of tolerance and then even the most basic rational engineering change becomes nearly impossible once someone finds a problem that escaped the extensive infallible review process. We can't add that 1mm grommet there, it just won't fit!

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2023, 11:30:08 pm
content: But it has new simplified menus!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2023, 11:33:20 pm
content: IDK you know what I mean they spent god knows how much making it so there is snap hinges and some kinda snap in shit into a tight box with no screws probobly.Wanna bet its like a air pump thats press fit into the chassis on a bit of foam (like a dremel) rather then giving it some bouncy feet and a motor mount? And circuit boards that rattle around because a press fit brass insert was just too expensive for medical equipment (most likely prescribed). And maybe a few zip ties are missing too.The cheap guys in manufacturing are allergic to screws. IDK wtf the deal is too, you got so much better now. I see screw feed systems and semi-automatic arm mounted torque drivers with little bolts fed in like a ammo belt.It's like your some fucking brilliant genius if you figure out you can wedge shit under a deformable substance... (also the reason why the dremel starts 'fire hosing' on you with a burr)it also makes the company immobile (like not volitile financially) because you can't make quick design changes that involve say changing a few parts to make a big upgrade, instead you need to get on the phone and fucking hold a conference with the chinese plastic mold guys for millions of dollars with a ETA of 'at least 6 months' if you need to change a capacitor. I have seen it numerous times where a fucking product has some stupid ass problem and they can't do shit because of the fucking mold guys. You can't change the size of a fucking anything without a god damn circus that involves everyone including the god damn custodians. And someones always fucking lying their ass off about how they have these problems worked out at the beginning of a project because the industry 'progressed'. I ain't see shit change in 10 years big or small projects.I mean stamping and shit are somewhat better but its still a circus because more then likely its being done as cheap as possible. I could see spot welded, brazed or soldered brackets/sheets being 'feasible' (like oven baked) under cheap ass manager because no ones head explodes with design changes on that stuff, but I feel like you really need screws and drill holes... then you can get things done without 'favorable arrangements' and crazy ass fees related to 'manufacturing lines' . even bending, you get bend radius related bullshit clogging everythingits like people are fucking building their own coffins with design decisions like this

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2023, 11:51:35 pm
content: Yes I know, but they added new menus.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 12:02:03 am
content: im pushing you strait up to the top of c-deck you got the right stuff'your honor, we added menus'

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 01:40:00 am
content: FWIW, it uses a turbine sprung on rubber mounts, which must do pretty well by itself, but the intake path to the motor also has a circuitous route around the housing (the housing being a separate sealed package the turbine sits within, made from two pieces I think ultrasonic welded together). Foam is stuck to one side of the intake path; air doesn't flow through it directly, but particles can indeed fall off and go right into the turbine, and there are no filter elements after that point. Presumably it's circuitous to act as an acoustic muffler. The intake goes to a side vent, on which a filter element can be placed.Yeah, they could've solved that by using, say, felt pads, or even perhaps closed-cell foam (less friable?), or different formulations (what is that then, urethane something or other? something robust and inert like PE or silicone could be used, maybe?), or adding a filter before/after the turbine to catch particles/fibers; or even just change where the restriction is (a pneumatic "shunt resistor" appears to sense airflow via differential pressure sensor), and put a filter on that (of course, as the filter loads up, resistance increases, making this a suboptimal solution).Tim

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 01:46:05 am
content: well regardless of how they could have solved it, there was a massive cover up from the looks of it

author: BrokenYugo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 07:06:40 pm
content: Where they really screwed up was not implementing a subscription model based post filter to catch said foam bits, that could have killed two birds with one stone.For real though, who hasn't had some old crapcan used car that blasts you with bits of foam every time you use the heater on high fan? Common knowledge the stuff is not stable.