What really gets to your nerves-pisspoor design! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: makerimages
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 07:54:14 pm
content: So, I thought it would be fun to know, what really aggravates you, makes you do/want to do this:or thisabout electronics design, be it for fixing or salvaging parts off of anything?!?!For an example. I just got upset, because it seems to be a common convention amongst the ceramic caps in my parts pin, that the .1uF ones (104) constantly have their legs cut shorter than the ones of the .01uF ones... And I need a freaking .1uF to go across an odd pad distance here... argh!A generaldetector!

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 08:46:49 pm
content: Aggravation would be comparing a precision US designed device, using top shelf parts and obviously higher prices to a Chinese / Japanese knock off design by your prospective customer. I find at times, the cheap or customers have no respect for the better engineers using better quality parts and design criteria. All they want is cheap or cheaper, they don't care what it takes or whether it will last! There is a fine balance between quality/precision versus quantity and price. Basically it resolves to.. you get what you pay for!JLM

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2014, 10:29:43 pm
content: In my experience, Japanese designed and built RF test gear from the top jap companies is often at least as good as anything made in the USA.Test gear made by HP in the late 70s through the 80s generally tended to have cheap and flimsy user interfaces with cheap and nasty switch quality.The technical performance was fine but you could get 'both' technical performance AND reliability if you chose test gear from the best Japanese companies. eg Iwatsu, Anritsu and Advantest. I have a lot of Japanese test gear here and I'm very pleased with all of it.So my example of poor design would be the user interfaces on HP test gear from that era. The knobs and buttons etc just break and fall off. Some of their slide switches were incredibly flimsy and unreliable with poor contact plating quality etc.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 11:01:56 am
content: Quote from: makerimages on June 04, 2014, 07:54:14 pmA useless tool: it would never stop!Tim

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 11:09:40 am
content: QuoteThat supports their cutting it short on .1uf.

author: KSP
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 01:35:55 pm
content: Quote from: G0HZU on June 04, 2014, 10:29:43 pmI totally agree. Anritsu gear tends to have quite a good, sturdy user interface, and has done for a long time! Old HP gear had those clunky buttons, and the springs would die in them, meaning they would stick... This was a total pain for me!And you are right about the slide switches as well, terribly unreliable.What also grinds my gears is lack of serviceability. So much gear these days is made on a production line and assembled in a specific order. While this is efficient from a manufacturing point of view, it makes servicing significantly more difficult. Having to dissassemble an entire unit just to reach one component is a total ball-ache. What happened to the days when front, back, top and bottom panels could all be removed and boards just slid out nicely! TTi are terrible for this...

author: aroby
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 02:19:45 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 05, 2014, 01:43:51 pmThat's a rather broad generalization and very dependent on the manufacturer. GM and Ford - generally piss poor, but they are building to a price point. Outside of the US, their cars are decent. I have a Mercedes built in the US - it's excellent in all regards.Anthony

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 05:24:08 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 05, 2014, 03:59:12 pmTata owns JLR - Nanjing (Chinese) bought the tattered remnants of MG Rover after it went into administration, although they promptly sold the Rover half of the brand to Ford (who at that point owned the JLR brand, having bought it off BMW, and later sold both to Tata.)

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 07:00:39 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 05, 2014, 01:43:51 pmWhat NEC laptop is better quality than Apple's?

author: Martin.M
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 08:15:10 pm
content: I don`t want to pay 1000+$ for a scope in a plastic case with pink and light blue buttonsgreetingsMartin

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 09:06:26 pm
content: Quote from: Martin.M on June 05, 2014, 08:15:10 pmYou can pay over 30 grand fora scopeand you are still going to get a plastic case.As for the pink and light blue, I assume you are referring to Rigol scopes. They probably just picked the colours they thought would be easy to distinguish on the screen. Are you afraid looking at a pink trace might suddenly turn you gay?

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 09:31:00 pm
content: QuoteActually I really was pointing more towards the knock off stuff from China. Yes, I have a collection of Japanese equipment and it really is some good stuff. They make some the best cameras in the industry.. Nikon, Canon.. etc. Have to admit after owning my Rigol DS2000 series scope, they are getting better every day.. in their processes. Bet they still use lead in their paint tho..

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 09:34:07 pm
content: QuoteIIRC.. Jaguar is owned by Ford .. or was a few years ago.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 05, 2014, 11:48:52 pm
content: Quote from: Dave on June 05, 2014, 09:06:26 pmDo you mean that pink is a special color that everybody should like?

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 12:16:27 am
content: QuoteWow!QuoteDid nikon / canon make the best cameras when they came to market first? Do you know what they made?Before they were great, "it is a Sony" was a derogatory term. and it still is on many of their products.Japan makes so great stuff, and a lot of shitty stuff too. And they will continue to do that.I drive a Nissan (a $40K car) now. I would put it on the list of some of the shittiest cars I have ever driven.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 04:40:24 am
content: Sony went through a stage where their stuff was the best in the business-particularly in the TV Broadcast field.Tektronix tried to break into the Precision Picture Monitor business with their 650 series,which,when they worked properly,made many of the previous manufacturer's efforts look sick.The problem is,they didn't work properly for very long!When Sony came out with a Pix Monitor which fitted into the same space,it not only worked better than the Tek ,but it also continued to do so for years.TV Stations are not dumb,they bought Sony!Studio type VTRs were almost exclusively Sony for many years.In TV transmission,the same story applied to NEC.One place I worked at had older Siemens TV Tx as well as newer NECs.If you held your face just right,& spent an enormous amount of time,you could get the Siemens further within spec than the NEC.Come back next week,& it would have drifted out of spec.Come back 6 months later,& the NEC would have hardly budged.(The older NECs were just as good!)And the documentation--NEC was in pretty good English,on glossy paper,with full circuit diagrams & descriptions of circuit operation.The Siemens handbook was about 5th generation photo copy,with the English translation written by somebody's secretary who had taken a few English lessons.Now,of course,Sony & NEC have thrown that great tradition away,& badge engineer Chinese & Korean stuff!How the mighty have fallen!

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 04:44:22 am
content: Japanese people make some of the best products. I use a Canon laser printer, and it works a charm, as well as the EOS 6D I shoot all my videos with. Hell, even our 20year old Nikon SLR is still chugging along.

author: Shredhead
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 06:10:00 am
content: I see a lot of consumer electronics failing way too soon because of heat lately. If they put a fan in half of these products, used better heat sinks or thought smarter about ventilation I think it would more than double the life of the product.Heat is the enemy of all electrical components. You'd figure in over 100 years of using the crap, we'd get it by now.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 12:26:32 pm
content: Sony is a massive company. They make everything from consumer crap to professional and industrial equipment.If all you see is the latter (whether or not you've personally paid for it and understand how expensive it is), you'll think they're better than Tek. (To be fair, given Tek's management since the late 80s, that's probably true though...)If you've spent your life servicing bargain-basement TVs and VCRs and such, you're probably going to have a few choice words instead.Just keep in mind that, whether your narrow experience is one of these, the other still exists, and life is more complex than just what you are aware of (this applies in general, not just to Sony).Tim

author: Martin.M
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 12:47:55 pm
content: Quote from: Dave on June 05, 2014, 09:06:26 pmI am too old for pink buttonsAs a collector of older test equipment I like to different expensive high quality gear, and low cost design. This is fixed in my head, not possible to remove that with new ideas. And a very lot of older people like me think the same. Pink and litght blue buttons are best joice for kids toys !My favorite design may be a metal case (Tek blue) and a metal front with grey or red black buttons and black typing on the front. Also I like filters on the fan more then a dust sucker.So I would pay more for the same scope what looks long life quality then for the same instrument in a toybox.If your I Phone is cased in PE with a plastic window may be you will think the same, expensive have to be related to good design and quality.greetingsMartin

author: nihilism
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 01:49:20 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on June 06, 2014, 12:16:27 amI drive also drive a 12 month old $40k Nissan and it's pretty poor compared to all the 10-20 year old Nissan's i've driven. Probably something to do with the fact it's made in Spain instead of Japan.

author: jaxbird
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 02:06:13 pm
content: I, many years ago, did EE designs for actual products, I am in no educational way qualified to do so (but I did manage to pass some very strict military requirements for the stuff I did)Anyway, one thing that really pissed me off was when I quit the job to move on to new challenges, they hired a "proper" electronics engineer. So I spent some weeks going through all the various products and designs, and the only time he raised his arms and went "ARRGHhh fu**ing amatures" was a small indicator board with some LEDS being PWMed with a slight over current, maybe 5 mA more than spec, cmon, in my experience LEDs will take a lot more than that when pulsed. Seriously I was thinking he wont last long...Anyway, never really did investigate it, but I still believe most LEDs will take higher pulse current than constant current? Wrong?

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 02:23:13 pm
content: Mine was made in Japan.QuoteDiodes in general are pretty resistant to current pulses. The old silicone diodes can take pulses 100x+ than its continuous current ratings. Schottky diodes a considerably less (10 - 20x) and LEDs are in that ballpark too.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 02:38:29 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 06, 2014, 08:11:03 amWhere is the home page of that line? Does it include ultra portables? (wife and I are using Macbooks Air 11").

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 03:00:20 pm
content: Quote from: nihilism on June 06, 2014, 01:49:20 pmit's not just Nissani was quite happy with my '98 passat, but my '10 passat sucks - i'll never ever buy VW again.the reason behind this is "cost savings" all the corporations are cutting the costs - making shitty products. and it's the same for cars, electronics, test gear...

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 03:03:46 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on June 06, 2014, 12:26:32 pmI've worked on their cheaper stuff,too & I still found it superior to many other manufacturers.Philips k9,or Ka11,anyone?I compared "apples with apples" in referring to the Tektronix 650 series ,as the BVM1301 Sony was a direct replacement at around the same price,but with superior performance & reliability.We also had Barco & Bosch Picture Monitors in the same class,neither of which reached the reliability levels of the Sony product.By the way,"Professional" is regarded as a step down in quality compared to Broadcast equipment,by those in that industry.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 03:17:24 pm
content: Quote from: rob77 on June 06, 2014, 03:00:20 pmThe thing that pisses me with these cars cost savings is that my car did not come with a spare tire, not even that small donut. All I got is a container of slime that will destroy the air pressure sensor and a small air compressor (and no, the tires are not the run flat type). I purchased a plug kit (never used one) but am not sure if I can use it without a jack so I may buy a jack as well. On the bright side the car came with a free lifetime tow service to the nearest dealership anywhere in the US, assuming I have cell phone coverage to call the.

author: jaxbird
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2014, 03:39:23 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on June 06, 2014, 02:23:13 pmThanks, makes me feel more confident about the decision I made many years agoit was more like max 25% over current due to too many LEDs needing to be controlled by a really ancient mcu.Not sure what happened to that engineer after I moved on, but the "family owned" company was sold many years ago.

author: JFA
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 02:18:03 am
content: Quote from: zapta on June 06, 2014, 03:17:24 pmPut a teaspoon of dishwasher soap in a bottle and fill it with winshield wiper fluid. If you have a flat, finding the hole is NOT obvious. Also, you need a pair of strongly gripping pliers to pull out objects (screws are naaaassty) from the tyre, something like a pointed nose vise grip, or a large pair of cutters like the ones electricians use.Otherwise, your kit is pretty much useless. Think of having a flat tire at night, rainy conditions. Also carry a flashlight.This thing has a magnetic base and works fantastically.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 05:16:12 am
content: I keep one of those kits in the car, even with a spare tyre. Helps if you have a slow leak and just pull into the service station, roll to find the leak and plug it there on the car, fill with air and drive off. That gives me leisure to go across the road at work to the tyre place and let them take it off, demount partially and install a mushroom patch from the inside. I had some sidewall punctures where the only solution was to put in a tyre inner tube to complete the repair safely.Leak gunk in a can works in an emergency, and if you buy a certain high cost sports car that is the spare tyre, 2 big cans with a red sleeve. 2 because if you have a tyre that is so wide that the 2 basically are the width of the car then you need 2 to fill one.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 05:39:41 am
content: Quote from: zapta on June 06, 2014, 03:17:24 pmYou bought a car without a spare tyre or a jack?

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 08:21:42 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 06, 2014, 03:31:14 pmFuel efficiency of new cars probably peaked in the early to mid 2000's, since then they've been getting lighter (by using more plastics in body panels and better designed monocoque chassis) but then losing on specific fuel consumption to meet tighter emission standards. The psycological benchmark of 60 US MPG (3.9l/100km for the rest of us) is easily achievable.

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 08:44:34 am
content: Quote from: Someone on June 07, 2014, 08:21:42 amto be honest i'd rather drive a car with 4.5 - 5.5L/100km which is reliable (my old '98 passat) , than my '10 passat which is easilly making 3.8L/100km while having low emissions.. but the high pressure pump (for injection rail) broke down after 112k km (and not just the 1300Eur pump... there was more of it... after 65k km - front axle bearings, after 80k km - turbocharger actuator, 112k km - high pressure pump) of course everything started to break down right after the warranty expired

author: Dave
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 11:37:01 am
content: Quote from: Martin.M on June 06, 2014, 12:47:55 pmI also have a nice collection of older test gear (with many instruments being significantly older than I am) and know what you mean when it comes to the feel of the instrument. Some of the older stuff was built like it was supposed to withstand a nuclear bomb. Or decades of abuse.The sad truth is that stuff isn't built that way these days. It is much cheaper to injection mold a plastic case and just slap in a few shielding cans where they are needed, than make the whole thing out of metal.Pink in not my color of choice, but heck, if it means I can get a good scope for a low price, I don't mind looking at a pink button and a pink trace.As for the iPhone, you need to realize that you are paying for a chewed up fruit logo, not for good design and quality. Some people are even willing to go as far as starting a holy war if you point that out. Talk about good marketing.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 02:24:47 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on June 07, 2014, 05:16:12 amDo you think I must have a jack to use the patch kit or can I just drive the car half wheel rotation or so to get access to the other part of the tyre? The manufacturer sells jacks that fit my car but there is not good place to secure it.Good point about the wide wheels, wide and low profile wheels don't have that much air volume but plenty of rubber surface area. Never thought about it. Apparently my car manufacturer believes that one can is sufficient for my tire.One good point is that the car has those electronic tyre pressure sensors so I will detect a slow leak earlier.Edit: in the past I used to have a flat tire every 2-3 years or so. Will see how it will go with this car. Hopefully Murphy law will not apply. ;-)

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 02:38:17 pm
content: -The sad truth is that stuff isn't built that way these days.-the happy truth is that todays gears don't carry the same price tags.quality is expensive. You can't pay a Chevy price and expect BMW.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2014, 02:45:29 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on June 06, 2014, 12:16:27 amHere is an inspiring video about Nissan quality (does not apply to your car)The GTR is ugly but is an engineering marvel that defies conventions though ugly IMO.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2014, 06:53:28 pm
content: Wish I could get that, but I mostly do the perfect EV cycle, with little long highway driving.My fastest spare tyre change was under 10 minutes, in the rain at the side of the road. Drove home with the flat on the back seat. Bl%$dy mag rims that had a piss poor performance holding a bead securely. New car has steel rims, and they handle the common SA pothole with a lot better performance. There I put in a claim against the municipality and got some of my money back.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2014, 04:50:22 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 08, 2014, 06:47:55 pmEven with the best roads,you only have to run over a Tek screw,& you have a flat.Those things seem to be designed to flatten tyres,with the flutes down the shaft.If a car needs to ditch the spare tyre & jack to get its advertised fuel economy,it's a poor design.I would rather ditch all the Blue-tooth connectivity/MP3 players/boolium & foolium than do without a spare.But then,Sean & I live in countries where a flat tyre on a country road could lead to,at least,an uncomfortable wait for many long hours in 40C heat.When your "roadside assistance" is 400+ km away,it can get a bit "dicey".

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2014, 11:02:33 am
content: You still have to have an engine,transmission,& passengers.------get rid of those & you can get fantastic mileage!

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2014, 12:21:50 pm
content: My car doesn't have a spare - it just has gunk and an inflator. You can buy a space-saver spare but it costs a couple of hundred pounds or more.I have only had one puncture in the last thirty years that I can remember and that was from a screw left on our parking place by builders and it punctured a brand new tyre which had to be replaced.I accept that punctures are very rare events but I'd still prefer to have some sort of spare - the way life works out the rare event of a puncture probably happens just when you're on your way to a job interview or taking one of your children to their exams.Having said that I've been too indolent or stingy to actually go out and buy a space-saver.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2014, 03:12:32 pm
content: Quote+1The only puncture I ever had was a "blow out" with a side wall hole about the size of a 10p piece - try sealing that with rubber gunk!

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 09, 2014, 07:47:13 pm
content: Quote from: vk6zgo on June 09, 2014, 04:50:22 amBluetooth is tremendously useful in the car, for example, when you need to answer a call but cannot take your eyes off the road as mandated by the law.

author: lowimpedance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2014, 01:44:25 am
content: Quote from: echen1024 on June 09, 2014, 07:47:13 pmIf the call is that important pull over so you can devote the proper attention to the person calling.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2014, 03:47:04 am
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on June 09, 2014, 07:56:05 amWeighed down?--I just checked the kerb weight of a Nissan Micra ,which is a very light car,at 810kg.A spare & jack would probably add about 60kg max.That is an increase of 7.4% in overall weight---about the same as a very slim passenger!Fuel is heavy,too,so you shouldn't ever fill right up.Of course,then you may have to pay more each time you 1/4 fill it,negating the savings.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2014, 05:46:35 am
content: Apropos light cars, the good people of San Francisco developed their own version of car tippingMore examples herehttps://www.google.com/search?q=smart+car+tipping+sf&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2014, 06:20:42 am
content: Quote from: zapta on June 10, 2014, 05:46:35 amthose "good people" tipping over cars should be removed from the human genome - preferably with fire.

author: makerimages
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 12:02:11 pm
content: A generousis those cheap "last-a-day-when-lucky" type soldering irons w/o temp control. Have personally wasted 3. Getting a slightly better soldering station this very week to replace. AFAIK, it takes Weller tips aswell

author: sunnyhighway
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 04:55:57 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on June 10, 2014, 05:46:35 amDue to these events, this mods seems to gain a considerable amount of popularity.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 06:55:06 pm
content: I've thought a lot about product quality lately. I bought some LCD monitors back when they were expensive and built to last, and recently decided it was time to upgrade to something wide, larger, and with better color. In terms of build quality though, it's shocking how crap they are now. And unfortunate that you have an assortment to choose from at >20" and <$200, then a gaping hole until you're willing to spend nearly (or over!) $1000.That's when I noticed that the "middle class" of products seems to be disappearing in general. It's a shame, since I'm usually willing to spend a bit more to get something that isn't cheap, but I also don't want to throw down many times the price of the low-end offering. (At some point it becomes more economical to treat them as disposable, although that's not a verysustainablementality.)As prolific as electronics are now, you can't expect everything to be grossly over-engineered anymore. The cost of doing so is high -- both in actual price of materials, and in the availability of those materials when they are so liberally used. Still, "disposable" and "reliable" shouldn't be separated by a mote.(Side note: I just bought a truck last weekend. Second choice would've been a Frontier, and after reading some of the comments here, I'm kinda glad I got my first pick.)

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 07:32:25 pm
content: Quote from: SirNick on July 09, 2014, 06:55:06 pmCheck Newegg frequently. I purchased a professional level, Asus PA246Q refurbished for like $220-240.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 08:09:22 pm
content: QuoteThis is true in other areas as well - there's no longer much middle ground in furniture since Ikea came on the scene for instance.The basic problem is that the quality of goods at the low end of the market has actually increased quite a lot, whereas the price has fallen - especially in real terms. Thus the mid-price mid-quality manufacturers find themselves with much less differentiation in terms of quality but totally unable to compete on price so they go to the wall.Modern consumer electronic goods are actually much more reliable than stuff in, say, the 70's most of which, frankly, was crap.

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 09:09:04 pm
content: That's true, but it was a different kind of crap. Specs were horrible, but it would work the same when new as it would ten years later. Today, by my LCD monitor example, I bought a set of 24" panels for very little cash. The resolution and clarity is amazing, but I suspect they will fail well before the old Sony panel I replaced would have, all because someone saved $1 off the BOM cost on the PSU or the driver ICs or whatever.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 09:35:57 pm
content: QuoteWhich I recall being "not very well".I remember our first colour TV, bought from Comet, maybe around 1973. My father wanted a "good" brand so we ended up with a Grundig. It must have been an up-market model as it had a remote control. A rather chunky thing which "relied" on an ultrasonic transducer - it wasn't that reliable, actually. I recall the TV being back at the repair shop almost as much as we watched it. I think in the end we bought a 2nd set (a Sony IIRC) and put it in another room so we had a fighting chance of watching TV.To be fair the Sony was perfectly OK reliability-wise although we had a 2nd house at the time and that had an ITT set - quite possiblythis one- that was probably worse than the Grundig.Of course despite there being only 3 channels, not 300 there seemed to be much more on that was worth watching back thenNostalgia isn't what it used to be

author: SirNick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2014, 11:52:05 pm
content: No experience with Grundig, but my parents owned their Sony 13" TV for most of my life. It was retired a few years back in favor of an LCD. Last I saw, the (IR) remote still worked! The TV was paired with a Fisher VHS top-loader that had a wired remote with one button -- pause. You had to hold it down to keep it paused, which looking back, kind of defeats the point. That old thing was replaced with a new 4-head stereo deck in the mid 90s, even though the old one also still worked.OTOH, many of the buttons on my (6-year-old) AVR remote don't work unless you press really hard, and keep holding them for a while. My 3-year-old projector remote is starting to show signs of the same trouble. Neither have been subjected to siblings fighting over what to watch, although my cat sometimes falls asleep on top of them.

author: Phaedrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2014, 05:47:05 am
content: If you're looking at monitors, I recommend the Korean 27" IPS monitors, from brands like Qnix. They're A- grade panels from LG, the same ones used in top-end Dell and Apple monitors, but the color accuracy wasn't *quite* good enough to meet the big boys' specs.They stick them in a cheap housing with minimal electronics and sell them for $300-$450.Are they fancy? No. Are they the best build quality? God no. But it's a 27" 2560x1440 IPS panel with good color accuracy for <$500. I've popped one open, and it's competently designed. You'll probably have to recap the PSU in about 5 years, but aside from that you should be set. Less electronics in the housing, less to go wrong!Additionally, due to the lack of additional image processing on-board, these are often overclockable. If your video card supports if you can often get these to run at 80-96Hz, rather than 60. Some people have gotten as high as 120Hz out of them. Crazy!

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2014, 10:24:49 am
content: Blaupunkt TV sets.These German TVs were advertised as "Cherman Excellence" colour TVs by slick advertisers, but were a massive pile of crap. Many components were running near their power and temperature ratings. They violated safe design practices by having a live chassis design - no isolation transformer. There was even an entire book printed about faults in Blaupunkt TV sets. In general European TVs were dangerous, overpriced and unreliable.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2014, 10:54:21 am
content: What on my nerves in PCB design:- Not back annotating a complex PCB layout is the mark of an ignoramus who have never had to debug boards.- Lazy designs with top overlay inconsistencies, spelling mistakes and ambiguous component designators.- No provision for an oscilloscope ground lead on a PCB should be made a offence punishable with 240V mains placed across their testicles so they cannot breed.- Lack of important test points when there is plenty of space to put them.- Not having PCB design standards and having ad-hoc component libraries.I am intolerant of crappy circuit boards by myself or any of my team. We always review each other's schematics and PCB layouts, referencing our bible - the PCB Design Standards. We record all issues found during reviews and track the fixes - before the boards are made. It takes longer, but we generally get it right the first time and avoid stupid mistakes. Saves us money by avoiding PCB re-spins, and we get happier technicians and PCA manufacturers. Everyone wins.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2014, 11:11:38 am
content: Never checking the wattage on components in a design, or running passives at 90% of there wattage rating, and thinking its going to last a decade,The amount of automotive stuff i have fixed because the manufacturer opted to use a lower wattage part.. there are some examples where there is even the correct wattage printed on the PCB silkscreen, but they still used a size smaller to compact there BOM....I will admit to failing at this on a past design, where i simulated it, but failed to take note of what happened when the power supply doesn't magically come into action in 0.1ps, creating pulse wattage's in KW, resulting in some very nice and crispy 1/4W resistors,The other thing is inherently unsafe feedback loops, e.g. you are using a potentiometer to control an output, its common for a pot to fail open circuit, so why not make it so it gets tugged into a safe or shutdown stat as opposed to running balls out, (e.g. a weak potential divider to tug it to a set point) or in the case of a current limiting circuit, loosing the sense connection engages the limiter to maximum effect rather than disabling itself, (Kelvin Connection sense resistor developed a dry joint on one of the sense legs from heat cycling)

author: dfmischler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2014, 12:23:38 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on June 05, 2014, 11:48:52 pmI think "genital pink" has been my favorite color ever since my first experience with it.Quote from: mojo_chanI once hit a tubular piece of steel about 8 inches (20 cm) long that fell off a vehicle in front of me. Not only did it It puncture the tire but it punched right through the hub of the alloy wheel. Good thing I had a spare.