I interview with a large UPS provider. They wanted me to fix cards with different error codes. They did not know what the error codes ment that some S/W guy put into the code. So I can believe even the OEM does not know the codes.
Tom D.: I DO believe in the Capitalistic system! I HATE government interference as much or more than most people in this country. My comments did not introduce the faint idea that government at any level should be involved. My comments were strictly limited to the philosophy of Capitalism. Personally, I have repaired more appliances & apparati in my many decades of life than I care to remember. As a side note, I was but a child, and I was labelled "Professor" by my close friends. Whenever their bicycles, wagons, etc. failed to operate properly, my parent's garage became the local repair shop. Even neighbors brought their lawnmowers, etc. for me to investigate. I had MORE CRAFTSMAN tools in my toolbox by the time I was 12 years old than many "professionals" of the day had in their trucks!
Jon:
The idea of having audio & Braille legends for sight deficient users is noble. However, as you pointed out, the market is small, and IF the manufacturers included that feature into their products, it would have to be as an optional accessory. The alternative would be that we'd all wind up paying a lot more for the appliance because of that feature.
It occurred to me this morning that people with impaired sight must have a tough time seeing the repair or fault codes. The National Federation for the Blind has a "List of Usable Consumer Electronics" that includes information about how specific appliances adapt to sightless people. Some manufacturers supply Braille overlays for control panels and audio instructions, but I didn't find any listed appliances that have an optional add-on device that would speak control settings, error codes, and other information easily seen by most of us on LEDs and LCDs. Granted, the market for appliances for blind people seems small, but as more people get older, their vision deteriorates. My mother spent her last two years almost sightless due to macular degeneration and she relied on others to read things to her. Perhaps there's an opportunity here for an entrepreneur to add voice output to some appliances.
No Curmudgeon, we're not forgetting anything. Rather than have to government dictate what manufacturers need to do, we who believe in the capatalist system will buy products that do cater to our needs.
I do actually have something relevant to post as well....
is a great site for the DIY fixit folks. When I needed some help with a front load Maytag, it was indispensible. I did give a one-time donation to become a "card carrying" member, but that has more than paid for itself over the years.
Well, there IS competition! Here in FLA, you can choose to call the SEARS Factory service person, OR you can choose to call BROWARD FACTORY SERVICE, an independent contractor, which has offices throughout the state. They will gladly repair your appliance at the same hourly rate that the "factory" repairman does it. As one commentor stated, companies are liable for their products in perpetuity, and so they DO NOT want you, no matter how many degrees in mechanical / electrical engineering you may have to your credit. In a court of law, they are useless! It's all about litigation nowadays! Consider, for example, why we now have a business entity labeled "LLC", etc. These types of incorporation never existed in decades past. There was no need for such extreme isolation from manufacturer to consumer.
I understant this aspect, completely and am all for it. Capitalism also means competition, which lets me choose suppliers that make it easier for me to repair a product myself. I'm wiser now to the repair-parts scam many manugacturers foist on people.
What ALL of you are forgetting when you complain about companies NOT publishing or minimally publishing codes, forcing you to either purchase a service contract OR call the service technician (once called, repairman!), is that these companies ARE capitalistic entities, and CAPITALISM dictates that ALL goods & services shall be paid for. They are only following the guidelines of their corporate existences.
Washing machine with temperature sensor 10K nominal: This is probably the simple 10K thermistor in an expensive enclosure. I would buy the 10K thermistor availavle on Ebay and make an enclosure myself. A lot cheaper!
I have used http://www.repairclinic.com/ a few times and they have been helpful. I believe it was RepairGuru the first time I used it but they ahve since merged. I use it for an Ice Maker problem in my Amana refridgerator. I ordered the parts through them and fixed it myself.
A troubleshooting web site would be helpful. While I hate to defend shoddy design/manufacturing I also understand that in our legal system the manufacturer is held responsible for the safe operation of their product FOREVER, so having them post possible troubleshooting and repair answers would only seem to increase their liability. When you fix your washer and you or the next owner get's hurt, who get's sued? Poor design and short product life are not actionable.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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