What really gets to your nerves-pisspoor design!

[vk6zgo]

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

I'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.

[zapta]

it's not just Nissan  i 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...

The 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.

[jaxbird]

most LEDs will take higher pulse current than constant current? Wrong?

Diodes 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.

Thanks, makes me feel more confident about the decision I made many years ago  it 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.

[JFA]

The 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.

Put 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.

[SeanB]

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.

[vk6zgo]

it's not just Nissan  i 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...

The 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.

You bought a car without a spare tyre or a jack?

[Someone]

The other interesting thing to note about Fords is that they often have low emissions but crappy efficiency, because tax is done on emissions. Looks good on paper but costs you more to run.

Fuel 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.

[rob77]

The other interesting thing to note about Fords is that they often have low emissions but crappy efficiency, because tax is done on emissions. Looks good on paper but costs you more to run.

Fuel 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.

to 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

[Dave]

I am too old for pink buttons 
As 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.

I 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.

[zapta]

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.

Do 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. ;-)

[dannyf]

-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.

[zapta]

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.

Here 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.

[SeanB]

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.

[vk6zgo]

The 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.

It's a trade off. If you live somewhere with good roads and where you are unlikely to get a fast puncture you might as well take the fuel saving. If you shop about you can get roadside recovery for next to nothing if you need it. If you live somewhere where punctures are common then sure, it makes sense to have a proper spare.

Even 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".

[vk6zgo]

You still have to have an engine,transmission,& passengers.------get rid of those & you can get fantastic mileage!

[jpb]

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.

[grumpydoc]

I accept that punctures are very rare events but I'd still prefer to have some sort of spare

+1

The 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!

[echen1024]

The 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.

It's a trade off. If you live somewhere with good roads and where you are unlikely to get a fast puncture you might as well take the fuel saving. If you shop about you can get roadside recovery for next to nothing if you need it. If you live somewhere where punctures are common then sure, it makes sense to have a proper spare.

Even 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".

Bluetooth 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.

[lowimpedance]

Bluetooth 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.

If the call is that important pull over so you can devote the proper attention to the person calling.

[vk6zgo]

Even 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.

This really isn't a problem where I live. Flats are very rare. Occasional slow punctures maybe but undrivable flats... Never had one, touch wood.

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.

Unfortunately those things don't weigh the same amount. Also, what kind of magic car doesn't use more fuel when weighed down?

Weighed 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.

[zapta]

Apropos light cars, the good people of San Francisco developed their own version of car tipping



More examples here

https://www.google.com/search?q=smart+car+tipping+sf&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch

[rob77]

Apropos light cars, the good people of San Francisco developed their own version of car tipping



More examples here

https://www.google.com/search?q=smart+car+tipping+sf&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch

those "good people" tipping over cars should be removed from the human genome - preferably with fire.

[makerimages]

A generous  is 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

[sunnyhighway]

Apropos light cars, the good people of San Francisco developed their own version of car tipping



More examples here

https://www.google.com/search?q=smart+car+tipping+sf&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch

Due to these events, this mods seems to gain a considerable amount of popularity.

[SirNick]

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 very sustainable mentality.)

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.)