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For those on the lazy web like me; the answer is fill a hollow plastic counter weight with water when the machine is installed rather than lug great slabs of co
by andy_ppp 9y ago
For those on the lazy web like me; the answer is fill a hollow plastic counter weight with water when the machine is installed rather than lug great slabs of concrete round the world.
- rplst8 9y agoThat's like a huge "duh, why didn't they do that" sort of thing. Wow. Theoretically, they could probably make all of the free space in the washer part of a giant tupperware style container and allow filling of different compartments to precisely balance the machine.
- ynniv 9y agoAnd the answer is... cheap computing power. If the plastic balance isn't full or leaks out, the spin cycle becomes extremely dangerous. Traditionally we used a system that was not prone to this kind of failure, but now that the cycle is computer controlled and we have cheap accelerometers we can use a more complicated but lighter alternative safely.
- cm2187 9y agoWhy do you need a precise weight? Isn't it mass just there to keep the machine from vibrating, like the heavier the better? As opposed to some weight on a propeller that are carefully calibrated to offset any asymmetry.
- Murkin 9y agoOnly issue might be the container not being 100% full causing the water inside to slosh and increase the vibrations. (Probably not that hard to solve)
- baybal2 9y ago>(Probably not that hard to solve) Yeah, just throw a 2 channel PID controller and a bunch of servos. It most likely be rather cheap (sarcasm)
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- jaclaz 9y agoMost probably the new washing machine will have a microprocessor anyway being IoT ;), so it's just the cost of sensors and servos that adds to the BOM. As a side note, and JFYI, a celebration of connected washers (by IBM): https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/washing-iot-solution/ https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/washing-iot-sol... Particularly: >New business transformation opportunities can be explored whereby the washing machine itself can be turned into a service where the thing is not purchased, but given to the user, with the user adopting a pay per wash experience. The first example of WAASH (Washing As A Service, Hot) I ever saw.
- baybal2 9y agoAah, this the devious "product as a service" model, at least here they properly call it leasing, unlike the companies that adopted Keurigification
- jaclaz 9y agoI am not sure to understand, actually they (I mean the cited IBM article authors) don't call it "leasing", they explicitly promote the idea of "pay per wash".
- Retric 9y agoConcrete weighs 2.5 as much per given volume 150 vs 62 pounds per cubic foot. So, there are significant trade offs involved. Also, adding a sealed water container creates a few more ways for these things to break down which was a larger concern when washing machines lasted ~5x as long.
- jrs235 9y agoWhat if they used sand instead of water?
- Retric 9y agoThen you need to pay to ship sand. The upside is it would probably be easier to install, downside if it breaks you need to deal with sand.
- fps 9y agoBut it doesn't need to be shipped from the factory in China to the user. Sand can be locally sourced cheaply. Washing machine installers just need an additional material on their truck, in addition to the tools and plumbing supplies they already carry. 25kg of sand costs $0.50 from a landscaping yard.
- jerf 9y agoWell, I don't know about your house, but in my house I don't have hoses with free-flowing sand guaranteed to be right next to my washing machine when I install it. A washing machine that required you to buy sand too would have a hard time in the market; it may be irrational in some sense, but that would be perceived as a huge installation burden by the market and it would not do well.