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> There is one practical argument that can be made against mechanical switches and buttons, and that is they will eventually fail from long-term use. Before a
by BeefWellington 4y ago
> There is one practical argument that can be made against mechanical switches and buttons, and that is they will eventually fail from long-term use.
Before a touch interface fails from long-term use? I highly doubt it. Plus, a switch is a very easy component to replace. Touch screens can be but aren't always.
I think service life arguments are just poor effort. We well understand the appropriate average service life of a variety of switches. We don't understand the same for touchscreens, especially modern ones, as they haven't been around as long.
- cjrp 4y ago> Plus, a switch is a very easy component to replace. From experience, in aviation nothing is simple or cheap to replace. Cheaper than replacing the entire Garmin unit though, yes.
- LeonidasXIV 4y ago> From experience, in aviation nothing is simple or cheap to replace. Of course it is relative but I would still assume a switch in aviation is easier to replace than a touchscreen.
- HPsquared 4y agoAlso the touchscreen is more of a single point of failure. If the touchscreen fails, a whole range of systems and functions are affected. If on the other hand a single switch fails, only one function/system will be affected.