5 ms·

Because its using piezoelectric elements to move the air. There are no motors or bearings in here.

SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
“ We were told the vibrating membranes are made with techniques similar to those used for production of semiconductors and screens – hence the “solid state cooler” description.” In other words, not at all solid-state. Some process they used to make a component reminds them of solid state manufacture techniques.
- enragedcacti 3y ago
  Would you call a quartz clock "not at all solid-state"? After all, it uses a piezoelectric material that vibrates to cause an effect. I think that description would be technically correct while also being very misleading to the average person, and I think that's why we've seen the colloquial definition of "solid-state" expand to effectively mean "non-mechanical" in some domains.
  - SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
    No. Not at all. I would call it crystal resonator. Because it’s not solid state, there’s no semiconductor. I think you might be confusing that “it looks like a chip kinda”. If you wanted a solid state clock source, that is a MEMS. And further, no one calls, Crystal resonators “solid state” for marketing purposes, which is all that’s going on here.
    - enragedcacti 3y ago
      I feel like we've reached the all too common HN cliche of having to address that words have multiple meanings and those meanings change over time. "solid-state" only means "semiconductors" because solid semiconductors replaced gaseous state devices. If we operate by that definition these devices are very much solid so perhaps from context we can choose infer that they mean "non-mechanical" and not "made of semiconductors" rather than getting wrapped up in pedantry. > And further, no one calls, Crystal resonators “solid state” for marketing purposes, which is all that’s going on here. Yeah, a company is trying to communicate the benefits of their product using words that convey them i.e. HDD->SSD, fan->AirJet. We can shake our fists at the sky in righteous anger or we can acknowledge that there isn't really any harm to using the terms that evoke the right meaning for most people in a new context.
      - SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
        It’s not pedantry to call things what they are. A crystal and this cooler - have moving parts. And don’t fit even a laissez-faire definition.
        CyberDildonics 3y ago
        I'm with you, technically all heat is vibration of atoms so nothing is really solid state.
        enragedcacti 3y ago
        so does a MEMS if that's the definition were going with.
      - pengaru 3y ago
        > I feel like we've reached the all too common HN cliche of having to address that words have multiple meanings and those meanings change over time It's not even an HN-specific thing. Arguing semantics is a time-honored method for derailing discussions. A sort of quasi-bikeshedding, except more often done in bad faith for creating a winnable meta-argument by someone who otherwise has nothing useful to say about (or was losing a debate of) the actual underlying subject.

“ We were told the vibrating membranes are made with techniques similar to those used for production of semiconductors and screens – hence the “solid state cooler” description.” In other words, not at all solid-state. Some process they used to make a component reminds them of solid state manufacture techniques.

enragedcacti 3y ago
Would you call a quartz clock "not at all solid-state"? After all, it uses a piezoelectric material that vibrates to cause an effect. I think that description would be technically correct while also being very misleading to the average person, and I think that's why we've seen the colloquial definition of "solid-state" expand to effectively mean "non-mechanical" in some domains.
- SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
  No. Not at all. I would call it crystal resonator. Because it’s not solid state, there’s no semiconductor. I think you might be confusing that “it looks like a chip kinda”. If you wanted a solid state clock source, that is a MEMS. And further, no one calls, Crystal resonators “solid state” for marketing purposes, which is all that’s going on here.
  - enragedcacti 3y ago
    I feel like we've reached the all too common HN cliche of having to address that words have multiple meanings and those meanings change over time. "solid-state" only means "semiconductors" because solid semiconductors replaced gaseous state devices. If we operate by that definition these devices are very much solid so perhaps from context we can choose infer that they mean "non-mechanical" and not "made of semiconductors" rather than getting wrapped up in pedantry. > And further, no one calls, Crystal resonators “solid state” for marketing purposes, which is all that’s going on here. Yeah, a company is trying to communicate the benefits of their product using words that convey them i.e. HDD->SSD, fan->AirJet. We can shake our fists at the sky in righteous anger or we can acknowledge that there isn't really any harm to using the terms that evoke the right meaning for most people in a new context.
    - SV_BubbleTime 3y ago
      It’s not pedantry to call things what they are. A crystal and this cooler - have moving parts. And don’t fit even a laissez-faire definition.
      - CyberDildonics 3y ago
        I'm with you, technically all heat is vibration of atoms so nothing is really solid state.
      - enragedcacti 3y ago
        so does a MEMS if that's the definition were going with.
    - pengaru 3y ago
      > I feel like we've reached the all too common HN cliche of having to address that words have multiple meanings and those meanings change over time It's not even an HN-specific thing. Arguing semantics is a time-honored method for derailing discussions. A sort of quasi-bikeshedding, except more often done in bad faith for creating a winnable meta-argument by someone who otherwise has nothing useful to say about (or was losing a debate of) the actual underlying subject.