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Electronic stuff is still reparable. Probably even more cheaply, in some regards (certainly material cost). We've just been made to become accustomed to viewing

Electronic stuff is still reparable. Probably even more cheaply, in some regards (certainly material cost). We've just been made to become accustomed to viewing electronic devices as disposable/primarily replaceable. And while most people have turned a wrench before, knowing how to use a soldering iron/heat gun/magnifier effectively is not a common skill. Could be, though.

BenjiWiebe 3y ago
Electronic stuff can be incredibly hard to repair, when the manufacturer doesn't share any information or even actively encrypts/locks it down.
- Tool_of_Society 3y ago
  Really it just depends. Depends on who made it what it it is where it is etc.
- imp0cat 3y ago
  Yes, but some fixes can also be incredibly simple (ie. a bad capacitor, loose wire, etc..).
mlhpdx 3y ago
My built-in refrigerator was slowly dying. Weak beeping, occasionally power cycling - and getting worse as the days went on. No longer under warranty, and no replacement parts being made. Replacing the fridge would escalate to replacing cabinetry, and possibly a full remodel since that would “enhance” the worn look of everything else. You may know how this goes… I knew enough to google the symptoms and found someone that would “rebuild” the main circuit board for a flat fee of $250 with about a week to turn around. That’s a fair bit cheaper than the remodel option. But that got me thinking “if it’s a flat rate, and occasionally something is hard to fix that means most repairs must be trivial or the person wouldn’t be making enough money”. What’s an obvious, easy and cheap circuit board problem? Capacitors. I had to buy a tester for $150 but I get to keep it. And the bad capacitor it found cost $.08. Knowing just a little and being willing to learn a little more saved me a considerable amount of time, trouble and money. I hope the same is true for cars because I have three relatively new ones in the family and we tend to keep them 10-20 years.
raxxorraxor 3y ago
We also know that any electronic stuff is very often designed to not be reparable at all. While there are standard interfaces for standard diagnostic data, you rarely can skip dealing with a very closed stack of software, intellectual property around a thick shield of armor. This is why you get things like heatable seat DLC.
- underlipton 3y ago
  I would like people to get into the habit of spinning up homebrew firmware/software to deal with this. Rockbox for your Ford. It's a heated seat, Michael, how much could it cost? Ten hundred lines of code?
jocaal 3y ago
Repairing electronics is not fun. Ask any undergraduate that spent hours looking for broken op-amps and bad solder joints. I don't think its the same class of repairability as old cars.

BenjiWiebe 3y ago

Electronic stuff can be incredibly hard to repair, when the manufacturer doesn't share any information or even actively encrypts/locks it down.

Tool_of_Society 3y ago
Really it just depends. Depends on who made it what it it is where it is etc.
imp0cat 3y ago
Yes, but some fixes can also be incredibly simple (ie. a bad capacitor, loose wire, etc..).

mlhpdx 3y ago

My built-in refrigerator was slowly dying. Weak beeping, occasionally power cycling - and getting worse as the days went on. No longer under warranty, and no replacement parts being made. Replacing the fridge would escalate to replacing cabinetry, and possibly a full remodel since that would “enhance” the worn look of everything else. You may know how this goes… I knew enough to google the symptoms and found someone that would “rebuild” the main circuit board for a flat fee of $250 with about a week to turn around. That’s a fair bit cheaper than the remodel option. But that got me thinking “if it’s a flat rate, and occasionally something is hard to fix that means most repairs must be trivial or the person wouldn’t be making enough money”. What’s an obvious, easy and cheap circuit board problem? Capacitors. I had to buy a tester for $150 but I get to keep it. And the bad capacitor it found cost $.08. Knowing just a little and being willing to learn a little more saved me a considerable amount of time, trouble and money. I hope the same is true for cars because I have three relatively new ones in the family and we tend to keep them 10-20 years.

raxxorraxor 3y ago

We also know that any electronic stuff is very often designed to not be reparable at all. While there are standard interfaces for standard diagnostic data, you rarely can skip dealing with a very closed stack of software, intellectual property around a thick shield of armor. This is why you get things like heatable seat DLC.

underlipton 3y ago
I would like people to get into the habit of spinning up homebrew firmware/software to deal with this. Rockbox for your Ford. It's a heated seat, Michael, how much could it cost? Ten hundred lines of code?

jocaal 3y ago

Repairing electronics is not fun. Ask any undergraduate that spent hours looking for broken op-amps and bad solder joints. I don't think its the same class of repairability as old cars.