3 ms·

Tangential, but one of the concerns I have about these 'smart' cars is they have an expiration deadline. There's an exceedingly common type of failure I have s

Tangential, but one of the concerns I have about these 'smart' cars is they have an expiration deadline. There's an exceedingly common type of failure I have seen myself in industrial electronics and (has happened with Tesla at least once), that some module keeps a log of some kind in a nonvolatile flash, and this flash has a limited lifecycle, which the equipment reaches at some years into its life (or earlier, if the flash came from a bad batch, or more logging happens than planned). At this point the board usually gets bricked and replacement is very hard due to cryptographic handshakes between components.

aceazzameen 20d ago
They've become cell phones on wheels. I'm disappointed with what vehicles (and phones too!) have become.
- taraindara 20d ago
  I share the sentiment. I want a new car, but only if I can guarantee all telemetry is hard disabled. But I don’t have the kind of money to buy a new car and risk bricking it. Luckily I’m pretty handy, so I’ll have to keep my 2014< cars forcefully running as long as I can.
  - hdgvhicv 20d ago
    I have non concerns about having a built in button to phone emergency services. I don’t even mind if it auto rings in a crash. I’m even happy to provide position to the emergency service in the event of dialing them. Manufacturers use this capacity as an excuse to push more adtech penny and dime data abuse, knowing half the world will blame the government.
    - fn-mote 20d ago
      Your cell phone could easily call for help in a crash without the car being involved at all.
      - Loughla 20d ago
        Not if I'm unconscious?
        Chaosvex 20d ago
        iPhones actually can. I'm guessing some Androids have an equivalent.
        fn-mote 20d ago
        Apple Watch for sure. It seems like you have been in an accident. Hit this button to cancel or EMS will be called.
        aceazzameen 20d ago
        Other drivers will phone it in. This isn't a concern for me at all, but I suppose it could be if you lived in a low population area.
        b0rtb0rt 20d ago
        other drivers will assume someone else already called it in and drive past
        1over137 20d ago
        Good god thats a bleak thought, where do you live that people behave like that?!
        hdgvhicv 20d ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
        hdgvhicv 20d ago
        Not when you go off the side into a ditch
    - gregglain 19d ago
      I'll take the risk.
  - kevin_thibedeau 20d ago
    Disabling the antennas is the only way to be sure. There will typically be a coax connection that you can cap with a terminator. GPS can be merged with other radios you might not want to lose but suitable splitters are available.
    - petre 20d ago
      GPS uses a different frequency and a very weak signal. The antenna is typically separate from the others but it's very small <5 mm¹. It can be on the same board with other antennas with 3…4 cm separation between them. Also, we tested a GSM tracker and it still worked with a mismatched antenna. This was in Eastern Europe where cell tower power is quite strong. You have to completely remove the antenna and terminate its connection to be 100% sure. If you have coax cables with external antennas, you're lucky. The worst case scenario is when they're embedded in the infotainment system with amtennas and everything. This is also a cost cutting measure, so it's very likely to be used. The infotainment system is usually ideally placed under the windshield for undisturbed signal reception. But there is still hope to completely cover its back side and edges with aluminium foil tape. 1. https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/gnss-chip-antenna-hookup-guide/all?print=1 https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/gnss-chip-antenna-hooku...
      - Scoundreller 20d ago
        I thought most would use their “shark fin” on the roof for everything (if there is one but there usually is). Terminating on the other end somewhere with a color coded FAKRA connector.
        petre 20d ago
        That's quite far away for the weak GPS signal over RF cable, but they still do it. Or maybe the GPS unit and LTE modem are also in the shark fin or nearby and they use a serial, CAN FD/XL or single pair ethernet connection to it? Another choice is in the center of the dashboard under the winshield or under the mirror.
- mdp2021 20d ago
  > disappointed One of the most extreme understatement in history.
KurSix 20d ago
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aceazzameen 20d ago

They've become cell phones on wheels. I'm disappointed with what vehicles (and phones too!) have become.

taraindara 20d ago
I share the sentiment. I want a new car, but only if I can guarantee all telemetry is hard disabled. But I don’t have the kind of money to buy a new car and risk bricking it. Luckily I’m pretty handy, so I’ll have to keep my 2014< cars forcefully running as long as I can.
- hdgvhicv 20d ago
  I have non concerns about having a built in button to phone emergency services. I don’t even mind if it auto rings in a crash. I’m even happy to provide position to the emergency service in the event of dialing them. Manufacturers use this capacity as an excuse to push more adtech penny and dime data abuse, knowing half the world will blame the government.
  - fn-mote 20d ago
    Your cell phone could easily call for help in a crash without the car being involved at all.
    - Loughla 20d ago
      Not if I'm unconscious?
      - Chaosvex 20d ago
        iPhones actually can. I'm guessing some Androids have an equivalent.
        fn-mote 20d ago
        Apple Watch for sure. It seems like you have been in an accident. Hit this button to cancel or EMS will be called.
      - aceazzameen 20d ago
        Other drivers will phone it in. This isn't a concern for me at all, but I suppose it could be if you lived in a low population area.
        b0rtb0rt 20d ago
        other drivers will assume someone else already called it in and drive past
        1over137 20d ago
        Good god thats a bleak thought, where do you live that people behave like that?!
        hdgvhicv 20d ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
        hdgvhicv 20d ago
        Not when you go off the side into a ditch
  - gregglain 19d ago
    I'll take the risk.
- kevin_thibedeau 20d ago
  Disabling the antennas is the only way to be sure. There will typically be a coax connection that you can cap with a terminator. GPS can be merged with other radios you might not want to lose but suitable splitters are available.
  - petre 20d ago
    GPS uses a different frequency and a very weak signal. The antenna is typically separate from the others but it's very small <5 mm¹. It can be on the same board with other antennas with 3…4 cm separation between them. Also, we tested a GSM tracker and it still worked with a mismatched antenna. This was in Eastern Europe where cell tower power is quite strong. You have to completely remove the antenna and terminate its connection to be 100% sure. If you have coax cables with external antennas, you're lucky. The worst case scenario is when they're embedded in the infotainment system with amtennas and everything. This is also a cost cutting measure, so it's very likely to be used. The infotainment system is usually ideally placed under the windshield for undisturbed signal reception. But there is still hope to completely cover its back side and edges with aluminium foil tape. 1. https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/gnss-chip-antenna-hookup-guide/all?print=1 https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/gnss-chip-antenna-hooku...
    - Scoundreller 20d ago
      I thought most would use their “shark fin” on the roof for everything (if there is one but there usually is). Terminating on the other end somewhere with a color coded FAKRA connector.
      - petre 20d ago
        That's quite far away for the weak GPS signal over RF cable, but they still do it. Or maybe the GPS unit and LTE modem are also in the shark fin or nearby and they use a serial, CAN FD/XL or single pair ethernet connection to it? Another choice is in the center of the dashboard under the winshield or under the mirror.
mdp2021 20d ago
> disappointed One of the most extreme understatement in history.

KurSix 20d ago

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