Could the chip shortage be a blessing in disguise?

With the imgress of the microchip into many home appliances, motor vehicles etc.

Along with the use of microchips I have had issues with appliances that don’t last, they have a planned obsolescence to last for several years, then die.

Manufacturers only have spare parts available for a set period of time, then that fridge, washing machine, dishwasher is dead weight as it cannot be repaired.

I have read that manufactures are now having to revert to old school electromechanical controls for appliances.

Makes sense it should be easier for everyday people to fix it up.

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a reply to: robsmith

I would prefer old school controls.

Who needs to pay the cost of the appliance for a replacement board that really isn't needed just to turn the damned thing on and select a cycle.

a reply to: infolurker

Agreed, I prefer old school tech, it’s simpler don’t need to get diagnostic gear to identify what broke and fix it.

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: robsmith

I would prefer old school controls

Seconded! Our W/D set is about 14 years old and still going strong, though it does have it's "modern" drawbacks. Such as I'd love to crotch punch whoever's idea it was to have barely alterable pre-sets and no way to set one ypur way.

However, like I said, it's still going strong 14 years in, the ONLY thing we've ever had to fix (and it was self-service) was repacking the bearings in new grease. I'd say that does speak to the quality of Maytag, though

a reply to: Nyiah

I had a Maytag great machine, the suspension for the front load barrel failed, worked great on a full load, though would bang the insides, as the barrel would swing like crazy.

We can no longer get Maytag domestic nachines here, so we bought a Speed queen, it’s pretty reliable.

Stack up on electronics and sell after China invades Taiwan.

I third this idea .

the biggest thing i hate with the circuit board is if even part of it goes bad you cant just run with what is left.
for example if say on mechanical controls your "white (hot wash and rinse)" option goes out you can still wash on the other settings until you get it fixed.
or gets stuck on say warm /cold and you can adapt how you wash until fixes.

but on circuit board the (ex) extra rinse button part of it fails the whole damn thing wont work.

then getting it fixed requires the repair guy to come out at least TWICE.. once to "diagnose" the problem then AGAIN because a "knob" isnt generic or can be "substituted for" with something that cosmetically doesnt match so he doesnt have the part and "must order it specifically from the XX company"
usually VERY EXPENSIVE to boot because there is no "generic" part so your at mercy of the maker

thats presuming they didnt "discontinue it" for a newer model that isnt backwards compatable.

this whole song and dance can take WEEKS to get resolved.

what really blows my mind (and shows my age) is that there is no "better way" or "best option" between a device being repairable or made to be replaced.

either case a company is making something and MAKING MONEY.. be for "repair parts" or "new items"

with the knowledge your AWAYS gonna have newer / better models with more features.

just with the former the "newer/better models with up to date features" TRULY ARE..
Not just slight evolution and fancy new look. they cant get lazy and BS us.

now get off my lawn




scrounger

I’ve always wondered this.

Is it that it’s made to break or the technology is so damn fragile? Most boards you ordered come in anti-static bags. Little static, too much water, tad to hot or cold and it’s ruined.

I can see them being made to break though. If I make appliances, you need to buy more not sit on the same one for two decades.

I would also like to add (sorry if this is drift but related) they do things to make ANY MAINTENACE or repair more difficult.

for example you almost take everything apart on my dryer to change a board in the TOP of it for controls.
want to replace (and did) a heating element that looks like you took the foil wrapper (showing my age) off a stick of gum and folded it half long ways. have to take the top and front panel off to place it in the side of drum housing.

but for my dryer the biggest thing is cleaning out the lint.
the filter doesnt catch all of it and not all gets blown down the pipe to outside.
so some always in the bottom of the unit.
in my old machines (back from the 80s to show how long) they put a small door on the front bottom that you just opened and send your vac hose under to clean.

now i have to pull the dryer out to access the back hole you attach the hose on.. my laundry room is not that big (ok an entry way in size/dimensions).
makes it a chore to clean it out to make it last longer
your telling me they cant stamp out of that front panel a door or opening you remove a "door" from
even the repair guy said it was BS.

scrounger

originally posted by: PassiveSeeker
I’ve always wondered this.

Is it that it’s made to break or the technology is so damn fragile? Most boards you ordered come in anti-static bags. Little static, too much water, tad to hot or cold and it’s ruined.

I can see them being made to break though. If I make appliances, you need to buy more not sit on the same one for two decades.

i know right

a board vulnerable to static, too much water , hot and cold..

not like a DRYER and WASHING MACHINE ever has those factors as part of their function

scrounger

a reply to: robsmith

I agree on appliances. I refuse to buy a modern washer and dryer. Everybody I've ever heard talk about all the new machines in the past 15 years has hated them and many had to get multiple replacements on new machines. The old ones often still have a circuit board, but I believe they're mostly PLCs. Somebody may correct me on that. I forget who the appliance member is, but somebody used to fix them. Appliance dealers sometimes have a refurbished section, but I'm not even sure you can still get the super simple machines cheap.

If Hefficide sees this thread title he's going to have at least one stroke before he has time to click the thread, potentially a series of smaller ones. You may be banned for hate speech, among other serious crimes against humanity.

a reply to: PassiveSeeker

Those bags are to protect the board from any static discharge in-transit or while being shipped in containers. The moment they are installed, usually with a permanent ground somewhere on the unit, they are relatively safe for use and have less instances of malfunction.

But I do hate the push to PCBs instead of tactile controls.

Source: electrical engineer.

a reply to: scrounger

Most appliance manufacturers only repair at board replacement level. If one component on a board fails, it all fails and they never work on the board, instead, they replace it with a new board IF it is available, otherwise your unit is toast.

i fix almost all electronic failures myself. Armed with a voltmeter, a small oscope and a decent soldering iron, you can do it yourself easily. Take a basic electronics course if you know nothing about resistors, transistors, caps, IC's... Very basic troubleshooting skills will give you great experience. The things that fail are usually simple logic chips , caps and resistors that are easily available on Ebay and many online component sellers.

The complex chips very rarely fail, it is what interfaces with them that blows, thus protecting them. Many times, it is just an internal fuse but people throw the unit away....

I am serious. Expand your knowledge, save money and prevent useful items in the landfill.

a reply to: charlyv

We need shop class for adults. I'd love to take a course doing what you described to get the practical experience and be able to ask questions as they arise.

Cheers

a reply to: scrounger

Sometimes I feel the repair guy is on the take as well. I had a washing machine not run the full cycle. It would go to spin ever, though would drain.

I had a guy look at it, he checked belts etc.

I thought before I looked at a new machine. I thought I would look at the main board.

I Gould there were several loose dry slide joints, in some 3 legged thingies and a couple of capacitors. I took the board our desoldered, fluxed and re-soldered, worked until the suspension for the drum failed, which the parts were no longer available.

a reply to: scrounger

Agreed large scale inter grated circuits suck.

What’s wrong with an electromechanical device with reed switches to change from rinse to spin.

a reply to: Ksihkehe
Look at how lame lg or low grade were Shen they, used an aluminium spider that held the spider to
The stainless steel drum, which any dumbass should have realised stainless is a noble metal, aluminium is not, it is sacrificial like the anodes used on ships to prevent corrosion.

Lg probably knew this though sold the machine knowing the failure will be out of warranty.


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originally posted by: robsmith
I have read that manufactures are now having to revert to old school electromechanical controls for appliances.

Are manufacturers really doing it or are people wanting manufacturers to do it?

Makes sense it should be easier for everyday people to fix it up.

From a manufacturer's point of view, it does not, as they would need to redesign everything and find suppliers for those new parts.

a reply to: robsmith

Making things obsolete is how Companies survive and sucks capital out of us poor wretches..

Old School things are good, simple, easy to fix and lasts long because easy to fix. Companies can't have things that lasts long, what will they sell If things they make outlast them? I don't really think they would go back to the tech of yesteryear even when microchips are not available, permanently. This is just a temporary solution in my opinion and if they do make things old school again get them because they will not make them for very long.

originally posted by: havok
Those bags are to protect the board from any static discharge in-transit or while being shipped in containers. The moment they are installed, usually with a permanent ground somewhere on the unit, they are relatively safe for use and have less instances of malfunction.

The lack of a real ground is, many times, the source of problems, as most electric and electronic parts are built with that requirement in mind.