Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work • Hacker News Board

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#201

Post by frosted-flakes » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 6:16 PM UTC

sergiosgc wrote: post #137

ptaipale wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really like my microwave oven that has just two controls: one dial for power (scale defrost - full power) and one for time (mechanical clock up to 30 min). It is not likely to break because there is no PCB with bad capacitors. It does not have a clock that I would need to adjust at every DST change, and it does not have an array of confusing buttons and controls. Everyone can use it, without reading the manual. And…

There is an "Apple" market for the first company that designs a simple microwave oven. The user interface on most of those things is atrocious. A beautiful oven with two dials would kill on the market. (maybe there is one, but I couldn't find one browsing on appliance stores)

This already exists. It's called the LG NeoChef[1], and it's an absolute joy to use compared to anything else I've seen.

It has three controls on the front: stop/clear, start/+30sec, and a touch slider that lets you accurately set any time from 10 seconds to an hour. The slider actually works very well, and is super kid-friendly. Here's an image: https://www.lg.com/ca_en/images/microwave-ovens/MD05821693/g...

If you open the door, there are 11 more buttons for setting the power level or starting a timer, etc. The only preset button it has is popcorn, which is the only useful one. Notably, it does not have a number pad, only plus/minus buttons. Image: https://www.lg.com/ca_en/images/microwave-ovens/MD05821693/g...

It also has an internal LED light that shines down from above instead of a crappy incandescent light that shines from the side (and is inevitably burnt out).

Oh, and it doesn't have loud, irritating beeps from a piezoelectric beeper that wakes up the entire house when you're reheating your 2am snack. It has an actual speaker instead, and the touch tones are soft and the "done" alert is melodious and stops when you open the door (there's an actual handle, instead of a spring-loaded button).

[1] https://www.lg.com/ca_en/microwave-ovens/lg-LMC0975ST

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#202

Post by dmix » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 6:51 PM UTC

I find it crazy when any company doesn't fully adopt the hackers and aftermarket people. Like the guy said they need to have a certification process and official pipelines to support 3rd party vendors.

This would significantly increase the UX of owning the car which would offset any risks of backlash from bad work. A car waiting 1.5yrs for a small component is a way worse outcome IMO.

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#203

Post by olivermarks » Tue, Aug 27, 2019, 10:05 PM UTC

olivermarks wrote: post #200

tyingq wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does look similar, but the article says every body panel is different.

Tesla had to fettle very similar modified components and panels to make it all work is my understanding

https://youtu.be/_w9vB8V8mII Great video about gen 1 roadsters

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#204

Post by Infernal » Wed, Aug 28, 2019, 2:27 AM UTC

Sileem wrote: post #135

Infernal wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have wondered about this between my 2008 Honda and my 2019 Honda. The 2008, I have had the windshield replaced twice, no sweat, once due to a rock from the road and once due to a hailstone. On the 2019, there is a suite of sensors behind the rearview mirror that (I presume) handle lane detection and object avoidance (emergency braking) duties. I don't know what assumptions those sensors (or the software behind them…

Similarly, I recently had to replace the windshield in my 2016 Acura. Safelite threw in aftermarket glass and every sensor in the car went haywire. For the next two weeks I was driving around with constant beeping reminding me that the sensors I had turned off aren’t working.

What ended up being the resolution?

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#205

Post by jacquesm » Wed, Aug 28, 2019, 7:03 AM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #188

jacquesm wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Find a niche. Build a profitable business around it. Stay small. Make your customers and your staff happy (make a path to shared ownership for them if that tickles your fancy). Wow. This is exactly what I'm doing!

I wish you much success. I’d love to buy you a coffee or other beverage and hear all about it.

Anytime, jacques@modularcompany.com

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#206

Post by lucas_membrane » Wed, Aug 28, 2019, 9:56 AM UTC

nguoi wrote: post #170

jedberg wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A good idea in theory, but would you trust the security of the escrow system? It would be a very ripe target for corporate espionage.

They could just as easily buy a car and cut it up. IP is generally protected by (threat of) a courtroom, not obscurity.

Buying an old car is not a way to get new parts, and buying a new car is not a way to get parts for an old car.

The high price of car parts is the reason why we have so much car theft. Promoting the availability of car parts will save costs for car insurance, law enforcement, the prosecutors, judges, juries, and jails.

The situation is outrageous. There are parts for which a dealer pays around $10.00 that retail over $500.00.

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#207

Post by baroffoos » Wed, Aug 28, 2019, 11:33 PM UTC

taneq wrote: post #139

Dylan16807 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Repair hasn't become more expensive, new things have just become unbelievably cheap. You don't think it's both?

Fair call, it's both. Someone skilled enough to repair a high-tech item is often also skilled enough to design one, and economies of scale mean that these people are now paid much more than they used to be, while the per-unit cost of the item has tumbled.

It is that but its more. To replace my battery in my samsung s5 I just had to pop the back cover off with my fingernail and pull the old battery out. Now with modern phones I am sitting there with a hair dryer and suction caps trying to pry the phone apart for an hour so I can then remove 20 screws and 3 ribbon cables all in the right order so I can then start hair drying again to unstick the battery.

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#208

Post by smileysteve » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 3:33 AM UTC

FussyZeus wrote: post #177

smileysteve wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this is true of many car models; I've done 3 projects on my 2004 BMW post 2012 (where as time passed, more parts become available); one of the last years before everything became more computer integrated, where there weren't significant, cheap, readily available parts - Xenon Headlight Baskets; factory headlights only sold as a sealed unit (that would likely suffer the same burn issue), aftermarket whole units do…

> I've done 3 projects on my 2004 BMW post 2012 (where as time passed, more parts become available); one of the last years before everything became more computer integrated, where there weren't significant, cheap, readily available parts This is a far cry from there being no parts, cheap or otherwise. And even if there aren't OEM parts I'm betting there are tons of knockoff and third party/performance/budget parts yo…

Many of these parts didn't make it to your average auto parts store for ~13 years of the model (began in 1999); of which the Tesla Roadster is still several years away (if it will ever be)

Because of programs like the 100k mile warranty; there is limited after market support for most mainstream automobiles until the majority of the owners no longer fall in that category.

Re: Keeping Tesla Roadsters Alive Is Serious Work

#209

Post by smileysteve » Thu, Aug 29, 2019, 3:35 AM UTC

wil421 wrote: post #175

smileysteve wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this is true of many car models; I've done 3 projects on my 2004 BMW post 2012 (where as time passed, more parts become available); one of the last years before everything became more computer integrated, where there weren't significant, cheap, readily available parts - Xenon Headlight Baskets; factory headlights only sold as a sealed unit (that would likely suffer the same burn issue), aftermarket whole units do…

e46? I had a 2000 and it was extremely easy to find parts. Denso AC compressor, idler pulley, belt tensioner, coils, wheel bearing, and a window motor. Everything was reasonably priced and I had choices of OEM, Aftermarket, or Genuine BMW. The AC compressor was the only part I didn’t buy Genuine because of the massive up-charge. Amazon had lots of OEM options that were the same brand as Genuine BMW. I would’ve change…

Coils are another thing that were slow to make it to the autoparts store.

Much of this is probably because of the 100k mile warranties common on cars today, autoparts stores are less likely to stock parts until each model has the majority of owners outside of the factory warranty coverage.