Pretty funny this is top post, this morning I was woken up by a demented smoke detector that needed to be reset
Everything with a battery should have an off switch
291–300 of 613 posts
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#292Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
> Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year I had a kitchen scale that would eat through its battery pretty quickly (within a month) even when not being used. I figured it could be an interesting project to open it up and try to figure out where the stray power draw was happening, but the obviously correct solution was just to leave the battery cover off and pop it in and out f…
They should have taken the apple approach and put the charging port on the bottom so you couldn't even lay it flat on its bottom with the charger plugged in.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#293Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's such a godawful book. In my view it epitomizes everything that is wrong with design today. And the worst part is that comments like these make it come off as the go-to reference to actually solving these problems. The reasons it's the worst design guidance out there is that it teaches: 1) that engineers should NOT be entrusted/involved with user design. 2) to conceptualize users as blissful idiots. 3) that obs…
This is such a weird take. First off, Norman wasn't schooled at Apple, he basically created the HCI guidelines with Nielsen. Apple's design guidelines have long been based o years what Norman worked on so you have it the other way around. In no part of the book does it say that engineers shouldn't be part of the design process. What the book advocates is that if engineers are entrusted with design, they should at lea…
See the "Acknowledgements" section of his book -- pp. 299-304. Yes, Norman had written "The Psychology of Everyday Things" prior to joining apple. But in his acknowledgements to this particular book (i.e. "The Design of Everyday Things" p. 301) he very heavily credits his experience at Apple: "I have learned a lot in the years that have passed since the first edition of this book ... The most important experience was at Apple ... I learned about industrial design first from Bob Brunner, then from Jonathan (Joni) Ive. ... Steve Wozniak, by a peculiar quirk, was an Apple employee with me as his boss, ..."
So while Norman wasn't a neophyte when joining Apple, he clearly credits his experience at Apple for having heavily influenced the specific book we are discussing.
Norman certainly doesn't recommend silent failure verbatim. But what I'm saying is that this is the net effect of his recommendations.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#294Everything that plugs into a power socket should have a switch as well.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#295(Background: I work in product design/new product development, and conceivably might have designed this thing! If any of those were still designed in the Western world. Which they aren't. I have designed some stuff like it, though!) Oh, great, this debate again! I shall use this post as ammunition next time I am arguing with our stupid design team about why we need an off switch on the stupid product we are designing…
I hope you don't mind this sentiment but you seem like one of the "good ones." A lot of designers seemingly do things like this for some insular reasons rather than for market reasons (better for consumers or it gives them an edge). Just another example how some developments in tech are top-down rather than bottom up from market demand.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#296So true. I just found out in the hard way, by letting the battery in a home safebox expire. I cannot find the physical key and the electronic lock does not work without power. I will have to call some specialists to break in.
First look up the manual to make sure the battery isn't replaceable from the outside. My fire safe has an electronic lock, but you can replace the battery by twisting off the face of the lock (which isn't obvious from looking at it)
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#297My backup iphone starts randomly - even just sitting alone in the corner unplugged.
I regularly have to recharge it.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#298Earlier quoted context omitted.
As indicated in the thread via his own words and pictures this is an off-brand switch controller, not a Nintendo official one. They don't have the same requirements for even features as the official Nintendo Pro or Joycon controllers.
As the owner of a whole passel of shitty third party Switch controllers I have yet to encounter one where the pair button didn't turn it off.
May be this one didn't? Have a little sense of good faith for foone (of all people)?
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#299Everything that plugs into a power socket should have a switch as well.
Everything powered through electricity should have a on/off switch.
Re: Everything with a battery should have an off switch
#300Examples lying around in my house: Bathroom scale: lovely it powers up when you tap it, but eats up 2 button cells a year for a few dozen uses a year Kitchen scales, bit more use, at least once a day but again 2 button cells a year electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox Strangely enough none of our kids toys with batteries seem to suffer from this problem How much extra cos…
Get Vernier calipers! The scale is easy to learn and use and measurements will be at least as precise as electronic calipers. With no batteries required the tool has much less of an environmental impact and you never need to worry about whether the calipers will work or not.
It's just the cheap no-name calipers that eat batteries. Genuine Mitutoyo (and probably similar brands) treat their batteries very kindly.
I have used vernier calipers but the time savings of not having to scrutinize the vernier scale every time you take a measurement is quite worthwhile. Just buy a good set.