• Lennart (unregistered)

    Duh, Virtual Key.

  • Flied Lice (unregistered)

    But what about the smell of fried electronics the first time VK was activated?

  • (cs) in reply to Flied Lice
    Flied Lice:
    But what about the smell of fried electronics the first time VK was activated?

    Probably more burned fuel smell or something like that.

  • immitto (unregistered)

    Better than failure?

  • Carmen (unregistered) in reply to TheMugs
    TheMugs:
    Flied Lice:
    But what about the smell of fried electronics the first time VK was activated?

    Probably more burned fuel smell or something like that.

    Or the ignition coil and spark plugs doing their thing. There's a lot of arcing going on in a properly working engine...you just don't normally notice because of all that smoke and whatnot.

  • (cs) in reply to Flied Lice
    Flied Lice:
    But what about the smell of fried electronics the first time VK was activated?
    Spark plugs, you know, create sparks. And ozone.

    (I actually work with HIL testers for engine controls. Fuel injectors are LOUD.)

    (BTW: TRWTF here is using people not familiar with engines to develop anything that interfaces with an engine. Causes all sorts of problems due to misunderstanding how the system is supposed to behave.)

  • English Man (unregistered)

    I for one congratulate Alex for the excellent job of proof-reading this article! Best I've seen so far!

  • (cs)

    So the WTF was that the WTF was not a WTF at all? And how do you relocate a room? In less than 30 minutes?

  • schmitter (unregistered)

    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

  • (cs) in reply to schmitter
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

  • (cs)

    The lesson here is pulling all nighters clouds judgement. When electronic circuits fail, they usually release a puff of smoke (and maybe sparks and flames) and then stop working. The fact that the test machine continued doing stuff should have been a clue that things were working. Did he even check if dummy lights had turned off? Because that should have been his primary test criteria.

  • Bob (unregistered) in reply to brazzy
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

  • Anonymous (unregistered)

    Wow, talk about the blind leading the blind. And yet it all came together in the end, WTF?!

  • 3rd Ferguson (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Harley-Davidson trademarked the sound of their bikes.

    I love it when someone vociferously and angrily calls someone out and is totally wrong-headed themselves. What does schadenfruede sound like?

    /CAPTCHA: "persto" -- "persto chagne-o!"

  • Bob (unregistered) in reply to 3rd Ferguson
    3rd Ferguson:
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Harley-Davidson trademarked the sound of their bikes.

    And your point is? J-Lo insured her rump, but that doesn't mean she had any say in its creation.
  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to 3rd Ferguson
    3rd Ferguson:
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Harley-Davidson trademarked the sound of their bikes.

    I love it when someone vociferously and angrily calls someone out and is totally wrong-headed themselves. What does schadenfruede sound like?

    /CAPTCHA: "persto" -- "persto chagne-o!"

    No, Harley attempted to trademark the sound of their engines but they failed abysmally, based on the fact that the familiar sound was mostly due to the engine configuration (large V-twin) and plenty of other manufacturers use the same confguration themselves. FYI, Harleys do actually have a completely unique sound that is easy to differentiate from any other large V-twins. But it still isn't distictive enough to trademark.

    Anyway, what was that you were saying about schadenfreude...?

  • Carmen (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw the word 'idiot' around like that. Firstly, there is one major component of engine design that is majorly driven by sound: The exhaust system. Secondly, a large part of any kind of engineering of this sort is designing and testing AWAY from harmonics that could damage parts, which of course also affects the sound an engine makes. Brazzy is right, there are plenty of engineers in most auto engineering shops, particularly in the luxury segment. They focus entirely on the sounds from a particular design, and make allowable changes to affect that sound. They don't control the final design, but they absolutely DO affect what you hear. It is not simple a result of the chance design of all the working parts with no effort put into the final result.

  • (cs) in reply to too_many_usernames

    [quote user="too_many_usernames]

    (BTW: TRWTF here is using people not familiar with engines to develop anything that interfaces with an engine. Causes all sorts of problems due to misunderstanding how the system is supposed to behave.)[/quote]

    Right, because you always want programmers who are also absolute domain experts. Everyone knows that a good programmer is a fully trained professional in no less than 3 disciplines outside his own.

    TRWTF is that they didn't have a domain expert on hand not that the guy wasn't it. That however is also business as usual.

  • Guh (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    3rd Ferguson:
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Harley-Davidson trademarked the sound of their bikes.

    And your point is? J-Lo insured her rump, but that doesn't mean she had any say in its creation.

    Are you sure? That's what liposuction is for.

  • Eaten by a Grue (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    The lesson here is pulling all nighters clouds judgement. When electronic circuits fail, they usually release a puff of smoke (and maybe sparks and flames) and then stop working. The fact that the test machine continued doing stuff should have been a clue that things were working. Did he even check if dummy lights had turned off? Because that should have been his primary test criteria.

    You should of course always wait until equipment catches fire or sparks dangerously before attempting to correct a hardware problem. After all, Finagle's Law of Testing states quite clearly that the value of testing equals the value of equipment ruined in the process.

  • (cs) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Sadly (for you), you are wrong. The sound of the engine is the sum of all the individual sounds, plus a bit for constructive interference, minus a bit for destructive interference, and then modified by the shape and materials of things like the engine compartment, the exhaust system, the intake ducts, etc. Car manufacturers do employ people to shape these components so as to modify this noise. I used to have a car with a 3-cylinder 4-stroke engine, and when idling, it made a barely audible whispery noise. Accelerating hard (well, as hard as it could, poor thing), at around 3,000 - 3,500 rpm, the resonant air intake made the weirdest noise.

    And don't forget the box at the end of the exhaust, which in your world clearly makes a very loud anti-noise, since without that box, the overall engine noise is very loud indeed.

  • Carmen (unregistered) in reply to Carmen
    Carmen:
    People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw the word 'idiot' around like that. Firstly, there is one major component of engine design that is majorly driven by sound: The exhaust system. Secondly, a large part of any kind of engineering of this sort is designing and testing AWAY from harmonics that could damage parts, which of course also affects the sound an engine makes. Brazzy is right, there are plenty of engineers in most auto engineering shops, particularly in the luxury segment. They focus entirely on the sounds from a particular design, and make allowable changes to affect that sound. They don't control the final design, but they absolutely DO affect what you hear. It is not simple a result of the chance design of all the working parts with no effort put into the final result.
    *sigh* That should say "plenty of sound engineers"...of course they have engineers. I need more coffee. BTW, I speak from semi-personal experience. One of my friends used to do this exact job for Audi. Most of his work dealt with the exhaust note, but the harmonics of parts in the cabin and engine compartment were also in his portfolio...
  • BentFranklin (unregistered)

    Backing into success is always a great story.

  • jj (unregistered)

    I know that machine or a similar machine. They make one He|| of a racket. If I hadn't been warned and in a different room with a glass panel dividing the machine and us, I would have panicked too.

  • (cs) in reply to TheJasper
    TheJasper:

    Right, because you always want programmers who are also absolute domain experts. Everyone knows that a good programmer is a fully trained professional in no less than 3 disciplines outside his own.

    TRWTF is that they didn't have a domain expert on hand not that the guy wasn't it. That however is also business as usual.

    We completely agree: "People" doesn't mean "programmer" or even "that specific programmer" in this case - it means "organization." So if you don't have a domain expert in your organization (helping your programmers/testers/etc.) that's a problem. There's nothing that says the domain expert has to be one of the programmers or testers (although that does have some large benefits).

    At the very least I'd expect my programmers/testers to be aware that there are domain-specific things about which they might need to be aware before they start a panic cascade. You could even argue for the general management WTF of having a single engineer working all night to get something to work without having appropriate understanding of what "work" actually means. (That is, why did the behavior of the working tester surprise him so much? Sleep deprivation notwithstanding, of course.)

  • (cs)

    This was a fun story to read. I didn't get that VK was "Virtual Key." But the 0V-12V spec gave a clue that it had something to do with the battery, and probably the ignition.

    Not really a WTF but still a good story.

  • (cs) in reply to too_many_usernames
    too_many_usernames:

    We completely agree: "People" doesn't mean "programmer" or even "that specific programmer" in this case - it means "organization." So if you don't have a domain expert in your organization (helping your programmers/testers/etc.) that's a problem. There's nothing that says the domain expert has to be one of the programmers or testers (although that does have some large benefits).

    In which case I retract my sarcasm and offer my apologies.

    Of course, the semi engrish, semi engineerish manual is its own, familiar, wtf. All you base are belong to us. (ok, I was searching for a way to throw that in, so sue me.)

  • (cs) in reply to Eaten by a Grue
    Eaten by a Grue:
    frits:
    The lesson here is pulling all nighters clouds judgement. When electronic circuits fail, they usually release a puff of smoke (and maybe sparks and flames) and then stop working. The fact that the test machine continued doing stuff should have been a clue that things were working. Did he even check if dummy lights had turned off? Because that should have been his primary test criteria.

    You should of course always wait until equipment catches fire or sparks dangerously before attempting to correct a hardware problem. After all, Finagle's Law of Testing states quite clearly that the value of testing equals the value of equipment ruined in the process.

    Electronic equipment usually fails almost instaneously when you apply power to a bad configuration (usually from miswring). So waiting isn't really an option. The thing is toast before you can reach for the power switch. Additonally, there is usually very little mechanical action associated with elecronic component failure. I've fixed (and broken) enough electronic devices to vouche for my statements. I was an electonics tech for several years before entering the programming field.

    The one thing I didn't mention previuosly but is worth mentioning is that Christophe shouldn't have applied power without knowing what the signal did. So that is an additional lapse of judgement.

  • Bill's Kid (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    It's called NVH Indeed, there are engineers who specialize in this field. In fact, it gets a lot of attention these days.

  • mns (unregistered)

    This read like a M. Night Shyamalan script. The mystery, buildup, suspense, twist and the feeling that you saw it coming.

    But unlike his movies, this story actually was entertaining.

  • Steve (unregistered) in reply to JamesQMurphy
    JamesQMurphy:
    This was a fun story to read. I didn't get that VK was "Virtual Key." But the 0V-12V spec gave a clue that it had something to do with the battery, and probably the ignition.
    Wait, what? All the electronics in a car are 0-12V, not just the ignition/starter. This is probably related to the fact that they all have a 12V battery...
  • Scorekeeper (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    The lesson here is pulling all nighters clouds judgement. When electronic circuits fail, they usually release a puff of smoke (and maybe sparks and flames) and then stop working. The fact that the test machine continued doing stuff should have been a clue that things were working. Did he even check if dummy lights had turned off? Because that should have been his primary test criteria.

    You're right about the all-nighters, particularly changing anything the night before a demo.

    But, me not being a car guy, I can sympathize with Christopher. Any multi-million dollar computer that starts making the sounds my car makes after shoving it some unknown signal would have me very worried at any time of the day. This device may not have had a kill switch, but that wouldn't be terribly uncommon. In hindsight, sure, you wouldn't expect the sound to continue.

  • Captain Obvious (unregistered)

    Its not racist to make fun of people's accents

    -if a white kid was raised by Japanese people, and then learnt English, he would sound 'rearrry ultimatt superhappy number 1 strange' too...

    Also, why would you leave 1 person in charge of multi-million dollar technology, have him SCREW IT UP (even if it wasn't)

    and, wait for it... GO HOME!!!

    Seriously, if I thought I had done something like that, my choices would be call the boss, or move to Mexico...

  • (cs)

    This story has almost everything! Suspense, drama, comedy, murder, and one heckofa softcore sex scene. Although he finally figured out how to turn her on, it turns out she was faking it the whole time...

    However, I was surprised at the lack of a Godzilla or someother massive city killer. The Japanese were present so the setup was all there.

  • Captain Obvious (unregistered)

    Incidently, it would seem the racist accusator's post was removed...

    Who's post makes them look like a douche?

    Right here, that's whose.

  • (cs) in reply to Steve
    Steve:
    JamesQMurphy:
    This was a fun story to read. I didn't get that VK was "Virtual Key." But the 0V-12V spec gave a clue that it had something to do with the battery, and probably the ignition.
    Wait, what? All the electronics in a car are 0-12V, not just the ignition/starter. This is probably related to the fact that they all have a 12V battery...

    Your not restricted to 12V in a car. You can use devices like voltage doublers, regulators, and inverters to get a wide range of DC and AC voltages.

  • Paul (unregistered) in reply to Lennart

    Key voltage. Probably actually typed as V sub k

  • (cs) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Haha! Bet you feel like a douche now!

  • (cs) in reply to TheJasper
    TheJasper:

    In which case I retract my sarcasm and offer my apologies.

    Of course, the semi engrish, semi engineerish manual is its own, familiar, wtf. All you base are belong to us. (ok, I was searching for a way to throw that in, so sue me.)

    It's always hard to know when folks are being sarcastic in forums...and I need to be better about qualifying responses "just in case you're not being sarcastic..." or similar.

    Plus, even after all these years, it's good to be aware of ownership changes of one's base.

  • Jim Danby (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Never bright to call someone an idiot when you aren't an expert. There are indeed engineers that help to make the sounds more appropriate to the design of the car. They don't necessarily want to remove engine noise altogether. Maybe in your luxury saloon, but not in a sports, super or hyper car.

    Finally, that noise isn't explosions. It's a common misconception that engines work by exploding fuel. They don't. They work by performing a controlled burn. Explosions mean that the engine is running too lean and causing detonation. This will cause damage.

  • Steve (unregistered) in reply to Bob
    Bob:
    Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would.
    This is so far from the truth it hurts. Engine note is held in the highest regard for both auto makers and serious consumers. Have you EVER seen/heard a quiet Harley Davidson in your entire life? Have you EVER seen/heard a quiet Dodge Viper in your entire life?

    Your argument may apply to silly little city cars and commuters but it absolutely does not apply anywhere from the entry-level performance categories upwards.

  • whiskeyjack (unregistered)

    I guess what I don't understand is, if it's applying ignition voltage, shouldn't the (virtual) car have fired up after a couple of seconds? Shouldn't have been enough time for anyone to get scared by the noises, realize what's happening, run over to the machine, and push a big red button.

  • H.P. Lovecraft (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    Eaten by a Grue:
    frits:
    The lesson here is pulling all nighters clouds judgement. When electronic circuits fail, they usually release a puff of smoke (and maybe sparks and flames) and then stop working. The fact that the test machine continued doing stuff should have been a clue that things were working. Did he even check if dummy lights had turned off? Because that should have been his primary test criteria.

    You should of course always wait until equipment catches fire or sparks dangerously before attempting to correct a hardware problem. After all, Finagle's Law of Testing states quite clearly that the value of testing equals the value of equipment ruined in the process.

    Electronic equipment usually fails almost instaneously when you apply power to a bad configuration (usually from miswring). So waiting isn't really an option. The thing is toast before you can reach for the power switch. Additonally, there is usually very little mechanical action associated with elecronic component failure. I've fixed (and broken) enough electronic devices to vouche for my statements. I was an electonics tech for several years before entering the programming field.

    The one thing I didn't mention previuosly but is worth mentioning is that Christophe shouldn't have applied power without knowing what the signal did. So that is an additional lapse of judgement.

    Wow. Please don't spread that type of misinformation. Electronics fires are common and easily started. Many components heat up sufficiently to carbonize the plastic coating on PCBs and components. This creates surface conductivity, and in turn heat, which eventually cycles into a real fire.

    The only time you DONT get a fire with failed electronics is when you A) dont have enough current to cause large arcs B) are lucky enough to blow a component and break the circuit instead of it blowing in the open position.

    Hell, I've seen large caps spontaneously combust and start fires all on their own.

  • (cs) in reply to Jim Danby
    Jim Danby:

    Never bright to call someone an idiot when you aren't an expert. There are indeed engineers that help to make the sounds more appropriate to the design of the car. They don't necessarily want to remove engine noise altogether. Maybe in your luxury saloon, but not in a sports, super or hyper car.

    Actually, from a certain point of view, the noise the engine makes could be seen as wasted energy. So from that point of view you do want to remove it. (of course, I am so much not an expert I'll jump the gun and call myself an idiot right now)

    However, electric cars make so little noise they are actually making them simulate engine noise. Apparently its considered a cheat hitting pedestrians without giving them fair warning.

  • (cs) in reply to Jim Danby
    Jim Danby:
    Bob:
    brazzy:
    schmitter:
    I can see this. Most car parts make some sort of noise that seems out of place when you eliminate the actual engine running noise.

    Don't believe for a second that the sound of a running car is simply whatever happens to be the sum of all the noises the individual parts make.

    Car makers have "sound engineers" whose job it is to use all allavailable tricks (adding parts, modifying shapes, changing materials, etc.) to ensure that the end result sound smooth, reassuring and/or macho.

    You sir, are an idiot.

    Well, that or someone who has no experience at all with engineering. To a person like you, the world is a magical place that operates according to changing principles that a select few magicians understand. Yes, engine noise is the sum of the noises of the individual parts. Engineers care very little about the sound of the car: that is caused by explosions. If they could completely eliminate engine noise, they would. They can't, but they suppress it as much as possible.

    Never bright to call someone an idiot when you aren't an expert. There are indeed engineers that help to make the sounds more appropriate to the design of the car. They don't necessarily want to remove engine noise altogether. Maybe in your luxury saloon, but not in a sports, super or hyper car.

    Finally, that noise isn't explosions. It's a common misconception that engines work by exploding fuel. They don't. They work by performing a controlled burn. Explosions mean that the engine is running too lean and causing detonation. This will cause damage.

    OOOHH!

    DOUBLY DOUCHEY!

  • Steve (unregistered) in reply to whiskeyjack
    whiskeyjack:
    I guess what I don't understand is, if it's applying ignition voltage, shouldn't the (virtual) car have fired up after a couple of seconds? Shouldn't have been enough time for anyone to get scared by the noises, realize what's happening, run over to the machine, and push a big red button.
    The "virtual car" fired up straight away, causing the test rig to spring into life. I think the point here is that you've never seen these test rigs running. It's a truly harrowing experience, I'm not surprised that Christophe though the thing was about to go thermo-nuclear. They all sound like they're about to violently explode, all the damn time.
  • DeaDPooL (unregistered)

    So when they got this multi-million dollar test machine and half japanese instruction manual... they never thought to request that the client provide one of their engineer's phone #s for any questions that may come up?

    TRWTF is letting these clowns touch your stuff considering they don't know how it works, can't read the instructions, and don't bother to ask when they have questions.

  • (cs) in reply to H.P. Lovecraft
    H.P. Lovecraft:

    Wow. Please don't spread that type of misinformation. Electronics fires are common and easily started. Many components heat up sufficiently to carbonize the plastic coating on PCBs and components. This creates surface conductivity, and in turn heat, which eventually cycles into a real fire.

    What misinformation am I spreading? I have seen this general symptom that you're describing many times. Usually, at some point, the localized fire stops. I have replaced many a circuit board in equipment that look like someone shot a hole though it. Guess what, that equipment was sitting powered up on not on fire before the failure was noted.

    H.P. Lovecraft:
    The only time you DONT get a fire with failed electronics is when you A) dont have enough current to cause large arcs
    Arcs require voltage not current. However, most electrical fires are caused by excessive heat from excessive current.
    H.P. Lovecraft:
    B) are lucky enough to blow a component and break the circuit instead of it blowing in the open position.

    This is the rule and not the exception. Most electronic devices are designed with multiple failsafes such as internal fuses. Additionally, don't forget that once a component has "let the smoke out" it usually becomes an open circuit.

    H.P. Lovecraft:
    Hell, I've seen large caps spontaneously combust and start fires all on their own.

    I've seen electrolytic caps do this because the dialectric broke down. Again, it did not cause an emergency.

    BTW- I am not advocating that anyone leave smoking electronics powered up.

  • Boris (unregistered) in reply to TheJasper
    TheJasper:
    Everyone knows that a good programmer is a fully trained professional in no less than 3 disciplines outside his own.
    • Superhuman patience
    • Interrogation (for "eliciting" requirements)
    • Sheer bloody-mindedness
  • Marvelous Toy (unregistered)

    It went "Zip" when it moved, and "Bop" when it stopped, and "Whirrr" when it stood still. I never knew just what it was, and I guess I never will.

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