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Technical Remote thinking and the paucity of memory

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Technical Remote thinking and the paucity of memory

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AndyCalling

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OK, so I've been chatting with a colleague who relayed an horrific story of the time a relative took too long to switch out the battery in their car key remote, and the thing wiped the car's code. So it wouldn't start it. The difficulty in getting that sorted was reportedly tremendous.

Of course, this wouldn't happen today, I was thinking. I expect early designs used volatile RAM, constantly powered by the battery leading to frequent and risky battery changes. Of course, these days they'll just use a flash chip. Right?

Umm, hang on though. These are companies that, in 2012 when our keys were designed (and mine was made), think a line in socket is exotic new technology that should cost a 3 figure sum, and only introduced them a number of decades after popularity was achieved in the home. These are companies who took so long to introduce FM on car radios that radio as an industry and medium almost gave up and died in the UK for a while there, as everyone preferred tapes to twiddling the dial every few miles. These are the companies that kept cassette going for all those years, and who will be fuelling the CD market for many more. Forward thinking in electronics? Umm...

So, I ask you, the car 'sperts, which is it? Naff or Flash? I await enlightenment. :yum:
 
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AndyCalling said:
OK, so I've been chatting with a colleague who relayed an horrific story of the time a relative took too long to switch out the battery in their car key remote, and the thing wiped the car's code. So it wouldn't start it. The difficulty in getting that sorted was reportedly tremendous.

Of course, this wouldn't happen today, I was thinking. I expect early designs used volatile RAM, constantly powered by the battery leading to frequent and risky battery changes. Of course, these days they'll just use a flash chip. Right?

Umm, hang on though. These are companies that, in 2012 when our keys were designed (and mine was made), think a line in socket is exotic new technology that should cost a 3 figure sum, and only introduced them a number of decades after popularity was achieved in the home. These are companies who took so long to introduce FM on car radios that radio as an industry and medium almost gave up and died in the UK for a while there, as everyone preferred tapes to twiddling the dial every few miles. These are the companies that kept cassette going for all those years, and who will be fuelling the CD market for many more. Forward thinking in electronics? Umm...

So, I ask you, the car 'sperts, which is it? Naff or Flash? I await enlightenment. :yum:
Click to expand...


On most modern systems, neither. the immobiliser code in the key is fixed (probably laser cut links on the silicon) and the cars ECUs remember what keys they are programmed for. The ECU memory is EEPROM (typically not "flash" as they are tiny memories and not written too very often). The remotes typically use a fixed code (as immobiliser) and a rolling code to stop "grapping". If you leave the remote battery dead for too long you normally just have to go through a re-sync fro the rolling code.
Your friend may have had a bigger issue than just a flat key battery.


Robert G8RPI.
 
Unrelated but your friends story did remind me of my old Seiko Perpetual Calendar watch. In a similar manner, you had a short period within which to swap batteries.


The recommended approach was to hire Mel Gibson, a darkened room and a close-to-zero digital clock in order to heighten the tension. Owing to his 'views' his career went the same way as the mullet, which left a gap. Having failed, you were thus left with a complicated routine of clicking tweezers onto tiny contacts in order to reset to the current date.


Happy days.
 
.... which also reminds me of a mate with a beautiful, mechanical IWC Perpetual Calendar wris****ch that he hardly ever wore and it sat in his safe for a couple of years. When he did eventually decide to get it out and wear it again, he had to manually wind the hands forward for nearly 700 days to get the watch back to the correct day, month and year. That model didn't have a quick-set function......
 
Heh, the best battery related design 'feature' was for one of the old BBC Micro home computers (I think it was the Master?). When originally designed, it was to have the time and nvram powered by a small nicad cell that charged when power was present. They were briefly popular, however before it was released they switched to a lithium button cell as with modern PCs. Fine, but the charging mechanism was left in to save redesign money and it turns out an obscure command code executed on the computer would reactivate the charge circuit. What's more, a common word processor of the day would cause this to happen under certain circumstances. The result? A short while later the computer would detonate in front of you.

I always relate this tale when some poster on PC forums states that bugs can't damage your PC. It has been known.
 
AndyCalling said:
I always relate this tale when some poster on PC forums states that bugs can't damage your PC. It has been known.
Click to expand...




Indeed. The previous poster, RINGA, is now languishing in a Turkish jail for actually trying to embed a swear word inside his reminiscences - software is WAY too smart for that:


"......mechanical IWC Perpetual Calendar wris****ch that he hardly....."


Serves the funning melon-farmer right I say.
 
AB100 said:
Indeed. The previous poster, RINGA, is now languishing in a Turkish jail for actually trying to embed a swear word inside his reminiscences - software is WAY too smart for that:


"......mechanical IWC Perpetual Calendar wris****ch that he hardly....."


Serves the funning melon-farmer right I say.
Click to expand...

Just a reminder guys and gals, forum rules state:


"You may not post words or URLs that are censored by adding spaces, dots, or substituting characters; or by any other means in an attempt to defeat any censors put in place. "
https://www.fiatforum.com/rules.html


I know this is not a bad thread for that, but thin end of the wedge etc......


Robert G8RPI.
 
I wondered why those ***'s appeared and I assumed it was some mildly hysterical fit that my iPad had during the posting. Little did I know it was actually ridiculous flawed software saving us from the disgusting topic of timepieces that one wears on ones wrist.

Well I've learned something today, so that's good I suppose.
 
g8rpi said:
Just a reminder guys and gals, forum rules state:


"You may not post words or URLs that are censored by adding spaces, dots, or substituting characters; or by any other means in an attempt to defeat any censors put in place. "
https://www.fiatforum.com/rules.html


I know this is not a bad thread for that, but thin end of the wedge etc......


Robert G8RPI.
Click to expand...

In fairness, Ringa didn't do that, he posted a completely innocent word which the forum overzealously censored.
 
Eklipze3k said:
In fairness, Ringa didn't do that, he posted a completely innocent word which the forum overzealously censored.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

and if the auto-censor function hadn't done what it did, I'd never have realised that the commonly used word for a timepiece thingy you wear on your wrist contains a hidden naughty word :rolleyes:.

Of course, you could always call it a wrist watch, which should keep everybody happy :)
 
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jrkitching said:
:yeahthat:

and if the auto-censor function hadn't done what it did, I'd never have realised that the commonly used word for a timepiece thingy you wear on your wrist contains a hidden naughty word :rolleyes:.

Of course, you could always call it a wrist watch, which should keep everybody happy :)
Click to expand...

OK, I was not aware of any auto censor (which breaks the forum rules by inserting stars) so a quick test:
Wrist watch
Wris****ch


Robert G8RPI.
 
Well, I will check too for completeness:

Snigger

Well, that works so this is not the worst censor around. I still wish this US led campaign against common language on non-child focussed forums could be grown out of at some point soon, but there are far worse systems out there.
 
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Sorry, couldn't resist seeing if the picture sensor works like the text one.

Seemingly not.
 

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jrkitching said:
Sorry, couldn't resist seeing if the picture sensor works like the text one.

Seemingly not.
Click to expand...


Nevertheless, a great background shot for superimposing someone onto. I'm sure somewhere we'll see it with the new Prez on.
 
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