Author Topic: products you hate  (Read 131255 times)

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Offline grumpydoc

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #425 on: June 22, 2017, 09:42:38 am »
As opposed to the Blaupunkt that was in my Audi. It wrote _everything_ to eeprom including the volume level. After 6 years of use it would randomly select a volume level when you moved the control as it tried to write a new one and read back random data. I'll take RAM any day over a unit that self destructs thanks.
It is bad programming. If Blaupunkt spent a bit more time in programming the unit with a wear leveling algorithm (even just rip some open source one) they could have avoided this problem entirely. Using a slightly larger EEPROM than needed (for bad block remapping) and avoid frequent writing goes a very long way.
They didn't need to even go to the complexity of wear levelling. I had one of those and IIRC it was soft on/off so all they needed to do was store the current settings into the EAROM once on power down and restore them on power up - with a 10,000 cycle endurance that would last 15 years even for two journeys every day.
 

Offline technix

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #426 on: June 22, 2017, 09:43:12 am »
As opposed to the Blaupunkt that was in my Audi. It wrote _everything_ to eeprom including the volume level. After 6 years of use it would randomly select a volume level when you moved the control as it tried to write a new one and read back random data. I'll take RAM any day over a unit that self destructs thanks.
It is bad programming.

No kidding. My point still stands. I don't mind resetting my radio stations every 7 years when I replace the battery.
For your board, twree components: CR2032 and two 1N5817, if the SRAM can go down to 2.5V without losing data. The CR2032 guarantees the SRAM power, and the 1N5817 diodes forms a power OR making sure the CR2032 is not drained or charged unnecessarily.
 

Offline technix

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #427 on: June 22, 2017, 09:46:56 am »
As opposed to the Blaupunkt that was in my Audi. It wrote _everything_ to eeprom including the volume level. After 6 years of use it would randomly select a volume level when you moved the control as it tried to write a new one and read back random data. I'll take RAM any day over a unit that self destructs thanks.
It is bad programming. If Blaupunkt spent a bit more time in programming the unit with a wear leveling algorithm (even just rip some open source one) they could have avoided this problem entirely. Using a slightly larger EEPROM than needed (for bad block remapping) and avoid frequent writing goes a very long way.
They didn't need to even go to the complexity of wear levelling. I had one of those and IIRC it was soft on/off so all they needed to do was store the current settings into the EAROM once on power down and restore them on power up - with a 10,000 cycle endurance that would last 15 years even for two journeys every day.
Agreed. There are even ready-made chips with this design in mind - a chip with both SRAM and EEPROM built in, loads the EEPROM into SRAM upon power up and vice versa upon power down. Those even comes in the same pinout as normal SRAM or EEPROM.

You can try remove the worn out EEPROM and put one of those chips in. No code change needed. Data and configurations should be able to be migrated using a normal EEPROM programmer.
 

Offline MosherIV

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #428 on: June 22, 2017, 05:07:28 pm »
I HATE Eclpise IDE.  :rant:

 :rant:
Why would cluttering up my screen with stupid little boxes be helpful?
Why would not letting me undock tabs and resizing them be a good idea?
Why would forcing me to work in a different way (and slower by the way) be a good idea?

I fail to understand why people think Eclipse IDE is good in any way, shape or form  |O

The only saving grace is the price - free
It is work every penny.

Only problem is that so many companies are dropping their own development and jumping on the Eclipse bandwagon  :palm:
 
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Offline technix

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #429 on: June 22, 2017, 05:17:36 pm »
I HATE Eclpise IDE.  :rant:

 :rant:
Why would cluttering up my screen with stupid little boxes be helpful?
Why would not letting me undock tabs and resizing them be a good idea?
Why would forcing me to work in a different way (and slower by the way) be a good idea?

I fail to understand why people think Eclipse IDE is good in any way, shape or form  |O

The only saving grace is the price - free
It is work every penny.

Only problem is that so many companies are dropping their own development and jumping on the Eclipse bandwagon  :palm:
Huh?

I have been using Eclipse CDT for my projects for a while. It may not be the best coding experience it is still much better than Visual Studio. The Eclipse team may be emulating the look and feel of Apple Xcode software, just too bad Java code will never be as efficient as native Objective-C and Swift code.
 

Offline JulietMikeBravo

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #430 on: June 24, 2017, 05:51:54 pm »
Microprocessor controlled "smart" battery chargers that refuse to charge batteries that were drained to a low voltage. I keep an old timer controlled "dumb" charger around to "precharge" deep discharged batteries (usually only for a minute) to bring up the voltage so the batteries are detected properly. Kind of stupid that a "smart" charger gives up on deep discharged batteries that easily.
 

Offline helius

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #431 on: June 24, 2017, 06:56:13 pm »
Microprocessor controlled "smart" battery chargers that refuse to charge batteries that were drained to a low voltage. I keep an old timer controlled "dumb" charger around to "precharge" deep discharged batteries (usually only for a minute) to bring up the voltage so the batteries are detected properly. Kind of stupid that a "smart" charger gives up on deep discharged batteries that easily.
Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.
 

Offline JulietMikeBravo

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #432 on: June 25, 2017, 11:29:18 am »
Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.

I am sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I am talking about microprocessor controlled NiMH chargers. I have two of them that display this behavior with batteries that seem to work fine after proper charging.
 

Offline rsjsouza

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #433 on: June 25, 2017, 03:17:25 pm »
I HATE Eclpise IDE.  :rant:

 :rant:
Why would cluttering up my screen with stupid little boxes be helpful?
Why would not letting me undock tabs and resizing them be a good idea?
Why would forcing me to work in a different way (and slower by the way) be a good idea?

I fail to understand why people think Eclipse IDE is good in any way, shape or form  |O

The only saving grace is the price - free
It is work every penny.

Only problem is that so many companies are dropping their own development and jumping on the Eclipse bandwagon  :palm:
I can tell that, at least for undocking and resizing it seems to be a user error. I can do this with any view and put them in different screens.

The reconfiguration of screens and views is something of personal taste. I prefer it instead of the single screen arrangement where editor, project manager, disassembly, variables, memory, etc are crammed in the same viewport.

Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.

I am sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I am talking about microprocessor controlled NiMH chargers. I have two of them that display this behavior with batteries that seem to work fine after proper charging.
I have a Sony charger like that and yes, it is annoying.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 04:52:37 pm by rsjsouza »
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Offline tszaboo

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #434 on: June 26, 2017, 12:12:28 pm »
Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.

I am sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I am talking about microprocessor controlled NiMH chargers. I have two of them that display this behavior with batteries that seem to work fine after proper charging.
Are you sure, they are not charging? I have one, it charges the battery with 3-4mA until some half a volt, then it starts charging normally.
 

Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #435 on: June 27, 2017, 04:12:05 pm »
Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.

I am sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I am talking about microprocessor controlled NiMH chargers. I have two of them that display this behavior with batteries that seem to work fine after proper charging.
Are you sure, they are not charging? I have one, it charges the battery with 3-4mA until some half a volt, then it starts charging normally.

If it has a primitive threshold detector it won't even sense that a near 0v battery has been connected.
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Offline Zbig

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #436 on: June 28, 2017, 09:19:50 am »
Without knowing the battery chemistry, that could be very foolish. A Lithium-Ion cell discharged below 2.0V is permanently damaged and should not be used.

I am sorry, I wasn't specific enough. I am talking about microprocessor controlled NiMH chargers. I have two of them that display this behavior with batteries that seem to work fine after proper charging.
Are you sure, they are not charging? I have one, it charges the battery with 3-4mA until some half a volt, then it starts charging normally.

If it has a primitive threshold detector it won't even sense that a near 0v battery has been connected.

Try briefly shorting the flat battery's positive electrode to the good and currently charging battery's "+" from the neighboring slot with a piece of wire/paperclip, etc. It's often enough to fool some chargers and nudge them to start the charging cycle. I'm not saying it's a good and safe practice, only that it worked for me few times in the past.
« Last Edit: June 28, 2017, 09:21:32 am by Zbig »
 

Offline MarkS

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #437 on: July 26, 2017, 09:55:13 pm »
I know this isn't exactly electronics related, but it is a product, so...

Songs that don't seem to end. In not talking about songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, I'm talking about songs where the singer or song writer couldn't seem to find the ending. Songs like, "The Greatest Love of All." Songs that make you look at your watch to see how much time has elapsed. I don't care what it's about. If the song could have been over in 3 minutes and the singer is pushing 9, I'm done.
 

Online Circlotron

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #438 on: July 27, 2017, 01:15:37 am »
^^ Some songs go a little too long and then get tired.
Look up "truck driver's gear change hall of shame"
 
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Offline skarecrow

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #439 on: July 27, 2017, 05:16:39 pm »


i also hate BMW with all my guts. it is scientifically proven that the moment you get a BMW you become an assole at hte wheel, on par with white women on an SUV
* i was involved in a bad accident. motorcycle driver that didn't give a fuck he was surpassing me on an intersection and I was to turn left? BMW motorcycle.
I destroyed a tire because assole from the other side was hugging the road and i hade to jump on the sidewalk to avoid him? effing BMW. Don't worry he was speeding, he didn't care to check if i was okay.
Another time they tried to scam me with the "crushed side mirror"? asshole in a white BMW X4 *

I partially agree with you on this, but I'd limit it to more recent BMWs. Everyone around here with a late 90's or newer BMW is an asshole. I own 5 classic BMWs, and I can't stand drivers of newer ones. They seem to think they own the road and everything on it.

Motorcycles that "split" lanes really piss me off. There's good reason that's illegal in most places. It really should be illegal everywhere. I have a motorcycle license, and for a while my sole means of transportation was an old Suzuki GS550L. I never even considered splitting lanes for many reasons. Besides how dangerous it is, it's not fair to literally everyone else on the road. That's like walking directly up to the front of a long line that others have been waiting in and telling them it's ok just because you physically had room to walk by them. No, it's not ok, wait your ass at the back like everyone else did and move up as traffic legally (and safely) allows.

Another driving practice tha pisses me off is something that I've noticed is becoming pretty common around me. I've noticed more and more people using the opposite blinker of the way they're turning. If you're turning right onto the highway don't use your left blinker!!! When the oncoming traffic sees you trying to make a left in front of them they won't know what to do and will end up slamming on their brakes and sliding into a pole, or hopefully right into the person using the wrong blinker. If you're making a right turn, you use your right turn signal. This is the way it's always been, and obviously the most logical way to drive.

The last topic I'm gonna hit on here is people who think the shoulder is a passing lane. Those drivers piss me off worst of all. Maybe I take it a little too personally sice the time I saw a little kid get hit by a speeding pickup truck who thought he was more important than all of the people picking their kids up from the skating rink. Instead of waiting 2 minutes for traffic to clear up so he could continue on, he decided to speed up and pass everyone on the right shoulder. Obviously he didn't see the kid running out to his mom's car and ran right into him sending the kid flying into the air. He didn't even slow down because he didn't see the kid until he was flying! It's because of seeing that I will go out of my way to block anyone I see trying to pass on the shoulder. I will do whatever it takes to make those people wait even LONGER in traffic. Get mad at me if you want, but maybe I just saved some little kids life.

I think I went a little off topic. Wasn't this supposed to be about products we hate or something? Lol, sorry 'bout that. I hate Apple! I have many good reasons for hating them, bur the top 2 reasons are how backwards their interfaces are built, and the fact that every "new" product they claim they invented is something many smaller companies were already doing 4 years ago. eyepod first portable mp3 player? Try looking at Creative 4 years before it and see who was first. It's the same story with just about everything they sell. Recycled old technology that they tell you is new.

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Offline skarecrow

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #440 on: July 27, 2017, 05:22:14 pm »
i also hate BMW with all my guts. it is scientifically proven that the moment you get a BMW you become an assole at hte wheel, on par with white women on an SUV
I dont understand why, but BMWs are really bought by idiots. But I love old BMWs a lot. I am really going to buy one (older E46), I simply love it. Charismatic look and well designed. Perhaps I am going to become an idiot. :o
Yes, there's a good chance of becoming an idiot if you buy an e46 or newer. Stick with e30's and you'll turn out alright. [emoji6]

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Offline razberik

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #441 on: July 27, 2017, 08:46:49 pm »
What if I wait few years more, when E46 is too old to be mainly owned by idiots ?
But then, E46s will not be available. E30 is gorgeous, but there arent many out there.
Perhaps I should buy E46 as soon as possible and then wait few more years to drive it around. :o

Unfortunately I prefer E46 design over E30. :(
 

Offline skarecrow

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #442 on: July 27, 2017, 08:48:40 pm »
What if I wait few years more, when E46 is too old to be mainly owned by idiots ?
But then, E46s will not be available. E30 is gorgeous, but there arent many out there.
Perhaps I should buy E46 as soon as possible and then wait few more years to drive it around. :o

Unfortunately I prefer E46 design over E30. :(
One of my 5 e30s might be available if the price is right...

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Offline eugenenine

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #443 on: July 30, 2017, 09:58:51 pm »
Forums software that constantly gives 502 gateway errors  :-DD
 
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Offline MarkS

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #444 on: July 30, 2017, 10:42:43 pm »
Forums software that constantly gives 502 gateway errors  :-DD

Web crawler from a major software company that should know better, that screws with the forum software by essentially creating a form of DDoS attack through incessant dictionary-based searches.
 
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Offline R005T3rTopic starter

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #445 on: August 13, 2017, 06:27:04 pm »
I know this isn't exactly electronics related, but it is a product, so...

Songs that don't seem to end. In not talking about songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, I'm talking about songs where the singer or song writer couldn't seem to find the ending. Songs like, "The Greatest Love of All." Songs that make you look at your watch to see how much time has elapsed. I don't care what it's about. If the song could have been over in 3 minutes and the singer is pushing 9, I'm done.

If there's something that ticks me off are meaningless songs. Nowadays is getting so stupid and so disappointing listening to music, especially songs... It's almost hard to belive how things evolved....
 

Online Circlotron

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #446 on: August 14, 2017, 12:10:04 am »
I hate websites that have a picture of something for sale that you can click on for a closer look, but the following picture is just the same size or sometimes even smaller!  |O
 
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Offline Cubdriver

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #447 on: August 14, 2017, 03:56:17 am »
I hate websites that have a picture of something for sale that you can click on for a closer look, but the following picture is just the same size or sometimes even smaller!  |O

That is definitely something that makes me want to scream in frustration.  "Click for expanded view" and you get the same tiny image, but now it's surrounded by an expanded plain border that entirely fills your screen.   |O  Yeah, guys...  ..not exactly my idea of what an expanded view is. 

And as you said, sometimes it's SMALLER!  :wtf:   :rant:

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If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline Messtechniker

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #448 on: August 14, 2017, 06:58:23 am »
If there's something that ticks me off are meaningless songs. Nowadays is getting so stupid and so disappointing listening to music, especially songs... It's almost hard to belive how things evolved....

Jep, the curse of computer generated lyrics. :palm:
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Offline WZOLL

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Re: products you hate
« Reply #449 on: August 16, 2017, 02:56:21 am »
TI-84's. They are great calculators but $100 for 24kb of ram and 1.5mb of rom is unacceptable. To make matters worse, many high school math classes require them which only increases TI's monopoly. At least they came out with an updated version but it's still too expensive IMO.
 


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