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The Triumph of Dedicated Solutions Over Double Duty; How Much Is Electronics Indirectly Influencing Mechanical Design?

There are other factors at work here. In the late 19th Century and much of the 20th Century they didn't always have the money or tools for more sophi sticated designs requiring more components so mechanical design relying on dove tails, i.e, using the rims of a bicycle wheel for the brakes instead o f a dedicated disk rotor, seemed justified.

This is in stark contrast to the way electronic design has always been: Mo st every component has always been for a single purpose.

As the electronics industry has mushroomed and taken over a lot of the task s of of machinery, i.e., electric motors vs engines -- there isn't much out there more multi duty than crankcase oil --, etc., it may have induced a p sychological "follow the leader/winner" effect on mechanical design as well .

Using hot radiator water to heat your motor vehicle may be one great except ion, but it now seems ignorant/backwards to not go with dedicated solutions , certainly when they are cost effective. The emphasis last century on cle ver double duty solutions now seems to be an almost rinky dink low brow dis traction than something that really served the needs of society.

Even the usefulness of cleverness in _any_ field now seems to be in doubt.

I mention this because there are a lot of low-hanging-fruit innovations in many fields that were overlooked until now that should have been successful decades ago. Why? Obviously design mentality has changed. Engineering i s more arbitrary and psychological than many think.

Some of this may be fallout from electronic design relying exclusively on d edicated components.

Bret Cahill

Reply to
Bret Cahill
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of the 20th Century they didn't always have the money or tools for more sop histicated designs requiring more components so mechanical design relying o n dove tails, i.e, using the rims of a bicycle wheel for the brakes instead of a dedicated disk rotor, seemed justified.

business is competitive. Things were far tighter in the past

Most every component has always been for a single purpose.

Someone never heard of reflex receivers. I couldn't even begin to count the number of circuits using bits for more than 1 purpose.

sks of of machinery, i.e., electric motors vs engines -- there isn't much o ut there more multi duty than crankcase oil

what does it do other than lubricate an engine & carry debris away?

effect on mechanical design as well.

ption, but it now seems ignorant/backwards to not go with dedicated solutio ns, certainly when they are cost effective.

I don't think a blanket approach is really justified. Some products/markets are best served with dedicated subsystems, some best served with older sty le cost cutting designs. What has changed is the shift in the percentages o f the 2.

an almost rinky dink low brow distraction than something that really serve d the needs of society.

It may be less used now in electronics, but that doesn't change its importa nce in the past century, and it is still used.

.

that's an unusually foolish statement

n many fields that were overlooked until now that should have been successf ul decades ago. Why?

An interesting topic that deserves more than a quick reply. As a society we do seem slow to embrace a fair percentage of technological progress. Often the reasons why are sound, not always.

to some extent, inevitably.

some is. Much isn't. I'm not sure that tells us much.

dedicated components.

...which it hasn't. The changes are more due to much lower costs, much grea ter disposable wealth and the consequent rise of greater pressure for produ cts to [appear to] be better than the competition.

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

cools the pistons and fills the hydraluic valve lifters

I'm not certain that that's everything.

--
  Jasen.
Reply to
Jasen Betts

Helps cool the valves too. Sodium-filled exhaust valves work by improving heat transfer from the valve head to the guide via the oil.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

http://electrooptical.net 
http://hobbs-eo.com
Reply to
Phil Hobbs

uch of the 20th Century they didn't always have the money or tools for more sophisticated designs requiring more components so mechanical design relyi ng on dove tails, i.e, using the rims of a bicycle wheel for the brakes ins tead of a dedicated disk rotor, seemed justified.

n: Most every component has always been for a single purpose.

t the number of circuits using bits for more than 1 purpose.

e tasks of of machinery, i.e., electric motors vs engines -- there isn't mu ch out there more multi duty than crankcase oil

The head gasket is the multi tasking hold out that should have gone dedicat ed a century ago, even in small vehicle engines. The oil and coolant ports in the head and block could be recast / re 3-D printed to cool anything th at's being cooled now with dedicated external tubing from the block to head .

Then the head gasket could be dedicated to just one task: sealing the high pressure high temperature cylinders. Not only would this reduce blown H-G s but when they did blow the engine would still run indefinitely on the rem aining cylinders. They may already do this with larger engines, i.e., mari ne diesels.

First guess: A multi tasking head gasket saves about 2 minutes labor in th e manufacture of the engine.

Bret Cahill

Reply to
Bret Cahill

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