On 13/09/2020 11:01, druck wrote:
> On 12/09/2020 05:02, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 11/09/2020 14:06, druck wrote:
>>> On 11/09/2020 01:51, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>>>> The point that really stood out on rereading it was the comment that it
>>>> takes much longer to build the computers that control the spaceships
>>>> and
>>>> missiles than the build the hulls and engines - exactly the opposite of
>>>> the current day when its faster and cheaper to build a car that uses
>>>> digital electronics to link its throttle pedal to the engine or to
>>>> control its gearbox than to fit a mechanical throttle linkage or use a
>>>> mechanical automatic gearbox.
>>>
>>> Its not faster or cheaper at all, the exact opposite!
>>>
>>> The reason for fly-by-wire throttle and electronic gearbox control is
>>> driving dynamics, fuel economy and emissions control.
>>>
>>> There is a lot of very expensive software in ECUs to get this right,
>>> and it turns out even more expensive software to get it not right (if
>>> you include fines and lawsuits).
>>>
>> Once written software costs nothing more than a ROM
>
> Oh the nativity! Modern ECU software is not in ROM, and will be modified
> and re-flashed many times the lifetime of a car. Particularly when cheat
> modes need to be removed.
>
Flash memory or ROM, the point remains. Its cheap once you have written
it.In fact is cheaper when you have flash rather than EEPROM or fusible
ROM

>> And in fact the reason even the cheapest cars now have electric
>> windows is that it is lighter and cheaper to do it that way.
>
> But even more importantly it eliminates the need to safety test a second
> mechanism for each car design.
Huh????
>
> ---druck


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