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<DIV>Modern cars/trucks have a lot of functionality and much of it can be
configured to individual preference. You can’t put enough buttons on the
dash to set all of them. That much choice requires use of some kind of
display and menu system. The problem comes up when the designers make bad
choices for the limited number of things that can have a dedicated button.
One would hope that even the biggest idiot would not put something like a turn
signal blinker 3 deep in a menu! On the other hand, who cares how deep in
a menu system you have to go to do a bluetooth pair up of your phone, or tell it
whether to blink the headlights when the doors unlock. My point is
anything you are likely to want to change while driving needs a physical switch
that you can easily find without looking at it.</DIV>
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<DIV>The problem isn’t the existence of a menu system or the existence of an
automatic control. The problem is a bad implementation of the driver
interface, that ignores the fact that ANY interaction between the driver and
vehicle needs to be aware that the driver’s primary activity is driving, not
playing with the electronic gadgets. One of the reasons cell phones are
such a problem for distracted driving is because they operate almost completely
through touch screens that require you to look at the damn thing.</DIV>
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<DIV>Jim Becker</DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=soffiler@gmail.com>Stephen
Offiler</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, January 23, 2020 4:38 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=at@lists.antique-tractor.com>Antique Tractor Email
Discussion Group</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [AT] driver convenience systems</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV dir=ltr>Hey Cecil - let me just take that WAYYYY off topic. Touch
screen. I work with CNC machines. We found a niche where we purchase
older machines and refurbish them to make our parts, and we still wind up at a
small fraction of the cost of new. Three machines that date to 1989-1991
have control panels that look a bit like an airplane cockpit, just a sea of
knobs and switches. Once you get used to it, they all make sense. We
recently got a "new" machine, a 1997 model. Very sparse control panel
relatively speaking. All the functions are in there, but I have to call up
menus to make the changes that are a flip of a switch on the other
machines. I decided it must be a cost thing. A couple lines of code
in the operating system versus the cost of a toggle switch, the cost of drilling
the hole, and the cost of running the wires. That's quite a few dollars
cost to the machine mfg per switch, and there's a lot of switches. My
actual problem with this is training the employees. We have a lot of "old
dog, new trick" problems at my workplace and the guys are pretty used to the
toggle switches.</DIV>
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<DIV>SO</DIV>
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<DIV class=gmail_attr dir=ltr>On Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 11:18 PM Cecil Bearden
<<A>crbearden@copper.net</A>> wrote:<BR></DIV>
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<P>Spencer:</P>
<P>The ridiculous ting is that the setting is on a touch screen instead of a
switch.<BR>Cecil<BR></P>
<DIV>On 1/22/2020 2:43 PM, Spencer Yost wrote:<BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">You can toggle a setting that allows the lighting
stalk to be “normal” brights on/off or be auto dim on/off. But it’s a
touch screen setting and 3 menus down....
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