Brian Nystrom wrote:
> Richard Steinfeld wrote:
>
>> joe wrote:
>>
>>> I am working on the design of remotes here at Rochester Institute of
>>> Technolgy and would like to here from some Hyundai owners.
>>>
>>
>> Right away, put major attention into making these goddamn systems
>> silent! These products have been designed by people who are
>> thoughtless, arrogant, and stupid. I detest being forced to endure all
>> the beeps and whoops coming from people getting in and out of their
>> cars! Make the systems announce status with lights only, and
>> absolutely no audio whatsoever unless someone is actually breaking
>> into the car.
>
>
> The Hyundai system IS completely silent, other than the sound of the
> locks actuating. It only chirps if you press the lock button twice,
> which isn't necessary in order to arm the system. The second press
> simply gives an audible confirmation of locking an arming for those who
> feel they need it.
>
> BTW, Joe's question was about the remote itself, which has nothing to do
> with whether the system is silent or not.
Actually, I'm on target. You see, I after my Ford was smashed up by a
drunk, I rented a Hyundai Elantra to try it on. And, indeed, I set off
the alarm from far away by accident. My causing a cacophony of whoops
and blasts in the parking lot was caused by the remote's design, as well
as the system's switching. The design of the system -- the
lock/alarm/remote together is stupid, and this went the same way for the
next car: a Ford Focus (the Hyundai was defective so I swapped it at Hertz).
The issue is that most people actually press the button twice -- and
sound the horn, or crazy box, because there's no visible confirmation of
the first press. On the Ford and a GM car, I noticed that when you
_unlock_ the car, it flashes the headlights. So far, so good.
But when you _lock_ the car, you don't know because all it does is blink
the dome light. Now, when in the world are you going to notice _that?_
So, you think that nothing happened, and you press again and whoop 'n
blast everyone in the neighborhood.
The mindless stupidity of the designers, and then the slavish copying of
what's already been done leads to lots of unwanted bleeping, squawking,
honking, angry electo-chirps.
The OP asked about the handheld remote. Right there is one immediate
issue that I discovered: it's too easy to hit the panic button by
accident. But the remote is part of an overall system -- the whole thing
needs some tweaking. The bottom line, of course, is the abuse of people
who may be more sensitive to sound than the designer -- perhaps a guy
who couldn't care less, and, "What the hell is wrong with you; get a life!"
One of my work hats has been closely involved with human engineering
(computers, mostly). And I'm amazed by how much people with brains
overlook sensible accommodations and common sense when they design things.
Here's a guy who was interested enough to ask, and I'm more impressed
that he did than by his gramatical slip. Many engineers I've met aren't
as aware -- they just want their designs to function, and off to the
next project.
A few years ago, when my late electronics technician friend was looking
for a car, I recommended that he pay attention to Hyundais. I've been
interested in Korean products since I began checking out the insides of
some stereo products during the 80s. He bought an Elantra, and I was
impressed with a number of design aspects of it. I honestly don't know
if the cars are designed in Korea, in the USA, or both. But there's a
little more thoughtfulness in the Hyundai's engineering than I'm used to
seeing in domestic cars. So, what's common here is the application of
some reasoning and consideration into design -- whether it's to the car
itself or to the OP's interest in what the _user_ might want in the
remote control. And I know he's a student, but here's a guy I'd love to
work with on a design project. Don't you agree?
Richard
>> Stay informed about: What problems have you experienced with your keyless entry.. 
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