Re: (ET) Ariens AMP Mower

[Christopher Zach <czach computer org>]

Michael S Briggs wrote:
> They didn't really blow up - capacitors are just items that do fail over 
> time. Remember, these things are 30 years old. The main problem is that 
> most people may not be able to figure out what the problem is, and 
> assume that it is a faulty design. But, how many vehicles do you know of 
> that can run for 30+ years without some component failing?

My E20? :-)


> The only nice thing I can say about having regen automatically come on 
> when you release the accelerator is that it could be nice in the winter, 
> when driving in snow. It would be better though if they had it where 
> that regen only came on when you lightly press on the brake (not hard 
> enough to engage the mechanical brakes though). Allowing the car to 
> coast in neutral when your foot is off the accelerator would be a more 
> efficient design than forced regen when you just want to coast.

Mmmm... It allows me to have the same driving style with electric or 
gas. The difference is so minor I don't need to think about it. Driving 
a real electric is odd with the big coast factor.

> That is a valid point. Unfortunately, many engineers are prone to 
> "feature creep" (i.e. being fascinated by ever-more-complex features, 
> not realizing that they don't necessarily make a more marketable product).

Which kills a lot of designs. Oh well.

Chris