Thread Number: 56871
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
One Button Does the Wash |
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Post# 791780   11/3/2014 at 07:10 (3,433 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)   |   | |
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I think there are some Maytagers out there that are going to the love this article on the Introduction of Maytag's 160 All Pushbutton Washer!
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Post# 791783 , Reply# 1   11/3/2014 at 07:31 (3,433 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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One of my favorite Maytag washers. Seeing it as a kid on the Beverly Hillbillies set, I just knew that washer had to be the pinnacle of washing machine luxury!
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Post# 791788 , Reply# 2   11/3/2014 at 09:08 (3,433 days old) by NYCWriter ()   |   | |
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... the ingenuity of electro-mechanical appliances to be much more impressive and ahead of their time than anything that involves a microchip. |
Post# 791851 , Reply# 4   11/3/2014 at 16:54 (3,433 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
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Post# 791860 , Reply# 5   11/3/2014 at 17:58 (3,433 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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Great article, but have always felt the single pushbutton Maytag was bested by Kenmore. The '59 and '60 Lady Kenmores sported single pushbuttons with far more cycle flexibility and an infinite water level selector. Add to that timed bleach/fabric softener/detergent dispensers and self-cleaning filters.
"I really find the ingenuity of electro-mechanical appliances to be much more impressive and ahead of their time than anything that involves a microchip." I call bullshit on this one, Matt. You can bet your life engineers looked forward to the day Rube Goldbergian electromechanicals could be tossed in favor of sleek, inexpensive microchips. Electromechanical controls are fine for nostalgia, but I wouldn't want to live in a world that resembles the film Brazil; a microchip-less horror with its ungainly, sprawling electromechanical devices. "Give me a well made microchip any day," he said, posting to a forum on the internet with his iPad from an orchestra pit. God, I love the 21st century! This post was last edited 11/03/2014 at 18:15 |
Post# 791943 , Reply# 6   11/4/2014 at 03:56 (3,432 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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Post# 791963 , Reply# 7   11/4/2014 at 07:04 (3,432 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)   |   | |
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Post# 791973 , Reply# 8   11/4/2014 at 08:27 (3,432 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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I think what Matt is referring to when he is critical of microchips is not so much the devices themselves, but how this society deploys the technology.
They are now cheaply made by the lowest overseas bidder and installed in machines whose mechanicals are as cheap as possible. When one goes awry, the manufacturer has often either discontinued the board it's on, or charges a fortune for something that was cheap to produce. If today's microchip-controlled appliances were built to the same quality standards as yesteryear's electromechanical ones, microchips would get a lot more respect. Human - make that corporate - nature being what it is, don't look for that to happen any time soon. |
Post# 792121 , Reply# 12   11/5/2014 at 06:37 (3,431 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)   |   | |
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Mechanical parts can and DO fail in any vehicle-just how often._IE timing belts and chains.We can't always say mechanical parts don't fail.--Becuase they do. |
Post# 792131 , Reply# 13   11/5/2014 at 07:45 (3,431 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Hi Guys and Ladies Frigilux [ Eugene ] got this one right, today's microchip controls are so much better and reliable than these earlier attempts at building space-age one button control appliances.
Hi Matt, It is ridiculous to use the example of 50s US cars still being driven in Cuba as evidence that 50s technology was better than newer computer controlled cars, those 50s care in Cuba probably do not have three orignal parts on them any longer, LOL. There are obvious reasons why some of these cars are still being used there that have nothing to do with the cars engineering and design. Most problems with new cars today ARE electro-MECHANEAL in nature, it is not the microchips that are causing many problems, but rather little motors, solenoids, electrically operated valves, sensors and on and on that cause most automobile problems today. And cars today are far easier to fix that 50s and 60s cars ever dreamed of being. And to anyone that has not seen the movie Brazil it is an eye opener about the hazards of too much electro-mechaneal complication in life. |
Post# 792158 , Reply# 14   11/5/2014 at 10:00 (3,431 days old) by cadman (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
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It's tough to get much simpler than a pair of timer motors and switching contacts. Keep the mechanism greased and it will go forever.
Today's electronics are far more FLEXIBLE than the electromechanical systems, but they certainly aren't any more RELIABLE. The designer is faced with the challenge of interfacing high current, high voltage components (like motors and water valves) to a system that operates outputs at a nominal 5V level and only milliamps to drive. The interface has to withstand the inductive switching currents of coils and solenoids (on the order of several hundred volts for a 12V system). The circuitry must be resistant to water splash, a corrosive environment (typically salt atmosphere), be thermally stable (solder fatigue) when someone runs a hot wash in a 35F degree garage. Then there's the issue of component drift and failure- capacitors have a given life, and cost dictates the lowest workable ratings are typically selected. Then you have the issue of mechanical shock, 3-axis vibe test for the PCB, and all the other physical issues of making a PCB live in a damp, humid, demanding environment. Not that it can't be done (just look at NASA), but poor board layouts, cheap components, corner cutting on drive ckts, low-cost interconnects and inadequate testing make this a hard sell against a mechanical timer. And then there's the firmware.... |