The £1300 AFDD consumer unit

Stewart Ross:

An interesting video. I had not appreciated that AFDDs available at present use dedicated microprocessors. I have my doubts about incorporating complex technology into a consumer unit whose lifespan should be much, much longer than the typical consumer goods cycle that leads to new releases currently every 18-24 months for phones etc. Will these devices be reliable enough in practice?

Good question. Computers are all over the place in cars now, but at 14 years the only problems that I have with my car are electrical. Nobody knows what the fault is in the sound system; the firmware in 3 out of 4 window modules needs to be updated; the clock no longer updates itself; and worst of all, I think that there may be a poor joint somewhere in the engine management unit. If the car doesn't pass it's MOT on Friday, it has scrap value only. ?

Stewart Ross:

An interesting video. I had not appreciated that AFDDs available at present use dedicated microprocessors. I have my doubts about incorporating complex technology into a consumer unit whose lifespan should be much, much longer than the typical consumer goods cycle that leads to new releases currently every 18-24 months for phones etc. Will these devices be reliable enough in practice?

Good question. Computers are all over the place in cars now, but at 14 years the only problems that I have with my car are electrical. Nobody knows what the fault is in the sound system; the firmware in 3 out of 4 window modules needs to be updated; the clock no longer updates itself; and worst of all, I think that there may be a poor joint somewhere in the engine management unit. If the car doesn't pass it's MOT on Friday, it has scrap value only. ?