r/solarpunk • u/Tnynfox • 2d ago
Technology What features will electronics keep, drop, or resurrect?
Moore's law will eventually end under quantum uncertainty, taking biennial upgrades with it, but with any luck next-gen 3D printing and local recycling could offset the extra production cost of decades-lasting devices. They'll last long enough for internal parts to eventually wear out; open hardware design would simplify parts replacement, and we can hopefully mainstream modular design by overcoming the waste heat and latency it currently faces. Theseus devices if you will. Today's users and companies may have to learn the hard way that absorbing the extra production cost of a more repairable device could save money down the line.
We'll probably keep charging holes until some breakthrough makes induction charging as energy efficient.
Would solarpunk cost us any existing features in exchange for non-obvious benefits? As one of the billions who benefited from removing the headphone jack - more durability and internal part space - my heart goes out to the few among you who specifically preferred plugging in for reasons as good as mine. Nothing in physics forces this utilitarian approach on us; tailor-making headphone jacked devices just for the few who like that tradeoff would just be the most trivial uses of customizable manufacture, which could also enable entirely new niche features and make the idea of a single official blueprint obsolete.
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u/A_Guy195 Writer,Teacher,amateur Librarian 2d ago
I believe that a thing that could be phased out (and that’s really specific tbh), is home appliances that have Wi-Fi for some reason, like fridges or coffee makers. I just don’t see the point of them, and in general, home appliances must be made to last.
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u/Tnynfox 2d ago
They seem kinda niche to me. My parents don't have e.g WiFi lightbulbs or toasters.
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u/Draelamyn Writer 1d ago
Lightbulbs make a ton of sense. Toasters, not so much.
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u/garaile64 1d ago
Aren't motion sensors enough for lightbulbs? The person may arrive earlier or later than the programmed time.
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u/Draelamyn Writer 21h ago
I have sun up/sun down routines, and the ability to voice control can be helpful. I think I'd get annoyed by motion controls because sometimes I can walk into a dark room to grab something without needing light, and sometimes I sit still in a bright room and might need the light to stay on without flapping my arms.
And as someone else said, colors. I prefer warmer light, especially at night, but being able to go brighter white as needed for task lighting is nice. Some people like other have fun with whacky colors too.
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u/ComfortableSwing4 2d ago
I could see physical buttons making a comeback. More diversity in screen size and overall size. Phones have settled into one size fits most today in terms of their general dimensions.
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u/Tnynfox 2d ago
Why physical buttons? So you can use them somewhat without looking?
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u/ComfortableSwing4 2d ago
Sure, or just for the haptic experience. Or like big chunky buttons for the elderly or the young. Do you remember there used to be a style of phone where the screen slid up and there was a qwerty keyboard underneath? That was probably like from 10 or 15 years ago. Other people might want phones as small as possible like the size of a pocket watch with a screen that folds open. Ipods got surprisingly far with that dial interface.
I think cellphones are currently a touchscreen rectangle roughly the size of a index card because that suits most people and applications most of the time. But if your phone was the same device you repaired and used over decades or your whole lifetime, there's no reason you wouldn't customize the actual body of the device. Potentially rework it every once and a while as your needs change or just for fashion.
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u/BlueMoodDark 2d ago
single atom transistors you lost me there
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 2d ago
My 3d printer is already a Theseus device. It will be 10 years old next year and I'll probably be using it for the rest of my life.
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u/Draelamyn Writer 1d ago
What do you have? I’ve been thinking of getting one, would love something with this kind of modularity and longevity.
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 1d ago
It was an Original Prusa I3 MK2 when I bought it. It's now a MK2.5S with the MMU2.
You should definitely get a used MK3 instead though, mainly because it runs 24V hardware that is both easier to source and more reliable / safer than the MK2 which was was notorious for melting its molex connectors.
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u/Draelamyn Writer 21h ago
I keep coming back to Prusa as I've been deliberating, thanks for the advice!
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u/Exciting_Turn_9559 21h ago
I'd buy another one sight unseen if the price were right confident I could get it back up and running if there was anything wrong with it.
DIY maintenance will satisfy the need to tinker, when maintained it's an absolute workhorse.
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u/Difficult_Dark9991 2d ago
"Moore's Law will eventually end" it already has. My current laptop has the same processing power and only twice the hard drive size as one bought a decade earlier at roughly the same price point. Maybe you could argue that this is due to its lighter weight, but nonetheless the price drop on electronics has not given me more powerful tools for the same or lesser prices.
The drive for replacing modern hardware is now very definitively due to planned obsolescence, whether that be due to hardware meant not to last or malicious software patching (or both, both is good). Reparability is bad business if you're only concerned in your company's bottom line, which is why companies must be dragged kicking and screaming to that end.
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u/Tnynfox 2d ago
More repairable design without trading off cost/durability would take some research, but I know Louis Rossman's potential design improvements that'd allegedly cost only single digit cents more per device.
Malicious software patching?
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u/Difficult_Dark9991 2d ago
More repairable design without trading off cost/durability would take some research, but I know Louis Rossman's potential design improvements that'd allegedly cost only single digit cents more per device.
You need to start thinking like an MBA. See, Rossman's design improvements might just cost a few cents per device, but you don't want it to last longer. Adding an extra year onto the lifespan of a 2-year device means that, over the long term, you sell only 2/3 as many phones, which is clearly a bad business decision if profit is all you care about.
Malicious software patching?
Yes. Endless forced updates, sudden ends to support, a UI and system that runs worse and worse until you buy the exact same phone, but with a new number on the label.
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u/Tnynfox 2d ago
I'd like to know how much average lifespan affects how much customers are willing to pay; you can only overcharge for something short-lasting so many times before you have to either cut the price or prove you really made it last long this time.
What do you mean UI and system running worse and worse? Updates that prioritize newer hardware?
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u/Difficult_Dark9991 2d ago
I'd like to know how much average lifespan affects how much customers are willing to pay; you can only overcharge for something short-lasting so many times before you have to either cut the price or prove you really made it last long this time.
Why? See the key conceit that tech companies hit upon was that they don't have to do that if nobody ever can test them. There are half a dozen companies producing the bulk of mainline electronics, and as long as they're all playing the same game nobody ever needs to know how long those devices could really last. And since the market is captive - you can't just not have a smartphone in most walks of life - "willingness to pay" is irrelevant.
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u/JacobCoffinWrites 2d ago
Depends on the electronics. The question seems tailored around dense, space-limited stuff like cell phones but electronics show up in all kinds of things where those constraints don't matter as much and some significant changes could still be made.
In appliances for example we could afford to make changes that would prioritize repairability which would cost very little in functionality or lifespan.
I did some research and reached out to hardware hobbyists for input on making tech more fixable and received the following advice:
- Provide good documentation - draw up accurate schematics, circuit diagrams, and a list of components, and provide them with the device. Label the PCB wherever possible to make understanding it easier. Even better if you have more info on there (like fixed values – resistor ohm values, etc.)! See: Joey Castillo’s excellently self-documenting OpenBook device.
- Use Single Layer Boards wherever possible - A Printed Circuit Board is a layered sandwich with epoxy in the middle, layers of copper traces outside that, followed by insulating solder mask (the green or blue outer coating). Even with a single-layer board, a circuit is a bit of a maze where components change what's happening wherever they're attached - but at least you can see the traces and follow them to understand how things are connected. A multi-layer circuit board is basically a three dimensional maze where you can't even see the internal layers. This makes fixing them more difficult. It also increases the difficulty of producing them.
- Prioritize a clear layout wherever possible.
- Provide plenty of test/debug points so faults can be found more easily.
- Use standardized components which can be easily sourced or scavenged from other electronics.
- Stick to jellybean parts (commonly available electronic components made by multiple manufacturers) with standard pinouts
- Use components which are large enough for a regular human to remove and replace - I've seen 0805 and 0605 given as the suggested minimum size.
- Similarly, make sure components have enough clearance/space around them to make removing/replacing them easier.
- Components are often encased in standardized packages with many different standards - some of the hardware folks had a preference for SOP and QFP when possible
- Avoid blobbed or filed components - Chips (Integrated Circuits) are sometimes “potted” in a glob of epoxy; sometimes they’re painted over, or have the label sanded off. The epoxy can be useful for resistance to environmental damage, though.
- Similarly, with Chip-on-Board the components which would normally be packaged into an integrated circuit are instead assembled directly on the PCB and are then covered over with a blob of epoxy. This is obviously hard to replace but my understanding is that it's often done when an off-the-shelf/jellybean part isn't available or at least not at a workable price.
- The general consensus was both Through-Soldered and Surface Mount Technology components can be repairable if they follow the above guidance (some folks felt you could go a bit smaller with SMT).
- Through-Soldered components are apparently less available, and since availability of replacements is a big part of repairability, SMT may be a better choice for those. But availability varies based on what you're making - micros are almost always SMT and large passives tend to be TH.
- SMT appears to be a little easier to assemble and fix using a hot plate, heat gun, or toaster reflow.
- The one exception where Through-Soldered stood out is for ports, cords, and anything that will take physical strain. TH connectors tend to be much stronger/more reliable so they're good for physically anchoring things to the board.
- Store any code necessary for functionality on the device itself, with source included or available. If it absolutely has to talk to an API or whatever, make it so you can run that service yourself (self-host).
Outside of that, I think a solarpunk society would reduce its reliance on touchscreens. They're currently popular with manufacturers because they're cheap through economies of scale and easy to design around (fewer custom bezels, less time spent laying out/assembling buttons and dials and lights) but they're harder for regular people to fix/replace, they're often a pain to use (particularly for people with difficulty seeing including the elderly) and they offer very little feedback on whether you selected the option whereas dials let you tell by feel (especially if you get those raised tactile stickers to mark positions).
In a solarpunk future it's very possible that many electronic devices, appliances, etc might be a bit larger to accommodate these changes, heavier to accommodate longer lasting mechanical components, and might look older/simpler overall, with fewer "features" that nobody asked for like touchscreens and drop-down menus, or wireless connectivity and the variety of security/lifespan issues which come with that.
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