TOPIC: THE DISPOSABLE CULTURE

[jingle_jangle]

A moderator of a Yahoo! group to which I belong (Magnatone amps), has been posting some thoughful comments on quality vs. disposability, and the way people tend to think about this and treat their stuff. Although he's an amp and stereo repair tech, his observations and comments are salient:

"Just a few more comments to add to what I had written earlier: you would
think that people would at least dust off or Windex-spray or otherwise attempt
to clean up their equipment at least a little bit before they drop it off for
service ! If somebody drops off a piece of equipment for service and it is
absolutely filthy inside and out, doesn't that tend to reflect poorly on the
person who owns the gear? We have had stuff come into the shop that is covered
in, or internally full of: sawdust, household dust, dog and cat fur (a very
common contaminant found inside electronic gear-----I own two BIG HUGE dogs
and yet you won't find fur inside my equipment!), dead bugs & cobwebs, spilled
beer or soda, paint splatters all over the case, finger grease and food waste
galore (ever have to take a remote control apart to scrub it with a
toothbrush, and free-up the buttons, and clean/rejuvenate the switches? it's not a
pretty sight inside there !!!), and sometimes even smelling badly of mold and
mildew-----one old stereo receiver had me hacking and coughing from the musty
mildew and mold smell even before I removed the top cover!

We have also seen cases where surround-sound receivers with 5 or 6 output
channels have had their feet taken off so the unit would fit into an undersized
cabinet, and without the feet to lift up the unit off the shelf there's
almost no convection-type airflow through the unit or over the heatsinks, and so
the unit sits there and friggin' BAKES until it finally croaks. Usually at
least a few of the output transistors will eventually short out, AND at this
point pretty much ALL the capacitors have also been cooked to death. Forget
about fixing such a mess economically and reliably, just chuck it out and buy
another one for $600 to $800 or more....

We have also seen some amps that were run so hard and hot for so long that
the rubber feet have actually MELTED !! If something sounds or smells funny or
excessive heat is coming from it, you'd think they'd have the sense to shut
it off and get it serviced BEFORE the unit is too far gone to repair. Kinda
like driving an older car: you have to be mindfull of strange sounds or smells,
or jiggles and vibrations in the steering and the brakes....

Not to cast particular aspersions on the following group of people, but
owners of Bose equipment (who tend to be totally non-technical and are apparently
of the "set-it-and-forget-it" mindset, and so that's why they buy these
all-one-brand systems that require little effort or thought to set up) are
consistently one of the worst offenders-----we commonly find massive amounts of
dust and food waste on and inside Wave Radios and such, and paint splatters are
the other most common contaminant found on the radios' case. (A $500 CD/radio
that gets treated pretty much like a "disposable" product!). It seems many
of these units are being used (and abused) in the kitchen....and as for Bose
powered subwoofers we frequently find plant leaves and signs of spilled water
inside of the subwoofers. It apears that wives like to hide these units in a
corner with a potted plant on top of or in front of the unit, and then they
accidentally water the inside of the subwoofer!

I should also mention that the throw-it-away away mentality has so infected
our society that even expensive items are often mistreated and
abused-----you
should see the physical and cosmetic condition of some of the hifi-audio
equipment that arrives at the shop where I work: filthy, dusty, dented,
caked
with food, beverages spilled inside & corroding the circuit boards.....and
then
customers get upset if we aren't able to fix the unit cheaply or if it
simply turns out to be unrepairable ! CJ"

[jingle_jangle]

And some more, specifically on the subject of "handbuilding" guitars:

"Hey Rob-
There was a real screaming match on an instrument building forum which
I belong. The scream developed from one group's hatred of CNC made
guitars and parts. The CNC group fired back with what machines and
jigs CAN you use and still consider it "handmade"? I call my
instruments "Handmade made by Robots" or "Handmade by Robot Hands" or
"Handmade by American Robot Hands", you get it.

dr.

Even vintage National steels used parts that were spun on a lathe (the
cones) or stamped out with a hydraulic press and precision dies----these musical
products were given birth to by the Industrial Revolution and the Machine Age
! * The circumstances that caused the Doperya brothers and George Beauchamp
et al to dream of and eventually design such a product were also being
influenced by a rapidly changing, faster, louder, machine-driven society! Anyway,
certainly, if CNC machines were available back in the Roaring Twenties, then
National would have used them !

(For that matter, if transistors had been available in 1946 then Dickerson
and Magna/MEC and Valco/Supro would probably have used them-----and all those
amplifiers would probably have gone to the dump decades ago.......).

The real question people should be asking is, does the machinery used to
build guitars ultimately enhance, or degrade, the dignity of individuals or of
large numbers of people ? The Luddites were asking such questions in England
some 150 or so years ago.......they did not automatically destroy or denigrate
any and all machines as some folks seem to think, but they were indeed
concerned with the possibility that people would become like slaves to certain
types of machines and manufacturing processes and that human dignity would suffer
as a result.

One could certainly argue that a handmade guitar is, in and of itself, an
art form; and one could also argue that while perhaps a machine-made guitar
isn't really an art form by itself, it can still be used to MAKE art !
CJ

PS: food for thought: does a print or poster of a Renoir or a Monet degrade
the real thing? Or does it approximate the beauty of the real thing at least
well enough that ordinary people can appreciate it in their homes without
having to travel to a far-off museum to see and enjoy it?

PPS: * I heard this said on some weird cable-TV show somewhere many years
ago: "Dobro: its' father was a tree, its' mother was an intake manifold" !"

[Scastles]

Interesting read, Paul. I especially found the forum view on the mistreatment of audio gear and such noteworthy. Very true, people are apt to spill drinks into amps, let foreign material build up inside audio equipment and generally, disregard the products electronic health. I live in an area where dust is as common as oxygen. You can completely cleanse a piece of equipment of dust, and in less than a day it's settled back in as if you hadn't dusted it ever. Not good on high-end tech pieces. I also tend to think much of what we buy isn't made to stand up against the slightest abuse, and often its own construction. Guess I am somewhat of the mindset, they don't make 'em like they used to. I wonder how old tube radios stand up against today's gear? Much longer I would imagine than a $700 surround sound amp. I don't think a lot of dusting or cleaning of any kind when into Ma and Pa Kettle's 1940 Zenith, but they kept on a running, and many still do today. And talk about extreme conditions placed on those old radios. Not as many bells and whistles on a tube radio, or the fragility in its inner workings either. The disposable culture is a collaborative effort, both in manufacturing and personal care, IMHO.

[paologregorio]

I keep my amps covered unless they're in use. They don't appear to be dusty when I open them up. In the case of my regular use AC30, I use two covers; a snug fitting cover custom stitched by the craftsman who built the reproduction cabinet for it, and the padded, factory cover, which slips over the custom cover. I also buy compressed air canisters by the six packs...just in case.

Our lead singer Meatball tends to have the former kind of gear, but then, that's why his name is "Meatball". Some of it's him, some of it's bad luck; he had an Ampeg head, and the band's powered mixer, that unfortunately was placed at a spot in the garage where the roof decided to leak during one rainstorm. I had the fun job of taking those apart and cleaning them after, but they worked once I was done. His BMW and Triumph motorcycles were also in the garage and fell victim to his brother-in-law's over zealous use of a power saw, resulting in a copious spread of sawdust, much of which ended up in the Carburetors of both motorcycles. On the other hand, we bought a new Roland keyboard amp with the fuzzy tolex, or whatever it's called, a year and a half back(without a cover, unfortunately-how did that happen?!), and when it was brought to the first rehearsal, the exterior was completely covered in white cat fur. One spent adhesive lint roller later, the other guitarist and I managed to get most of the fur off. On another occasion I was over at his shop, and there was a Peavey bass amp, outside, with a box of greasy Triumph parts that had been sitting atop it, outside, for days. I know Peavey is generally a frowned upon brand of amplifier, but that's a bit extreme! I relieved him of the bass amp and it's now safely stored in my garage.

[jingle_jangle]

Actually, it's a pleasant, memory-inducing smell to me, to fire up an old tube radio and smell the dust burning off the tubes...

I have a strong impression that our own culture's wasteful, childish habits (encouraged by Asian manufacturers who give us better and better and cheaper products, indulging our childishness) are going to come to a crashing halt. It's already--in the last twelve months--becoming more and more common in a design critique to ask what the estimated total carbon footprint is for any given product (not just cars!!!). The Wal-Mart mentality, I'm hoping, will be supplanted by one that takes into account the cost to produce and run something as small as an electric drill, on a global basis. Is an electric can-opener or hot dog cooker really necessary?

Thirty years ago, I wrote a treatment for a short story in which travellers rode their horses to the airport and caught planes to Europe...

My daughter is going to come of age in a challenging world.

[Scastles]

...and as for Bose powered subwoofers, we frequently find plant leaves and signs of spilled water inside the subwoofers.

From fear of guilt, after reading this line in your original post submitted by the tech/amp repair person, I immediately went over and gave mine a major once-over. An inside and out eyeballing. I didn't find any leaves, or spillage. Dust, yeah, just a little bit.

[antipodean]

--in the last twelve months--becoming more and more common in a design critique to ask what the estimated total carbon footprint is for any given product (not just cars!!!). The Wal-Mart mentality, I'm hoping, will be supplanted by one that takes into account the cost to produce and run something as small as an electric drill, on a global basis. Is an electric can-opener or hot dog cooker really necessary?

Thirty years ago, I wrote a treatment for a short story in which travellers rode their horses to the airport and caught planes to Europe...

My daughter is going to come of age in a challenging world.

Wow - we've gotten to eco-consciousness from a thread about the neglect/abuse of sound equipment and the philosophical question of what constitutes a hand-made item.

I like it!

Warning - what follows is a rant. Sensitive readers should avert their eyes!

I agree that it's about time the pendulum swung from away from rampant consumerism, but I'm tired of the green rhetoric (which borders on eco-fascism) when it is virtually unaccompanied by practical action. If the world as we know it is really is going to end in a generation's time, shouldn't there be a litle more concerted effort across the board aimed at effecting change, rather than just encouraging it? Factories are still pumping out gas-guzzlers, and there appears to be no rush to move away from fossil fuel dependence in transport or power generation. Despite regime change down here, there has been no substantial move to provide incentives to move towards clean energy. Where is the sense of urgency when it comes to action, rather than talk?

Rant over!

That feels so much better!

[janglerocker]

I owned a consumer audio repair shop for several years and I can personally attest to the grungy condition of equipment when it arrived for repair. I was constantly amazed how people would innocently describe how a particular speaker, amp or receiver would pop, squeak, hum, or just plain shut down and they would just keep trying to MAKE it work rather than bring it in for work I'm sure would have been much more economical if they hadn't waited until it BLEW UP !!

The proliferation of "throwaway" consumer audio led to the ultimate demise of the business. Very few people would spend $100 min. to fix a CD player when you could buy a new one (albeit of much inferior quality) for $20 more. The "audiophiles" who were a significant part of my business just weren't enough to keep it afloat.

[paologregorio]

I don't like disposable culture either. It's been a growing source of frustration over the years having various consumer electronics items go belly-up and not being able to have them repaired-being advised to just toss them out and buy a new one. Bose still has service for their items. I don't know that even TVs go in for repair anymore. One of the TVs in my house dates from 1979 or so(it still has faux woodgrain and boasts "stereo receiver monitor" on its exterior). It broke about five or six years ago, and to my surprise I was able to find a shop that fixed it for $150, which, at the time was a third to half the price of a new 27 inch TV, so I had it fixed. I wonder if I'd be able to do that now?!

I also have a rotary telephone in one room of my house that, until I switched to digital phone service, worked just great, and was somewhat a source of amusement to hear with its old-fashioned ring, in comparison to modern, digital rings.

That being said, I've taken a few newer things apart, and they just don't appear to be repairable.

[windchimp]

And because of this "throw-away" culture we now have recycling laws spanning the global market - WEEE, RoHS and the like. The latter, by the way, make it next to impossible to repair anything anymore.

[jingle_jangle]

RoHS specifically exempts spare parts for use in repair of electronic items made before the law went into effect in 2006. You just have to use lead-free solder to attach them, presumably.

[windchimp]

Ah, and there's the rub. The lead free stuff has a much higher melting point, and the flux is quite different. So while repairing a leaded solder connection with lead-free solder is not impossible, it is tricky. Not to mention the potential for frying components due to the higher temperatures.

WRT to RoHS Directive (a technically inept piece of legislation, BTW) it prohibits goods entering the EU market which contain any of the 6 banned substances. There is a move underway to expand the list of banned substances at the moment - oh joy. Spares technically can enter the EU market, however most manufacturers are converting all terminations to lead-free. My day-to-day experience in the aerospace industry finds us wrestling with the supply chain to find "the right stuff" for our needs. Many of our components need to be re-tinned prior to use since they contain either a RoHS compliant finish like SAC solder (tin-silver-copper alloy) or worst of the bunch - pure tin. The biggest problem with the compliant finishes besides the assembly issue is embrittlement leading to fractured connections. With pure tin (and some compliant finishes - research is ongoing) there is the problem of tin whiskers.

And good luck finding components which have tin/lead terminations - the supply is drying up fast. Take a look at Newark Electronics or Digikey - the "green" versions are taking over! Since most electronic components find their way into consumer products, the major manufacturers like Kemet, Vishay and AVX are going with the one size fits all approach and only producing green versions. And with more of the world's economies embracing some form of RoHS legislation there would appear to be no turning back.

All this brought to you by politicians who believe in perception rather than science. The EU legislation that started this mess was based on the (incorrect) belief that lead in solder leaches out in landfills. Most of the other 5 banned substances such as cadmium, mercury and hex chromium are already banned or controlled so the new legislation did little to effect their use.

OK, there's my Monday morning rant!

[jingle_jangle]

Thanks for getting our brains moving on this topic, Ross...

My practical experience with a quality, temp-controlled soldering station (only way to go if you're spending more than 10 minutes a day soldering) is that, with a precise control of heat and the right tip and technique, all but the most finicky of components can be joined with non-lead solder very quickly and with little heat penetration into the component. For those that can't see any heat, we have heat sink clips and paste.

I agree that politics should not mix with engineering in any way without expert engineering help involved on a daily basis.

[johnallg]

Actually, it's a pleasant, memory-inducing smell to me, to fire up an old tube radio and smell the dust burning off the tubes...

<snip>

My daughter is going to come of age in a challenging world.

Me too, I love the smell, heat, and glow of tubes!

I think coming of age in a challenging world is true of every generation. As the world gets more complicated and gadgetized (how's that for a word!), each generation learns more earlier in their life to be able to cope with it all. I'm not saying that is good, just the way it is. Sometimes I wish electricity would stop flowing and let us see how we all would fare. Not well, I suppose.

Actually, the trick to navigating this modern world is to choose for oneself how much you want to put up with for all the aggravation it causes. Each person's level is different. Unfortunately, responsibilities make us go beyond that comfort point.

With all the talk of dust in electronics, I started sneezing as I read the thread!

[johnallg]

Oh, and on the disposable society - which came first, throwaway products of a demand for low prices? Growing up and living through this transition in consumer history, besides being a cheapskate that will try and fix my own things to save a few bucks, it was always a consternation to find out how much it was to fix an appliance or device compared to being able to get a new one cheaper or for a little more than the repair.

Add to that the fact older equipment was better made and overdesigned - the old standard for electronic design was 50% overdesign from the operating parameters. Now with the low price points trying to be achieved, design criteria leaves no margin for the old practice of 50% overdesign. Thus the $59 cd player dies after a year or so and it gets thrown in the landfill (no seperation of materials for recycling by the owner!) and a new one for $54 is bought.

Am I the only one totally irritated and mad about the recyclers that come to my driveway weekly to pick up any recycling materials (city contract paid with my tax dollars) will leave perfectly clean broken plastic laundry baskets because I don't know why?!?!