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Homework 1: ITCD 415/615 Advance Machine Design
Homework 1: ITCD 415/615 Advance Machine Design
Homework 1
ITCD 415/615 Advance Machine Design
Travis Fisher
9/12/2012
1. Choose five products that continually annoy you. Identify the needs (in separate steps) the
developers of this product missed. Why do you think these needs were not met? Do you
also other issues that arise with the console, such as discs becoming scratched in the drive and “bricking”
of consoles due to dashboard updates. Most failures are the result of the use of the wrong type of lead-
free solder. The Microsoft Ed Tech used lead-free solder as a result of a European Union Mandatories,
which critics say was imposed despite the fact that a small minority of people do not believe in the
environmental benefits.
There has been legal action taken attempting to hold Microsoft responsible for the Xbox 360's
failure rate and provide compensation for those affected. Microsoft has never officially released any
information indicating the true cause of the problem. Therefore, any information available to the public
has come only from speculation and third party analysis. Electronics industry newspaper EE Times
reported that the problems may have started in the graphics chip. Microsoft designed the chip in-house to
cut out the traditional ASIC vendor with the goal of saving money in ASIC design costs. After multiple
product failures, Microsoft went back to an ASIC vendor and had the chip redesigned so it would
dissipate less heat.German computer magazine blamed the problem primarily on the use of the wrong
type of lead-free solder, a type that when exposed to elevated temperatures for extended periods of time
becomes brittle and can develop hair-line cracks that are almost irreparable.
Also another problem with the 360 is that tilting or moving consoles with these drives, when
operating with a disc spinning inside, can potentially cause damage to the disc, in some cases rendering
the disc unusable. Discs have also been scratched by stationary consoles during normal use. One side of
the disc can also be scratched by the disc tray if it malfunctions by closing with the disc in an odd
position. Also, technical engineers already knew about the problem before release confirms this with
Microsoft with a list of solutions. According to Microsoft, decreasing the disk rotation would take too
much time to load a game and bumpers in the disk tray would cost 25 cents per console—a total of about
11 million dollars and a delay of the Xbox release. In 2005, they were accused of many technical Xbox
360 problems and a poor lack of solutions and warranty. According to reports in news media the new
Xbox 360 S still scratches disks when the console is moved while spinning the disk, however the 360 S
ships with a sticker informing users that moving the console while powered on risks this.
I think that Microsoft has neglected many customer needs here. I personally have had to send my
Xbox in for repairs due to the “RROD” twice, so I can valge for these product flaws. One reason these
product defects were overlooked is because Microsoft’s Xbox has not monopolized the video game
console, they are in a race with Sony’s Playstation 3. So when it comes down to putting out a flawless
system or hastily putting out their work in progress to the people they will push their defected product out
to the market every time just to keep up. First of all once Microsoft got wind of the problems with the
lead free solder that was being used they should of halted production and shipping. Xbox users are die
hard customers and they should be treated with respect, and I know of many people that have switched to
Sony’s Playstation because of the faulty Xbox. Also it is true that the system scratches the discs,
especially if it is moved at all while it is turned on. I have also witnessed this defect personally. This is
something else that has been avoided by Microsoft due to their own selfish pursuits.
- Prompt and long lasting repair jobs (the repairs did not last long before product failed again)
I think these needs were deliberately ignored because the problems were not detected until the
majority of the systems were already made. Instant recall would have cost 11 million dollars and if they
would have not made their release date of 2005 consumers may have grown impatient and went ahead
and bought the Playstation just to have the newest existing game console. By putting out a product on
time even if it didn’t work properly the customers would buy it and if it began to have problems they
would have been out of luck. This ensured the company sales, they would deal with the repairs later once
Bushings are rubbery rings that are fit into skateboard trucks. Skateboard trucks usually have two
bushings per truck. One bushing is in the heart of the truck, and provides the flex and springiness of the
truck, for turning and what not. The other bushing is smaller, and set right beneath the head of the
kingpin, allowing the trucks to be tightened or loosened easier, and to a more specific degree. Some
skaters like tighter trucks, usually for more tricks, while some skaters like looser trucks, often for
cruising. However, tight or loose trucks have more to do with simply what feels right to the skater than
anything else.
The problem with bushings is that they often need to be replaced in your skateboard trucks,
because they break down and stop giving good feedback and springiness. This is a more frequent
occurrence if the person riding the skateboard is a heavier set person, or if they land on the board hard
often. For a design improvement I am suggesting the instead of using these rubber joints per say, maybe
there should be some sort of pneumatic device implemented instead. This would still allow the two
degrees of freedom that the rubber joints allow, but they would possibly reduce force of impact while
There are many different companies that provide these bushings, but where the brand names
change, the designs basically stay the same. I do believe that these bushing designs do basically meet the
needs of the consumer, but I think that either the design could be better by implementing pneumatic
struts, or by researching more efficient rubber materials for the existing bushings.
In my opinion, the needs that were not met were:
- Customer safety (if these bushings fail, at high speeds the user is more prone to wreck)
- User ability
I don’t think these needs have not been met due to lack of try, I just think that these designs and
material research are the best that have been accumulated so far. The sport of skateboarding is still
somewhat new so this is understandable; innovations are still to be made. In my opinion, these desired
needs have been deliberately ignored just because complete redesign of the skateboard truck is not ready
I chose this object because of my personal experience when trying to keep an organized closet. I have
tried different types of hangers but it seems like they always manage to get tangled and moreover ruin the
shape of my clothes. Also, when trying to get ready in a hurry, I try to pull my clothes from the closet fast
and almost always the hangers get attach to each other. I have different types of clothes and it seems like
no matter what size of hanger I use, they always create a problem to my clothes. For instance, they stretch
the material or damage the original shape of my clothes. I have come to the conclusion that even though
An even bigger problem with these hangers are the damage they do to the environment. Ninety percent of
America's clothes are now imported, and most garments that come in from overseas comes in on a plastic
hanger — 30 to 40 billion of them each year. Laid end to end, 40 billion coat hangers would stretch about
8 million miles, far beyond the orbit of the moon. Worse, most of these hangers are plastic and have a
lifespan of one season — about three months, and very few are recycled.
The problems are twofold. Not only do a great many plastic hangers use metal hooks, but most have
tissue paper, foam, fabric and bits of soft clear plastic (all imported garments arrive in plastic bags) still
stuck to them. The results are a materials menagerie that most recycling centers can't process.
On top of that, hangers are made from seven different types of plastic. Individuals and store clerks rarely
bother separating the K-resin from the polystyrene No. 6, and it is far too time consuming for recyclers to
separate a mass of tangled hangers and our recycling machines can't handle blends.
That's why 85 percent of plastic hangers end up in landfills, leaching toxins like benzene and bisphenol-A
into the ground water along the way, according to studies.
The Organic Consumers Association estimates that 3.5 billion wire hangers are used each year. This
amounts to 195 million pounds of steel used for wire hanger production. According to the Steel Recycling
Institute, in North America more steel is recycled than glass, aluminum, paper and plastic combined. Yet,
when it comes to recycling metal hangers, this proves difficult due to the plastic coating used to protect
clothing from rusting metal, the hooks catch on equipment causing jams and the most centers refuse to
accept hangers due to the low percentage of steel reclaimed per hanger.
Only about 10 percent of wire coat hangers ended up getting reused or recycled, according to industry
statistics. The rest, roughly 88 thousand tons per year, remain in closets but eventually end up in landfills.
That is roughly 4000 semi loads.
In my opinion the following are the needs that original developers missed when developing the
product:
1. Hangers that will not damage the original shape of your clothes:
2. The hanger’s shape will not create difficulties when being stacked in one’s closet.
I believe that these needs were not originally met because the developers did not think of a
product that could be beneficial at all times. Even though their original product, indeed helped to organize
a closet it still did not take away how fast they can make a closet messy just for the sole reason they get
sometime in the 1800, with industrial revolution people were trying to make life easier with the invention
of different kinds of products. The original developers probably believe that the shoulder-shaped wire
hanger, which is nowadays most commonly used, had already the best shape and did not need any type of
4.) Antivirus-
This product particularly annoys me because constantly, I have to buy different antivirus
programs in order to keep my computer safe from external damage, up to date, or from other people
1. To keep all personal computers 100% free of virus regardless of where you use your device.
3. To become interrupting sources of work. If you are in the middle of writing a paper or searching the
Unfortunately, not too many people are knowledgeable on computers and antivirus so they tend to
trust any product that’s offered. I think the developers originally ignored this needs because they want all
their customers to depend on them to make new updated products. If customers are constantly reminded
that their product is at risk because of a particular website or because the computer is being use in a
public they will want to protect their product by purchasing any antivirus that is offered in the market.
This occurrence brings more profit to the developing companies but becomes a financial burden when a
customer is forced to buy these products just to feel safe from getting viruses in their computers.
The Death Grip problem with the iPhone occurs when someone is holding it in a way that their
hand covers up the black strip on the edge causing your signal strength to suddenly plummet.
I have an iPhone 4 currently, and even now I still witness this Grip of Death, especially if I am already in
1. Functionality of the phone. The phones number one feature is to be able to make calls.
2. Convenience for the customers.
I don’t think that Apple did this purposely. I think that it was a sincere mistake that was realized once the
product was being released. Plus different service providers will also affect the signal these phones have.
Also they did take several measures to correct the problem, although I do not agree with offering a new
phone that is completely fixed as a solution like they did with the 4s. The updates they put out for
download did make the situation a lot more manageable though, and because of that I think they did all
they really could with that phone.
2. Explain the type of development process that you expect to find in established companies that
successfully make the following products.
When developing a product, the steps above are the fundamental format widely used. Each step is
one that the can be found behind the development of any successful product. But, for every different
product these steps will be incorporated in much different ways. For example: