My thoughts on the Toyota dilemna

Toyota, before 2010, is probably best known through the manufacturing world as the standard for quality and lean manufacturing through the Toyota Production System. Many principles used throughout the Quality world stem from their techniques to eliminate waste and make a better product.  Part of the quality environment includes finding problems before a customer uses it. 

Fast forward to 2010: A problem is found with the gas pedal of over 4.5M Toyota cars.  From the FAQ

The issue involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper “feel” by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable. This friction device includes a “shoe” that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation. Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, these surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position or, in rare cases, the pedal sticks, leaving the throttle partially open

I have a few questions for Toyota:

• Was there any feedback from customers saying they wanted the "feel"in the first place?  This is like GM, Chrysler and Ford sticking with the traditional knobs to roll down windows over the safer buttons because "it looked better"
• Why wasn't this material tested?  With any friction in play, the force might be enough for the pedal to come back?

Having we gone faster than light?

Or is it just an illusion?

The researchers observed that single photons that completely penetrated the stack passed through in about 12.84 femtoseconds. If the team added an additional single layer of low refractive index material to the stack at the end the photon took an additional 3.52 femtoseconds to pass through the stack.

However, if the team added a single high refractive index layer to the end of the stack the single photons were able to pass through the entire stack in 5.34 femtoseconds. With the photon passing through the stack in 5.34 femtoseconds the photon appears to travel at faster than light speeds.

  In my opinion, no, the word "appears" is a big clue.  Plus, it required going through a refractive layer to achieve such speed. The interference between the waves altered the tests too.

Most importantly, the low amount of photos being able to make such speeds made it statistically irrelevant. More studies will be needed.

Original Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/nios-std012610.php

Updates for 1/19

Hope everyone had a great new year's.  As for the experiments, I will not be doing the analog computer as I have moved to Platteville to attend for school and did not bring the DMM.  The memory module might be done later as well as any op-amp circuits since I will need to purchase the necessary short circuits.

One project I will run will be more of a case study of the importance of education and the BSME from my time at Jorgensen Conveyors...this should be far more simple as it will only require simulations be run in Inventor

World's First Molecular Transistor Created by Scientists

This is a big step: as the year 2022 looms, the transition to 11nm will too.  Current fabrication techniques are nearing the end as of now due to R&D costs and the effects of quantum tunnelling at such small dimensions.  To achieve 11nm processes, other non-CMOS technologies might have to be used, including nanotechnology.  Nanotech got a big boost this year as a Benzene molecule was used as a transitor:
The researchers were able to manipulate the molecule's different energy states depending on the voltage they applied to it through the contacts. By manipulating the energy states, they were able to control the current passing through the molecule.

"It's like rolling a ball up and over a hill, where the ball represents electrical current and the height of the hill represents the molecule's different energy states," Reed said. "We were able to adjust the height of the hill, allowing current to get through when it was low, and stopping the current when it was high." In this way, the team was able to use the molecule in much the same way as regular transistors are used.

Link

10 Mistakes Made When Outside Sourcing:

Although the Original Post was about semiconductor fabrication, all of the lessons can be applied to companies contracting their manufacturing needs outside of North America.  My thoughts are in italics:

1. Management Of The Subcontractor - Inadequate
Most work is outside sourced (outsourced) simply on a cost issue, where the company assumes the contractor will operate just like they will.  
2. Ineffective Deployment Of Key Contributors
The right people need to be hired to manage this relationship.  The right people can communicate needs to the contractor and balance both sides desires. 
3. Subcon Selection Misfit
Many times the contractor is simply selected on the bottom line.  However, more needs to be considered.  Given two companies with one having the ability to mfg for a dollar less, the cheaper contractor looks better on the books.  However, if the costlier contractor is, for example, has a better quality record, the better contractor needs to be selected
4. Relationship Lacking for Best Fit
Again, the bottom line fallacy fails again
5. Due Diligence Not Performed Well
6. Cultural Differences Not Recognized
From the original source:

 Lack of knowledge in dealing with different cultures and language barriers required to effectively manage the subcontractor for optimum results, i.e. Different communication styles, attitudes towards conflict, approaches to completing tasks, decision-making styles, attitudes towards disclosure

7. Transition Product/Software/Hardware – Poor Preparedness
Anyone who has taken a foreign language class understands there is more to language than putting a sentence through BabelFish.  Since language is a concept of a culture identity, the disconnect between Eastern and Western cultures is further divided unless one is semifluent in the other's language.
8. Ineffective Strategy And Plans
Many companies that outsource see outsourcing as a miracle worker that will solve all their needs, not understanding the consequences of the disconnection between the two companies.
9. Corporate Support Insufficient Relative To Staffing, Budget And Time Lines
The politics of the corporate structure further hurt the project as far too often upper managers will give an unrealistic time line and/or limited budget. 
10. Contract/Administration – Lack of Attention To

For more information, please read the original article.  It's worth a look

Finally, a practical storage method for Hydrogen?

It could happen.

On Nov. 25, Germany's Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing (known by its German acronym, BAM) released results of nearly two years of tests on C.En's technology, which involves the storage of compressed hydrogen inside bundles of thin, strong tubes of glass, known as capillary arrays. "The lightweight storage and safety factors give the technology a huge commercial potential for a whole range of industries," says Kai Holtappels, who heads up the working group at BAM that has been testing the technology since February 2008.

Ignoring the political factor of 'Climate Change,' a safer storage method could be another step towards Hydrogen as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels.  The benefits of Hydrogen, if applied correctly, would not only lead for more buisness opportunites in the U.S., but also for the end-user: where most of consumed Hydrogen is used, most of gasoline in a car is simply lost as heat.

Will it work?

Before the first experiment will be performed, the parts that have been acquired will need to be tested.  They are:

• 320Ω Resistor 
• 510 Ω Resistor
• Solderless Breadboard
• LED

The schematic:

 The real deal (without the battery - as an open circuit)

Will it work? Since V=IR, we can find the current by dividing the voltage (3V) over the total resistance, (510+320 = Ω) to find that the circuit will provide .0036A, or 3.6mA, well under the maximum current of the LED. 

And...

...everything works.  Couldn't say that about some other parts I've bought!