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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 5th, 2023

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  • Many cars have this with the touch screen, sport mode, eco mode, etc. Some will even learn from your driving behaviour and calibrate to that.

    The change is functionally instant, and when the original post talked about mapping it’s really a bunch of graphs and curves that dictate behaviour over the full range of rpm of the engine. You can switch maps on the fly by loading different basically spread sheets into the computer. Factory cars are calibrated for general use and epa standards, but you could make all kinds of special settings for various conditions.

    My knowledge of this is dated, haven’t been in the industry since 2000, but the basics haven’t changed.

    Older Porsches had a physical button on the floor under the gas pedal that you’d trigger when you floored it, putting it in spaz mode.

    The truth is, how you drive has a bigger impact on fuel efficiency than anything else, don’t accelerate aggressively, and stay below 65 mph. Wind drag above 50 mph is by far the greatest impact on fuel efficiency. Internal combustion engines are generally most efficient between 1800 and 2500 rpm, so if you keep your cruising speed there you’ll get the longest range on road trips, but obviously it’ll take that much longer.


  • It can’t do both at the same time.

    By remapping I assume you mean changing the ECU (engine control unit) programming.

    Depending on what all it controls, usually fuel injectors and ignition, and what it reads, air pressure, rpm, oxygen, throttle input, the mapping adjusts timing of ignition, and how much fuel is injected based on how fast the engine is spinning, and where the throttle is set.

    Most cars from the factory have a very simple mapping based around what most drivers do.

    A fancy prototype CRX I had back in the 90s had very custom mapping that meant when I drove mellow, it got about 45 mpg, but had very slow acceleration. If I pushed the throttle past a certian point, it spun up like a bat out of hell, but the fuel economy would plummet.

    What you can do with custom mapping is change the way the engine behaves under various conditions and based on the inputs. There is no magic get more out of the engine. Want more power? Eat more fuel and lose economy, and likely not burn off all the fuel so more dirty exhaust. Want more range? Limit power and lose acceleration.




  • I have a few times in life, but I’ve always found a new one.

    Each time I’d get deep enough into something, tech advancements always made that thing functionally obsolete.

    Once again I’m watching my skill set being phased out, but am working on my big last hurrah project right now that I’ve dreamed of for years. Having a great time doing it, but have already started the process of replacing it over the next 18 months.

    The one plus side now is that the company I’m with has already invested in my training for the next big thing. I’ve been through it enough times that I don’t feel like I’m losing something or wasted my time.





  • If you don’t feel it, don’t do it. Some injuries don’t heal right, and many of the hobbies I enjoy have a pretty damned high risk factor. Almost every single time I’ve had a serious injury, that little voice was telling me “This one might not end well”, and I went for it anyway.

    I could have walked away, called it a day, and come back another time. It wasn’t a contest, I was just out filming a few tricks for my “You’re turning 40 and still doing it” video. Didn’t stretch, didn’t warm up, and my over enthusiastic filmer was all “Try this, do that”. Ended up collapsing my knee and fully tearing my MCL.

    Between that and a few neck and back fractures over the years, my mobility and flexibility are pretty well shot. There are things I just can’t do anymore.

    Sure I still skate, and am amazed just how much I can still get away with, but now every minute on the board includes a constant “Is this safe? Is this worth it?” chant.






  • So train lines instead of belts, and inserters directly linking assemblers to each other? Wow, that base must be huge.

    I have done some basics with trains, and a bit with circuits, but multi resource trains always jammed up on me and became unbalanced so I’ve basically kept them to single item type each. Plus, playing on console without keyboard means naming things like stations is a slow pain in the ass.





  • The amount of time and money spent doing all the starting and running a buisness crap that has nothing to do with the actual work is staggering. I started my own LLC in an industry where I am considered an expert, and it was a complete failure in less then three years.

    I had clients, I had projects, but was so overwhelmed with all the buisness elements I just couldn’t spend the time required to get the work done properly. On top of that, while the money was good, the clients were often late paying, so all sorts of fees piled up and quickly ate into the profit. In the end I realized to do it right would have required at minimum four full time people.

    Ended up taking a job with a large company as their in house specialist and I’m so much happier. I work shorter hours, get a regular salary with benifits, and spend my time doing the technical stuff I like.

    Not saying don’t do it, just be aware of everything that goes into it beyond the core elements of the work / product.