emotion/panasonic drive train?

[flecc]

being able to alter the cadence on a Panasonic style system to suit individual riding style would be the best option, probably with an optional throttle (why hasnt anyone done this yet?).



John

The cadence alteration feature is nearly impossible to have on this system with a fixed assist speed limit.

The optional throttle isn't permitted under their Japanese home market law or European law where almost the whole of the rest of their market is.

Therefore in both cases it's legislation that prevents these happening, basically desirable design features being impeded by governments, something I've objected to in many fields throughout my engineering life.

Over the last sixty years it's happened to many products including domestic loudspeaker systems, cars and e-bikes, and it's about to start happening to MP3 players next.
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[themutiny]

The cadence alteration feature is nearly impossible to have on this system with a fixed assist speed limit.

The optional throttle isn't permitted under their Japanese home market law or European law where almost the whole of the rest of their market is.

Therefore in both cases it's legislation that prevents these happening, basically desirable design features being impeded by governments, something I've objected to in many fields throughout my engineering life.

Over the last sixty years it's happened to many products including domestic loudspeaker systems, cars and e-bikes, and it's about to start happening to MP3 players next.
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Flecc - could you elaborate on the effect on loudspeaker systems, and what is going to happen to MP3 players? Is it hardware or software players, or both?

Cheers

Nick

 

[flecc]

The loudspeaker one is from the past and no longer applies, and it was an example of what was called "design by chancellor", the tax rates affecting how something was designed. During the heyday of Hi-Fi in the '60s and '70s, the Chancellor of the Exchequer thought he'd cash in on the sales boom by applying purchase tax to domestic loudspeakers. The civil service way of defining what was a domestic Hi-Fi loudspeaker was one with two drive units, those with three or more classed as professional. The result was obvious, manufacturers stuffed an extra cheap drive unit into their Hi-Fi speakers to dodge tax, but in the course of doing that upset the sound quality and balance of many of them. This no longer happens with VAT of course.

The forthcoming intention with hardware MP3 players is a set limit on the sound output of about 83 dB to limit any ear damage, a typical "nanny state" measure which doesn't take into account those with impaired hearing who need a higher volume. The measure is intended to have an allowance for manufacturers to include the possibilty of "derestriction" by modification to cope with that, but of course that makes the new law pointless. In any case we'd have no assurance that concession would endure over time.
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[Mussels]

I think what you are highlighting as a flaw, is really a feature, as in the way it was specifically designed to work. These are power assisted bikes after all, and this 'system' isnt designed as a brute force 'pull up the hill' system, its designed to assist the rider when it thinks the rider genuinely needs it.

If it was a feature I would expect it to provide assistance when I am riding it efficiently, to get the assistance by riding in a way likely to cause long term knee damage seems wrong to me.