New York Could Become First State With a 'Right To Repair' Law for Electronic Devices (spectrumlocalnews.com) 24
After passing with near unanimous support in both houses of the state Legislature, a bill that would allow New Yorkers to repair their electronic devices is all ready to become law as it awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature. From a report: The bill's sponsor in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Pat Fahy of Albany, said the bill would create a system that we use for cars but for the electronic devices we use each day.
The bill, known as "Right to Repair," would force companies to provide tools and parts for independent repair shops or individuals to repair devices like cell phones. Opponents of the legislation have cited safety and cybersecurity threats as their issues with the legislation. Supporters of the bill, including Fahy, said the bill will allow for economic growth in this sector and could help the "tinkerers of today" become the "inventors of the future." The Federal Trade Commission has called the bill a milestone and has said it does not harm intellectual property rights.
The bill, known as "Right to Repair," would force companies to provide tools and parts for independent repair shops or individuals to repair devices like cell phones. Opponents of the legislation have cited safety and cybersecurity threats as their issues with the legislation. Supporters of the bill, including Fahy, said the bill will allow for economic growth in this sector and could help the "tinkerers of today" become the "inventors of the future." The Federal Trade Commission has called the bill a milestone and has said it does not harm intellectual property rights.
just cell phones? need to add cars as well! (Score:5, Insightful)
just cell phones? need to add cars as well!
Re:just cell phones? need to add cars as well! (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re:just cell phones? need to add cars as well! (Score:5, Informative)
Honda wouldn't sell me a new hybrid battery for my Civic so I could replace it myself, saying it wasn't safe because I'm not a trained technician. I have a degree in Electronics Engineering...
Trained technician also implies you are armed with not merely the specific know-how, but also the necessary tools and resources. You're not wrenching on that lithium torch with your framed degree, and a carmaker isn't really in the business of validating DIY skillset and capability in order to fully mitigate their risk, since that's a tad more complex than checking your credit score.
TL; DR - An EE degree, doesn't necessarily prevent recognition at the Darwin Awards.
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Also the requisite high-voltage knowledge
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200v isn't what I'd consider serious arcflash territory. Plus, what are the odds that the biggest danger for said battery is actually the weight?
I went ahead and googled it, it looks like the battery has a connector, much like UPS systems do. It's also 144V, so not much more than a wall socket. It's also 68 pounds according to search results. I know there are probably variations. Certainly not easy to cart around individually, but should be doable with two people without a problem.
You can buy rebuilt o
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Amperage (Score:2)
I also remember that somebody killed themselves with a voltmeter electrocution because they actually poked the needles through the skin into their chest. Though that might be an urban legend.
And regular car batteries are capable of hundreds of amps as well, but because they're only 12V, you can touch both terminals and feel nothing.
8 amps@144V is roughly US wall socket territory. I've experienced that multiple times and I'm still alive. Though that was AC and this is DC, which has mixed benefits/detrimen
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Honda wouldn't sell me a new hybrid battery for my Civic so I could replace it myself, saying it wasn't safe because I'm not a trained technician. I have a degree in Electronics Engineering...
Trained technician also implies you are armed with not merely the specific know-how, but also the necessary tools and resources. You're not wrenching on that lithium torch with your framed degree, and a carmaker isn't really in the business of validating DIY skillset and capability in order to fully mitigate their risk, since that's a tad more complex than checking your credit score.
TL; DR - An EE degree, doesn't necessarily prevent recognition at the Darwin Awards.
I do believe that he is illustrating a big part of the right to repair issue though.
At what level do we determine the person's ability to repair? He thinks that he should be able to replace an energy packed device. He believes that is his right.
There is a huge gap between belief and ability. I don't know his mechanical ability, neither does the dealer.
Same for repairing one's iPhone or Android. Who has the liability if you botch the job? It's not quite cut and dried, as there are a whole lot of ar
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You do something wrong, who gets blamed?
This isn't like replacing the 12V lead-acid battery under the hood of your ICE engine. Today you should be the equivalent of a journeyman electrician to replace an EV battery pack. At least until these things become commodity, fork lift replaceable.
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Honda wouldn't sell me a new hybrid battery for my Civic so I could replace it myself, saying it wasn't safe because I'm not a trained technician. I have a degree in Electronics Engineering...
A degree in EE doesn't mean you are a trained Technician. I've worked with many, and the range of abilities to work on stuff varied wildly. I know EE's who are pretty gifted with assembly, and others who we keep away from soldering irons and tools.
A device packed full of energy such as a battery could make a person's life pretty exciting for a few brief moments, and the ensuing lawsuits would preserve their memories for at least a few years.
I don't know how adroit you are - you might be very skilled, s
Louis Rossman will be so proud (Score:3)
at 19.9999999 miles per hour too.
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I was going to say *Louis Rossman has entered the chat* :-)
We're stuck in a loop... (Score:2)
Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change, Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change, Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change...
JFC, change it up a bit, will ya?
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Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change, Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change, Work from Home, Right to Repair, Climate Change...
JFC, change it up a bit, will ya?
Yeah this. Maybe an article about outer space or something.
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Don't forget the cryptocurrency or NFT article.
A Slug in the Wallet (Score:5, Insightful)
This has nothing to do with protecting intellectual property. It's all about protecting a lucrative revenue stream for manufacturers like Apple. When something breaks now, all you can do is throw it away and buy a new one or send it back to the manufacturer's authorized repair place to be fixed, even if it is something as simple as a cracked screen or a depleted battery. Once parts availability becomes a requirement then third-party parts will become available, further eroding the manufacturer's profits. All in all, a big win for consumers. Remember when AT&T said the phone system would be ruined if they didn't manufacture all the telephones in the US?
This will be abused... (Score:1)