Stupid 'eco' features

[diy_fun_uk]

Look, I'm up for saving the planet as much as the next person. However, when I bought a Logitech set of speakers and subwoofer for my TV a year or so back, little did I realise they contained a completely STUPID feature that I believe comes under the eco category.

If the volume is quieter for a while, the unit will eventually sense this as no audio being received from the input source (in my case TV) so it assumes the source is off and simply goes into sleep mode. I'm sitting here now watching the football, volume not too quiet, not too loud, just right when you want to chill.

Off it goes!

To bring the unit back to life, you have to turn the source volume up to a higher level, thus bringing the Logitech set out of sleep mode, then turn the volume back down again. The strange thing is, if the volume is really quiet, sometimes it doesn't cut off!! Seems to be a range within which it detects 'no source volume' even though there is.

It can't be turned off and is apparently an eco feature. Some folk have complained to Logitech saying if you have this set configured for a PC/desktop, you're usually sitting really close to the speakers so don't always need the volume that high, thus meaning it keeps turning itself off.

Stupid stupid feature that should at least have an 'off' switch!!!

Mini rant over

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Lot of this tree hugger stuff is baloney. I've gone back to incandescent bulbs after trying some of the eco ones that start off dull then get brighter. Hopeless for a cupboard or hallway where it may be only required for a few seconds. For reading they gave me headaches. They're not cheap either.

The stop/start systems on cars are another thing. Fine on a family hatchback, but on a bus it's ridiculous. Was on one the other day and it was constantly stopping and starting within seconds at stops, etc. Doesn't make sense on a service vehicle and the wear and tear must be bad. Still, we'll all be driving electric cars in ten years time.

Every time I walk along the road after the recycling collection and see plastic packaging blowing around, plastic bags stuck in people's hedges, soggy cardboard mulching on the pavement, tin can lids lying in the gutter and batteries squashed into the road - I think to myself "it's for the environment."

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Lot of this tree hugger stuff is baloney. I've gone back to incandescent bulbs after trying some of the eco ones that start off dull then get brighter. Hopeless for a cupboard or hallway where it may be only required for a few seconds. For reading they gave me headaches. They're not cheap either.

The stop/start systems on cars are another thing. Fine on a family hatchback, but on a bus it's ridiculous. Was on one the other day and it was constantly stopping and starting within seconds at stops, etc. Doesn't make sense on a service vehicle and the wear and tear must be bad. Still, we'll all be driving electric cars in ten years time.

Every time I walk along the road after the recycling collection and see plastic packaging blowing around, plastic bags stuck in people's hedges, soggy cardboard mulching on the pavement, tin can lids lying in the gutter and batteries squashed into the road - I think to myself "it's for the environment."

I've gone LED now as I tend to buy from the big diy sheds who only stock the environmentally friendly variants these days. I find LED to be good enough, yes it's more expensive (a LOT more!) than traditional bulbs, however if the blurb's to be believed they'll last a few times longer so financially it's meant to balance out, plus cheaper to run.

Yeah I can't see how stop/start can be good for certain engine components, no matter what manufacturers say.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

I've gone LED now as I tend to buy from the big diy sheds who only stock the environmentally friendly variants these days. I find LED to be good enough, yes it's more expensive (a LOT more!) than traditional bulbs, however if the blurb's to be believed they'll last a few times longer so financially it's meant to balance out, plus cheaper to run.

Yeah I can't see how stop/start can be good for certain engine components, no matter what manufacturers say.

About 16 months ago my brother put 18 LED downlighters in his lounge ceiling. Two have gone already. He called me to come and have a look recently because he couldn't figure out how to change the bulbs. Turns out they're sealed for life and have to change the whole fittings. Not very environmentally friendly and a right pain.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

About 16 months ago my brother put 18 LED downlighters in his lounge ceiling. Two have gone already. He called me to come and have a look recently because he couldn't figure out how to change the bulbs. Turns out they're sealed for life and have to change the whole fittings. Not very environmentally friendly and a right pain.

Usually downlight units have a retaining ring or clips that hold the bulb in place, allowing for replacement. Maybe the ones your brother bought were sealed units i.e. meaning entire replacement required? Seems strange though.

I think like anything you get good and bad LED lights quality wise. I've not been keeping track but I have a few in my house now and I think they're outlasting traditional variants.

 

[JP_]

Look, I'm up for saving the planet as much as the next person. However, when I bought a Logitech set of speakers and subwoofer for my TV a year or so back, little did I realise they contained a completely STUPID feature that I believe comes under the eco category.

If the volume is quieter for a while, the unit will eventually sense this as no audio being received from the input source (in my case TV) so it assumes the source is off and simply goes into sleep mode. I'm sitting here now watching the football, volume not too quiet, not too loud, just right when you want to chill.

Off it goes!

To bring the unit back to life, you have to turn the source volume up to a higher level, thus bringing the Logitech set out of sleep mode, then turn the volume back down again. The strange thing is, if the volume is really quiet, sometimes it doesn't cut off!! Seems to be a range within which it detects 'no source volume' even though there is.

It can't be turned off and is apparently an eco feature. Some folk have complained to Logitech saying if you have this set configured for a PC/desktop, you're usually sitting really close to the speakers so don't always need the volume that high, thus meaning it keeps turning itself off.

Stupid stupid feature that should at least have an 'off' switch!!!

Mini rant over

Aarrghh!!!

I had this with a new Samsung monitor, luckily it was possible to disable the feature after a factory reset. Bloody daft. Also had that on my LG tv - "you've not pressed any buttons for a while so I'll turn off now" - I'm watching a bleeding film, why would I be pressing buttons on the remote! That was disableable too. I don't think that is a word.

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

I've gone LED now

And I find LED torches and work lights far superior to normal bulbs.

It's a requirement now in France, has been for about twenty years I think, for all new installations to be low energy lights.
We've had low energy lights throughout the house for nearly twenty years, and still not replaced any of them.
I think the fluorescent tube in the bathroom in the garage requires replacing, but that's about all, and it's so rarely used, especially in the dark, it'll get done one day.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Tree huggers strike again! Oil-rich Texas is having a rare big freeze at the moment. Bizzarely they rely on windmills for a lot of their electricity. The big freeze has frozen them and they're no longer producing anything. So, just when Texans need maximum power to heat homes and businesses, they've had to go without electricity for days.

Shouldn't have listened to that dumb Greta bint, y'all.

 

[ironsidebod]

Tree huggers strike again! Oil-rich Texas is having a rare big freeze at the moment. Bizzarely they rely on windmills for a lot of their electricity. The big freeze has frozen them and they're no longer producing anything. So, just when Texans need maximum power to heat homes and businesses, they've had to go without electricity for days.

Shouldn't have listened to that dumb Greta bint, y'all.

The real problem in Texas is electricity infrastructure. They intentionally (as the lone star state) refuse to connect to the national grid as that allows them to elude Federal laws mandating the improvement and modernising of their infrastructure. It is a problem of their own making. Nothing to do with "green" energy etc

The side consequence is none of the surrounding areas are able to "share" electricity or help out.

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

Bizzarely they rely on windmills for a lot of their electricity.

Only a fool would rely on wind power for electricity. It's know to be unreliable. It's only available when the wind blows. That means that other sources are required for back-up, and to meet required demand.

Additionally, I don't think Greta will have influenced their decision much. If she did, wow, she's more influential than I thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Texas

 

[durhamplumber]

Only a fool would rely on wind power for electricity. It's know to be unreliable. It's only available when the wind blows.

Never

 

[SFK]

Texas' issues are not as simple as blaming wind generated electricity. All four of their core system (gas, coal, nuclear and wind) went down:

"The system broke down this week when 185 generating units, including gas and coal-fired power plants, tripped offline during the brunt of the storm. Wind turbines in West Texas froze as well, and a nuclear unit near the Gulf of Mexico went down for more than 48 hours [when its cooling system froze]. Another problem emerged: Some power plants lost their pipeline supply of gas and couldn’t generate electricity even if they wanted to capture the high prices."

They have bigger policy issues (and the cold weather) that have cause this.

 

[JohnD]

Tree huggers strike again! Oil-rich Texas is having a rare big freeze at the moment. Bizzarely they rely on windmills for a lot of their electricity. The big freeze has frozen them and they're no longer producing anything. So, just when Texans need maximum power to heat homes and businesses, they've had to go without electricity for days.

Unsurprisingly, you are misinformed.

Although it is true that Texas suppliers chose to save money by not equipping their turbines with the freeze-protection used in countries that plan for winter, the majority of their power, and the majority of the equipment that failed, and the majority of the power loss, is fossil-fuel powered.

Texas has taken a conscious decision not to connect to either of the "National Grid" systems that cover the rest of Continental USA, so it is incapapable of receiving assistance from other suppliers.


I'm glad I was able to help you.

 

[JohnD]

"Approximately 1,697 miles north of Texas sits Canada is home to wind farms, but experiences deep freezes about 20 percent of the time between November and April.

Officials have opted for 'cold weather packages' that heat crucial turbine components such as the gearbox, yaw and pitch motors, according to the Canadian government.

The special technologies have allowed some turbines to operate in temperatures as low as -22F (-30C). "

More info on
https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/ener...es/wind-energy/wind-energy-cold-climates/7321

Some Trumpians, and some Texans, insist that Climate Change is not real, and therefore refuse to accept that severe weather events are becoming increasingly common. Refusal to accept reality is not a good way to plan your energy policy.

This is, I think, very hard on people who live in Texas but are not Trumpians or climate-change-deniers, and those are the people I feel sorry for.

 

[JohnD]

Wind turbines on Ross Island, Antarctica.
https://mashable.com/article/wind-turbines-texas/?europe=true

There are no Texans in this photo.