I'm learning about the electronic systems in newer vehicles and am SHOCKED at how this is designed! (In regards to expecting automotive service technicians to be able to troubleshoot these systems.)
In some cases you have 24 different electronic modules connected together via two different local area networks and a gateway module to connect the two networks.
AND in some cases, certain modules need to be programmed with certain software so they will work properly with the other modules AND have certain set-up procedures performed after installing the new software so the module and other modules will work properly.
And one or all of these procedures can be changed/updated as problems are found, so older documentation can quickly become wrong.
AND new software releases may require that electronic service tools and computers have the latest software versions installed for performing all this.
And they expect your typical automotive maintenance technician to do all this. Needless to say, this requires a LOT of reading and knowledge of how these things operate.
I've spent my life working in electronics and in the computer field and troubleshooting these systems would be difficult for me. And I could do this, but this would take quite a bit of time doing a LOT of reading as to the latest updates and procedures.
This is like asking someone to replace a video board in a desktop computer and install the correct new software driver by finding it on the internet and selecting the correct driver.
Now to make things even more complex, throw an intermittent problem into this mix! Say one loose LAN terminal on a connector right in the middle of the network. Or a loose terminal to one module.
It seems to me vehicle manufacturers would save a LOT of maintenance headaches by combining most or all of these electronic modules into ONE large electronic module. Then so far as cutting down on the wiring to this module, use "satellite" I/O modules each on its own network connection wire. Maybe sort of like a cat 5 wire to each. And these would not require any setup or software installation if replaced. All I/O units would be the same. Intermittent problem, swap out the wire and I/O unit. Simple!
If the network went down, the main unit software could disconnect each network connection one at a time, find the problem, then isolate that network wire/module from the rest of the vehicle, then set a diagnostic trouble code: The problem is here ->. Easy!
The only software installation/upgrading would be done to one unit. This could be done via a connection to the factory. Just like Microsoft upgrades software to your computer. Check for updates. Simple.
All settings would be on file per the vehicle VIN. No setup required.
Also it has been my experience that "corporate human resources" types will gear their training toward less intelligent types. The thinking is that anyone can be hired and trained to do the job, thus easier to recruit new employees and pay scales can be kept lower.
However with the current wave of electronic systems in new vehicles, highly skilled technical types will be needed to troubleshoot these systems.
This would be someone like me. And I will say I am "bored" by the training videos produced by these manufacturers. It goes too slow. I fall asleep and daydream when trying to watch these videos. I learn best by reading very technical books on the subject. I can skip forward and get right to the point. I learn best on my own, not in a school. And I know this is quite common in the computer field. There are tons of computer gurus out there who have never taken one class in computers. They learn on their own. They just need access to technical documentation, then away they go.
So my advice to the vehicle manufacturers is that if they want to attract the computer guru crowd to work on their vehicles, they would be best to start publishing detailed technical books which explain how all these things operate.
For example I found a book titled: Fundamentals of Computer Command Control by General Motors Service Technology Group. This is the type of thing which would interest me. But this book is hopelessly outdated and there is nothing new out there to replace it.
As the robot said in the movie Short Circuit; "Need input!"
In some cases you have 24 different electronic modules connected together via two different local area networks and a gateway module to connect the two networks.
AND in some cases, certain modules need to be programmed with certain software so they will work properly with the other modules AND have certain set-up procedures performed after installing the new software so the module and other modules will work properly.
And one or all of these procedures can be changed/updated as problems are found, so older documentation can quickly become wrong.
AND new software releases may require that electronic service tools and computers have the latest software versions installed for performing all this.
And they expect your typical automotive maintenance technician to do all this. Needless to say, this requires a LOT of reading and knowledge of how these things operate.
I've spent my life working in electronics and in the computer field and troubleshooting these systems would be difficult for me. And I could do this, but this would take quite a bit of time doing a LOT of reading as to the latest updates and procedures.
This is like asking someone to replace a video board in a desktop computer and install the correct new software driver by finding it on the internet and selecting the correct driver.
Now to make things even more complex, throw an intermittent problem into this mix! Say one loose LAN terminal on a connector right in the middle of the network. Or a loose terminal to one module.
It seems to me vehicle manufacturers would save a LOT of maintenance headaches by combining most or all of these electronic modules into ONE large electronic module. Then so far as cutting down on the wiring to this module, use "satellite" I/O modules each on its own network connection wire. Maybe sort of like a cat 5 wire to each. And these would not require any setup or software installation if replaced. All I/O units would be the same. Intermittent problem, swap out the wire and I/O unit. Simple!
If the network went down, the main unit software could disconnect each network connection one at a time, find the problem, then isolate that network wire/module from the rest of the vehicle, then set a diagnostic trouble code: The problem is here ->. Easy!
The only software installation/upgrading would be done to one unit. This could be done via a connection to the factory. Just like Microsoft upgrades software to your computer. Check for updates. Simple.
All settings would be on file per the vehicle VIN. No setup required.
Also it has been my experience that "corporate human resources" types will gear their training toward less intelligent types. The thinking is that anyone can be hired and trained to do the job, thus easier to recruit new employees and pay scales can be kept lower.
However with the current wave of electronic systems in new vehicles, highly skilled technical types will be needed to troubleshoot these systems.
This would be someone like me. And I will say I am "bored" by the training videos produced by these manufacturers. It goes too slow. I fall asleep and daydream when trying to watch these videos. I learn best by reading very technical books on the subject. I can skip forward and get right to the point. I learn best on my own, not in a school. And I know this is quite common in the computer field. There are tons of computer gurus out there who have never taken one class in computers. They learn on their own. They just need access to technical documentation, then away they go.
So my advice to the vehicle manufacturers is that if they want to attract the computer guru crowd to work on their vehicles, they would be best to start publishing detailed technical books which explain how all these things operate.
For example I found a book titled: Fundamentals of Computer Command Control by General Motors Service Technology Group. This is the type of thing which would interest me. But this book is hopelessly outdated and there is nothing new out there to replace it.
As the robot said in the movie Short Circuit; "Need input!"
![[ponder]](/data/assets/smilies/ponder.gif "[ponder] [ponder]")
