there are TONS of computers in your car. And yes, there is issues with the versions of SW it runs. That said, the car will run fine except for the worst of electrical failures, as the ECU (the computer that runs the engine) has a limp mode where just the basics of engine operation are performed (read no power, no speed, but the car will limp to a service station).

But the reliabiliby of automotive ECUs is very, very good. Pretty much every car made since the 90s is run by computer, and look at the life expectancy of the cars that use them, typically much longer than the cars that didn't use computers to run the systems.

And just some more information. OBD is on board diagnostics, and is a standard for reporting emissions performance and the like. It doesn't run the car, it's just a standard way to get some data from whatever does run the car.
The on board computer in the Mini is what does MPG calcs and the like, but it doesn't run the engine. It's an optional set of SW features that are housed somewhere in the car, probably in the computer behind the speedometer.
All the human interface stuff makes it's way to something called the BC1 or BC2. This is the computer that locks and unlocks the doors, does the lights and on and on. Yes if it goes you have some severe issues, but since I've been a Mini owner, I've only heard of a couple of failures.

For those that bemoan the ubiquitous nature of computers now, you're forgetting the othe way it used to be. With wiring harnesses a couple inches thick, so all that descrete point to point wiring can do it's thing. Now a lot of stuff just "hangs on a buss" and sends it's information along to whomever needs it, kind of like automotive e-mail we never even knew existed. Trust me, this is a much better world to live in.

Matt

 

I think we should all start sending our used aluminium foil to Skuzzy so he can wrap his car in it.

 

Like I said, it is just fascinating to me. As an EE an someone who has worked many years in communications, both military and commercial, I really think there is something in the area which is acting as a capacitor of the RF.

It is all a guess, because the effects are only there while the vehicle is in the area. Once the vehicle is towed away, the vehicle starts like normal.

Whatever it is, it is acting like it contains an inhibitor and damping field. It would be intersting to do do a survey of the area with some wide spectrum analyzers.

 

but the only possible cause it that local conductors are distorting the field where you're having the issue.

Or a co worker with a remote control gizmo is having fun at your expense!

AS far as different broadcast frequencies cooking electronics, it used to be a bad problem. If the antenna isn't tuned it couples to pretty much everything, and if the front end amplifier sees the signal before filtering, then you can blow out front end amps.

Nowadays the antennas are more tuned (for most apps) and the filtering before the amplifer does a great job of protecting stuff.

Matt

 

I was about 200 feet away from his PU truck and tuned to the CB Freq when I hit the transmit button. He had been talking to me up to then, his CB quit working immediately and he tried to get me to pay for it. Properly tuned RF energy from a sufficiently powerful source can fry wave guides and overload circuits. The operative phrases are properly tuned and sufficiently powerful. A hugely power signal on the wrong wavelength will have no effect on a receiver that is set for a different part of the EM spectrum. Radars, HF and cell phones are very far apart. But, like a singer breaking a glass with their voice, if you put enough power into the right frequency funny things happen.

 

The Prius (I owned a 2004 before buying my MINI) has, if I remember correctly has 9 microprocessors involved in electronically controlling just about everything on that car.

Having said that, there's no history of OBC failures on that car, but like any computer, it would once in a while become confused. When that occurred you simply shut everything down, wait a little while, then start it back up (reboot). It was always just fine after that.

But, when I parked by all those antenna at the top of Sandia Peak, I wasn't able to use my remote to lock or unlock my car. The RF interference wouldn't let that feature work. But there were never any problems with any other of the electronics in that environment. On the other hand, when I take my Mini Cooper to the top of that mountain everything works fine, including the remote.

 

The difference is that the possible harmonic into an aircraft system shooting an autoland during 100 meter visibility while flying at 140 knots could have catastrophic results. An engineer buddy, who was a graduate of the Navy test pilot school, tells me it's a valid issue. As for the airport RF, I suppose there could be a random signal hitting the cars, but I find that a pretty remote possibility. But at least on a freeway, hopefully you can coast over to the side.

 

what you are finding now is that the airplanes are instlaling wireless networks and cell repeaters as a feature to attract customers. IF there is any issue, it would only be at take off and landing.

When the cabin staff tell me to turn off all my electronic equipement, I ask them how to do that with my Swatch! Very few laugh.....

Matt

 

Yup. On every flight there are cell phones people forget to turn off.

 

My last aviation unit was a Navy P-3 Reserve squadron. 95% of our pilots were airline pilots. None of them worried about shutting off their cell phones in our aircraft and when they were questioned they said they didn't worry about it on their civilian aircraft either unless someone was watching. We all used our cell phones on the plane. Admittedly our aircraft was pretty old and the flight controls not very susceptible to RF interference since they were mostly hydraulic.

 

I remember an article in Road & Track back a couple of years ago talkin about some of the early Bosch electronic fuel injection systems. They really didn't do too much work on eliminating RF interference at the time and, to this day, anytime one of those vehicles drives past high voltage power lines or any other source of high RF interference, the engine will stall.

 

Skuzzy, this wouldn't happen to be 121 just west of the north entrance to DFW, would it?