WorldWide Drilling Resource

Too Much Integration by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC What is integration? It’s a fancy way of describing the process of taking many components and making one product from them. Example: “Integrating” remote control functions into a toy car. A few weeks ago, I got a call from a friend in north central Montana. He said one of their heating sys- tems had failed and wanted to know what I thought the best way would be to deal with the problem. From the description he gave, it sounded like the thermostat had failed. I then asked him why he didn’t simply replace the thermostat for about $20? He said he couldn’t do that because it was “integrated” - meaning every component depended on every other component, and if one component failed or wasn’t there, the rest of the system wouldn’t work. The system manufacturer had a solution: Replace the entire control unit for $2200! So my friend was faced with paying for the replacement - an entire control unit - because of the failure of one small component which “took out” the rest of the sys- tem. Sounds like a raw deal for the system user, but a great deal for the system seller. To compare, let’s consider computer controls for water pumping. Basically, the only thing that fails once in a great while are the pressure sensors. Sometimes they get submerged or damaged by freezing. One could easily claim the failure of the sensor required the replacement of the entire control unit. How would the customer know it wasn’t true? But that wouldn’t be ethical; a good reputation and name is more valuable than making sales. Sometimes vendors use specialty connectors or odd pressure ranges to force the customer to buy replacement parts from them at much higher prices instead of much less costly but good quality “generic” parts available from a variety of sources. For example, a standard pressure sensor pressure range is 0-100 psi (pounds per square inch). One company uses a non- standard 0-120 psi pressure sensor, but this also makes replacement more difficult and costly for the end user. Standard pressure sensors are widely available, and can be fit it with “keyed” connectors which can only go together one way. If the connector is damaged, the customer can “wire nut” the two wires together if needed. If this sensor is hooked up backwards, it won’t work - but it won’t hurt anything either. If it doesn’t work, you can simply switch the wires so it does work. This makes it very easy to coach the customer over the phone because it is simple and there is very little that can go wrong. Good controls development often involves making the individual components easily identifiable and replaceable. It is pos- sible to test the sensor periodically; and if it’s a problem, then indicate it on the display. Wisely selecting connector components makes replacement easy and inexpensive. The job of a good controls developer is to make the computer do as much as possible so the customer needs to do as little as possible to make things work. This often requires leaving off compo- nent s rather than add i ng them. I t doesn’t mean we do not ever add com- ponents, but as my Engl ish teacher once said about adding commas in a sentence, “When it doubt, leave them out.” Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com C&G 34 MAY 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Save Your Hearing Day May 31 st Always be alert to hazardous noise, and wear proper hearing protection when needed. Photo by David Becker.