It may be strange that a software update can be used to address a physical problem, but I find it even stranger that the charging pins were still supplied with a voltage even when they're not connected (and thus capable of supplying current when a conductive path is presented in the form of salt water bridging the pins). I seem to remember being told in my sophomore year of electrical engineering that is wasn't ever a good idea to be leaving pins floating at indeterminate voltage levels.
They're NOT floating, that's why there is possibly some current, and apparently they arent shorted to the same place. Making them float, should fix the issue.
Hm, I think I've mixed up my terminology; what I mean was that the pins were left at indeterminate voltage levels, such that a potential difference could possibly exist between two or more pins. This probably isn't "floating" in the commonly-accepted sense of the word, but the actual term escapes me.
But yes, if it is possible to set the pins to a high-impedance state, that should fix the problem.
It's not the first time a software patch can fix a seemingly hardware issue, was it a Nexus phone that had a debouncing issue with sensitive volume buttons and a tweak to how they're polled fixed it?
To be honest, corrosion seemed like a foregone conclusion when they launched this with pins on the wrist side... Tho it's great that they're doing something to try and mitigate it. Now where's that Moto 360 with wireless charging?? Take my money already Moto!
Anyway this fix will reduce corrosion, but won't be able to fix the problem completely, I expect owners to see corrosion problems after 1 year or so. Probably after the end of the warranty ;)
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londedoganet - Saturday, August 2, 2014 - link
It may be strange that a software update can be used to address a physical problem, but I find it even stranger that the charging pins were still supplied with a voltage even when they're not connected (and thus capable of supplying current when a conductive path is presented in the form of salt water bridging the pins). I seem to remember being told in my sophomore year of electrical engineering that is wasn't ever a good idea to be leaving pins floating at indeterminate voltage levels.extide - Saturday, August 2, 2014 - link
They're NOT floating, that's why there is possibly some current, and apparently they arent shorted to the same place. Making them float, should fix the issue.londedoganet - Sunday, August 3, 2014 - link
Hm, I think I've mixed up my terminology; what I mean was that the pins were left at indeterminate voltage levels, such that a potential difference could possibly exist between two or more pins. This probably isn't "floating" in the commonly-accepted sense of the word, but the actual term escapes me.But yes, if it is possible to set the pins to a high-impedance state, that should fix the problem.
teddyboyd - Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - link
I recommend going for some of the top smartwaatches, it's worth the money. ted/ from http://www.topreport.org/wearable/Impulses - Sunday, August 3, 2014 - link
It's not the first time a software patch can fix a seemingly hardware issue, was it a Nexus phone that had a debouncing issue with sensitive volume buttons and a tweak to how they're polled fixed it?Impulses - Sunday, August 3, 2014 - link
To be honest, corrosion seemed like a foregone conclusion when they launched this with pins on the wrist side... Tho it's great that they're doing something to try and mitigate it. Now where's that Moto 360 with wireless charging?? Take my money already Moto!DanNeely - Sunday, August 3, 2014 - link
Given the immaturity of current generation smart watches; I'm going to guess it was a rushed to production over site.iAPX - Tuesday, August 5, 2014 - link
Anyway this fix will reduce corrosion, but won't be able to fix the problem completely, I expect owners to see corrosion problems after 1 year or so. Probably after the end of the warranty ;)