# Lack of standards in technology



## Ray McCarthy (Jul 11, 2016)

Brian Turner said:


> how standardised the modern world is


*Less than people imagine, just a tiny few examples:*
DC power jacks can be reverse polarity
BBC & ITV used an identical connector for Outside Broadcast power, but wired catastrophically different.
Unlike EVERYONE else in Science & Tech, NASA used to use both Imperial and Metric, a mix up meant a Mars mission was lost.
In a cooking recipe, what is a "cup"? The USA has three different measures called cups (though in fairness only one is used in cooking) and they often use volume rather than weight, even for yarn (in Europe we weigh yarn, sugar, flour). A British, any USA type Cup and Japanese cup measure all differ. Internet recipes can thus turn out wrong.






Fortunately, the charging one has been solved now that we've all standardized on mini-USB. Or is it micro-USB?
xkcd: Standards

The transition from Analogue TV replaced NTSC, two kinds of SECAM,  two main kinds of PAL (four incompatible sound versions) and two kinds of Satellite Modulation (One carrying NTSC, PAL or SECAM!) with MORE kinds of  Digital TV systems.  USA/japan are still incompatible with Europe and there are incompatible variations in Europe.
There are a huge number of HD formats (resolutions and frame rates) and any format can use any (incompatible) codec.

Many Irish HD TVs can only tune UK SD TV, no UK HD reception on an aerial. Most non-HD UK digital TVs can't receive ANY Irish TV at all, even SD, though UK HD TVs (only ones with DVB-T2) will work in Ireland (though Ireland in common with many countries doesn't use DVB-T2, only DVB-T). 
_HDTV ready_ TVs are not HD TVs at all. They are only rescalling medium resolution video monitors for HD on an HDMI cable. Many didn't even have digital Tuners or only DVB-T (UK uses DVB-T2 for all HD via an aerial)

Japanese FM Radio is only partially compatible with western and OIRT not at all. USA & European FM are slightly different. You need to adjust the tone. Some USA models with digital tuning can't select European FM channels.  Digital radio has about 6 incompatible versions (two versions of DAB) and all are largely a failure.
USA & European AC motors (as used in clocks and record players) are incompatible EVEN if you convert the 110V / 220V. Some older mainland Europe gear will burnout on UK 240V to 255V (now limited to 245V max).  Even if the voltage is converted speed is wrong by 5/6 or 6/5.

Film frame rates are incompatible with all TV and computer frame rates everywhere. 

Japan manages to have incompatible 50Hz and 60Hz mains electricity. Mostly they drive on the same side of road as UK, but one Island is driving on the right instead of the left.

You'd not believe how many screw threads are used on NEW products. Metric has two main versions alone.
There are four profiles of "star head" screw. Often the wrong driver will strip the screw head and not remove it if the screw or bolt is properly fastened
Most "Allen" head bolts are hex, though there are loads of other shapes. One make of roof rack used a pentagonal shape! I had to make a key.


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## J Riff (Jul 11, 2016)

I have the oddball hex screwdrivers, a couple sets of them, and without them a lot of stuff, esp. toys - are undisassembleable..(?) - yet I still run into different ones and have to improvise. Cellphones often this way, hard drives too, usually.


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## J Riff (Jul 11, 2016)

Oop, I think I posted to the wrong thread... ah, there it is, fix-ed! Undisassembleable... IS a word, apparently.


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## AstroZon (Oct 24, 2016)

Ray McCarthy said:


> *Less than people imagine, just a tiny few examples:*
> DC power jacks can be reverse polarity



Yea, that one needs a standard - too many pin sizes too.  Also, some electronic devices like DACs take low voltage AC from a walwart.  There should be a separate connector for AC. [/QUOTE]



> Japanese FM Radio is only partially compatible with western...


  When FM was first proposed in the early 30s, there were 2 FM spectrums, FM1 and FM2.  Now FM took a long time to get going.  WWII stopped development completely, but it resumed in the late 40s with limited broadcasts in major metropolitan areas.  It started to make more sense too as the audio quality of records increased substantially with 33s and 45s.  But by this time, broadcasters and radio manufactures basically dropped the FM1 spectrum and went with FM2 only - the familiar 88-108 khz.  Everywhere except Japan for some reason.  They continued with development of FM1 which is 76 - 90 khz.  Some of the earliest FM radios had both FM1 and FM2.  Also I've seen some World Standard portable radios with both bands.    



> Japan manages to have incompatible 50Hz and 60Hz mains electricity.


 The 50/60 hz thing makes no sense.  Japanese government officials have tried to get the country on one standard, but it's never gotten very far.     



> Mostly they drive on the same side of road as UK, but one Island is driving on the right instead of the left.


  As far as I know, that changed in 1978.  The island was Okinawa which was repatrioted to Japan by President Nixon in 1972.  In 1978, they converted their roads to left side driving like the rest of Japan.  As you can imagine, there were more than a few accidents.  They suffered through it though.     

BTW, I lived in Japan for 17 years.


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