this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2023
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Tesla Model X Owner Has Had Enough Of Minimalism, Adds Physical Buttons::Tesla Model X owner from China has attached a panel of physical buttons to the vehicle's main control unit for quicker access to some key functions.

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[–] [email protected] 239 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Anytime I need to click on a touch button / non physical button I need to take my eyes off the road so I don’t click on other buttons wrongly… physical buttons in car is the way !

[–] [email protected] 71 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I still misclick. It's so dangerous.

Back when I was a teen I'd text and drive with T9 on a Nokia without needing to look at anything but the road. Now I have to concerntrate and time bumps to get try turn the demister on.

Physical buttons are just so much safer and easier since you don't need take focus off driving.

I've thought about making an APK I can get going through Android Auto that simply converts my requests via LLM to commands for the car. But I imagine getting the manufacturer's command lists is near impossible and then there's all the shit blocking an APK permissions to control car components. It would otherwise be super easy.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd be very surprised if they let an APK that wasn't signed in some way by the manufacturer access any vehicle functions. A rogue app could do silly dangerous things. Wait a second, it's Tesla and Musk we're talking about here. No, I'd actually not be surprised upon reflection.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I had my rebuttal locked and loaded until those last two sentences. What a ride.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

You could have an ESP32 connected to your phone. The ESP could control some relays or simply raise/lower pins to connect to whatever this physycal board is connected to. You make your own API from there.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I want jackknife switches for every function, all wired to go chokBZAK and throw sparks at me every time I use my turn signal. Mad science maximalist aesthetics.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks for the visual. This helps

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm imagining a dashboard bristling with these, to control everything from door locks to wipers.

Maybe a few big red buttons and flashing toggle buttons too, case depending.

It'd be a horrible experience to drive, which is itself a net benefit.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

and flashing toggle buttons too

Don't forget the safety covers

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

I think I just realized something. I don't want a car, I want a flashing fidget toy that can zap me and make sudden noises.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Dude those are fucking quality right there! I kind of want that

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It takes like 4 switches and a button to get the power into the back to open the trunk, all while you crackle maniacally in the grocery store parking lot. Also it needs to be struck by lightning first.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I feel seen

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[–] [email protected] 115 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Simce when is a giant computer screen glaring in your face considered minimalism? I would argue the buttons return the car to proper minimalism. So glad to see this! Can we just yank all of those screens out of future vehicles?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I dont think removing the screen complete is the right way around this. Having something that can display maps and more information is good. But it should have never become the only thing.

You need buttons and easy access to functions that are always available in easy to remember places. So that you aren't spending attention away from the road when you want to change the fan control.

Fuck this bullshit touchscreen only nonsense, actual physical buttons are superior in a car.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As somone that lives in a dark sky rural area, the computer screen totally distracts and prevents your eyes from seeing the road where there are no streetlights. It is like driving with someone pointing a flashlight in your eyes that you can’t turn down.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Agreed. The screen should be an OLED so the blacks are actually off, and overall dim solely using easier colors at night, low intensity red hues are proven in Astronomy to not screw with your vision, for instance.

One of the first things I changed on my TLX when I got it was getting rid of the “blue everything” setting on the screens and going with a red interface and it made a world of difference.

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[–] [email protected] 100 points 1 year ago

(author) "...but it obviously defeats the whole purpose of minimalism. "

Fucking dumbass, A single button to do one thing IS minimalism. A screen area to many ISNT

[–] [email protected] 67 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ngl I want my dash to look like a fucking airliner. I love that my MINI interior looks like a personal space ship from a 90s movie. Give me moar toggles!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I want everything to be toggle switches. If I could get a keyboard made of 105 classic toggle switches it would be worth the effort to type with it.

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[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 year ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Although it’s been this for a long while now

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know, I intentionally bought a 2017 so I would have physical buttons 😂

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Thing is, I really wanted CarPlay / Android Auto support. Having had that with a 3rd party Alpine deck, I really got used to it. It’s hard to go back.

But, having some of those controls behind several menus and screens is really annoying. Oh well, at least it’s not a Telsa and I can turn the air vents manually.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

At least they have physical buttons below the screen for media, hazards and heated windscreens & seats, plus all the steering wheel controls.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Unfortunately that’s absolutely hideous.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Functional vs pretty... When it comes to something that affects safety I'll take functional.

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Honestly surprised that Tesla allowed him to modify his car without charging him a $30,000 fine or something.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah Teslas mostly seem like big integrated bricks of tech that you have to throw out if one part breaks, wouldn't have expected this level of individual modification was possible. Now they just need to make this an option for everyone!

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[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This seems like a great idea to me. Touch screens are a terrible way to operate controls while driving. Some car companies have begun backing off from the trend and are moving back to buttons for some functions.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Touch screens are great for dynamic interfaces, but terrible for anything that involves feedback or a tactile experience.

My vehicle - though not a Tesla - still pisses me off that all the stereo controls except the power button are touch-based (even power appears to be a software-activated button as it failed once when the unit locked up). The saving point on my vehicle is that the steering controls (volume, prev/next) do still exist as physical buttons.

At the very least, they're should be a physical on/off, and physical dials/controls for volume and heating adjustments so a driver can change those without taking eyes off the road.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I fully expect that aftermarket buttons for dashboards will become a range of popular products, from things like this all the way up to a full dashboard replacement.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Physical buttons will now be a paid option on vehicles...

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (8 children)

When they should have been mandated long ago for safety reasons.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

And if you don’t pay your monthly fee, the car will just ignore those buttons.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Available via OTA software update….

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For the Tesla enthusiasts that want their car to feel like a real car.

I'll just get something else than a Tesla when EV's get common enough.

I'm also interested in seeing used car prices for EVs. Like how much is a 20 year old Tesla/EV worth, and what range do you get at that time?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You just made me realize I want a standardized modular interfacing system for dashboards. Like a Framework laptop for cars. That would be so dope

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago

One of the biggest non-problematic problems I have with newer cars is the lack of physical buttons. I also really dislike the trend of everything becoming minimalist, so I 100% support these types of modifications so long as they can be safely implemented.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Minimalism can be nice, but Tesla seems to do this just for cost savings. Didn't they remove some "important" physical buttons from the steering wheel recently?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wonder how he did it. Can you program your Tesla ?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Programming your Tesla would mean that you upload software that your car runs. I think you can't do that, but you should be allowed to.

As it's a matter of public safety, and as part of a right to repair, all of the software that runs in cars should be open source, and should be able to be updated by the owner.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I really want a formula one steering wheel. Give me a bunch of useful and programmable controls right next to my damn fingers.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

No doubt in my mind they'll remove you from the fast charge network if you plug this in the U.S. Even more now as this is making rounds online.

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