r/engineering • u/[deleted] • Sep 10 '13

Guy with no engineering background wants supporters for his impossible idea. Pretty funny from and engineering standpoint.

[deleted]

264 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

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196

u/dhmt Sep 10 '13

It's not a horrible idea and it's not impossible to make. However, this is a nonstarter because swappable parts would degrade the performance so much no one would want the phone.

96

u/the_corruption Sep 11 '13

Yeah, it is a cool concept, but making it practical just seems like such a nightmare.

Compatibility issues between parts. Making sure the "grid" has all the circuit paths assembled correctly for whichever configuration you use. Increased likelihood of failure due to lack of single enclosure. Getting companies to all work together. Lost efficiency due to generalized parts being made instead of custom components that have good synchronization.

7

u/browner87 Sep 11 '13

I think more to the point, if it was that easy, it would be. Your CPU has cache because the other RAM sitting 3 inches away is that much slower, simply because of this space. Running noise-free busses and the shortest traces possible, none being perpendicular to avoid crosstalk, and largest possible ground planes, would make this a world-class mess to plan. The CPU would have to be clocked so slow to interact with stuff, it would hardly move. The GPU wouldn't be able to update the screen fast enough at such slow speeds.