From the archives - a little tech sleuthing
Re-sharing "Go ahead, open that black box"
I’ve been at this a while. To those who’ve stuck with me all this time - a big, hearty thank you. And for the newcomers - thank you too. I’m glad you are all along for the ride. Don’t forget to have a look at the archives now and again. Many stories in there you might find relevant or even entertaining. Today’s installment is one of those from almost three years ago. I thought of this story yesterday while on a bike ride and thought it’d be fun to share it again. ~JRC
Go ahead, open that black box
The world is full of unknowns that are surprisingly knowable if you dare
First published April 28th, 2020, as a paid subscribers-only post.
I was out on my daily bike ride yesterday when I found this circuit board by the side of the road. As an electronics tinkerer, I never pass up a piece of gadgetry. So I stopped to take a look.
After a quick inspection, I deduced it was the circuit board to either a garage door opener or a car keyless fob. I stashed it in my pocket and continued.
Here's how much of a geek I am: I thought about that circuit board for the rest of my 45-minute ride.
While I rode, I considered how I had identified the thing and also wondered if I was correct. I was confident that I was. For starters, I’ve opened up many controllers before to change their batteries. The circuits of these are often in plain view. I take note of such things.
As I said, I'm a geek.
There were more clues: the micro buttons – three of them. These were a dead giveaway that it was some kind of tactile input thingy. And the simple chip design and size suggested it was portable and pocket friendly. Finally, it being on the side of the road made me think it might be “car” related.
When I got home, I examined it further. It had a serial number printed on the board - 14SR0959A - so I did a quick Google search. Sure enough, it was a Sears Craftsman 13953753 Garage Door Remote. Here’s a short YouTube video on how to change the battery. The video shows the identical circuit board inside.
I find it fun and gratifying when I can recognize something like this. And it’s enjoyable to do a little research to learn more. So many things in our everyday lives are mysterious – they are “black boxes.” Each is full of knowledge, waiting to be opened.
“Black box” is most commonly used today as a synonym for an aircraft flight recorder. This device helps piece together what went wrong when a plane goes down. But the term is also used to denote any unknown system. The idea originated from Mid-Twentieth Century electronic circuit theory. Electronics, in their simplest form, are inputs and outputs with a black box between the two. Engineers study these black boxes to learn about and build new devices. At its heart, this is what all black box thinking is.
Yes, there’s knowledge inside black boxes. And it’s up to us to open them up and learn.
Looking at many life challenges as black boxes can be a powerful tool. In doing so, we can better compartmentalize and then tackle the unknown. I often approach my writing and maker projects this way. It's also a great way to learn something new. Best of all, it can be fun.
Back to the garage opener.
While I knew what it was, I was surprised not to see what I expected – some kind of antenna. I thought a transmitter like this would have a little coil that would focus and send the radio signal. Something like this:
It occurred to me that a piece might be missing, so I opened up my garage door opener to see. Sure enough, it was lacking this component too. More precisely, both had one, somewhere, but I didn’t recognize it. Curious, I went back to my trusty friend Google to learn more.
I learned the antenna is built into the circuit board in these simple devices:
It makes a lot of sense production-wise. Why build a separate part when it’s only a wire anyway? And since the device communicates within a few feet of the garage door, it doesn’t have to be a big antenna at all.
In retrospect, this seems obvious to me. Modern electronics are all about miniaturization. Integrated circuits are a bunch of transistors, resistors, and capacitors all crammed together. It makes perfect sense then that an antenna, too, would be integrated.
It turns out this black box had another black box inside it, as they often do. Like little Russian dolls full of knowledge.
At any given time, I am engaged in cracking open one or more black boxes. I recommend taking on a few of your own. Wise people out there are telling us all to stay busy during this challenging time, after all. I can't imagine a better way to stay busy than learning.
So go ahead, open a black box or two. It doesn't have to be electronics either. Learn a language. Write some poetry. Take up knitting. Research Bayesian statistics. Postulate a new answer to the meaning of life.
Or, if you are so inclined, like me, bust open a garage door opener to see how it works.
Whatever it is, remember it’s okay to be a little intimidated by your black box. But don’t let that stop you from looking inside.
Until next time.
JRC