Re: Petty?
>> "A sensor puts the Siemens Q8.0 and Bosch GL80 models into low power mode in pristine conditions – such as a lab test – then ramps it up again for everyday use."
> So it's clearly a defeat device, as per VW. What other function can it have?
Without defining what kind of sensor measurement is done you can't make that conclusion.
If it measures passing particles in the airflow and regulates power accordingly it would mostly be an energy saving/noise reduction feature in everyday use.
If it measures "drag", i.e. reduction of airflow caused by the full dust bag and accordingly powers up to maintain adequate suckage it is also a feature that makes sense in everyday use.
I think the problem hinges on "pristine". Likely a model with a brand-new bag (or none at all) is used. Also it is used in the mentioned "clean room" setting, without doing any actual work. In those two cases those otherwise useful sensor control mechanisms would give measurements different from everyday use, yet not exactly "cheating". They are just working as designed for everyday use. The test setup has the defeat built in.
If it's a accelerometer that detects that the device is absolutely stationary and regulates power down you're getting awfully close to a proper defeat device.
A real defeat device is what you have when a bit of hard/software actually measures where it is, what it does and guesstimates whether it might be on the test stand right now and switch over to an operating modus that essentially can not ever happen in everyday use.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
