I once repaired a CD player by slinging it into the concrete by the cord. Years ago I cleaned a virus off a computer by punting the hard drive off a second story balcony.
Both repairs were incredibly satisfying.
Both repairs were incredibly satisfying.
I also got rid of "all of the hum" by swapping in my oldest point to point wired, powered from SMPS bricks in the power cords... Magically, all of the 120Hz is gone 🙂 I HATE HUM!
The LH bike pedal came off my wife's excercize module, tearing out the initial threads in the crank arm. Got the arm off by heating it about the crank pin and tapping on the securing bolt with a socket covering. In the shop, I damn-near ruined it by waaay cross threading the pedal a good 3rd of the way, after cutting a slot in the threads to make it tap. Went in from the back side a couple of times and then got it in - square - from the front. With a little locktite blue, it hopefully holds, until we throw it out.
Felt like a complete idiot; repair was incredibly un-satisfying.
Felt like a complete idiot; repair was incredibly un-satisfying.
At least the crank arm didn’t come off 17 miles from home. I had that happen about 2 months ago, and riding those 17 miles with one foot clipped in and the other dangling was a real pain in the Alice.
Funny. That'd my take on "bring it up on a variac"... unless it's priceless, I'll plug it in and replace the parts that popped... It's never been more than rectifier diodes and filter caps... I like robust stuff and I build my own stuff accordingly 🙂 If I made an SS amp, I'd expect it to work even if you accidently dropped it down a stairs. Same for my tube stuff if you take out the tubes first.
Solid state amps don’t always work right when they're in development. The variac is there to protect the expensive parts that haven’t been destroyed when there is a mistake or design flaw you haven’t found yet.
Lexicon PCM70 : Lucky for me simply recapping all electrolytics got the unit working!
Working on a re-cap for an EMT 981 CD Player as we speak.
Working on a re-cap for an EMT 981 CD Player as we speak.
I had a similar experience with an exercise bike. The LH pedal kept unscrewing itself causing thread damage every time it happened. I skipped all of your intermediate steps and went straight to JB Weld. That repair was nearly two years ago, and that pedal isn't coming loose again without a torch.
That's why I built my own AC/+-DC variac-controlled bench supply, with a built-in selectable two-dim-bulb system and monitoring meters for output voltage and DC current.
I can switch between low (40w) or high (80w) settings, and the resulting glow tells me if something's not right.
The bulbs are those clear 40w "appliance" types for ovens and fridge use.
Pretty impressive piece of DIY gear, WOT. I wonder who would even recognize "what it is" and "what's it for", sometime in the distant future? If I saw it at Goodwill, I'd probably buy it - but that's me, I'm contemporary.
Too bad the pic doesnt expand - I cant see the labeling.
Too bad the pic doesnt expand - I cant see the labeling.
JB Weld ya say - I've heard of it. If I get some, it can sit on the shelf next to my can of DeocIT.
JB Weld is Great Stuff!
In cases where I have to use epoxy with super strength, it comes in handy.
The only drawback is that it takes overnight to really harden, best in 24 hrs.
But man oh man!... it's great.
Well I applied the grey lettering by "transfer" method to the brushed aluminum panel.
It's not hard to figure out that it's a power supply with extra features.
The round "window" in the center is simply an indicator that glows from the dim bulbs if current gets too high.
I can switch it off (direct), or low/high one or both bulbs
I even hand designed the (led illuminated) meter scales and added my name with a 2012 date.
There's a downloadable program that lets you make custom scales and print them on adhesive backed paper.
In the back, there are 3 calibration pots - AC volts, DC volts, amps.
It'll put out 0 to 140v AC @2A, 0 to +/-45v DC, and handle up to 5 amps DC.
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Wrong hand thread? Pedal threads should be LH or RH depending on side so they tend to tighten in use.
The key word in that statement is SHOULD. The pedals on my cheap exercise bike were identical as were the cranks. I got it used from a second hand store, but I believe that it was made that way.
I have used JB weld for lots of otherwise impossible repairs for many years. My old Volvo wagon had a hole in the cast aluminum oil pan repaired with JB weld, as did the transaxle case on a 1982 Dodge Charger. The mower deck on my current 16 year old riding lawnmower is now mostly JB Weld and aluminum window screen since I have been patching rust holes for 6 years. I believe that it is now finally reaching EOL. It will die of a collapsed deck or a dead engine, not sure which yet.
With these you can lose the entire crank arm, even with the proper pedal still in it. A worn bottom bracket will cause too much lateral pressure and make it work it’s way off.
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Could you replace the crankset with a 1 piece from a BMX? Just add the chainring.
https://www.amazon.ca/One-Piece-Crank-165mm-Black/dp/B01N7DXEJA
https://www.amazon.ca/One-Piece-Crank-165mm-Black/dp/B01N7DXEJA