The pc fan was revving up a lot and hitting 90 degree's a lot.
Also SSD was getting out of room.
So bought bigger fan and bigger ssd.
No instructions with fan put fan mounting bracket on upside down and heatsink screws wouldnt reach !
Dropped nut under old ssd so had to remove it to retrieve the nut.
Got it all installed ok eventually.
Had a quick look at old fan and it was completely clogged hence the problems.
The new one is much quieter so worth doing just for that.
Also SSD was getting out of room.
So bought bigger fan and bigger ssd.
No instructions with fan put fan mounting bracket on upside down and heatsink screws wouldnt reach !
Dropped nut under old ssd so had to remove it to retrieve the nut.
Got it all installed ok eventually.
Had a quick look at old fan and it was completely clogged hence the problems.
The new one is much quieter so worth doing just for that.
Saw a good looking Starbucks Barista espresso machine for $10 so I got it. Appeared as though someone used it only on holidays to serve guests, then just let it rot the rest of the time. For maybe a decade. As in fill the tank, then just let it evaporate or dry out entirely; repeat for multiple passes, until it looks like the shores of the Great Salt Lake inside.
Was a little tough getting it primed; had to force-feed it via intake tube some Heinz cleaning vinegar using a ketchup squeeze bottle. Got the water running through the steam port, then finally through the portafilter port. Took a few steam heat cycles and maybe a tank or two (I just used the one from my old machine...) worth of water to get it to where it could "make a cup of coffee" again.
These machines are one of the most reliable appliances that'll run for years under daily use. I already have a couple spares, but picked this one as it appeared in exceptional condition. We'll see how long it can take over coffee duties after using the previous instance for a few years, which lost its "ready" light illumination several months ago.
I'm pretty sure it got tossed to GW because "it didnt work" the last time someone attempted to use it.
Was a little tough getting it primed; had to force-feed it via intake tube some Heinz cleaning vinegar using a ketchup squeeze bottle. Got the water running through the steam port, then finally through the portafilter port. Took a few steam heat cycles and maybe a tank or two (I just used the one from my old machine...) worth of water to get it to where it could "make a cup of coffee" again.
These machines are one of the most reliable appliances that'll run for years under daily use. I already have a couple spares, but picked this one as it appeared in exceptional condition. We'll see how long it can take over coffee duties after using the previous instance for a few years, which lost its "ready" light illumination several months ago.
I'm pretty sure it got tossed to GW because "it didnt work" the last time someone attempted to use it.
Saw a good looking iRobot floor vacuum for $10 so I got it. 30% off day too @ Value Village. Came with its "dock" that charges it. After cleaning it out some, with solvent on the nastier accumulations, it runs like a champ. Put it to work on the kitchen floor, which is a Bamboo laminate. This thing is more fun than the metal wind-up robot I had as a kid - does something useful too. Saw it navigate back and dock at the charging dock, when I pressed the "dock" button.
Ok, some of us are easily amused. I left it alone and expected to find it there, but it had stopped without making it back. I pressed the dock button, wherein it announced in English the error code. I found the butt of a carrot wedged up against some detector made from a round piezo element, which I suppose listens to the amount of crap going round in the brush system. Clearing that out, we'll give it another try - looking to see it make it back to the dock after finishing unsupervised!
Ok, some of us are easily amused. I left it alone and expected to find it there, but it had stopped without making it back. I pressed the dock button, wherein it announced in English the error code. I found the butt of a carrot wedged up against some detector made from a round piezo element, which I suppose listens to the amount of crap going round in the brush system. Clearing that out, we'll give it another try - looking to see it make it back to the dock after finishing unsupervised!
Dryer sometimes would not start or would quit running mid cycle. Determined it was the motor relay as if starting failed, tapping the relay would make dryer run. Relay is soldered to board and repairing this 10+ year old dryer would therefore require purchase of a new control board at $190(!). Instead I sourced a direct replacement relay for less than $10 and CAREFULLY swapped it onto the cheaply made and fragile board.
About a year ago the matching front load washing machine would often drip water into the drum at the end of wash cycle as the cold water solenoid valve was leaking. Direct replacement part was $50 but I instead purchased a more universal set of solenoid valves from Amazon for $15. Using this part required drilling of a single hole for one of the mounting screws.
About a year ago the matching front load washing machine would often drip water into the drum at the end of wash cycle as the cold water solenoid valve was leaking. Direct replacement part was $50 but I instead purchased a more universal set of solenoid valves from Amazon for $15. Using this part required drilling of a single hole for one of the mounting screws.
My most trusty audio signal generator I.E.C Interstate F47 stop to work a few weeks back, output was stuck around -25V at the output. I use this generator all the time, so it was a big stop of my testing ability. It has a lot of options, sweep mode, phase, external trig, etc. It is also very high quality inside, high precision resistors, custom film caps, very nice built. I had to fix it...
Was kind of simple at first, Supplies all ok, no ripple, signal was perfect just before the output amplifier. Checked all the transistors, diodes and zener, they were ok. Checked also for shorted tantalum caps, all ok. Voltages were not exactly as the schematics around IC1 (CA3018), it is there that the DC offset is combined with the signal. So order one from Ebay, got it this week.
Replace it, no luck, was still not working, now took the hard road, and started testing all the parts, connections, pcb traces, voltages. First thing I found was R7 connected to IC1, pin2, -RAW DC was open!, checked the pcb, and some kind of contamination was preventing the resistor leg to make a good contact with the PCB pad. Cleaned, resoldered and now good -33V at this point. Amplifier was even worst, solid -25V at the output...
Continue my search, point by point, I had -1.4V instead od -1.6V at IC1, pin 10. Checked R9, OPEN! first time such high quality Vishay RN60 turn bad on me, in such low wattage, low voltage application, completly open... Replaced it from my stock, had the exact 2.43K RN60 in stock.
5Hrs of work later, Bingo amp is not working perfectly.
Was kind of simple at first, Supplies all ok, no ripple, signal was perfect just before the output amplifier. Checked all the transistors, diodes and zener, they were ok. Checked also for shorted tantalum caps, all ok. Voltages were not exactly as the schematics around IC1 (CA3018), it is there that the DC offset is combined with the signal. So order one from Ebay, got it this week.
Replace it, no luck, was still not working, now took the hard road, and started testing all the parts, connections, pcb traces, voltages. First thing I found was R7 connected to IC1, pin2, -RAW DC was open!, checked the pcb, and some kind of contamination was preventing the resistor leg to make a good contact with the PCB pad. Cleaned, resoldered and now good -33V at this point. Amplifier was even worst, solid -25V at the output...
Continue my search, point by point, I had -1.4V instead od -1.6V at IC1, pin 10. Checked R9, OPEN! first time such high quality Vishay RN60 turn bad on me, in such low wattage, low voltage application, completly open... Replaced it from my stock, had the exact 2.43K RN60 in stock.
5Hrs of work later, Bingo amp is not working perfectly.
Attachments
Last edited:
Two quartz clocks worth 10 bucks each.
First one just needed a new AAA battery.
Second one, new battery was not enough.
Pulled open, pulled all parts out to find oxidized contacts; Scrubbing and cleaning contact spray, then adding stubbornness....Working opened, no luck when fully reassembled..... Adding a piece of cardboard at the right place, finally did the trick. Clock working.
First one just needed a new AAA battery.
Second one, new battery was not enough.
Pulled open, pulled all parts out to find oxidized contacts; Scrubbing and cleaning contact spray, then adding stubbornness....Working opened, no luck when fully reassembled..... Adding a piece of cardboard at the right place, finally did the trick. Clock working.
Paying someone to do work is no guarantee that the workmanship will be of high quality. A few things I paid to have done had to be redone or repaired in short order: my kitchen floor (a complete disaster from day one) which I ended up redoing myself, new windows that allowed water to seep inside the walls and caused a mold problem (these geniuses didn't install drip rails I did that myself too), and concrete that spalled into crumbs in just a few years. All these contractors were bona fide, licensed "Yellow Pages" contractors with good Yelp reviews.
Now I'm trying to hire someone to repair the damage the mold did (I killed it all and it hasn't come back in two years) and install some new siding over that part of the house. It's a chore to even get someone to come over and look, and only one guy seems like he actually cares about doing it to my satisfaction and he is really busy. His group does siding, windows, doors, and roofing. He was really looking at my house (which has been freshened up quite nicely) and he noticed my front door, which is original but I cleaned it up and painted it about ten years ago. He said "Whoever painted your door did an excellent job and they're going to put me out of business." I said "I did that." Ditto with the wrought iron railings, which I stripped and etched and painted.
You can't do everything yourself and at this point I'm pretty limited with what I can do. It is with great trepidation that I interview these contractors to work on my house. I'd still rather get my buddy over here and do stuff myself, but he's old and I'm older and if I fall off the ladder again it's the end for me.
I paid $3800 USD for a zero turn lawn mower. It would not start. I "attempted to repair it". After two fully involved hours I had had enough and set off to the point of purchase for a return for refund. Mission complete in that regard.
I'm 64 years old. First engine in my life I couldn't get started. Couldn't even get it to pop once.
I'm 64 years old. First engine in my life I couldn't get started. Couldn't even get it to pop once.
Yep, as a career mechanic...I had a new-car come in for a "bubble on the dash", sure enough the replacement was the bare top of the dash....& all the guts, vent tubing, all of it was to be swapped over...I must have had over a hundred screws securing everything, a dozen or so "modules" everywhere...quite the mess. So I indeed sympathize "breaking down" a dash.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...