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Old 16th Dec 2019, 8:44 pm   #181
G6Tanuki
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Default Re: Repair nightmares.

Quote:
Originally Posted by poppydog View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by G6Tanuki View Post
While I'm always happy to celebrate those keeping healthcare infrastructure alive, surely equal recognition should be given to those of us who supported the UK nuclear-infrastructure and helped keep the electricity on and our defences functioning 24x7x365?
Malcolms post touched a nerve as my granddaughter has just been born several weeks premature. I apologise if you feel offended by my post.
I'm in no way offended. Let's celebrate all of us who keep the world moving forward, whatever our specific niche in the game.
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Old 16th Dec 2019, 10:34 pm   #182
SiriusHardware
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Default Re: Repair nightmares.

A repair nightmare which didn't need to be: About a week ago a colleague at work asked me about a TV which had started to take longer and longer to come out of standby until it had to be turned on 20 minutes before it was needed. I suggested that sounded like possible failing capacitors and invited him to bring me the power supply PCB (only) to test and if necessary replace a few capacitors.

Several hours later he struggled into the department with the entire set, a very large and decent looking Samsung. OK, I said, we won't have time to look at that today but leave it and I will try to get to it in the next few days. At which point he looked around, picked up an electric crosspoint screwdriver and started to dismantle the set. I carried on with what I was doing.

When he had the back completely off I briefly scanned the PSU and straight away pointed out a domed capacitor. He got very excited at that and proceeded to pull all of the connectors out of the power supply, doing so in such haste that he managed to pull one of the wires out of a modular connector, leaving the crimp connector marooned in the housing. I showed him what he needed to do to release the connector, he soldered it back onto the end of the wire and put it back into the moulded housing while I took the power supply off him and replaced the capacitor with the exact right type - we keep a stock of low-ESR capacitors for SMPSU repairs, etc.

The PSU was replaced, and with the back still off, the set was powered up and came out of standby within a few seconds. Success - very lucky really, given more time I would have gone through all of the capacitors, but just changing that one made enough difference on this particular occasion.

I turned around while he whizzed all the screws back in and assumed he'd give it a proper test when he got it back... but the next time I saw him he had a very long face because, on getting it home, he had found a nasty crack running in from the corner of the screen. My suspicion was that he might have put some of the screws back in the wrong places, and, using an electric screwdriver, wouldn't have noticed when the screw started to offer resistance before it was all the way in.

Whatever the actual course of events, a decent TV with the simplest of faults originally has now been wrecked beyond economic repair due to sheer impatience. If he'd just let me do it when I had time, I'm pretty sure it would still be working.
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Old 16th Dec 2019, 10:53 pm   #183
julie_m
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Default Re: Repair nightmares.

Ouch -- talk about spoiling the ship for a halfpennyworth of tar! It just goes to show, it only takes a moment's carelessness to ruin an otherwise good job.

Don't feel too bad about it, though. Many people would just have chucked the set anyway for a fault like that. At least your friend bothered having a go, and came so tantalisingly close to succeeding. Bit more careful next time, and the patient might even survive ..... (see also my signature line!)
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Old 17th Dec 2019, 11:52 am   #184
Maarten
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Default Re: Repair nightmares.

I'd be inclined to think of transport damage instead of longscrew damage. What a shame for a nice set.
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