POLL: What do you HATE to work on?

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

How recent?

Mostly the PS/2 line of displays, with some later PS/1 models, a few of
which are Samsungs and appear to use very standard screws for the casing.

It seems to me that whenever IBM farms out a display, the method of keeping
the cover installed and the customer out becomes far less creative. But when
IBM really makes a display (such as a 15" model I have upstairs made in the
USA circa 1997 by IBM) by themselves, they are very good at making it
difficult to open.

Many of IBM monitors are Samsung (E74's) or Acer E52). Both applies
to opening them. The best tool is the chemist's medium flat metal
spatula used to weigh or dumping out a lump of powders , mine has
dipped vinyl for handle. Very strong blade enough not to bend while
prying apart something yet fits through the slots to unhook the
plastic latches especially at top of these monitors. Pop with a push
then do next one then cover is off, this easy. The flat bladed
screwdrivers simply get wedged up in those narrow slots and not get
hooks unlatched without marking the casings.

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind next time.

William

 

[Ricky Eck]

Why do people do that. I mean, they have to expect there will be a higher
charge. Kinda like, "I seen this Koss CD player at Wally Mart, and it was
10 bucks, can you give me that Sony that list for 50 bucks at the same
price?" Stupid. I could see if their friend said that could fix it for 30,
and someone was going to charge 400. Then go to your friend. But usually
they look at the price for the parts and expect it to be fixed at that rate.
Thinking labor should be free, or next to nothing. I hate stupid people.

Rick

 

[George S]

Well at least they switched to hard drives on the newer games and upgrades.
I don't know if they are sealed but they don't suffer the same fate as the
cd-roms. Plus I deep clean all my machines every six months.

 

[hemyd]

A PC or appliance in which mice have been having a violent orgy, or in which
they are deceased.....

Henry

 

[hemyd]

Try overhauling a Touch Screen bar top game. I have to replace the CD-Roms
in them about every six months from Nicotine Death. The Merit Mega Touches
draw in cool air from venting in the bottom front of the machine. So all
smoke and dust hits the cd-rom first as it is drawn up over the monitor and
system board then out the exhaust fans on top.

On one occasion I was servicing an electronic composer (sort of a large
typewriter) whose operator was a chainsmoker. Base of keyboard had much ash.
I commented that the machine may develop lung cancer...

On another occasion, one of my workmates swears that he found pubic hair in
a diskette drive he was replacing....

Henry

 

[hemyd]

"> Methinks the manufacturer of those systems ought to think of a sealed
casing

for the CD-ROM drive or a filtration strategy to keep the air entering the
system clean of any smoke and tar. - Reinhart

You got me going here, Reinhart. On yet another occasion in my career as
tech at IBM, I heard of a situation at a large cigarette manufacturer admin
department where a strange error on a system printer had the engineers
running around in circles for a while. Then it was found that nicotine had
clouded one of the optical sensors, causing the strange symptoms.

Henry

 

[El Meda]

I hate working on electronics where bugs have taken residence inside them or
was obviously placed in an area where a lot of people smoked.

Talk about filthy! - Reinhart

I had to fix once a mixer that had inside a nest of dead baby mouse.
Oooohhh, that smell...! :'(

 

[Ricky Eck]

One time, I went to pick up a TV at a low budget Apartment in Lovejoy IL
(just outside E.St.Louis, 3 time worst then E.St. Louis), and when I went to
get the TV (It was one of those that came with a cabinet and Box Radio/CD
Player/Tuner, Think it was an Emerson or a cheap one like that), we picked
the TV and stand up, and pulled it out to disconnect the wires, and roaches
went everywhere. She just took a broom, and swept them away like they were
her pets. Me and the other guy argued who's van we were going to place it
in, but he won out because he had carpet in his. and mine was bare. We got
it back to the shop, took it outside, and opened the case. There were burnt
bugs all over the place, and roaches of all different shape and sizes
running everywhere. We tore the whole thing apart, pulled the board out,
the CRT out, down to a bare shell. Blew it all out, cleaned it up. Fixed
it, and returned it to the Cust. Not to mention a hefty bill for removing
the bugs and repair.

Rick

 

[TCS]

Since you bring that up:

I hate working on electronics where bugs have taken residence inside them or
was obviously placed in an area where a lot of people smoked.

Talk about filthy! - Reinhart

yuk. I once had a computer that was so caked internaly with tobacco tar
that I had to wash my hands every 5 minutes I worked on the think because my
hands would start stinging.

Perfumed machines are almost as bad.

Sometimes they look like the inside of a vacuum cleaner bag. Have to take
them outside and blow them out and try not to breath in the process.

 

[Jacques Carrier]

Hi fellow techs !
I see that we all share the same concerns.

I do hate the following repairs:

1) Replacing an earphone plug on Sennheiser's.
2) Replacing a thermal fuse inside an halogen lamp transformer.
3) Putting back the cover on some TV's and microwave ovens (thanks to my wife for
this one).
4) Opening some screwless remote control.
5) Any kind of equipment with many screws ...........of different sizes.
6) Dirty,greasy,"buggy" or "smoked" equipment.
7) TV's with SPK and Yoke connectors .......soldered!
8) Audio/video recorder belt replacement (some models).
9) Any equipment with no parts ID on both sides of the PCB.
10)Old receivers with obsolete/hard-to-find semiconductors.

That's enough for now !

Have fun and enjoy "most" of your work .

Jacques from Longueuil,Quebec

 

[Asimov]

"TCS" bravely wrote to "All" (17 May 04 11:30:54)
--- on the heady topic of "Re: POLL: What do you HATE to work on?"

TC> From: TCS <[email protected]>

Since you bring that up:

I hate working on electronics where bugs have taken residence inside them or
was obviously placed in an area where a lot of people smoked.

Talk about filthy! - Reinhart

TC> yuk. I once had a computer that was so caked internaly with tobacco
TC> tar that I had to wash my hands every 5 minutes I worked on the think
TC> because my hands would start stinging.

TC> Perfumed machines are almost as bad.

TC> Sometimes they look like the inside of a vacuum cleaner bag. Have to
TC> take them outside and blow them out and try not to breath in the
TC> process.

Oooh, I've experienced the internal ooze once, not a pleasant feeling!
But I suspect that dust is very dangerous in another way because it
may contain bacterial spores just waiting for a favourable environment
to grow. I think the same may apply to some viruses too. It is known
that some viral diseases have survived in cadavers that have been
buried for hundreds of years. One great way for example to pick up a
variety of common cold buggies is to work on someone else keyboard. I
always carry wipes with a small bottle of alcohol just in case I need
to use someone else's keyboard and I'm not a germaphobe or anything
but strangers are strangers.

Asimov
******

.... It was foul and disgusting.

 

[mike diack]

A PC or appliance in which mice have been having a violent orgy, or in which
they are deceased.....

Mousepiss is one of the most corrosive and (to electronics)
destructive substances in the known universe. Leads me to speculate
what indestructible material the interior of mice must be made of....
Old warm mixing desks in broadcast studios were a prime target.
M

 

[N Cook]

Mousepiss is one of the most corrosive and (to electronics)
destructive substances in the known universe. Leads me to speculate
what indestructible material the interior of mice must be made of....
Old warm mixing desks in broadcast studios were a prime target.
M

I did once repair someone's VCR that the family tom-cat had pissed on.
Not that they told me that first off. The pool of piss had corroded away
some of the pins on the main to display board inter-connect

electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~diverse

Nigel, Diverse Devices,Southampton, England

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

I had a really annoying one with a video...

"If it will cost more than £5, don't bother, I can get my friend to do
it."

Yeah, right.

Then I would say that he'd better walk straight out of your shop with his piece
of gear in hand. - Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

Why do people do that.

There are some people who are just cheap skates who don't understand that there
likely are differences between two different brands of devices that perform the
same function.

Kinda like, "I seen this Koss CD player at Wally Mart, and it was
10 bucks, can you give me that Sony that list for 50 bucks at the same
price?" Stupid.

Or just plain ignorant.

"I saw an Emerson TV for $150 at Wal-Mart. Can you match the price of that
Sony HDTV to the Emerson?"

Then again ... stupid would be a good description. - Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

Well at least they switched to hard drives on the newer games and upgrades.
I don't know if they are sealed but they don't suffer the same fate as the
cd-roms. Plus I deep clean all my machines every six months.

That helps.

Hard drives are built with the innards contained within a sealed assembly.

A single spec of dust is all that it would take to cause a catastrophic head
crash so thorough sealing is vital. - Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

You got me going here, Reinhart. On yet another occasion in my career as

tech at IBM, I heard of a situation at a large cigarette manufacturer admin
department where a strange error on a system printer had the engineers
running around in circles for a while. Then it was found that nicotine had
clouded one of the optical sensors, causing the strange symptoms.

Well, as the old saying goes: "NO SMOKING .. it damages the equipment." -
Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

8) Audio/video recorder belt replacement (some models).

This repair has an interesting quirk.

On many models of Hitachi VCRs, including those OEMed for RCA, based on the
older multi-belt chassis. These machines use a rubber of a particular kind
that turns to goo over time. A royal pain to clean up!

10)Old receivers with obsolete/hard-to-find semiconductors.

Or other parts, such as electrolytic capactiors of a peculiar shape, like
massive ovular caps used in vintage Sansui receivers. - Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

Now you mention filth...

TV remote controls, with all the muck that gathers.

Yeech! I know exactly what you mean! Especially with remotes where stuff was
spilled all over it. - Reinhart

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

One great way for example to pick up a

variety of common cold buggies is to work on someone else keyboard. I
always carry wipes with a small bottle of alcohol just in case I need
to use someone else's keyboard and I'm not a germaphobe or anything
but strangers are strangers.

You're just taking a fantastic precaution. It is true that you never know what
kind of germs and viruses that you can run into from other people's keyboards.
Getting a cold from it can certainly happen as there are a lot of people who
just don't take steps to prevent a spread of a cold if they get one. -
Reinhart