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I'm Starving here....

Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 6:22 pm
by dacflyer
Some boardom killers for you all to laugh at..

Only had a light lunch today.....
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sorry, I couldn't Resist..
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ok, ok.. I know...
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Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 7:45 pm
by CeaSaR
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Sun May 24, 2020 5:33 am
by jwax
Watt the hell? :))

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 4:23 pm
by Janitor Tzap
Here's a video on Old Television Restoration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUMZiljgu10

When you see what he starts out with.....
It'll make us old electronic duffer's jealous!
:lol:


Signed: Janitor Tzap

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 5:17 am
by dacflyer
Man, that video is so fake..... I picked over a dozen things that were fake about it..random poking around the yolk with the Iron for 1, and scrubbing off all the material off the back of the tube, and then there's no HV Anode lead on the Flyback transformer.
and what are the chances that there were 2 identical tv sets laying there..

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 9:56 am
by Janitor Tzap
dacflyer wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 5:17 am Man, that video is so fake..... I picked over a dozen things that were fake about it..random poking around the yolk with the Iron for 1, and scrubbing off all the material off the back of the tube, and then there's no HV Anode lead on the Flyback transformer.
and what are the chances that there were 2 identical tv sets laying there..
Yeah, I know.
But, It gave me a little chuckle. :lol:


Signed: Janitor Tzap

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 2:06 pm
by Lenp
After many long years-ago, being in TV service, Bubba will chime in with his thoughts!

Like said, the likely hood of finding two near identical TV's is astronomical, and with the good/bad parts being opposites. I would have washed the board in detergent, rinsed it with a hose and hung it out to dry in the sun for a few days. Hopefully, someone may have nabbed it and saved us from the rest of the video. His soldering shows, like many YouTuber's, that he graduated from the Sloppy Sam Solder Scrubbing School, and has the bent and twisted soldering gun tip as proof. (Not that I've ever made my own tips mind you!) Here on the East Coast, his capacitor removal technique is akin to plucking hard crabs out of a bushel basket. Washing the cabinet in the stream was a nice natural touch, but, it might have been more interesting if there were a few girls in the background catching fish. (have you seen those YouTube epics ?) As we get along towards the restoration, it came to mind that the cost of paint and cleaner was probably several times the value of the TV.

Near 14:08 the CRT with attached yoke, and the left speaker, were both shown upside down. If he planned to leave it that way he could have just put feet on the top and flipped it over since the picture would also be upside down.There might have been a rewind point there when the misplaced anode cup arced over to the degausing coil. The inverted speaker was possibly an experiment in 'inverse stereo phase sound inversion' . But, I guess it didn't work out well because by 14:16 all was correct. Now that's pretty fast work. I wish I had him years ago. Put him in a truck and and he could have made me rich rebuilding TV's. I also wondered why he spent so much time and effort cleaning and painting the cabinet before he knew the set would even work. It's like he knew the outcome! But at the end, he was rewarded with a great picture of a dirty goldfish bowl. In his defense, I think the cleaner he used on the CTR face might have washed out the color.....
In my defense, I would have, as done what the song lyrics said, just ..."Walk-On-By"!
PS I had a 'friend' that bought old cars, steamed and painted the engine then told potential buyers it was just 'rebuilt'
Enjoy

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:14 pm
by dacflyer
Here's another funny I did today, i was scraping a front loader Samsung VRT style washing machine. I'll never buy a front loader, they get so nasty inside, it's a mold factory..
Anyway, as i was removing the drum from the backshaft, it was a horrifying sight, it looked like a corroding ship under sea. The back shaft arms are made of potmetal, and the screws used were steel.. Corroded like hell, here's a picture of the part, and the bolts were 10mm heads.
i used my 1/4 in. handle and 10mm socket..
Corrosion city
Corrosion city
So the funny is... You might use SNAP-ON tools, but I use SNAP-OFF brand....
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Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:25 pm
by haklesup
There was a run of defective basket parts lacking the anodizing and they just dissolved in caustic washing detergent, I don't think it was limited to Samsung but I am not sure. I heard a number of horror stories trying to get warranty replacements since they tend to fail just outside the warranty period but was clearly a manufacturing defect to anyone who knows that aluminum can corrode when not anodized. This is why aluminum pans say do not clean in dishwasher for example.

By Potmetal, I think you mean Cast Aluminum.

One should use the self clean cycle for front loaders periodically, the rubber seals also need manual cleaning but overall, my LG is still running strong and saves a lot of water compared to the top loader it replaced. I know because I use a water recovery barrel to water my lawn and this takes 5 or 6 loads to fill it while the top loader filled it in 2 loads

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:33 pm
by Lenp
Today, most consumer products are designed to live just a bit longer than the warranty period.

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:06 pm
by haklesup
"Today, most consumer products are designed to live just a bit longer than the warranty period."

Only if you are like most consumers and have not a clue how things work.

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:15 pm
by Lenp
"Only if you are like most consumers and have not a clue how things work."
Not sure that I agree, but that was true 20 years ago, not today. No mater what your skill level, if a proprietary part is unavailable, or the price exceeds the replacement cost of the product, it's a junker.

Example: Dehumidifiers. I have had several over the years and just about the end of the 5 year 'Sealed System' warranty, the gas charge goes low and it stops working. Sure you can install a charging port and fill it up with a some of that $150 jug of freon you had to buy. Yes, maybe that would be a good investment, but the next humidifier you get will likely have a different gas. It isn't just R22 and R12 anymore.

Yes again, the unit is still in warranty but here's the rub.
It's a parts only warranty. There's a $50 non-refundable diagnosis charge, that will be credited towards the labor cost of repairs. There also may be additional unspecified charges, like additional labor. EPA disposal fees, shop supplies. Just to make it sweeter, the closest factory service center is 100 miles away one way, and they have 9 to 5 hours, and no weekends. They don't know how long it will take to get the parts and repair it. So that's maybe two days off, for two round trips, and maybe getting it back in the fall of the year when you don't need it , or use it.
You'l only get the balance of the factory warranty and the entire cost may exceed replacement cost.
By next season ...well you know the rest, and now it's out-of-warranty.

Look at the cost of 'Control Panels' for home appliances. Sure, you can spend hours building a mock-up to trouble shoot the assembly, but with only a block diagram, hope is dim. Maybe it is a bad processor, so just try to buy the programmed chip from anyone. You'll buy the control panel or another appliance. Pull apart a kitchen appliance, like a mixer or blender. No way you are going to get those broken gears except to go to China and look through their dumpsters. Or indeed, you may get lucky and the part is an inexpensive solenoid or switch that Amazon has, so go for it!

Open the back of a modern TV. Two boards, a backlight and screen is about all you'll see. Lucky if its a bad board, and if it's available it can be swapped. I've done it a few times. Otherwise, just look for a Sams Photofact for that set, or for that IC with alphabet part numbers that's too hot to touch. ...Not Happening. And if it's the backlight or screen, likely it's a one way trip out the back door and a $150 replacement for a better set.

Remember, all the TV shops that are closed and the distributors that disappeared. Even the factory won't repair them, except under a warranty like the dehumidifier, warranty. They swap out the set. Their automated assembly lines could build 10 sets in the time one technician attempts diagnosis.

Years ago I couldn't understand why some of my TV repair estimates were not being approved. My price was below any competion and $25 labor for swapping a color CRT was a deal. Then I went to the big box stores. New sets cost almost the same as the estimates. I started going to more dumpsters than the bank.

I've been there and I won't go all the back. I'll give it a look and some quick tests but not much more. My time is worth more then $.10, per hour.

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 8:29 am
by dacflyer
now days, if it isn't built to fail, then the factories won't make any money..
what is today's technology, is tomorrows trash.

Look at all the electronic parts now days..they are all china made modules, there is hardly no one that sells off the shelf parts any more.
it's all modules or micro processors controlled. Sigh...
Even dumpster diving has just about come to an end. you find stuff, but none of it is worth fixing.

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 3:58 pm
by haklesup
What I mean is if you know how something works, you are more capable of caring for it properly and performing preventative maintenance for example even if repairs are not possible.

But there are plenty of fix it topics in our reach but not for others. Tablet and phone screen replacement is one example, lots of people will live with it until they get a new phone, not many would try to replace it themselves. I have also seen videos of people trying to repair solder ball opens on BGA devices using hairdryers and toaster ovens for DIY reflow (I think it was older PlayStation). Non technical people also don't even know some things can be upgraded with new firmware or are aware and don't know how to do it, Service mode menus, boot loaders and memory replacements are out of reach of many consumers and don't forget OS hacks that can make an old tablet run a new OS. Jail breaking a device is also something most consumers won't try even when it is out of warranty, especially if it requires a hardware mod kit. This can add years to the useful life of a game system for example. I've repaired my refrigerator so many times, most people would have replaced or paid enough for another getting it repaired.

Yes there are many things that cannot be repaired but usually not engineered to actually fail after a period. For the washer, Its more likely that in the 2nd or 3rd redesign, some manufacturing engineer substituted a part or changed a process to reduce cost and that ruined the design reliability. So many products start out good until some contract manufacturer tries to make it for less money and cuts corners.

I noticed BBQ offering to replace burners for life under warranty, A little research reveals they charge shipping and handling equal to going to HD and buying one off the shelf. That seems intentional.

Re: I'm Starving here....

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:58 pm
by CeaSaR
dacflyer wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 8:29 am now days, if it isn't built to fail, then the factories won't make any money..
what is today's technology, is tomorrows trash.

Look at all the electronic parts now days..they are all china made modules, there is hardly no one that sells off the shelf parts any more.
it's all modules or micro processors controlled. Sigh...
Even dumpster diving has just about come to an end. you find stuff, but none of it is worth fixing.
The problem is that most people don't have the patience to actually design or build something from scratch, let alone test and troubleshoot something to find out why something does or doesn't work. And that lends to the masses who are more end-users than true thinkers. They don't want to understand, they just want to plug A into B to make C work and say "Hey, look what I made!" While technically true, it just feels kinda cheap. That's just the way it is in today's instant gratification world.

Back to the point, there's hardly enough discrete useable parts in today's electronics to make anything worthwhile after the fact. It's a double edged sword, you build it it to a low price point to make the sales and then people don't care enough to learn how the product really works. It's cheap enough to throw away and buy another if it breaks, in the hopes of longer life the next time around.

To that end, I try to show some of the people in other groups / forums / pages I belong to how to solve certain problems with minimal fuss and small parts count, yet relatively high performance. Some of the replies are of awe at the simplicity, yet most would rather buy premade. Unfortunately that seems to be the way the world is going.

Doesn't matter, I'll keep trying to reach those who want to learn.