What electronics have YOU fixed lately?

[Shockwave]

Another tip for fixing flat screen TV's that do not turn on is to check online and see if your model has information about forcing the set into service mode. While this does not help with finding power supply problems, it can be useful to spot backlight issues. Normally they will not turn on with a backlight problem and that can be confused as a power supply problem.

If it is a backlight problem and you force the set into service mode, the good LED strip will still come on and the screen will likely tell you what the problem is by displaying "Backlight Fault". Other faults can be detected and identified in this mode if the set will enter the service mode.

 

[Handy Andy]

Hey, I learned how to UNTIE/UNKNOT/STRAIGHTEN a string of Xmas lights - in a reasonable amount of time.
(Your mileage may vary)

Putting them up CORRECTLY to the spouses delight is the real repair...

And I didn't pop a breaker!

Else all I can offer is that I can re-set the "12:00AM" flashing on the Microwave when the power gets restored without having to search the entire house or the Internet to locate the owners manual!

 

[ExitThirteen]

You are WAY ahead of the curve, Andy!


This is why you are my idol, mentor, etc, and so forth!


~Cheers~

 

[Handy Andy]

Just remember if you call, I do have to charge for mileage...

 

[Ranch55]

Repaired and refurbished an old Turner SSB +2 microphone for a gent.
Repaired a Northpoint CBS1000 radio for another gent. Internal power supply was not working, and the am voltage regulator was bad.
Replaced the encoder in an Icom 7300 that had begun skipping all over the band when it was turned.
Repaired and refurbished an old Palomar transistor amplifier that I have posted on the forum.
Currently on my bench is an old Yaesu FT101EE ......

 

[midnight special]

in the past year i have replaced the bad capacitors in a gray bodied pyramid 36 amp power supply and got it working after 10 years in my closet,, put a cap in a hr 2510 to bring back the recieve,,,several turner mikes got brought back to workable use,, restored and modified a 1978 realistic 5/8 wave ground plane antenna and am using it,, so far i think it is beating the maco 5/8 i had up,, i have also restored a cushcraft arx2b and will be putting it up soon,,, i cleaned and oiled coated my military spring i have on my mobile antenna and shined up the brass on my early 1970s antenna specialist 102 inch whip,,, and after hurricaine irma i had to take down my vertical 2 meter beam and 70 cm beam and rotor to repair the damage done and put back up in the air,,,i have done more but need to keep going on,,,, 73s midnight special cbt 273 central florida,,,

 

[loosecannon]

let's see, 48v switching supply went into thermal overload due to a bad fan.

obviously the fix is to replace the fan...
BUT!!!

this power supply is located inside an MCC and controls the power to the two main consoles that control the motion of over 188 axis, including those that have people hanging off of them.

oh, and there are 2500 people watching who paid a lot of money to sit and wait for us to get the show up and running again.

the quick fix? grab replacement supply off the shelf, shut down the breaker that controls power to that supply, remove wires, wire them to the new supply, and jam and cram the new supply on top of the old one then gaff tape in place in order to get through the show.

we were down a total of 6 minutes.

came in the next day and calmly replaced the fan in question, checked regulation and load test. supply is all good.

last week, came in to start up console in order to start show pre-set, and it would not boot.
argued with three other very smart people over whether or not it was the CMOS battery inside.
they all swore that it should still boot up, but just won't keep time LOL.
(two of these guys are engineers)

the fix? grab a CMOS battery from the drawer, open up console only to find out that it's the type with the two wire leads soldered to the battery.

other tech swears you have to battery weld the wires on.
I walk away with said battery and head down to where the soldering station is.
file away some of the nickel coating, add a couple dabs of solder, solder on wires, walk back upstairs.

quietly install battery, put console back together, and smugly boot computer up in front of all the skeptics.

at home?
a DX949 that had the SO-239 come through the back panel and try to take out the internal SWR board. super glue, new jumpers and a quality connector fixed that one.

also fixed the heater control console for a 98 GMC truck. needed a diode.

re-capped, repaired, and aligned a grant, an AX144, and a teddy R.

that about covers the last month.
LC

 

[Low_Boy]

Replaced the coil in my leaf Vac. LOL kind electrical.
Robb now that your amp is fixed teach me how to play a B and F chord.

 

[Robb]

Replaced the coil in my leaf Vac. LOL kind electrical.
Robb now that your amp is fixed teach me how to play a B and F chord.

It kinda counts; kinda hoped for more details on what was the problem and what was fixed electronically. You know, so some of this could be shared and used. Like the post about making the back lighting work on a led screen using by using what is available. Like McGyvering things.

Pfffff; teach you chords?!?
lol.

Naw; I haven't fixed the amp yet. If you read the first post, you would see that it is really a wreck that I'm trying to restore. Parts are still be located, bought, shipped, and put it. Might be a week or three before I can button it all up. Plus a Tele and a Strat to boot; but that is really just woodwork.

 

[357magnum]

Glad this post was started , lots of good info especially the Tv repair , awesome tips ! Ranch55 , thank you for reminding me I have to order a " Burnishing Tool " to clean the contacts on my Tuner SSK , got the spray forgot the tool . LC , from your post you do show rigging ? I work for a company in Ri when back in HS many years ago " World Wide Show Rigging " , then it went union and us youngin's were out of a job . No complaints though , I work some great concerts and one Miss America Pageant before it ended .

 

[loosecannon]

357magnum,

I do work at a big show but it stays put. I am an automation technician. the way l like to describe what i do is to compare it to an air traffic controller who also has to know how to fix all the systems in the plane itself. I have to know fabrication, rigging, electrical, hydraulics, and industrial mechanics to do what i do. not to mention you have to have nerves of steel to be the one pushing the buttons that fly people around the room at 8 feet per second.
It can be very stressful at times, but i also get to be the hero quite a bit LOL.
Thanks for asking! i never get to talk about my 'real job' on the forums.
LC

 

[357magnum]

Thank you for sharing that Lc , brings back memories of my youth . I got to see a lot of great bands back then and get paid for it ! One that comes to mind is Willie Nelson , I spent most of the concert up in the rafters of the Providence Civic Center baby sitting the lights , I can't remember which was better the concert or the smoke from all the " Left Handed " tobacco they were smoking below me !

 

[Handy Andy]

It's amazing to still see you alive and well. Considering you could have fallen from those rafters or electrocuted yourself from the lights - being overcome from fumes by their "Magic" smoke.

Good to see the phrase "Key Grip" was not lost on you.

 

[sunbulls]

Due to planed obsolesce many flat screen TV's have become easy to fix. Most have carefully selected capacitors that are run close enough to their limits that they fail like clockwork between 7 and 10 years. The more expensive TV's last 10 years and the cheap ones ruin the caps in 7 years. In many cases you don't even have to know much about electronic troubleshooting since Youtube has tons of videos related to specific models to show you what caps go bad first and how to take the TV apart.

Another common problem with LED TV's is one or more of the LED's will open so the backlight fails. Manufacturers planed this too and is why they won't sell the LED light strips to customers. Only offered on sets covered under warranty. Just cut the plastic top off an ordinary LED house light bulb to remove the needed surface mount LED and install that. Measure the voltage drop across the lit LED first because some drop over 6 volts. You'll need the more common type that drop 3 volts and observe polarity.

So true! This is why (to my wife’s dismay), I never pass up a computer monitor left on someone’s curbside destined for the dumps. A power supply recap job will fix 9 out of 10 of them. I tried to replace the caps inside all those perfectly good LED’s found in household bulbs too. Unfortunately with most of them, the caps are embedded in some rock hard compound. In hindsight I wish I had chosen 12 volt DC LED track light bulbs in the kitchen instead of the $50 110v bulbs I once had. The early expensive 110v LED bulbs typically lasted a few months beyond their warranty. Fixing a 12v DC power supply is far less painful, maybe have a little fun in the process with beating them at their own game.

 

[jon666]

2 many now have migraine