41–50 of 115 posts
Louis Rossmann’s electronics guide was the first time these concepts truly clicked for me: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkVbIsAWN2ltOWmriIdOc5Cti... Apart from that, just fix broken stuff. Practice like any other skill, like others have said. Like decide what skills to learn based on what’s broken. Need to solder something together? Buy the soldering iron. Need to figure out which capacitor you need to replace…
If you foresee supply chain or financial difficulties where you are, enough that people will need to keep old machines running...
* Question: Are you thinking for keeping your family's device's working, and maybe teaching them? Or for operating a primary business, or side business?
* If you're currently financially comfortable, you might want to quickly learn what tools and supplies you'll need for several(?) years, and see whether they're currently available and inexpensive where you are. (For example, temperature-controlled soldering irons, desoldering device or braid, a multimeter that has all the features you expect to need, misc. screwdrivers, many sizes and types of security bits, smartphone repair spudgers and suction cups, an assortment of various high-quality capacitors of various specs, an assortment of hookup wire, fuses. Some common parts, like mains power cords, are easy to find from unfixable devices.)
* Repairing power tools and small&large appliances, is a bit different than repairing old radios and televisions, is a bit different than new radios and televisions, is a bit different than older computers, is a bit different than newer computers.
* If this includes keeping old computers working, you might want to think about what kinds, and what parts will wear out and be difficult to cannibalize. For example, some laptop models will need their fans replaced eventually, and then maybe their keyboards. Laptops made 15(?) years ago will soon need new backlight tubes and/or inverter boards, or new panels (possibly LED-backlit, plus the electronics to drive them). Most PCs and laptops will need new thermal compound eventually, especially if you do some kinds of work on them. Fortunately, most PC parts can be cannibalized easily.
* Repairing smartphones requires special parts and supplies, and in some cases might be impossible. You might think ahead to which ones you expect to want to repair, watch (and try to youtube-dl) the tutorial videos, and
* For a business refurbishing old laptops, you might want to start saving repair PDFs now, in case the Internet gets fragmented. For Lenovo/IBM ThinkPad laptops, search for "Hardware Maintenance Manual" and the model numbers.
* Try to avoid IoT, and computers and software that depend on some company's servers to keep running. And move to Linux (such as Debian Stable) if you haven't already. WiFi routers should be running OpenWrt for security and longevity. And consider whether you want to focus on a particular ecosystem of smartphone and tablet (iOS, proprietary Android, "alternative firmware" Android) that you expect to be able to source enough devices for and keep working.
I've got a friend who has been at this since learning in TV repair shops in the 1950s. His emphasis is always on fast turn-around. He doesn't believe in slowly turning on things with old electrolytic capacitors, for example. I've learned quite a bit from him. I've learned not to fear B+, but to give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts. (Only use 1 hand, keep the other behind you, always have a safety…
> give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts Man, I'd say be very respectful to anything that might be running 120-240V, and be very sure about anything higher than that. Anything <50V can often just be fun tinker whatever assuming you're ok with breaking whatever you're playing with, up to a certain max amperage of your power source. High amperage but low voltage can still cause some serious messups i…
Would love some written guides if anyone has anything not super specific. I do not gel with youtube.
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A good oscilloscope is stupid expensive but is also amazing for this type of work. I count myself lucky I have a friend who's an electrical engineer and I can borrow his work one. It makes everything so much easier. I'm sure for someone experienced the benefit is marginal but having a bunch of probes and being able to see the waveform feels like cheating for an amateur like me.
> A good oscilloscope is stupid expensive They're not that bad. You can get a good entry-level oscilloscope from a company like Rigol or Siglent for ~$300.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah, 120v ain't so bad. Hurts less than hitting your finger with a hammer.
I'm not necessarily talking about getting shocked (which can still end up being bad), I'm also referring to the fact a lot of those 120V circuits are probably only protected by something like 12-15-20A of circuit breakers that might take a while to actually blow and unless you're in a kitchen or a bathroom or whatever probably don't have GFCI protection. Messing something up can quickly lead to quite a fire.
That said, even something as simple as surge protector power strip is going to have a nice and fast circuit breaker in it. If you want to get fancier, get a GFCI extension strip from home depot. And if you get an isolation transformer, it'll certainly have a fuse or a breaker.
I've got a friend who has been at this since learning in TV repair shops in the 1950s. His emphasis is always on fast turn-around. He doesn't believe in slowly turning on things with old electrolytic capacitors, for example. I've learned quite a bit from him. I've learned not to fear B+, but to give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts. (Only use 1 hand, keep the other behind you, always have a safety…
Probably implied here, but learning to desolder is huge too. And there are tricks to it that didn't come easily to me. When you buy your first iron, I think it's worth getting some flux and solder wick as well. Taking circuits apart cleanly and properly can make repairs so much easier.
I've got a friend who has been at this since learning in TV repair shops in the 1950s. His emphasis is always on fast turn-around. He doesn't believe in slowly turning on things with old electrolytic capacitors, for example. I've learned quite a bit from him. I've learned not to fear B+, but to give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts. (Only use 1 hand, keep the other behind you, always have a safety…
1. Multimeter. 2.Soldering iron, for starting out I suggest spending a little more and getting a Hakko 888 instead of something cheaper. 3. Flux, Leaded solder, Braid. 4. Broken things you want to repair (for me it has been electronic musical instruments). 5. Practice, Patience, and hobby money. 6. Pay for Youtube Premium. 7. Ali Express Account.
You can get quite far with a Pinecil + additional tips (chisel tip is nice).