"One of those types who can fix stuff"

[MetalMonkey]

That's quite a lot of pipe!

That's what she said...

 

[redlig]

That's what she said...

Who to ? Anyone you knew?

 

[DAPPH]

I've always said, you don't need to know how something works in order to be able to fix it: you just need to know what a fault might look like

In thirty years as a field service techie based in Teesside, I've driven to Worcester to replace a fuse, Wolverhampton to reset a circuit breaker and Brize Norton to press a button. All to clear 'faults' that local staff couldn't identify. Then there's the cables trapped in doors or run over by a forklift, £10K x-ray head obviously dropped on the floor that nobody knows anything about - and so on and on. Just remembered - once drove to Portsmouth navy base to replace a blown bulb. As it was tied to an x-ray system it fell outside the local electricians' remit and had to have a 'specialist' from an approved supplier list. I think it was £1000 callout.

I once spent two days at Rolls-Royce Hillington trying to diagnose an intermittent fault with an x-ray set. Didn't matter what I thought of and checked, the set would run perfectly for so long and then drop its tube current. Eventually, running out of ideas and facing the prospect of telling the customer (and my chief) that I hadn't a clue I started idly tapping a screwdriver on the edge of a pull-out card frame and the fault cleared... then came back... then cleared.
Of course it was a dry solder joint, on a board I'd already checked over three times. A few seconds with the soldering iron and the symptoms have never recurred (although the factory closed some years ago the set went elsewhere, maybe East Kilbride).

Currently have a power supply sat on my desk from an aerospace factory. The client had swapped it for another one to prove the fault, then asked if we could fix it. Although we installed the system, the maker's technical manual only shows a block diagram for the PSU. I emailed asking for advice, they suggested I check the PCB fuses (the client's techies had already done so). I then asked if they could supply circuit diagrams? Sorry, no. OK then, how do I go about sending it to you to fix.
Oh no, we don't repair them, they said, you'll need a new PSU. Two to three weeks' delivery.
That's not much good, I've got a 24-hour production line depending on this.
Sorry, best we can do.
In the event a new PSU turned up in just over a week, got the set back up and running, and the faulty one then appeared - "have a look at it, see what you can do".
Of course it's a switched-mode PSU, all surface mount, MOSFETs, high-frequency transformers... no way am I ever going to fix this.
Five minutes with a multimeter turned up a blown low-Ohms resistor but no other obvious defect: could I hell find the right type and value of resistor in the UK and had to order from Mouser. It arrived (from Texas) in three days, about a dollar fifty for the part - and twenty quid carriage.
So a £1 component, yet again, takes out a £100K system and million-pound a week production line...

Keeping plenty of dead surface mount boards can be useful to cannibalize for a few mini components . I've recently taken several of the micro press to contact switches off dead garage roller door key fobs and put them on other dead fobs so friends can open & close their doors remotely again.

 

[prepman]

One thing that did occur to me on this subject is the different peoples' psyche. Example....
I've got a problem and I don't have the knowledge to fix it.
Answer.....Who do I know that does?

To....I've got a problem and don't have the knowledge to fix it.
Answer... where can I find the information to learn to fix it for now and in the future?

Is it laziness or just inability?

 

[ajlelectronics]

Is it laziness or just inability?

Modern education I believe. No longer are we taught HOW to think, but WHAT to think. Reasoning and investigative skills are gone, along with engineering and science in schools.

 

[prepman]

Can you paint a masterpiece? In my opinion yes, but many would NOT agree.
Compose a brilliant piece of music? Ditto, but my tastes aren't everyones
Sculpt something that will still be enthralling people centuries later? Done some pretty nifty plastering....
Design many F1 cars that win world championships? Working on it.....
Make a "new" Mk2 Escort survive 5 hard days of the RAC Rally that finished on Monday evening? Come on now.... a Ford?

 

[Kerelise]

Maybe someone here who can wield spanners, good at shaking one's head while muttering "dear oh dear, this'll cost ya", wants to apply for this: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1889440&csource=csalerts

 

[prepman]

Maybe someone here who can wield spanners, good at shaking one's head while muttering "dear oh dear, this'll cost ya", wants to apply for this: https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1889440&csource=csalerts

Is it my old fuddled brain or is the description ambiguous?

 

[Guineafowl]

I'd say that in my experience, well over half of all circuit board faults leap out at you before you even reach for a multimeter. Blown fuses, burned tracks, crispy capacitors and exploded transistors - the smell is usually the first clue.

Good phrase from my line of work - ‘more is missed by not looking, than by not knowing’.

 

[redlig]

I'd say that in my experience, well over half of all circuit board faults leap out at you before you even reach for a multimeter. Blown fuses, burned tracks, crispy capacitors and exploded transistors - the smell is usually the first clue.

Escape of magic smoke is usually my first clue followed by a desire to cough.

 

[bourbon]

Good phrase from my line of work - ‘more is missed by not looking, than by not knowing’.

stealing that

 

[Guineafowl]

stealing that

Another good one: ‘A question well stated is half answered.’

Applied to fixing of unfamiliar machines: find out all you can about a fault, before tearing in to fix it, including the circumstances when it occurred, etc. Once you’ve fully characterised what’s wrong, you may have some clues as to where to look.

 

[Robotstar5]

Another good one: ‘A question well stated is half answered.’

Applied to fixing of unfamiliar machines: find out all you can about a fault, before tearing in to fix it, including the circumstances when it occurred, etc. Once you’ve fully characterised what’s wrong, you may have some clues as to where to look.

That's fine when you're given time to fault find, I spent many years on front line maintenance where you only get a minute or so to fault find before peers start telling you to change this, replace that etc. hoping it will fix the problem

 

[Mick Annick]

My favourite un-needed work story is from years ago - a work colleague took his Ford Sierra for MOT at local Kwik Fit.

Gets a call during the day - it needs all new shocks - it'll be loads of money . . .

Go ahead - if it needs it, it needs it.

Go to collect, they present the rather large bill . . .

He in return presents the paperwork with the several years warranty/free replacement etc of the shocks etc fitted less than 12 mths before by the same place . . .

Cue Kwik Fit gnashing of teeth and "have a nice day sir . . ."

Hasten to add, not all Kwik Fits are like that - had some good service and been allowed to rummage through used exhausts etc for bits to use from others.

I had a similar issue with them, went into a branch for new rear tyres, they said the nearly new front’s need changing too - they’re the wrong speed rating for this car. Crack on I says, and when I collected it gave them their invoice for fitting the fronts a couple of months earlier.

 

[DAPPH]

Another good one: ‘A question well stated is half answered.’

Applied to fixing of unfamiliar machines: find out all you can about a fault, before tearing in to fix it, including the circumstances when it occurred, etc. Once you’ve fully characterised what’s wrong, you may have some clues as to where to look.

Always suspect the owner of the equipment has meddled with it or his friends have. It usually explains missing washers , non locknuts and nylock nuts being mixed on the same set of bolt threads , wrong length screws bottoming in their holes and parts missing .

 

[Onoff]

Modern education I believe. No longer are we taught HOW to think, but WHAT to think. Reasoning and investigative skills are gone, along with engineering and science in schools.

Sat through a fascinating mini psychology lecture at Brighton uni the other week. The guy studies I guess you could say the increasing use and reliance on digital mediums to store information.

20 odd years ago, people shown I think 12 objects then asked to remember them would recall 7 +/-2.

Now it's more like 4 +/-1.

It was on the lines that by and large we don't stop and think deeply, we Google whatever. We don't picture something in our minds eye but recall it on the net.

 

[bricol]

Another good one: ‘A question well stated is half answered.’

Applied to fixing of unfamiliar machines: find out all you can about a fault, before tearing in to fix it, including the circumstances when it occurred, etc. Once you’ve fully characterised what’s wrong, you may have some clues as to where to look.

Problem comes when you are working on the first, the one and only one in the world that's actually running and faulting . . .

I still haven't discovered whether I'm the best one for the job, or the last resort . . . but I've never yet left a machine not running. Maybe not to it's full potential, in which case, not left it without the plan to get back to full speed with new design parts to fix it.

 

[DAPPH]

Sat through a fascinating mini psychology lecture at Brighton uni the other week. The guy studies I guess you could say the increasing use and reliance on digital mediums to store information.

20 odd years ago, people shown I think 12 objects then asked to remember them would recall 7 +/-2.

Now it's more like 4 +/-1.

It was on the lines that by and large we don't stop and think deeply, we Google whatever. We don't picture something in our minds eye but recall it on the net.

Pelmanism is a good way of combatting the loss of brain activation and memory. So is chess , being able to think things out quickly and accurately
We often play a 32 items on a tray game version with our young Ukrainian refugee lad . He's a lot sharper than he lets on to be . He's starting to shine at school .

 

[prepman]

Pelmanism is a good way of combatting the loss of brain activation and memory. So is chess , being able to think things out quickly and accurately
We often play a 32 items on a tray game version with our young Ukrainian refugee lad . He's a lot sharper than he lets on to be . He's starting to shine at school .

Trump got up to 5 objects......

 

[redlig]

Pelmanism is a good way of combatting the loss of brain activation and memory. So is chess , being able to think things out quickly and accurately
We often play a 32 items on a tray game version with our young Ukrainian refugee lad . He's a lot sharper than he lets on to be . He's starting to shine at school .

I presume that pelmanism is the ability to watch a mind numbing video in which case I failed miserably and will just have to put up with my 'lot'. I do agree with the chess theory so all is not lost .