What have you fixed lately?

[Osem]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Most of the CMOS defaults are correct for a standard build system. The memory cards have a small flash RAM on them that gives the BIOS the correct settings. Unless you've had cause to change BIOS settings, like I did with the boot priorities, they'll be at the default most likely.

That's the sort of information I like to hear.

Cheers.

[Osem]

A 'fix' of sorts - the USB charging connector in my trusty Goodmans pocket DAB radio had become a little loose over time and finally fell out yesterday leaving me unable to charge the radio. I opened it up but soon realised I'd be be unable to fix the connector back onto the PCB however, luckily the radio uses a removeable BL-5C phone battery so I bought a universal battery charger which arrived today and it works just fine. The only slight downside is I now have to charge the battery outside the unit but I can live with that and should be able to use the new charger to charge other batteries with normally have to be charged in situ - my Panasonic TZ27 camera being one example.

Time will tell how good the charger is but it only cost £4.50 and arrived this afternoon and that was with free delivery.

[SnoopZ]

Replaced the 2 kitchen taps with a mixer tap, long over due!

Even the simplest of plumbing jobs are a pain in the ass but luckily it isn't leaking!

[Osem]

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

Replaced the 2 kitchen taps with a mixer tap, long over due!

Even the simplest of plumbing jobs are a pain in the ass but luckily it isn't leaking!

Yup, the simplest often turn out to be anything but...

[Osem]

The wife's favourite sunglasses. The lenses had become badly scratched but we'd kept a few old pairs for spares and I managed to find old pair from with similar sized, unscratched lenses which fitted to the old frame. Thirty mins or so fiddling around removing and reinstating tiny screws, washers, nuts etc. and she has a nice 'new' pair of sunglasses and I have my weekend brownie points.

[Taf]

I used Gorilla glue to reattach the control knob of a mate's hallway dimmer switch. Let's see if his kids can rip that one off...

Incidentally, he had purchased a replacement from Wickes. I was shocked to see the screws to hold the wires in place were 2mm wide, and 10mm down a 2mm hole! Jeweller's screwdriver to do that job!

[Osem]

Some of the leads to the wife's TENS machine. Very poorly designed!

[Tinky]

Patio door lock ad seized so unscrewed it and soaked it with WD 40 hey voila!
Also managed to run over the vacuum lead so insulation tape applied, luckily the wire wasn't too damaged.

[Osem]

Fixed the sole on one of Osem Jnr # 2's favourite moccasin slippers. He's happy

[heero_yuy]

Electrically heated towel rail in the bathroom in my late mums place: Two of the plastic mountings had split and that was allowing some excess movement, so I carefully drilled couple of extra screw countersunk holes into them, plastered well with construction adhesive and then screwed firmly back onto the wall.

Job's a good'un.

[Osem]

The wife's much loved (but extreme pain inducing) epilator by swapping the broken power adaptor for one I'd kept from an old DAB radio which packed up a few years ago.

[rhyds]

I spent a pleasant hour or two chasing electrical faults on my old man's new Case International 885 tractor (the finest 1989 could offer!)

First off was the very odd behaviour of the headlamps. With the switch on "dipped" there was a light on in one headlamp, but not the other. When you hit "main beam" both lamps came on, but very weakly. The main beam warning light was also on whenever the lights were on, even if you had dip beam selected.

Turns out the problem was down to a failed headlamp bulb. The old style H4 bulbs used in this machine have both main and dipped beam filaments in the same glass envelope. What had happened was the earth pin on one of the bulbs had failed, meaning the two circuits were cross-feeding. A couple of new bulbs quickly sorted that.

The second issue was the sidelights didn't work. This was down to the fuses not having blown, but being those terrible old style glass ones, and they'd corroded in their holders. A quick clean up had them all working again, except for one dim LED tail lamp, which turned out to be a poor earth connection.

The last problem was much more of a pain. The indicators were flashing as if a bulb was blown, but all 4 indicators worked. The problem is that the LED Tail lamps installed have LED indicators, meaning they don't provide enough load to keep the indicator flasher unit happy. Unfortunately its not a straightforward part to swap (Tractor flashers are different to car ones) so it seems I'll have to stick a resistor in the circuit somewhere to raise the load to keep the flasher happy.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by rhyds

The last problem was much more of a pain. The indicators were flashing as if a bulb was blown, but all 4 indicators worked. The problem is that the LED Tail lamps installed have LED indicators, meaning they don't provide enough load to keep the indicator flasher unit happy. Unfortunately its not a straightforward part to swap (Tractor flashers are different to car ones) so it seems I'll have to stick a resistor in the circuit somewhere to raise the load to keep the flasher happy.

The companies that market these LED replacements often have the right ally clad resistor(s) to keep the flasher unit happy. It measures the load current internally across a low value resistor to determine if a bulb has failed.

[rhyds]

The problem is finding somewhere convenient to mount the resistor, as the tail lamps are mounted on the mudguards (motorbike style) and are quite exposed. I'm tempted to either stick one resistor on the flasher output (to make up for the one bulb that's "missing" on each circuit or re-wire the whole shebang to take a simple 3 pin LED flasher unit

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by rhyds

The problem is finding somewhere convenient to mount the resistor, as the tail lamps are mounted on the mudguards (motorbike style) and are quite exposed. I'm tempted to either stick one resistor on the flasher output (to make up for the one bulb that's "missing" on each circuit or re-wire the whole shebang to take a simple 3 pin LED flasher unit

A single resistor near the flasher unit sounds like the way to go. Although the aluminium clad ones are pretty rugged I don't think they'll take continuous exposure to muck and bullets.