7 ms·

This is becoming more and more of a problem as everything becomes more complex. I remember when I was a child my dad repaired the power switch on the vacume cle

This is becoming more and more of a problem as everything becomes more complex. I remember when I was a child my dad repaired the power switch on the vacume cleaner by going to the local electrical store and buying the exact same switch. Now every single device has its own custom part and the switch isn't just connecting 2 wires, it's contacting a main board telling it the button has been pressed triggering the power toggle code which will probably perform a bunch of checks and processes before powering on. If anything goes wrong you either have to replace half of the device if you can or just bin it because it would take you a lifetime to work out everything that happens when you press the power button.

WalterBright 7y ago
When it doesn't work, I just apply more voltage.
- jacobush 7y ago
  How do you refill the white smoke which escapes sometimes when you do that?
  - taneq 7y ago
    If you apply even more voltage, you can make more smoke. :D
  - WalterBright 7y ago
    That's the whole point. The smoke is clogging up the electronics, need to blow it out.
jandrese 7y ago
The good news is you can get almost anything on the Internet. I've found so many weird parts from shady eBay sellers that worked perfectly in the end. Other times I've had to order a similar part off of Mouser and hack it to make it fit, with varying levels of success.
- baroffoos 7y ago
  This is less of an option when hardware makers fuse everything in to a single board so when one thing breaks you need a new main board which costs as much as the whole device. I have had a surprising amount of luck with some items though. Managed to replace the shoulder buttons on my 3ds by finding a replica of the button + ribbon cable + connector used.
  - marpstar 7y ago
    This is the #1 reason I bought the absolute cheapest washer/dryer combo I could find. My last set was purchased at a garage sale and I kept them running for ~10 years by purchasing the necessary replacement parts from eBay, maybe $40 over those 10 years. I can't do that for everything, but I will for washers and dryers. My "new" dryer has already failed once and I repaired it in 20 minutes with a $4 part.
    - ptaipale 7y ago
      I really like my microwave oven that has just two controls: one dial for power (scale defrost - full power) and one for time (mechanical clock up to 30 min). It is not likely to break because there is no PCB with bad capacitors. It does not have a clock that I would need to adjust at every DST change, and it does not have an array of confusing buttons and controls. Everyone can use it, without reading the manual. And it cost me €39, including 24 % VAT.
      - sergiosgc 7y ago
        There is an "Apple" market for the first company that designs a simple microwave oven. The user interface on most of those things is atrocious. A beautiful oven with two dials would kill on the market. (maybe there is one, but I couldn't find one browsing on appliance stores)
        vonseel 7y ago
        _A beautiful oven with two dials would kill on the market. (maybe there is one, but I couldn't find one browsing on appliance stores)_ Aren't you commenting on a guy claiming to love his two dial microwave oven?
Scoundreller 7y ago
At least for random electronic widgets, there's some manufacturer in China selling that exact part or an aftermarket one on Ebay/AliExpress. Backlight burnout on your LCD TV? No problem. You can buy brand new NES controllers today. (!).
chris11 7y ago
I've heard Tesla advertising themselves as a simpler car, by comparing the number of moving parts between a Tesla and an ICE car. That should've made part shortages less likely.
- baroffoos 7y ago
  Its simpler in terms of moving parts sure, but the actual complexity of what is going on is through the roof. A physical door handle may have more moving parts than a touch panel but if you pull apart a door handle you can quite quickly work out how it works and how it could be replicated. Good luck pulling apart a bunch of micro controllers trying to work out the communication protocols and code required to respond to a touch.
  - chris11 7y ago
    That's a good point. I guess that just comes along with trying to design an entire car yourself. I was thinking more about the normal major repair points for the car, like the powertrain. But I guess all the smaller repairs needed on a car become more frustrating when you need to go through Tesla to fix it.
segmondy 7y ago
The barrier has gone up in fixing things, but it's still not impossible. You can't buy parts from Radioshack, but you can still find parts if you search carefully. Folks are also able to 3D print parts and combine new parts to make replacement. The repair culture is down, less people are into electronics, but those that are motivated are still fixing almost and and everything they set forth to.

WalterBright 7y ago

When it doesn't work, I just apply more voltage.

jacobush 7y ago
How do you refill the white smoke which escapes sometimes when you do that?
- taneq 7y ago
  If you apply even more voltage, you can make more smoke. :D
- WalterBright 7y ago
  That's the whole point. The smoke is clogging up the electronics, need to blow it out.

jandrese 7y ago

The good news is you can get almost anything on the Internet. I've found so many weird parts from shady eBay sellers that worked perfectly in the end. Other times I've had to order a similar part off of Mouser and hack it to make it fit, with varying levels of success.

baroffoos 7y ago
This is less of an option when hardware makers fuse everything in to a single board so when one thing breaks you need a new main board which costs as much as the whole device. I have had a surprising amount of luck with some items though. Managed to replace the shoulder buttons on my 3ds by finding a replica of the button + ribbon cable + connector used.
- marpstar 7y ago
  This is the #1 reason I bought the absolute cheapest washer/dryer combo I could find. My last set was purchased at a garage sale and I kept them running for ~10 years by purchasing the necessary replacement parts from eBay, maybe $40 over those 10 years. I can't do that for everything, but I will for washers and dryers. My "new" dryer has already failed once and I repaired it in 20 minutes with a $4 part.
  - ptaipale 7y ago
    I really like my microwave oven that has just two controls: one dial for power (scale defrost - full power) and one for time (mechanical clock up to 30 min). It is not likely to break because there is no PCB with bad capacitors. It does not have a clock that I would need to adjust at every DST change, and it does not have an array of confusing buttons and controls. Everyone can use it, without reading the manual. And it cost me €39, including 24 % VAT.
    - sergiosgc 7y ago
      There is an "Apple" market for the first company that designs a simple microwave oven. The user interface on most of those things is atrocious. A beautiful oven with two dials would kill on the market. (maybe there is one, but I couldn't find one browsing on appliance stores)
      - vonseel 7y ago
        _A beautiful oven with two dials would kill on the market. (maybe there is one, but I couldn't find one browsing on appliance stores)_ Aren't you commenting on a guy claiming to love his two dial microwave oven?

Scoundreller 7y ago

At least for random electronic widgets, there's some manufacturer in China selling that exact part or an aftermarket one on Ebay/AliExpress. Backlight burnout on your LCD TV? No problem. You can buy brand new NES controllers today. (!).

chris11 7y ago

I've heard Tesla advertising themselves as a simpler car, by comparing the number of moving parts between a Tesla and an ICE car. That should've made part shortages less likely.

baroffoos 7y ago
Its simpler in terms of moving parts sure, but the actual complexity of what is going on is through the roof. A physical door handle may have more moving parts than a touch panel but if you pull apart a door handle you can quite quickly work out how it works and how it could be replicated. Good luck pulling apart a bunch of micro controllers trying to work out the communication protocols and code required to respond to a touch.
- chris11 7y ago
  That's a good point. I guess that just comes along with trying to design an entire car yourself. I was thinking more about the normal major repair points for the car, like the powertrain. But I guess all the smaller repairs needed on a car become more frustrating when you need to go through Tesla to fix it.

segmondy 7y ago

The barrier has gone up in fixing things, but it's still not impossible. You can't buy parts from Radioshack, but you can still find parts if you search carefully. Folks are also able to 3D print parts and combine new parts to make replacement. The repair culture is down, less people are into electronics, but those that are motivated are still fixing almost and and everything they set forth to.