3 ms·

Well, one way would be to get a barebone laptop from an OEM like Clevo. As you can fit these with your own RAM, CPU and drive, it is quite servicable per defin

Well, one way would be to get a barebone laptop from an OEM like Clevo. As you can fit these with your own RAM, CPU and drive, it is quite servicable per definition. Of course, if the mainboard breaks, you need to rely on the manufacturer. But the same applies to the engine of the DeWalt drill, I guess. I mean... there are people out there that can fix the engine of the drill. I‘m pretty sure there are also people out there that can fix a mainboard.

bluGill 7y ago
There are people who can fix main boards. They fix cracks by soldering jumpers across it (I'm not sure how they deal with multi-layer boards). They replace capacitors almost without bothering to check if the old ones are still good. They can replace the other parts too if replacements exist: they have the diagnostics tools to figure out what is broke. They charge skilled labor prices for this service. Be prepared to pay thousands of dollars. It is almost always cheaper to replace the entire board than repair, but sometimes you depend on that exact computer (for timing reasons where a faster modern computer won't work). Or sometimes the board is tied to a much larger machine that would be expensive to replace.
- vbezhenar 7y ago
  My iPhone had broken WiFi module. One guy removed it and soldered new. He used microscope and very tiny soldering iron. It looked like very skilled work for me. I was charged $50 for work, WiFi module and new battery (he replaced battery as well). I live in Kazakhstan, btw. It's interesting how economies change between very different countries. We are paying 20-40% premium for iPhones compared to US prices, but manual labor is very cheap, even skilled one. For American people right to repair sometimes sound like a fun thing to do. For Kazakhstani people right to repair might be a difference between using a phone or not.
  - singron 7y ago
    That reminds me of Baumol's Cost Disease[1]. Some industries become more efficient due to advances in technology (e.g. manufacturing and agriculture), but others do not (e.g. healthcare, education). Those other industries become more expensive in real terms since you have to pay people more to do the same job. E.g. in this case, the US economy is so productive, and manufacturing is so efficient, that repair (which isn't made much more efficient by technology) becomes more expensive. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol%27s_cost_disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol%27s_cost_disease

bluGill 7y ago

There are people who can fix main boards. They fix cracks by soldering jumpers across it (I'm not sure how they deal with multi-layer boards). They replace capacitors almost without bothering to check if the old ones are still good. They can replace the other parts too if replacements exist: they have the diagnostics tools to figure out what is broke. They charge skilled labor prices for this service. Be prepared to pay thousands of dollars. It is almost always cheaper to replace the entire board than repair, but sometimes you depend on that exact computer (for timing reasons where a faster modern computer won't work). Or sometimes the board is tied to a much larger machine that would be expensive to replace.

vbezhenar 7y ago
My iPhone had broken WiFi module. One guy removed it and soldered new. He used microscope and very tiny soldering iron. It looked like very skilled work for me. I was charged $50 for work, WiFi module and new battery (he replaced battery as well). I live in Kazakhstan, btw. It's interesting how economies change between very different countries. We are paying 20-40% premium for iPhones compared to US prices, but manual labor is very cheap, even skilled one. For American people right to repair sometimes sound like a fun thing to do. For Kazakhstani people right to repair might be a difference between using a phone or not.
- singron 7y ago
  That reminds me of Baumol's Cost Disease[1]. Some industries become more efficient due to advances in technology (e.g. manufacturing and agriculture), but others do not (e.g. healthcare, education). Those other industries become more expensive in real terms since you have to pay people more to do the same job. E.g. in this case, the US economy is so productive, and manufacturing is so efficient, that repair (which isn't made much more efficient by technology) becomes more expensive. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol%27s_cost_disease https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baumol%27s_cost_disease