Re:We Fix: A DIY Manifesto (2014)
by analog31 on Wednesday November 25, 2020 @08:29PM
(#25216078)
I've fixed things all my life. I just fixed a wireless mouse by harvesting a switch from a wired mouse in my junk bin. It took not much more time than ordering a new mouse.
I get that things have gotten smaller. I can't do transistor level repairs when the transistors are 7 nanometers across.
I've fixed nearly every appliance in my house, some twice or more.
What I've learned is that a remarkable number of repairs involve something that is basically mechanical, and big enough to work on, if you can get at it. I resoldered the headphone jack on my son's cell phone.
But design measures that frustrate repair and don't really add much value, such as tamper proof screws, prevent what might otherwise be a perfectly legitimate and easy repair. That bothers me. Design features that seem to gratuitously frustrate repairs. IP built into components to prevent aftermarket replacement parts from working.
I get that things have gotten smaller. I can't do transistor level repairs when the transistors are 7 nanometers across.
I've fixed nearly every appliance in my house, some twice or more.
What I've learned is that a remarkable number of repairs involve something that is basically mechanical, and big enough to work on, if you can get at it. I resoldered the headphone jack on my son's cell phone.
But design measures that frustrate repair and don't really add much value, such as tamper proof screws, prevent what might otherwise be a perfectly legitimate and easy repair. That bothers me. Design features that seem to gratuitously frustrate repairs. IP built into components to prevent aftermarket replacement parts from working.