c/fixing-old-gadgets

Serious question, why do so many people skip the capacitor check on old tube radios?

I was fixing a 1950s Zenith table radio from a garage sale in Omaha, and the sound was just a low hum. Everyone online said to replace the tubes first, so I spent $80 on a new set. Still hummed. My buddy who fixes old amps told me to test the filter capacitors with a meter, and sure enough, two were totally dead. Replaced those for $12 and it works perfect now. How many other simple fixes are people missing because they jump to the expensive part first?

2 comments

noah_rivera57•2d ago

My old Game Boy Color kept shutting off and I was blaming the power switch for months

I was cleaning the switch with isopropyl alcohol every other week, convinced it was the only problem. Then last Tuesday, I was swapping the screen on my workbench and noticed the battery contacts looked a little dull. On a whim, I gave them a scrub with a pencil eraser, which I read about in a forum years ago. The thing powered right up and hasn't cut out once since. I felt so dumb for focusing on the complicated part and missing the simple, obvious fix right in front of me. All that time wasted taking the whole thing apart over and over. Has anyone else had a moment where the fix was way simpler than the problem you imagined?

2 comments

jenny_carr52•2d ago

Trying to fix my old Game Boy Color and the screen went completely black

I was in my garage in Phoenix last weekend, finally getting around to replacing the screen on my childhood Game Boy Color. I bought a new backlit LCD kit online for about 35 bucks. Everything was going smooth until I plugged the new screen's ribbon cable into the motherboard. I turned it on and got nothing, just a solid black screen with a faint hum from the speaker. My heart sank. I spent the next two hours checking my solder points with a magnifying glass, reflowing a couple that looked cold, and triple-checking the cable was seated right. I was ready to give up, but then I noticed the tiny contrast wheel on the side was turned all the way down. I gave it a tiny nudge with a small screwdriver and the picture popped right up, bright and clear. I felt so dumb but also relieved. Has anyone else had a simple fix like that completely stump them on an old console repair?

2 comments

jade_hunt48•3d ago

Just fixed my old Game Boy Color with two different cleaning methods

I had a dead power switch on my old Game Boy Color. First, I tried just spraying contact cleaner inside and working it back and forth, but it only worked for a day. Then I took it apart, opened the switch housing, and cleaned the metal contacts directly with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol. That second method fixed it for good. Anyone know other good ways to clean old console switches without taking them fully apart?

2 comments

ryan_flores•6d ago

My brother said his old iPod was 'just junk' before he tossed it, which got me thinking about how we decide something is beyond saving.

I mean, I pulled it from his trash, replaced the battery for $12, and now it works fine, so maybe we give up on stuff too fast.

2 comments

riley_bell•7d ago

Went to the electronics recycling drop-off in Spokane and saw a stack of perfectly fixable PS2s just sitting there.

I get that people want to declutter, but tossing a console that just needs a $5 laser lens replacement feels like such a waste when there are guides and parts everywhere online.

2 comments