From: toby@tobiah.org   
      
   I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but this is embarrassing.   
   I opened the thing up, and wanted to go with the power jack idea.   
   I thought maybe there was a stuck switch inside that blocked battery   
   power when the adapter was plugged in.  I thought I'd remembered   
   seeing such a thing.   
      
   Tunnel vision engaged, I spent way too much time trying to get the   
   amp board removed.  I think the RCA plugs were holding it tight.   
   They seemed to have a metal flange on the outside of the plastic.   
      
   I never did get the board out, so I never got a good look at the   
   jack, but I could at least see that the solder connections were   
   not broken.   
      
   Tired and dejected, I buttoned up the machine and set it aside.   
      
   But do you think I'd hung a voltmeter on the battery compartment?   
   No way.  Today I did better.  I removed the battery tray and checked   
   the voltage coming out of it.  Nada.  It looked pristine.  I had spun   
   all the batteries and all the contacts were clean.  Tracing it down,   
   there was one positive pad that wasn't conducting.  I mean I scraped   
   it with the voltmeter probe, and go nothing.   
      
   So I took a Dremel tool, and burnished the contacts.  Of course   
   now the machine works fine again.   
      
   The only thing that worries me is that the contacts went from silver to   
   gold color.  Would that be copper?  Will I have the same problem in   
   short order having exposed the copper?  Should I tin them?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)