From: blockedofcourse@foo.invalid   
      
   On 12/19/2025 9:32 AM, Buzz McCool wrote:   
   > On 12/17/2025 8:48 AM, Don Y wrote:   
   >>   
   >> I can replace LDOs, caps, reflow joints, etc. for very little money.   
   >   
   > Don, roughly what is your failed TV diagnosis troubleshooting flowchart?   
      
   Backlights are the number one issue.  Is there sound?  Can you see an   
   image *in* the glass?  With CFL backlights, it's bad caps, FETs   
   or (rarely) magnetics (reflow the connections).   
      
   Things like "no sound", not turning on, etc. almost always are the   
   result of an LDO "somewhere" that is toast.  Often, the one that   
   provides the power to the "standby" circuitry.   
      
   > Do your repairs stick, or like in my experience, the fix only lasts a   
   > short while before something else breaks?   
      
   I have three 24" monitors on each of two pairs of workstations   
   (I use the "input select" controls on the monitors to let me   
   view the output from workstation A or workstation B -- or   
   combinations thereof).  The other two workstations share a   
   set of three 30" monitors.   
      
   The last time I rescued a monitor was probably 2017 or 2018   
   (before COVID -- I just remember where the facility was located   
   when I rescued them).  So, that's the most recent time they   
   would have been repaired.   
      
   I tend to favor one set of three monitors as those workstations   
   are used for Documentation and Software Development, respectively.   
   (other two with 24's do Multimedia and CAD/EDA while the 30's do   
   Video Production and the "general purpose" workstation -- which has   
   *select* tools of each type but not the same variety as the other   
   workstations).   
      
   One of the "favored" monitors is now showing hesitancy coming on   
   (out of sleep) and a pink caste to the CFLs during that transition.   
   So, that's been running 7 days a week (sleeping when I am not actvely   
   using it) for 6-8 years.  The date of manufacture is 2006.   
      
   When it eventually fails, I will put it aside and take one of the   
   (10!) identical "spares" off a shelf to keep those machines "available".   
   And, if it proves to be bad CFLs (and not an inverter problem), I'll   
   just bring it back from whence it came.   
      
   Our primary TV, the one in my bedroom and the (small) one in the   
   kitchen are all rescues.  The small kitchen TV was rescued in 2017.   
   Bedroom in 2018 as with the main TV.  The kitchen TV is on *constantly*   
   as it is used during meal prep, sometimes while eating (it's on a   
   swing arm so we can view from adjoining room), as "company" when   
   SWMBO is puttering in her art area and to view Videos for her art   
   classes.  The main TV sees use in the afternoons and evenings as it   
   is more comfortable to watch films, DVR content and stuff from the   
   media tank.  The bedroom TV sees use primarily as a *monitor* for   
   one of the computers that resides nearby (watching TV in bed is an   
   unhealthy habit)   
      
   I've not had any reports of problems from any of the folks to whom   
   I've gifted sets so assume those are still running.  But, they likely   
   don't see much use (garages, porches, etc.)   
      
   I am hoping to replace the kitchen TV with a 24" AiO to eliminate the   
   cables to the multimedia PC used for those videos (and, the speakers   
   are poorly placed) as well as gain support for DVD media (instead of   
   sourcing content from a media tank).   
      
   I've not had to do any "repairs" on any of the servers that I have   
   (three 1U, one 2U, seven 6U towers) as they worked when rescued   
   (there was just no other way to put them back into use so rescue   
   beats recycle).  Nor any problems with the towers that I use as   
   my workstations (though I rescued three spare power supplies as   
   they have a unique form factor -- just in case).   
      
   Likewise, all of the SAS, SCSI, SCA and FC/AL disk drives -- they   
   don't fit in most consumer kit.  (though the disk in THIS machine   
   is now throwing faults; I will take the opportunity to increase its size)   
      
   [I have so many disks that I've had to arbitrarily keep enforcing   
   a lower size limit to ensure I rid myself of "small" disks.  I now   
   only keep a set of (identical) 500G drives to store compressed   
   *system* images for each machine that I build -- the "ultimate backup".   
   And, anything that indicates ONE relocated sector/grown defect or   
   more is trashed, regardless of disk size!]   
      
   I have a Compaq Portable 386 the RTC battery in which has died (again).   
   So, that will need attention.  And, the backlight in my Sun Voyager   
   looks to be dying (likely bad caps).  But, I may just let these become   
   someone else's problem as I don't really need either box, anymore.   
   (The Portable was an ISA host for some old ISA peripherals/coprocessors)   
      
   I fried a power supply in one of my USFF boxes by installing an   
   enterprise 2.5" disk -- the power supply couldn't cope with the   
   load.  So, replaced the disk with an SSD and swapped out the PS   
   for a spare (as power supplies are a main source of problems   
   in kit, I tend to rescue spares when I have rescued more than   
   one of a particular make/model device)   
      
   I've had to replace batteries in two of the rescued phones.  And,   
   my *favorite* phone is 3G so won't even keep time, anymore.     
   (It is delightfully *small* so was my go-to device when I needed to   
   keep track of time-of-day if I was "out")   
      
   Batteries in UPSs are a constant maintenance issue.  But, as there   
   are so many UPSs discarded, I just rescue the correct batteries   
   from them and recycle the failed batteries from mine.  But, I   
   "buy new" for the UPSs that support my "critical infrastructure".   
      
   I had one 2U UPS shit the bed and just opted to recycle it rather   
   than troubleshoot it.  An identical unit, rescued at the same time,   
   powers this computer -- claiming to be able to keep it (and the   
   interface to my ISP) up for 2.5 hours.   
   Switches "just work" (check all ports before rescuing).  If I   
   stumble on several (identical) *green* switches, I will replace   
   my managed switches but will live with their power drain,   
   otherwise (I set up one switch to handle all the LoM ports   
   and installed a power switch in it so I can keep *it* off   
   unless needed)   
      
   I've been steadily migrating data off of my (rescued) NASs   
   (Synology, WD, QNAP, etc.) in favor of multiple spindle   
   machines on which I can install FOSS software and actually have   
   a *useful* machine (instead of a glorified CLOSED appliance)   
   Those go back for recycling (as there is likely no demand for   
   reuse due to their size/number of spindles)   
      
     If I had to *pay* for rescued kit, I would probably be   
   a bit more selective.  But, given how plentiful it is, I can tolerate   
   any "bad choices" I may make (e.g., I used to rescue Viewsonic monitors   
   and found them to not be very good so opted for other choices when   
   larger monitors became available)   
      
   The real risk is controlling how much kit you accumulate!  I've been   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)