Ripped out antenna input plug

[dusty]

32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.

How much trouble would it be to fix?

Appx, how much would it cost to fix?

How long would it take to fix?


I attached a link to some pictures.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0

Thanks for any information.

 

[Michael Black]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015, dusty wrote:

32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.

How much trouble would it be to fix?

Appx, how much would it cost to fix?

How long would it take to fix?


I attached a link to some pictures.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0

Thanks for any information.

Assuming the video jacks are still okay, and the tv set still works as a
monitor, a DTV converter with video out would get the thing working again.

There are even DTV converters that have HDMI outputs, they even allow
recording if you attach a USB flash drive to them.

Michael

 

[dusty]

Michael Black<et472@ncf.ca> wrote:

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015, dusty wrote:

32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.

How much trouble would it be to fix?

Appx, how much would it cost to fix?

How long would it take to fix?


I attached a link to some pictures.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0

Thanks for any information.

Assuming the video jacks are still okay, and the tv set still works as a
monitor, a DTV converter with video out would get the thing working again.
There are even DTV converters that have HDMI outputs, they even allow
recording if you attach a USB flash drive to them.
Michael

That's a great suggestion.
Thank you

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:

>32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

Next time, use a push on F connector or adapter. It's a common
problem. Power cords and phono jacks are protected by easily
disconnecting.
<https://www.google.com/search?q=push+on+f+connector+adapter&tbm=isch>

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.
How much trouble would it be to fix?
Appx, how much would it cost to fix?
How long would it take to fix?
I attached a link to some pictures.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0
Thanks for any information.

I think anyone that knows which end of the soldering iron to grap can
probably put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's mostly a matter
of your carrying the TV to the repair person or shop, removing the
shield can, doing whatever it takes to resolder the connector, putting
it back together, and check for other common problems (i.e. bulging
caps). I would guess about 30-45 mins work and testing, assuming you
don't need any other repairs. All your photos are out of focus and
too far away, so I can't be more specific. Looks like the center pad
might have ripped off, so there will be some PCB trace work involved.
For cost, just ask for how much shop time costs.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[dusty]

Jeff Liebermann<jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:
32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.
I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

model # NS-L32Q-10A

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.
Next time, use a push on F connector or adapter. It's a common
problem. Power cords and phono jacks are protected by easily
disconnecting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=push+on+f+connector+adapter&tbm=isch
I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.
How much trouble would it be to fix?
Appx, how much would it cost to fix?
How long would it take to fix?
I attached a link to some pictures.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0
Thanks for any information.
I think anyone that knows which end of the soldering iron to grap can
probably put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's mostly a matter
of your carrying the TV to the repair person or shop, removing the
shield can, doing whatever it takes to resolder the connector, putting
it back together, and check for other common problems (i.e. bulging
caps). I would guess about 30-45 mins work and testing, assuming you
don't need any other repairs. All your photos are out of focus and
too far away, so I can't be more specific. Looks like the center pad
might have ripped off, so there will be some PCB trace work involved.
For cost, just ask for how much shop time costs.

Inside the shiny square box, where the connector is ripped out,
the small circuit board is broken in several places. Sorry the
pictures weren't better. I'll call around and see if someone can
fix it. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to drive 100 miles to find
someone who can fix it.

Those slip on connectors are a good idea.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

--
Usenet Reader for Android
http://android.newsgroupstats.hk

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 18:00:58 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:

Jeff Liebermann<jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:
32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.
I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

model # NS-L32Q-10A

You can buy the tuner can and just drop (or solder) it in place.
Search eBay and other sources for the number on the tuner.

Or, just replace the entire board:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/371414946277>
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281659047280>
or others for more money.

Inside the shiny square box, where the connector is ripped out,
the small circuit board is broken in several places. Sorry the
pictures weren't better.

If the board is cracked, it might be possible to epoxy it back
together, and solder the traces back together. However, if the traces
and cracks extend under components, there may be othe damage. Since
this might easily be a waste of time, it's probably best to replace
the tuner can, or the entire board.

I'll call around and see if someone can
fix it. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to drive 100 miles to find
someone who can fix it.

Have the replacement main board shipped to you via UPS, USPS, Fedex,
etc. Much easier than driving 100 miles. I don't think there will be
any soldering if your replace the entire main board. Just connector
juggling. Be sure to take a photo of what it looks like before you
start as mixing up connectors, shields, brackets, and hardware is not
a good idea.

>Those slip on connectors are a good idea.

Yep. I wish they made something similar for RJ45 (ethernet)
connectors. Good luck with the repair.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[dusty]

Jeff Liebermann<jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 18:00:58 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:
Jeff Liebermann<jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:
On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:
32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.
I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

model # NS-L32Q-10A
You can buy the tuner can and just drop (or solder) it in place.
Search eBay and other sources for the number on the tuner.
Or, just replace the entire board:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/371414946277
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281659047280
or others for more money.
Inside the shiny square box, where the connector is ripped out,
the small circuit board is broken in several places. Sorry the
pictures weren't better.
If the board is cracked, it might be possible to epoxy it back
together, and solder the traces back together. However, if the traces
and cracks extend under components, there may be othe damage. Since
this might easily be a waste of time, it's probably best to replace
the tuner can, or the entire board.
I'll call around and see if someone can
fix it. I wouldn't be surprised if I have to drive 100 miles to find
someone who can fix it.
Have the replacement main board shipped to you via UPS, USPS, Fedex,
etc. Much easier than driving 100 miles. I don't think there will be
any soldering if your replace the entire main board. Just connector
juggling. Be sure to take a photo of what it looks like before you
start as mixing up connectors, shields, brackets, and hardware is not
a good idea.
Those slip on connectors are a good idea.
Yep. I wish they made something similar for RJ45 (ethernet)
connectors. Good luck with the repair.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

wow, eBay has everything. I'll order a board after I check the
exact part number I need. I ordered some slip connectors.
You've helped me a lot, I appreciate it very much.

Thank you
Dusty

 

[amdx]

On 8/28/2015 3:51 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:

32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

Next time, use a push on F connector or adapter. It's a common
problem. Power cords and phono jacks are protected by easily
disconnecting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=push+on+f+connector+adapter&tbm=isch

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.
How much trouble would it be to fix?
Appx, how much would it cost to fix?
How long would it take to fix?
I attached a link to some pictures.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0
Thanks for any information.

I think anyone that knows which end of the soldering iron to grab can
probably put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's mostly a matter
of your carrying the TV to the repair person or shop, removing the
shield can, doing whatever it takes to resolder the connector, putting
it back together, and check for other common problems (i.e. bulging
caps). I would guess about 30-45 mins work and testing, assuming you
don't need any other repairs. All your photos are out of focus and
too far away, so I can't be more specific. Looks like the center pad
might have ripped off, so there will be some PCB trace work involved.
For cost, just ask for how much shop time costs.

Back in the olden days, I repaired many RF converters, when people
ripped the F connectors out of VCR's.
Usually super glued the pcb into normal position, then scraped the
foils and laid a piece of fine wire across the breaks and soldered it in
place. I often had to solder the F connector back into the RF converter,
because once the original crimp was torn loose, a solid mechanical
repair required it.
From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs, The first 6 or 7 years
were the boom time for VCR's, then the price started dropping by the
time I quit, the price was had hit $200 and less. People started
declining repair and buying new ones. I turned my position over to
another tech and moved to Florida. I returned a year later for a visit,
the tech said he only came in about twice a week to do repairs. The
volume had dropped considerably.
Mikek

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

 

[dusty]

amdx<nojunk@knology.net> wrote:

On 8/28/2015 3:51 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 11:26:26 -0500, "dusty" <dusty@dot.com> wrote:

32 inch Insignia flat screen TV.

I guess it doesn't have a model number. Could you be a little less
vague?

My big feet tripped over the antenna cable, ripping out
the input where the cable screws on.

Next time, use a push on F connector or adapter. It's a common
problem. Power cords and phono jacks are protected by easily
disconnecting.
https://www.google.com/search?q=push+on+f+connector+adapter&tbm=isch

I took off the back hoping it would be a simple solder
job, no luck. The little circuit board is broken.
How much trouble would it be to fix?
Appx, how much would it cost to fix?
How long would it take to fix?
I attached a link to some pictures.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/610z20tqny4wocy/AABqKX-ycqKAAsRqYXoykuVEa?dl=0
Thanks for any information.

I think anyone that knows which end of the soldering iron to grab can
probably put Humpty Dumpty back together again. It's mostly a matter
of your carrying the TV to the repair person or shop, removing the
shield can, doing whatever it takes to resolder the connector, putting
it back together, and check for other common problems (i.e. bulging
caps). I would guess about 30-45 mins work and testing, assuming you
don't need any other repairs. All your photos are out of focus and
too far away, so I can't be more specific. Looks like the center pad
might have ripped off, so there will be some PCB trace work involved.
For cost, just ask for how much shop time costs.

Back in the olden days, I repaired many RF converters, when people
ripped the F connectors out of VCR's.
Usually super glued the pcb into normal position, then scraped the
foils and laid a piece of fine wire across the breaks and soldered it in
place. I often had to solder the F connector back into the RF converter,
because once the original crimp was torn loose, a solid mechanical
repair required it.
From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs, The first 6 or 7 years
were the boom time for VCR's, then the price started dropping by the
time I quit, the price was had hit $200 and less. People started
declining repair and buying new ones. I turned my position over to
another tech and moved to Florida. I returned a year later for a visit,
the tech said he only came in about twice a week to do repairs. The
volume had dropped considerably.
Mikek
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

Being able to buy a replacement board on eBay, for a low price,
plug it in, makes it easy for anyone to fix their own. Someone
more skilled could fix the old one.

I just wonder what to do with the old board? The eBay store doesn't
say anything about wanting it for exchange. I'd hate to throw it away.
Do you know of a place that would want it?

There isn't a recycling place anywhere nearby for electronics. There's
probably one 100 miles away in Lubbock. I've got some other things
to get rid of.

Back in the late 70's, I had a Zenith TV that blew a board every six
months. They charged me $100 a couple of times to replace it.
It was the board for a built in phone. When it worked, it worked good.

l probably would have liked working with electronics, if I could have
gotten a start when I was young. We have oil fields around here, so
I got started in that.

I've fixed a lot of simple things with solder. That board is beyond my skill
level. Some people I used to work with thought I was a genius because
I could solder a few things. They could have done those things if they'd
tried. I'm getting too old and shaky to do fine work.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 29 Aug 2015 15:40:01 -0500, amdx <nojunk@knology.net> wrote:

Back in the olden days, I repaired many RF converters, when people
ripped the F connectors out of VCR's.
Usually super glued the pcb into normal position, then scraped the
foils and laid a piece of fine wire across the breaks and soldered it in
place. I often had to solder the F connector back into the RF converter,
because once the original crimp was torn loose, a solid mechanical
repair required it.

I had problems getting a solid support for the F-connector with a
cracked PCB. I used epoxy to hold the board together and did exactly
as you describe to fix the wiring. For supporting the F connection, I
added a brass washer and 3/8-32 nut. I then tack soldered the brass
washer to the tin plated tuner can. For those devices where that
wasn't possible, I installed a pigtail with an F-connector on the end.
If I was lazy and the front end had a 300 ohm input, I would install a
300-75 ohm balun hanging off the back.

>From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs,

Nice. That's 10 years or 1,100 VCR's per year, or roughly 100 per
month, or about 3 per day. One can make good money doing that kind of
volume.

The first 6 or 7 years
were the boom time for VCR's, then the price started dropping by the
time I quit, the price was had hit $200 and less. People started
declining repair and buying new ones.

I'm seeing much the same thing in the computah repair biz. Between
the release of Windoze 95 in 1995, and the end of the Y2K scare,
business was booming. It was not unusual to bill customers 33% of the
value of a new $3,000 machine for repairs and upgrades. However, for
personal reasons, I was not able to work much and could not take
advantage of the PC boom to enrich myself. After about 2002,
everything collapsed because the Y2K scare had forced most users buy
new machines, which they intended to amortize over a longer period.
Windoze XP was a major improvement over pervious Windoze mutations,
which resulted in a further reduction in work. Without my multiple
businesses, I would have given up. Today, it is possible to buy a
complete and functional desktop for about $700. Customers are usually
not willing to pay more then 25% to 33% of the replacement cost of a
machine on repairs. So, my maximum billing has dropped to about $200
per machine. At $75/yr, that's about 2.5 hrs, which doesn't leave me
much time to do complicated and lengthy repairs that were previously
both necessary and profitable.

I turned my position over to
another tech and moved to Florida. I returned a year later for a visit,
the tech said he only came in about twice a week to do repairs. The
volume had dropped considerably.

Bummer. However, obsolescence and dropping prices is a way of life in
the tech sector. I used to be in the digital watch and calculator
repair business when they were profitable and was fortunate enough to
bail out before the prices crashed.

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and unchecking "Insert Note into clean message (outgoing)".



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[micky]

In sci.electronics.repair, on Sat, 29 Aug 2015 19:05:29 -0700, Jeff
Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:

I turned my position over to
another tech and moved to Florida. I returned a year later for a visit,
the tech said he only came in about twice a week to do repairs. The
volume had dropped considerably.

Bummer. However, obsolescence and dropping prices is a way of life in
the tech sector

I have trouble reconciling myself with the idea that something is broken
beyond repair, when I know it can be repaired.

But I taught myself to think about a cheap dinner plate that has falled
and broken into 20 pieces. Is it really worth fixing, just because I
can?

 

Believe it or not you might be able to sell it to someone who needs on but doesn't care about off the air TV. Alot of people have cable or dish that requires a box anyway and most of them have video output, if not HDMI etc.

 

[amdx]

On 8/29/2015 9:05 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 29 Aug 2015 15:40:01 -0500, amdx <nojunk@knology.net> wrote:

Back in the olden days, I repaired many RF converters, when people
ripped the F connectors out of VCR's.
Usually super glued the pcb into normal position, then scraped the
foils and laid a piece of fine wire across the breaks and soldered it in
place. I often had to solder the F connector back into the RF converter,
because once the original crimp was torn loose, a solid mechanical
repair required it.

I had problems getting a solid support for the F-connector with a
cracked PCB. I used epoxy to hold the board together and did exactly
as you describe to fix the wiring. For supporting the F connection, I
added a brass washer and 3/8-32 nut. I then tack soldered the brass
washer to the tin plated tuner can.

The RF converters had a framework and then snap on covers. I would
file the bottom ring on the connector and tin it and the frame, The I
could usually lay a nice bead around it. Always with the freeze mist
handy to keep the internal plastic of the F connector from melting.

From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs,

Nice. That's 10 years or 1,100 VCR's per year, or roughly 100 per
month, or about 3 per day.

Ya, maybe a little better than that, I didn't work 7 days a week!


> One can make good money doing that kind of volume.

Ya, for a poor boy I did real well in 86, 87, 88, and 89.
The VCR craze built several retail chains during those years.
In 87 and 88 my share was $60k each year. Have never earned
as much again, even in inflated dollars.
The service center owner had a good setup. He tried to get warranty
service for any company he could. We had manuals, because we did
warranty repairs. In the early years the VCR companies paid very well
for warranty service. We had 3 big box retailers we did, warranty and
contract repairs for. Remember those service contracts sold by the
stores? Did great for the stores and me!
All techs were independent contractors, we could come and go on our
schedule, working any hours we wanted. I often had an afternoon nap! The
owner had a front counter that did a pretty good job of shielding us
from the---public---. We worked for a percentage of the labor and the
percentage increased after a certain amount. Great incentive to get more
work done. The independent contractor status probably would not have
passed an IRS test, but I would not have changed it.
We had a non refundable $39 troubleshooting fee, it would be
subtracted from the total bill. That pushed many people to part with
another $40 or $60 just because they already had $39 into it.
Because I worked on the same models over and over, I was paid for my
experience more than my time.

The first 6 or 7 years
were the boom time for VCR's, then the price started dropping by the
time I quit, the price was had hit $200 and less. People started
declining repair and buying new ones.

I'm seeing much the same thing in the computah repair biz. Between
the release of Windoze 95 in 1995, and the end of the Y2K scare,
business was booming. It was not unusual to bill customers 33% of the
value of a new $3,000 machine for repairs and upgrades. However, for
personal reasons, I was not able to work much and could not take
advantage of the PC boom to enrich myself. After about 2002,
everything collapsed because the Y2K scare had forced most users buy
new machines, which they intended to amortize over a longer period.
Windoze XP was a major improvement over previous Windoze mutations,
which resulted in a further reduction in work. Without my multiple
businesses, I would have given up. Today, it is possible to buy a
complete and functional desktop for about $700. Customers are usually
not willing to pay more then 25% to 33% of the replacement cost of a
machine on repairs. So, my maximum billing has dropped to about $200
per machine. At $75/yr, that's about 2.5 hrs, which doesn't leave me
much time to do complicated and lengthy repairs that were previously
both necessary and profitable.

I turned my position over to
another tech and moved to Florida. I returned a year later for a visit,
the tech said he only came in about twice a week to do repairs. The
volume had dropped considerably.

Bummer. However, obsolescence and dropping prices is a way of life in
the tech sector. I used to be in the digital watch and calculator
repair business when they were profitable and was fortunate enough to
bail out before the prices crashed.

DVD player sales were coming on at the time VCR's prices were
dropping, I thought about jumping into those, I'm glad I didn't, the
prices for those dropped quick.

Suggestion: Go into:
Avast -> Settings -> Active Protection -> Mail Shield
-> Customize -> Main Settings
and uncheck the box "Scan Outbound Mail SMTP". That will make the
above advertisement disappear. You don't really need to scan outgoing
email as anything that turns your machine into a spam bot will be
fairly obvious. However, if you want to scan outgoing email, you can
get rid of the message with:
Avast -> Settings -> Active Protection -> Mail Shield
-> Customize -> Behavior
and unchecking "Insert Note into clean message (outgoing)".

Ok, I did the latter, do I owe you a consultation fee, or do you
owe me a psychiatric fee for easing your angst?

Thanks, Mikek

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 30 Aug 2015 08:56:52 -0500, amdx <nojunk@knology.net> wrote:

The RF converters had a framework and then snap on covers. I would
file the bottom ring on the connector and tin it and the frame, The I
could usually lay a nice bead around it. Always with the freeze mist
handy to keep the internal plastic of the F connector from melting.

I wanted to avoid soldering to the F-connector. It was easier to tack
solder to the brass washer than to the connector. It was especially
handy for zinc and cadmium plated connectors, which would not solder
without grinding off the plating. Sometimes, the base metal was some
kind of aluminum copper mix, that also wouldn't solder. It became a
fairly common repair so I pre-tinned a box of brass washers and used
them as needed. I still have the box, somewhere. For where I had to
solder to the connector, I had a male F-connector with a heat sink
attached to conduct and then radiate as much heat as possible. The
center pin was the key because if the dielectric melted, it would
reform in the same position when cooled, held in place by the center
pin. All my few TV F-connector repairs included a push on adapter,
mostly because I didn't want to see the TV again after the owner
tripped over the cable again.

From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs,

Nice. That's 10 years or 1,100 VCR's per year, or roughly 100 per
month, or about 3 per day.

Ya, maybe a little better than that, I didn't work 7 days a week!

Ok. 20 working days per month makes 5 VCR's per day, which is even
more impressive.

In the early years the VCR companies paid very well
for warranty service. We had 3 big box retailers we did, warranty and
contract repairs for. Remember those service contracts sold by the
stores? Did great for the stores and me!

When I was going to college in the late 1960's, one of my assorted
part time jobs was working at the local electronics repair shop.
Officially, it was a camera repair shop. However, the owner
negotiated a deal to handle warranty service for Concord Electronics,
which imported Japanese cheap tape recorders. A shipment of maybe
2,000 recorders would arrive and the first think the factory did was
open the boxes and test them. It seems that there was zero testing at
the factory. We would get to fix and rework the failures. Since they
were mostly hand assembled at that point, the problems were easy to
spot consisting mostly of the usual parts in backwards, missing parts,
loose parts, and wrong parts. It was easy work and the margin was
great.

So, the owners negotiated similar warranty contracts with other
electronic importers. At various times, we had Sony (Superscope),
Akai, Roberts, Concord, Panasonic, and some others I can't recall.
Each company had its collection of problems. However, the work was
made more difficult by miserable packaging design and worthless
documentation. Each shipment was somewhat different from the previous
shipment as the factory made "improvements". Profits from the
warranty works was minimal, but necessary in order to get the much
more lucrative out of warranty repair work. Nobody sold service
contracts at the time.

Roll forward a few years and I'm now in the 2way radio biz billing by
time and materials. I go to the bank for a loan and they say that I
don't have a continuous income stream, which means I have to sell
service contracts in order to get a loan. So, I negotiate contracts
with my largest customers, only to find them now complaining about
literally everything possible. Instead of light erratic work and an
erratic income, I now had terminal over-work, but a steady income.
Oops. I eventually charged monthly for the contract and some amount
by the visit and by the radio. That worked.

Such service contracts are still with us today. One of my friends
destroyed her iPhone. She was paying Verizon for phone insurance.
When it came time to collect, she discovered that the deductible was
almost exactly the same as what it would cost to buy a "refurbished"
phone on eBay. Any semblance to a rip-off is not coincidental.

All techs were independent contractors, we could come and go on our
schedule, working any hours we wanted. I often had an afternoon nap! The
owner had a front counter that did a pretty good job of shielding us
from the---public---. We worked for a percentage of the labor and the
percentage increased after a certain amount. Great incentive to get more
work done. The independent contractor status probably would not have
passed an IRS test, but I would not have changed it.

The shop where I worked was much the same way except we were all
students and therefore part time employees. My pay was set by a
rather complex formula that I never understood. Sometimes it was more
than I expected, other times less. At the time, I don't believe there
was such a thing as independent contractor. At least, I don't recall
it ever being mentioned. That came later, in the 1980's. As I
recall, I was getting about $0.50/hr after taxes.

We had a non refundable $39 troubleshooting fee, it would be
subtracted from the total bill. That pushed many people to part with
another $40 or $60 just because they already had $39 into it.
Because I worked on the same models over and over, I was paid for my
experience more than my time.

You were lucky that the factory didn't make drastic changed with every
shipment. I had to learn the machine over again with every shipment,
roughly once per month. Not knowing that this was not exactly normal
or optimum, I just accepted it and plodded forward.

DVD player sales were coming on at the time VCR's prices were
dropping, I thought about jumping into those, I'm glad I didn't, the
prices for those dropped quick.

Good move. By this time, the manufacturers had cut the importers out
of the picture and were contracting with independent shops to see if
there was a market for after sales service. They would require the
shops to work for minimal profit, which was to be compensated by the
factory sending them all the out of warranty work. Between 1980 and
about 1995, that worked, because people genuinely expected products to
last 10+ years and were willing to pay for repair work. The
introduction of Chinese products wrecked that plan, where everything
is a throw away and the only need for repair service is to pretend to
deliver on their warranty obligations.

Avast -> Settings -> Active Protection -> Mail Shield
-> Customize -> Behavior
and unchecking "Insert Note into clean message (outgoing)".

Ok, I did the latter, do I owe you a consultation fee, or do you
owe me a psychiatric fee for easing your angst?

More like an excavation and cleaning fee. Finding the proper setting
under 7 layers of menus was the difficult part. Sorry, but I won't be
paying a fee. Personal policy does not allow me to pay for either
physical or mental exercise. However, I would like to thank you for
improving the aesthetic quality of your postings by removing the
advertisement.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sun, 30 Aug 2015 08:49:52 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

I have trouble reconciling myself with the idea that something is broken
beyond repair, when I know it can be repaired.

But I taught myself to think about a cheap dinner plate that has falled
and broken into 20 pieces. Is it really worth fixing, just because I
can?

That can be easily calculated. However, I need a number from you.
What percentage of the replacement cost of a specific item would you
consider spending (per year) on its repair? Obviously, that varies
with what is being repaired and any emotional attachment to it.

Let's see how it might work. The OP was asking about his 32 inch
Insignia NS-L32Q-10A LCD TV which just sold on eBay for $75 plus
something for shipping:
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/171905109763>
That sets the replacement cost of the TV. For used, my personal
maximum would be about 40% of the replacement cost. That would be
about $30 maximum for the repair. Assuming my time to be worthless,
buying a replacement board for $30 is marginal.

If he brought the TV to my shop where I charge $75/hr, my guess is $50
minimum charge for the repair, or about $100 if I replace the main
board (mostly consumed by testing to insure there are no additional
problems).

I might go for a higher percentage for something more expensive. Home
repair can sometime exceed the value of the structure. At the low
extreme, shipping can be more than the value of the product.

I've ranted and discussed the cost of repair issue several times in
the past. It's important to me because it sets the prices and rates
at which I can charge for my repair services. I can dig out the old
articles if you're interested.



--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[amdx]

On 8/30/2015 11:31 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sun, 30 Aug 2015 08:56:52 -0500, amdx <nojunk@knology.net> wrote:

The RF converters had a framework and then snap on covers. I would
file the bottom ring on the connector and tin it and the frame, The I
could usually lay a nice bead around it. Always with the freeze mist
handy to keep the internal plastic of the F connector from melting.

I wanted to avoid soldering to the F-connector. It was easier to tack
solder to the brass washer than to the connector. It was especially
handy for zinc and cadmium plated connectors, which would not solder
without grinding off the plating. Sometimes, the base metal was some
kind of aluminum copper mix, that also wouldn't solder. It became a
fairly common repair so I pre-tinned a box of brass washers and used
them as needed. I still have the box, somewhere. For where I had to
solder to the connector, I had a male F-connector with a heat sink
attached to conduct and then radiate as much heat as possible. The
center pin was the key because if the dielectric melted, it would
reform in the same position when cooled, held in place by the center
pin. All my few TV F-connector repairs included a push on adapter,
mostly because I didn't want to see the TV again after the owner
tripped over the cable again.

From 1984 to 1994, I had 11,000 vcr repairs,

Nice. That's 10 years or 1,100 VCR's per year, or roughly 100 per
month, or about 3 per day.

Ya, maybe a little better than that, I didn't work 7 days a week!

Ok. 20 working days per month makes 5 VCR's per day, which is even
more impressive.

It's not bragging if you did it right?
Ok, one week during the Christmas return season, I repaired 84 vcrs.
Most came from the 3 Big box retailers, in boxes.
I billed a little over $6,000 and got a $3,000 paycheck. Yes, I worked 7
days and more than 8 hrs a day. Many of the repairs were Fisher and
Sanyo VCR's with the same problems over and over. Any repairs that
looked like they might take real troubleshooting were moved to next
week. If I needed a part that I didn't have in stock, I usually had a
VCR on the shelf that had the part.

I needed to move them out, the 120 VCR's stacked up, was only the
start, the tv tech had his pile and the audio guy too. The shop got
crowded. The boss also had guy that went to the stores picked up the
repairs and delivered them when completed.
Another advantage to having lots of the same model, if I had a tough
dog, I could do the besideja method. Putting a working model beside me
and see what was different.

You were lucky that the factory didn't make drastic changed with every
shipment. I had to learn the machine over again with every shipment,
roughly once per month. Not knowing that this was not exactly normal
or optimum, I just accepted it and plodded forward.

When doing repairs, I hate the learning curve, especially when you know
you'll never see one of these again.
The biggest pleasure was, as the repair business started to wear on
you, a service class would come up, you go to the class and learn just
how cool all these parts put together as a circuit and combined with
other circuits and WOW, this thing is amazing.

DVD player sales were coming on at the time VCR's prices were
dropping, I thought about jumping into those, I'm glad I didn't, the
prices for those dropped quick.

Good move.

Ya, that's when I sold my home my rentals and moved to Florida.

However, I would like to thank you for
improving the aesthetic quality of your postings by removing the
advertisement.

It was my pleasure.
As Maya Angelo said, "When you know better, you do better".

Mikek

 

moron