Toshiba TV29C90 problem; Image fades to black...

[JURB6006]

Hi;

I threw a webpage together quick for Lenny Stein identifying the four types of
cassette mechs used in late 80s and early 90s Gm radios. I thought maybe others
still work on this type of stuff and figured I'd go public, I also have a cache
of these radios with parts for anyone interested. They are available for trade
or sale cheap. I'm trying to avoid throwing them out.

<a href="http://members.aol.com/JURB6006/delco/delcocass.htm">Delco "2000"&lt;/a
href&gt;

I have a few type Bs (and Cs, not sure about the ones still in units), either
working or close to working, one or two type Ds, and I think only one type A.

The type A is a cheapo and I'd seriously consider actually cutting the
faceplate to accomodate a B or C type. Much better deck and auto reverse, also
I might have the right faceplate to do it. I have a couple with equalizers as
well.

A good many of these were OK, but have fried power output chips. One has an
intermittent I couldn't seem to hunt down, I think it needs a volume control.

Anyway, it's all up for grabs, cheap, some stuff free and/or trade for
something I can use. Whatever. I'm reasonable. On top of having a bit of a
rough go with finances lately, I simply don't want to trash this stuff.

Anyway if you have any trouble with the link, I checked and it's there.

I'm on AOL so it members.aol.com/JURB6006

In a subdirectory called delco. The filename is delcocass.htm

I only did that because sometimes links get screwed up here (well everywhere).

Thanks for your attention.

JURB

 

[Tom MacIntyre]

On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 06:39:24 GMT, "Fred"
&lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote:

I'm just wondering... if you call this up and get some gal jabbering in
Chinese at you, how do you know she's not just complaining about you not
mowing the lawn or fixing that leaky kitchen faucet -- like you hear at
home?

Too true...I once heard of a short play/skit where a man and a woman
sat on a sofa side by side speaking seemingly seductive French to each
other, in front of an English audience, and the script was basically a
grocery list.

Tom

 

[Mark D. Zacharias]

"Chaos Master" &lt;spammers.fuck@spam.com.INVALID&gt; wrote in message
news:MPG.1bed039444b7ea95989715@fallen.inc...

, that posted to
sci.electronics.repair on Fri, 29 Oct 2004 13:49:25 -0400 under article
S9mdnefjEZZ-HB_cRVn-oA@comcast.com&gt;:
The idiot who was whining about top posting.
Top posting is the deault.

A: Top posting.
Q: What is the most irritating thing on Usenet?

[]s
--
Chaos MasterŽ, posting from Brazil.
"People told me I can't dress like a fairy.
I say, I'm in a rock band and I can do what the hell I want!"
-- Amy Lee
http://marreka.no-ip.com | http://tinyurl.com/46vru |
http://renan182.no-ip.org

I've Googled the subject and although there's obviously differences of
opinion, there's reasons for top-posting, reasons for bottom posting, and
reasons for inserting replies. For this reason, I'm doing all three,
depending mainly on whether it's an ongoing thread, a simple one-time reply,
or responding to several questions contained in one post. Sometimes if some
self-appointed sheriff makes a big deal about it I'll top-post just to piss
them off.

Mark Z.

 

[Master TV]

"NSM" &lt;nowrite@to.me&gt; wrote in message news:&lt;AFCgd.39769$9b.12504@edtnps84&gt;...

"Norm Dresner" &lt;ndrez@att.net&gt; wrote in message
news:lvzgd.42732$OD2.32843@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
|
| We all know it when we see it. It's got a fairly characteristic look to
it
| but ...
|
| A) What, physically, is a cold solder joint?

It is an unwetted connection between solder and other metals. Think blobs of
water on a greasy pan.


| and
|
| B) What are the electrical characteristics of a cold solder joint?

Variable. Sometimes they work for 10 years then fail. Usually they make
intermittent connection. Sometimes they make no connection at all without
external pressure.

N

A cold solder joint is when the part being soldered was not heated
enough for the solder to grab on to it properly.

 

[NSM]

"Master TV" &lt;mastertv@comcast.net&gt; wrote in message
news:42fbd113.0410301225.4bde201c@posting.google.com...

| A cold solder joint is when the part being soldered was not heated
| enough for the solder to grab on to it properly.

I spent 30 minutes watching a skilled tool and die maker try to resolder the
radiator from his car with more and more heat and failing each time. I
finally asked him to let me try. I carefully cleaned all the parts, using
wire brushes and acid flux and washing it all thoroughly afterwards, a
process taking over 15 minutes. I then soldered it in less than 10 seconds.

It isn't just heat that does the job. It's a combination of materials,
cleanliness, flux and heat. I've soldered everything from litz wire to bus
bars and preparation is the key.

BTW, if you want to test your soldering, try soldering pieces of flux cored
wire solder together. If you are really good you can build your own mini
Eiffel tower.

N

 

[Norm Dresner]

"Leonard Caillouet" &lt;no@no.com&gt; wrote in message
newsH6hd.1067$ep3.915@lakeread02...

"NSM" &lt;nowrite@to.me&gt; wrote in message
news:j0Tgd.51427$9b.42072@edtnps84...

"Master TV" &lt;mastertv@comcast.net&gt; wrote in message
news:42fbd113.0410301225.4bde201c@posting.google.com...

| A cold solder joint is when the part being soldered was not heated
| enough for the solder to grab on to it properly.

I spent 30 minutes watching a skilled tool and die maker try to resolder
the
radiator from his car with more and more heat and failing each time. I
finally asked him to let me try. I carefully cleaned all the parts,
using
wire brushes and acid flux and washing it all thoroughly afterwards, a
process taking over 15 minutes. I then soldered it in less than 10
seconds.

It isn't just heat that does the job. It's a combination of materials,
cleanliness, flux and heat. I've soldered everything from litz wire to
bus
bars and preparation is the key.

You are very much correct except that it is heat that does the job. The
cleaning is necesary for the heat to occur where you want it.

Only partially. The cleaning is also necessary to create a surface to which
the solder *can* bond. It won't bond to an oily/greasy surface nor to most
oxides. Only to bare metal.

Norm

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

I am not in disagreement at all that preparation is absolutely necessary,
assuming compatible materials to begin with. The point that I was trying to
make is that without the transfer of energy causing BOTH parts to rise to
the proper temp, you won't be doing any soldering. Oxides, etc prevent the
heat more than they do anything else. Preparation allows the heat.

Leonard

"Jim Adney" &lt;jadney@vwtype3.org&gt; wrote in message
news:ks8bo099bkhjkbgm5n423qmodp8q3evj8u@4ax.com...

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 09:32:36 -0500 "Leonard Caillouet" &lt;no@no.com
wrote:

"NSM" &lt;nowrite@to.me&gt; wrote in message
news:j0Tgd.51427$9b.42072@edtnps84...

It isn't just heat that does the job. It's a combination of materials,
cleanliness, flux and heat. I've soldered everything from litz wire to
bus
bars and preparation is the key.

You are very much correct except that it is heat that does the job. The
cleaning is necesary for the heat to occur where you want it.

I gotta disagree with this. A good solder joint requires both
sufficient heat and surfaces that are clean enough to alloy with the
molten solder. Surfaces that are fairly clean will be cleaned up
sufficiently to solder by the flux, but the fluxes used in electronic
work are fairly mild ones.

That the different metals actually alloy at the junction can be seen
in greatly magnified photographs, where the % of different materials
can be analyzed as a function of depth. The alloyed layer of solder
over iron is extremely thin, but the alloyed layer between solder and
copper is much thicker, but still less than .001". It's all a matter
of the relative melting points and solubilities.

Like many other things, good preparation is responsible for success
much of the time. When the manufacturer sells a component they
guarantee that its leads will be solderable for some period of time,
often something like 6 months. While the solderability usually lasts
much longer than that, it is often prudent to do something that will
remove oxides from the surface if you are working with very old parts.

For tinned leads, all we need is an occasional break in the oxide to
allow the solder underneath, then it will work its way along the
surface and float the oxides to the surface of the solder.

To answer the original question, a cold solder joint is one where at
least one of the pieces being soldered together did not get solder
actually flowed and alloyed to its surface. This may still give both
mechanical and electrical contact, but neither is reliable over time.

The name (cold solder joint) actually comes from the fact that cold
solder joints often arise when something small is soldered to
something large. The disparity in thermal mass allows the small object
to heat up and accept the molten solder quickly, leaving the large
object still below the melting point of the solder. Until both objects
are above the melting point, there is no chance of getting a good
solder joint.

Likewise, you can get the same effect when one part is badly oxidized.
If the solder can't break thru the oxide layer, we can never get a
good joint, no matter how warm we get the parts.

In fact, a typical beginner's mistake is to assume that the solution
is more heat. While this may seem obvious, the most common result of
raising the temp too high is to burn the flux, as it has been raised
outside its useful temp range.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

 

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

I threw a webpage together quick for Lenny Stein identifying the four
types of
cassette mechs used in late 80s and early 90s Gm radios. I thought maybe
others
still work on this type of stuff and figured I'd go public, I also have a
cache
of these radios with parts for anyone interested. They are available for
trade
or sale cheap. I'm trying to avoid throwing them out.

A comment on your Type A notes...or at least an addition. From what I see
this may have also been used in some GM cars from the 70s/80s. The Type A
drive you have there is just about a dead ringer for the cassette player in
a '79 Cadillac...

Do you have pictures of the radios those go in?

William

 

[JVC dude]

Hi It sounds like theres a bit of DC leaking through from the stage
before/after. Its probably due to the age of the caps though finding the one
can be tricky since it won't be very leaky- its just that the circuit is
obviously very sensitive to bass frequencies.
Its not likely to get much worse.
If new caps doesn't work, then you'll probably just have to put up with it.
AW

"Paul" &lt;satellite65nospam@yahoo.com&gt; wrote in message
news:4187f4cb$0$21826$afc38c87@...

This was the top of the line in 1973. I have 2 of them because I like
the sound better than any of the modern stuff that I can afford. My
only gripe is that although I never use it, the low filter switch on
both units make noise when they are switched on or off. It is a
popping sound, similar to or louder in volume to the music being played.
I tried contact cleaner but that did not help. I even took one
switch apart and the contacts are not dirty or pitted. A few of the
other switches on both units sounded a little dirty at first, but they
all cleared up after being sprayed. Only the low filter on both units
makes noise now. I am wondering if this is a design flaw. Has anyone
seen this particular problem before? Is there a fix? FYI, when the
low filter is off, the last 2 preamp stages are linked by series '
lytics (2.2uF and 1uF). When the low filter is switched on, 2
additional .082uF caps are put in series, in between the 2 'lytics,
with some feedback injected between the .082uF cap's.

TIA for any help,
Paul

 

[Mike Kennedy]

maby you should try changing out the flux capicator...


"JURB6006" &lt;jurb6006@aol.com&gt; wrote in message
news:20041106024630.06251.00000078@mb-m27.aol.com...

This is wierd, but working.

Ever since this thing started screwing up, well it ran X well. but now, I
know
the battery isreally bad, or is being overloaded. The thing that gets me
is
that now it's actually running better.

I just now DLed a tune, and WHILE I was still on a P2P, it played
perfectly,
and that ain't the first time since this happened.

If it continues to run like this (defaults loaded) damn. I shoulda took
out the
battery whe I first got it. Hang on..............

Now I'm in this NG, on the "real" internet, playing an MP3 and just opened
Microsoft Word without the MP3 skipping.

It has never run this well before.

Wow.

Now I'm really scared, it has got to be ready to crash bigtime.

JURB

 

[Fred]

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!! IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!!
IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!! IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!!

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

"RWM" &lt;RWM@RWMann.com&gt; wrote in message news:419742D5.1010905@RWMann.com...

Fred wrote:

Have had this camera a long time but all of a sudden, it started giving
me
the "battery empty" message right after I install 4 new batteries.

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES OR THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS.

Nothing special happened the day it started -- I had taken about
100 photos with no problem, then when the batteries ran out, I put in 4
new
ones and got 2 photos before "battery empty" message came up. Same ever
since.

Wonder if anyone had this problem come up on this or a similar model?

Thanks!!
Fred



In my experience, they're very sensitive to battery voltage. Even one
soft cell among "new" batteries will trigger that message. I've even
seen it happen with lithium cells. Suggest you switch out cells, and
see if you can identify the bad one.

 

[Fred]

One other thing...












the batteries and battery contacts have ALREADY BEEN THOROUGHLY CHECKED
OUT!! So we can pretty much discount the "PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERIES" line
of troubleshooting.

Thanks just the same.

B^)

"Fred" &lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote in message
news:LXKld.4359$GV5.3522@trnddc04...

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!! IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!!
IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!! IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES!!!

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

"RWM" &lt;RWM@RWMann.com&gt; wrote in message
news:419742D5.1010905@RWMann.com...


Fred wrote:

Have had this camera a long time but all of a sudden, it started giving
me
the "battery empty" message right after I install 4 new batteries.

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES OR THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS.

Nothing special happened the day it started -- I had taken about
100 photos with no problem, then when the batteries ran out, I put in 4
new
ones and got 2 photos before "battery empty" message came up. Same ever
since.

Wonder if anyone had this problem come up on this or a similar model?

Thanks!!
Fred



In my experience, they're very sensitive to battery voltage. Even one
soft cell among "new" batteries will trigger that message. I've even
seen it happen with lithium cells. Suggest you switch out cells, and
see if you can identify the bad one.

 

[Big Bill]

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 05:42:26 GMT, "Fred"
&lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote:

Have had this camera a long time but all of a sudden, it started giving me
the "battery empty" message right after I install 4 new batteries.

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES OR THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS.

Nothing special happened the day it started -- I had taken about
100 photos with no problem, then when the batteries ran out, I put in 4 new
ones and got 2 photos before "battery empty" message came up. Same ever
since.

Wonder if anyone had this problem come up on this or a similar model?

Thanks!!
Fred


Fred, I've worked as a mechanic,and now I work on computers.

POne thing I've learned doing this is to ask: "How do you KNOW it's
not the batteries?"
The reason I ask is this: when experience says *this* is the problem,
and customer says *this* isn't the problem, *this* is the first thing
I check. And guess what? *This* is usually the problem.
So when you're asked, "How do you know it's not the batteries", you're
being asked because bad or marginal batteries cause exactly the
problems you present.
Yes, there are other things that can cause this. And Oly cameras in
particular seem to have a problem with their power systems on their
PCBs. But still, even on Olys, it *usually* the batteries, and unless
you can assure us that you've actually done some tests that will
remove batteries as the problem, that question will still be asked.
If you were to take the camera to an Oly service center, and assure
them that IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES, the first thing they will do is
insert known good batteries. It's the way troubleshooting goes. First,
you eliminate the obvious. Second, never listen to the customer when
he insists the obvious isn't the problem, *especially* when it's so
trivial to check anyway.
Hope this helps!

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

 

[William Graham]

"NSM" &lt;nowrite@to.me&gt; wrote in message news:5uNld.85524$E93.5211@clgrps12...

"Fred" &lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote in message
news:_pLld.3970$N_5.1750@trnddc03...
...
| Nothing irks me more than these big companies selling expensive items
and
| then not making service documentation available to the purchaser.
Smacks
of
| monopoly to me.

I agree, and that's why I usually require the salesman to dig one up for
me.....The last new car I bought came with a complete factory service manual
because I did that, by the way.........

 

[Fred]

"Big Bill" &lt;bill@pipping.com&gt; wrote in message
news:f7ofp05j4rkt9usu2pn102p52q9tmlcc2s@4ax.com...

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 05:42:26 GMT, "Fred"
testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote:

Have had this camera a long time but all of a sudden, it started giving
me
the "battery empty" message right after I install 4 new batteries.

IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES OR THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS.

Nothing special happened the day it started -- I had taken about
100 photos with no problem, then when the batteries ran out, I put in 4
new
ones and got 2 photos before "battery empty" message came up. Same ever
since.

Wonder if anyone had this problem come up on this or a similar model?

Thanks!!
Fred


Fred, I've worked as a mechanic,and now I work on computers.
POne thing I've learned doing this is to ask: "How do you KNOW it's
not the batteries?"
The reason I ask is this: when experience says *this* is the problem,
and customer says *this* isn't the problem, *this* is the first thing
I check. And guess what? *This* is usually the problem.
So when you're asked, "How do you know it's not the batteries", you're
being asked because bad or marginal batteries cause exactly the
problems you present.
Yes, there are other things that can cause this. And Oly cameras in
particular seem to have a problem with their power systems on their
PCBs. But still, even on Olys, it *usually* the batteries, and unless
you can assure us that you've actually done some tests that will
remove batteries as the problem, that question will still be asked.
If you were to take the camera to an Oly service center, and assure
them that IT'S NOT THE BATTERIES, the first thing they will do is
insert known good batteries. It's the way troubleshooting goes. First,
you eliminate the obvious. Second, never listen to the customer when
he insists the obvious isn't the problem, *especially* when it's so
trivial to check anyway.
Hope this helps!

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

Thanks Bill, but as I have said ad nauseum, I too first checked the
obvious -- batteries, (new batteries, old batteries, etc....), battery
contacts, is the door closed, are the switches making contact.

Now that this is addressed for the fifty millionth time, ...... on to the
power circuit. Anyone have a schematic?

 

[Mike]

"Fred" &lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote in message
news:gkbmd.2653$qS4.367@trnddc09...

Yes, but in this case, I can't live with the problem - the camera is not
usable as is. And can't send to Olympus because I'm sure this problem
will
come up again in a year or so - based on email and postings from others.
This is a common problem. Yet, I don't want to throw about the $$ I spent
on it, so I'll keep trying to find out a method of troubleshooting it
myself.

So what do you have to lose sending the camera to Olympus?

The reason why Olympus does not make the service information available is
due the
experience and equipment needed to properly service the camera.



---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.791 / Virus Database: 535 - Release Date: 11/8/04

 

[Mike]

"Fred" &lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote in message
news:GyEmd.5780$h15.1542@trnddc07...

"Mike" &lt;e@earthlink.net&gt; wrote in message
news:e6dmd.217$Tq6.216@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

So what do you have to lose sending the camera to Olympus?

$155 and the high probability that the same problem will occur again

Yet you think that you can repair the camera and solve the problem?

I suspect that IF you could get the part you would be bitching about the
price of the parts(s) needed
And what would you say IF you could get the service info and the part(s) but
could not make the adjustments, would you demand Olympus refund the part(s)
cost?

The reason why Olympus does not make the service information available
is
due the experience and equipment needed to properly service the camera.

Wrong. The reason is .... they can (a) charge $155 for 15 minutes of
repair
time or (b) you buy another camera.

No Fred, you are the one who is wrong. You have no idea how long the repair

will take nor what the part(s) cost or what adjustments may be needed and
whether or not you are equipped to make them.
There was a time many many years ago when the sales arm of a camera company
supplemented the service department budget which helped keep repair charges
low. For the most part service departments now have to stand on their own
so parts and service costs to the customers has gone up.










---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.791 / Virus Database: 535 - Release Date: 11/8/04

 

[Big Bill]

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:08:54 GMT, "Fred"
&lt;testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote:

"Mike" &lt;e@earthlink.net&gt; wrote in message
news:e6dmd.217$Tq6.216@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

So what do you have to lose sending the camera to Olympus?

$155 and the high probability that the same problem will occur again

The reason why Olympus does not make the service information available is
due the experience and equipment needed to properly service the camera.

Wrong. The reason is .... they can (a) charge $155 for 15 minutes of repair
time or (b) you buy another camera.

Out of curiosity, how do you know this is a 15-minute fix?

Have you heard about the retired machinist who was asked to fix a
problem? He spent some time studying the problem, then made a minor
adjustment (it consisted of kicking a component), and presented a bill
for $5,000.
When the bill was questioned, he revised the bill:

"Kicking whatsis: $10
Knowing which whatsis to kick: $4,990"
--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

 

[Fred]

"Mike" &lt;e@earthlink.net&gt; wrote in message
news:vXJmd.28632$KJ6.27307@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

So what do you have to lose sending the camera to Olympus?
$155 and the high probability that the same problem will occur again
Yet you think that you can repair the camera and solve the problem?

Yep. Sure can -- if I have the correct service info. I do board-level T/S
and repair on similar products day in and day out. Of course, I generally
have schematics or at least access to a service tech on the phone --
something Olympus doesn't offer, even for a fee.

I suspect that IF you could get the part you would be bitching about the
price of the parts(s) needed

Actually, I'm not looking for replacement parts yet -- just service
documentation or advice from others who may have run across this problem
before. Chances are it's a bad connection, capacitor or other minor item I
can locate elsewhere.

Here's a story for you.... My car failed to start awhile back and the garage
isolated it to the computer. They quoted me $700 for a re-built computer.
Since I didn't have anything to lose, I took it home, took it apart and
found that a capacitor had shorted through. This one was fairly obvious due
to the smell and discoloration. I took it out and matched it up at the
local electronics parts house with an 11-cent capacitor and saved quite a
bit of money. Yes, it took me a few hours and some running around, but I'm
not in the for-profit business when home repairs are concerned.

And what would you say IF you could get the service info and the part(s)
but
could not make the adjustments, would you demand Olympus refund the
part(s)
cost?

Jeez Louise... get a grip , Mike. I'm just looking for service
documentation! Then I'll worry about parts. I doubt I would buy any parts
from Olympus except mechanical items. And, no, I don't usually go around
"demanding" anything. That's a good way to alienate people.

The reason why Olympus does not make the service information available
is
due the experience and equipment needed to properly service the
camera.

Wrong. The reason is .... they can (a) charge $155 for 15 minutes of
repair
time or (b) you buy another camera.

No Fred, you are the one who is wrong. You have no idea how long the
repair
will take nor what the part(s) cost or what adjustments may be needed and
whether or not you are equipped to make them.

Whatever.... I still need service documentation. Any CONSTRUCTIVE advice
would be welcome. :^)

There was a time many many years ago when the sales arm of a camera
company
supplemented the service department budget which helped keep repair
charges
low. For the most part service departments now have to stand on their own
so parts and service costs to the customers has gone up.

Hoo boy, that's nice!!

Well! I see by the old clock on the wall that I have reached the limit for
wasting time today. As much as I have enjoyed chatting with you, I still
need service documentation and so much bid you a fond farewell.

Fred

 

[Fred]

LOL! Yes, I've used that before myself!

"Big Bill" &lt;bill@pipping.com&gt; wrote in message
news:sm0np0tipl58d3ehvd0bicrrd4vp6i2dc9@4ax.com...

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:08:54 GMT, "Fred"
testing@testing1212mouse.com&gt; wrote:

"Mike" &lt;e@earthlink.net&gt; wrote in message
news:e6dmd.217$Tq6.216@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

So what do you have to lose sending the camera to Olympus?

$155 and the high probability that the same problem will occur again

The reason why Olympus does not make the service information available
is
due the experience and equipment needed to properly service the camera.

Wrong. The reason is .... they can (a) charge $155 for 15 minutes of
repair
time or (b) you buy another camera.

Out of curiosity, how do you know this is a 15-minute fix?

Have you heard about the retired machinist who was asked to fix a
problem? He spent some time studying the problem, then made a minor
adjustment (it consisted of kicking a component), and presented a bill
for $5,000.
When the bill was questioned, he revised the bill:

"Kicking whatsis: $10
Knowing which whatsis to kick: $4,990"
--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"