I hate how unrepairable everything is

[Exterous]

Can't say I know how you felt as the last time I checked in a piece of luggage was....at least 20 years ago, all my belongings usually fit under the seat and I have a packable duffle bag in case I bought things.

We can do a week in a cold climate plus a week in a tropical in a carry on each but sometimes you run up against the rules where certain items can only go in a checked bag regardless of whether they would have fit in your carryon

There's an engineering principle that says "The easier a product is to use, the more complicated the engineering behind it." Things are unrepairable because we have to have 18000 features packed into a small space, so every nanometer of free real estate is used. This means a lot of layers and interconectivity takes place.

And...well...that makes things difficult to repair.

I mean sure but this is a molded wheel, pin and axel. No reason it shouldn't be replaceable as it's already a solved problem for luggage. Well I know the reason: it was infinitesimally cheaper this way and might lead to a new purchase. Who cares if it adds to the giant piles of trash in our landfills we made ever so slightly more profit!

 

[evident]

Looked that up - my wallet said eff off. If I did travel allot, that would be a different story. We had an old Samsonite that we kept for, IDK, 20 years. I was on the plane once and saw the baggage truck coming in too fast toward the plane. I could see our luggage, that was on the top of the pile, go flying off as he stopped. A dent that didn't affect functionality was all that happened. We finally got rid of it because it was so damn heavy.

I travel enough to justify good quality luggage. B&R definitely fits the bill. I had a bunch of Tumi sets that lasted a while but seriously got beat up, but these B&R ones seem way better built. I am also a fan of repairing stuff. I'm driving cars from 07. a bunch of little stuff breaking is happening more often though.

 

[Fritzo]

We can do a week in a cold climate plus a week in a tropical in a carry on each but sometimes you run up against the rules where certain items can only go in a checked bag regardless of whether they would have fit in your carryon


I mean sure but this is a molded wheel, pin and axel. No reason it shouldn't be replaceable as it's already a solved problem for luggage. Well I know the reason: it was infinitesimally cheaper this way and might lead to a new purchase. Who cares if it adds to the giant piles of trash in our landfills we made ever so slightly more profit!

That's the molding industry- Parts like that are often formed in one piece with a specialized machine. I have a client that does plastic molding and see a lot of that- they'll literally melt plastic beads to form a part around a nickel pin or a bearing.

 

[dullard]

I just had an earbud fail on me. https://www.jlab.com/products/jbuds-air-sport-true-wireless-earbuds-gen-3?variant=39531129831496 . It was only 6 months old with moderate use. But the battery wouldn't charge and it wouldn't communicate or reset or anything. I asked to have it repaired and this was their procedure:

Valid Proof of Disposal:

For Headphones: You can simply send us a video of the broken or inoperable product. (either break or submerge in water)
For Earbuds/True Wireless products: Please send us a video of cutting the cord on your charging case and submerging the earbuds in water.

*Any other proof of disposal than the instructed above will result in the warranty claim being denied or the unit needing to be shipped in at your expense *

So, I did that and they are sending a replacement set of earbuds and charging case. What a waste of sending 3 things when only one was broken and such a waste to destroy two perfectly good things.

But, I may have cut the cord in a way that I can solder it back on. And I may have used ultrapure water that doesn't short out any electronics so the good earbud still functions. Now to open up the bad earbud and see if I can repair that.

 

[dullard]

Travel luggage is pretty bad. Not small electronics bad but up there. Wheels get beaten up all the time and those should be easily repairable or replaceable.

I travel a lot and damn I hate most new wheeled luggage. Especially after the airlines reduced the carry on size a few years back. And even more so with the trend in the last decade for 4 external spinner wheels, like this monstrosity:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91g9s0UqTBL._AC_SY879_.jpg

That means in your reduced size luggage, you are using 20% of your reduced size for useless wheels that break in an instant because they are exposed to everything.

The only wheeled luggage that I'll accept have two wheels buried deep in the suitcase. Not exposed to anything for damage and take almost none of your usable luggage space.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

The bud thing goes back to something I said on another thread somewhere about companies being required to reclaim their junk. In this case a prepaid return label for you to mail them.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

One of my favorite gizmos is a home automation that doesn't require a web supplied supporting app: KASA taps, turn on/off, schedule A/C, the app works, shouldn't need updating. I have two versions and several of both kinds. The fancier one has energy monitoring. They should continue to work as long as 2.4mhz wifi is supported by routers. From any of my smartphones I can control any of these.

I have a bunch of those - the API of the devices is insecure. Which sounds scary if you don't have a firewall, but means that if TP-Link ever pulls shenanigans it should be trivial to write a new controller app.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I still have some of the old X-10 stuff that works. But the company died and a few die hard fans took over 'support'. One of them managed to hack and modify a tool to make the desktop software continue to work well past when it should have died.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I still have some of the old X-10 stuff that works. But the company died and a few die hard fans took over 'support'. One of them managed to hack and modify a tool to make the desktop software continue to work well past when it should have died.

Yeah, true. That stuff was the bomb back in the day.

My low-tech solution is to get specific switches for for specific things I want to do. Motion detector switch for the light over the kitchen sink and the bathroom fan. Mechanical egg timer switch for the backyard floodlights so I don't forget to turn them off. That sort of thing. My "smart home" is the epitome of 1970s tech.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I use a mechanical rotary countdown timer for my air compressor. Twist the knob to 30 minutes or so and let er rip. No concerns of forgetting it, leaving it on and having it air up for days at a time risking a hose burst.

 

[Muse]

I have a bunch of those - the API of the devices is insecure. Which sounds scary if you don't have a firewall, but means that if TP-Link ever pulls shenanigans it should be trivial to write a new controller app.

Write it yourself or you figure someone will write a secure version should it ever be needed?

These are hell of useful.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Write it yourself or you figure someone will write a secure version should it ever be needed?

These are hell of useful.

I'll just write it myself if I have to. No real need to worry about security - again, they're just open on the local network, you can firewall off the cloud stuff; not let them out onto the public internet. Just need a little python app to hit the APi with on/off commands, etc.

 

[Exterous]

Well - fortunately the only wheel kit I found anywhere that was close to the right size ended up working

I travel a lot and damn I hate most new wheeled luggage. Especially after the airlines reduced the carry on size a few years back. And even more so with the trend in the last decade for 4 external spinner wheels, like this monstrosity:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91g9s0UqTBL._AC_SY879_.jpg

That means in your reduced size luggage, you are using 20% of your reduced size for useless wheels that brake in an instant because they are exposed to everything.

The only wheeled luggage that I'll accept have two wheels buried deep in the suitcase. Not exposed to anything for damage and take almost none of your usable luggage space.

My wife loves her spinner but I very much prefer my 2 wheeled version. We harass the other a fair amount if we ever get stuck with 'the wrong' suitcase for anything longer than 5 seconds

 

[Muse]

One of my most successful DIY projects

This is one of my favorite DIY projects. This was an old table someone had slapped together out of this and that. It found its way into my back yard, undoubtedly put there by one of my housemates. It seemed like every year or two I had to renovate it, put on new plywood, paint it, etc. or it...

forums.anandtech.com

That describes how I fixed a table that somebody put in our backyard some years ago. It was clearly a DIY project to start with, not bought in a store, etc. I fixed it several times, it was never made or fixed to withstand the elements, but I got an idea how I could repair it in such a way that it wouldn't break down in the foreseeable future. So far so good. It's been almost 20 years and I have done nothing more than clean the surface on it, generally by wiping it down after squeegeeing off surface water from dew. This is where I fold my laundry and do any number of projects that require a surface and space.

 

[pete6032]

Just bought Kindle paperwhite #3. The first two both had the same problem - USB charging port went haywire and would not charge or would only charge at a snail's pace. Imagine the charging port came unsoldered from the main board after all the plugging and unplugging. Went online looking at how to replace and basically you need to replace the entire motherboard. I said fuck it and bought the paperwhite with wireless charging. Hopefully this one lasts longer. A device as basic an e-reader should not die.

 

[Muse]

Just bought Kindle paperwhite #3. The first two both had the same problem - USB charging port went haywire and would not charge or would only charge at a snail's pace. Imagine the charging port came unsoldered from the main board after all the plugging and unplugging. Went online looking at how to replace and basically you need to replace the entire motherboard. I said fuck it and bought the paperwhite with wireless charging. Hopefully this one lasts longer. A device as basic an e-reader should not die.

I have version 2 Paperwhite, from about 10 years ago. So far so good. I haven't been using it alot. Often go to fire it up and it needs a charge, but it takes it. Incredibly better than the Kindles I had before. My earlier models (2, I think) and their expensive cases and other add-ons sit in a drawer. Guess I should recycle those or toss, as appropriate. AFAIK, the PP 2 is not particularly inferior to subsequent Kindles, but haven't been keeping up lately. I mean, how much better can it get?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

LED fixtures with discrete units. If it dies, there is no way to replace just the unit. You generally have to replace the entire lighting fixture which can be a problem if they no longer make that style/model to match others you bought together or as a set.

I've had some limited success by gutting the entire innards and replacing with another style light unit. But that doesn't always work either if there is only limited room.

 

[highland145]

LED fixtures with discrete units. If it dies, there is no way to replace just the unit. You generally have to replace the entire lighting fixture which can be a problem if they no longer make that style/model to match others you bought together or as a set.

I've had some limited success by gutting the entire innards and replacing with another style light unit. But that doesn't always work either if there is only limited room.

Local power company paid 75% of the cost to replace the 4' florescents at my office with flat panel LEDs. I love em. No bulbs to eff with, no ballasts to eff with. They've been in for 5 years or so. No idea how many hours I'm supposed to get but if/when they die, the same is going back in.

The contractor said they were trying to reduce the strain on the grid and lighting was cheaper than new electric lines.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^ But that's my point. When they fail, can you replace the light unit? Or do you have to replace the whole fixture? If you have to replace it and can't find one to match, what happens? Do you accept one (or more) mismatched units, or do you replace them all?

 

[highland145]

^^ But that's my point. When they fail, can you replace the light unit? Or do you have to replace the whole fixture? If you have to replace it and can't find one to match, what happens? Do you accept one (or more) mismatched units, or do you replace them all?

I can swap a 2x4 panel. Would it be the same color temperature? Maybe. Messed up and bought daylight bulbs once...Nope. Anyway, green is the only color that matters at Loan Sharks R Us.

 

[Red Squirrel]

LED fixtures with discrete units. If it dies, there is no way to replace just the unit. You generally have to replace the entire lighting fixture which can be a problem if they no longer make that style/model to match others you bought together or as a set.

I've had some limited success by gutting the entire innards and replacing with another style light unit. But that doesn't always work either if there is only limited room.

I hate that this is becoming a thing now. I really hope they don't stop making more traditional fixtures that take bulbs.

 

[highland145]

I hate that this is becoming a thing now. I really hope they don't stop making more traditional fixtures that take bulbs.

Incandescents. It's a cheap/easy heat source for pump house and the like.

 

[highland145]

Local power company paid 75% of the cost to replace the 4' florescents at my office with flat panel LEDs. I love em. No bulbs to eff with, no ballasts to eff with. They've been in for 5 years or so. No idea how many hours I'm supposed to get but if/when they die, the same is going back in.

The contractor said they were trying to reduce the strain on the grid and lighting was cheaper than new electric lines.

Maxlite, 3/2020, 50K hours.

Shit, I might be dead by then.

 

[purbeast0]

Just bought Kindle paperwhite #3. The first two both had the same problem - USB charging port went haywire and would not charge or would only charge at a snail's pace. Imagine the charging port came unsoldered from the main board after all the plugging and unplugging. Went online looking at how to replace and basically you need to replace the entire motherboard. I said fuck it and bought the paperwhite with wireless charging. Hopefully this one lasts longer. A device as basic an e-reader should not die.

That is when you just pop it open yourself and look at it. If it's just a cold solder joint, just resolder it. If it's a bad port, just get a new one and solder that one on.

 

[Brainonska511]

Local power company paid 75% of the cost to replace the 4' florescents at my office with flat panel LEDs. I love em. No bulbs to eff with, no ballasts to eff with. They've been in for 5 years or so. No idea how many hours I'm supposed to get but if/when they die, the same is going back in.

The contractor said they were trying to reduce the strain on the grid and lighting was cheaper than new electric lines.

Power companies have a long history of giving away free light bulbs and whatnot to improve overall efficiency. They save tons of money in aggregate by not having to run peaking power plants or buy power on the open market.