Guess who has working DS Lite shoulder buttons again.

Big shoutout to https://www.retrorehab.ca/ for a speedy and affordable micro-soldering job for the replacement shoulder buttons.

#Energy #OffGrid #Power #Inverters #Repairs #DIY

After about 10 years providing 24x7 240v from my 24v battery bank, my once repaired/rebuilt inverter died! Eventually got my spare wired in, so now have power on again.

Now the hunt begins for another inverter to be my spare.

Special shoutout to the repair site iFixit who are now on the Fediverse, you can follow them at:

@iFixit

They provide repair forums and free repair guides for phones, computers, consoles, kitchen equipment, tools, medical devices, cars etc. They also review and tear down new gadgets to see how repairable they are.

Repairing your existing stuff is much, much better for the environment than buying replacements.

A couple nights ago I came home to find the alien and lights in my second story shop window. Was out. I figured it had gotten unplugged, but no, the plug was dead! This floor is basically a storage warehouse, so all the other outlets were behind shelves. I found ONE across the room, crawled under a shelf and -- dead. The ceiling lights are on the same breaker, so that wasn't it. But I was envisioning a broken plug or connection upstream, and
I went through all my old construction photos, pre-drywall, to figure out where the other plugs on the floor and the wires connecting them were located. It appeared the first plug in the run was near the stairs, right above the breaker panel on the first floor.
And that's when I remembered that the first plug on the circuit downstars had a GFI plug that had caused me trouble once before (Ironically, it had been hidden behind a bookcase in my wife's writing office). Was there one on the second floor? If so, it would be that first plug, deep behind a shelf. Also behind a lot of flat things that I'd put BEHIND that shelf.
I pulled out multiple sheets of plywood and perfboard blocking the way, and way behind the shelf, I could just see the plug. Unable to see clearly, I stuck my phone back and took a closeup of the plug with my phone. Yeah, that spoiler picture. Red LED. Poorly marked reset button.
With difficulty I reached back, found the reset by feel, and pushed it. The lights came on! Yay! My fears of an expensive electrician visit were relieved!
The lesson here is, if you're building or remodeling something, TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES during every stage of construction, especially before the drywall and insulation go up. Get clear shots of every interior and exterior wall, and don't forget the ceiling.
Knowing where your studs, rafters, beams, and hidden systems, pipes, wires, ducts, are, can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars later.
Even if you don't understand what you're looking at, you can show them to a professional when they are coming in to aid in troubleshooting or modifications. Sure, there are ways to "look" through walls, but pictures are much quicker and more certain.
Now my alien returns to his mission to bring cheer to a dark modern world!
#homerepair #DIY #homeowner #homeownership #repairs #electrical #homerepair #troubleshooting #lifehacks

Good morning from #Pasadena. and between 18ºC (64ºF) and 22ºC (72ºF) today (I make my own hybrid forecast because I don't find CalTech's weather reliable believe it or not. It's like they give temperatures in deep shade…

It's time to get up. Been struggling a bit. Need to explain later. Stood up a group of nice people from the dog park who wanted to befriend me, for dinner Saturday. And feeling bad about it though relieved. I can explain later, as I say. It's complicated. But it has to do with my difficulties socializing and also a person I started finding offensive…

Gardening today as it’s supposed to rain tomorrow. Just finished coffee in bed. About to get up to feed to pups!!

We're going to #DST Sunday... I so hate DST and light late in the day. it's NOW I want light. At 5am. Not at 7… But I digress.

Have a great Tuesday/Wednesday. Hoping your week is going well. Sorry for the sporadic silences. I will update you later on more positive stuff too… Sorry.

And next time something essential breaks and needs #Repairs, I may very well go see Joe (see photo 2); btw aren’t some #camellia flowers so PERFECT and beautiful?

Another day another #repair. A friend came to my place to pick up his stuff and mentioned his #vintage jacket that has a busted zipper. He was thinking about throwing it away for that minor defect.
Of course someone designed the needed part! 2 min #3dprinting and some silicone grease after it is back in service.

Farewell old fella. May this zipper last you a lifetime

This post is a re-run from last summer. But it's on my mind tonight. I believe the best advice I can give anyone right now is to buy books, learn some stuff, and figure out as much as possible about the skills common in the 30s & 40s. Hint: without a massive change of course, we're going back. Never have I been so grateful for the things my parents made me learn: #gardening #canning basic #repairs

On that cheerful note, g'nite all. I hear my pillows calling.

A verse in used fabric
https://electronicintifada.net/content/verse-used-fabric/50302

The work boots I break out on the rare occasions we have snow or ice in Nagoya. "Field n' Stream by Weinbrenner Shoe Company" according to the tag. I bought these when living at home and working as a sacker at the Chico Bean Growers agricultural coop in the late 1970s, they're on their third set of soles. I also bought my first suit with money from that job.

Now to dig out the Red Wing oil and get ready to go shopping …
#repairs #shoes

Some people just love to throw away money.

We pulled into tonight's camp spot to find a gazebo propped up next to the garbage bin. The usual story: somebody bought it, used it, didn't understand the instructions, and broke it trying to pack it up. That happens a LOT.

Two of the cross braces for the same corner were snapped (Pic 1).

A bit of aluminium and four screws et voila! Fixed (Pic 2).

Does it look good? No, but I can replace the cross braces with new ones later. The dammed thing sells for $300, and we were looking at buying one, so ...

Okay, I need to find whoever decided that bolts for this trailer's hitch plate should have a 16mm head, and a 17mm NUT on the bottom (you know, ehre it's hard to see). Took me 15 minutes to realize the sizes were different. Fortunately, got everything loose, but sheesh Harbor Freight Or Whomever, that was irritating.

Dub'ya CPH posts videos about DIY projects and repairs in a small home workshop, covering a variety of topics including wood, leather, bicycle repairs, 3D printers, electronics, paint etc. You can follow at:

@dubya_cph

If the videos haven't federated to your server yet, you can browse them all at https://makertube.net/a/dubya_cph/videos

Today's random repair task: put iron on patches on two pairs of pants (well... reapplied one, flipped the peeling patch to the inside of the pocket rather than outside). Will see how long that lasts me. Seriously considering pre-patching wear points on the inside of my pants BEFORE they wear a hole now (edge of my wallet, and rear end LOL). #sewing #repairs #diy

Does anyone know what this part of my food mixer is called? The white plastic bit has snapped and needs replacing, but I don't know what the part is called #Fixing #Repairs #AskMastodon #AskFedi #RightToRepair @repaircafe

3DPrinter of Theseus.

#introduction In 500 characters or less:
Me defined in hashtags: #widowed #cats #film #retired
From: #Poughkeepsie
Lived In: #Lomita #Torrance #Holtsville #Charlotte
Worked For: #retail #bigtech #banking #IT
Hobbies: #cameras and #photography, #oldtech
Interest: #opensource #Linux user since 1995, #movies #books #filmnoir
#coffee #food #music #electronics #repairs
Helped form #googleplus group #techandcoffee in 2011
There is more but that’s all for now.←[459 characters, see profile for more]