+1 for Samsung serviceability

[John Rumm]

One frequently commented on aspect of much modern tech is its lack of serviceability. Hence I thought I would give credit to Samsung for actually building a serviceable product!

The backlight on my Syncmaster monitor started to show odd behaviour - flickering at startup. Over time the period of flickering got longer and longer until in the end it could not manage to start at all. A bit of research suggested the most likely cause was dodgy caps in the PSU. So I delved inside for investigation.

The case required lots of prising apart (no screws on the outer case to hold it together - all snap fittings round the bezel. Not my favourite construction technique. However once that was off, and the rather fiddly ribbon to the front panel controls disconnected it got easier. Took out a few screws and the fairly solid metal shield could be lifted away from the back of the LCD, revealing a pair of PCBs about 5" square. One had all the clever video related stuff on it - scaler chips etc. Surface mount, high density stuff best left alone. The other was the PSU - nicely spaced out hybrid board, but mostly through hole mounted components. Two dubious looking electrolytic caps were quickly identified by their rotund shape. With another 4 potentials. Anyway, had them all off the board (once the iron was tweaked round to thermic lance temperatures - 'kin lead free solder!), and sure enough the claimed (rather odd) capacity of 820uF was in fact 400 odd on one, and 125uF on the other. The rest were actually ok (three 330uF and a 47uF), but I thought I may as well lavish a few extra p on it while I am here and replaced the lot anyway.

In true Haynes tradition, assembly was the reverse of disassembly. Turn on, back to full working condition.

I wonder how many end up in landfill with the same complaint?

[MM]

It is a constant complaint of mine that modern "stuff", whether your monitor, a toaster, a smoothing iron, or many others, is designed with planned obsolescence in mind, while the manufacturers use special screw heads that no ordinary screwdriver or Allen key will fit. I thing it's a disgusting waste, reduces the need for apprentices in various industries, and hits landfill right between the eyes.

But when I voice such opinions in, say, uk.legal, I'm accused of being an old fuddy-duddy and should get with the capitalist programme of constant growth.

During my apprenticeship as a motor fitter (1961 - 1968) we repaired pretty much anything, right down to undercutting dynamo commutators, fitting a new third brush and adjusting it, dismantling engines, gearboxes and differentials to replace only the parts/cogs/gears/valves broken or worn, relined brake shoes (yes, actually cutting off a strip of lining from a roll and riveting it to the shoe!). Nowadays, it seems it's really just swapping out modules, each of which usually cost a b*o*m*b.

MM (* Anti-GCHQ Precautions)

[Mark]

Too true. Although a lot of things use "security" screws for which you can buy suitable tools.

Another thing I hate is those brittle plastic tabs that are used to assemble. They're impossible to remove without breaking. But it's all to save 0.000000000001p on every unit, so it's worth it.

[John Rumm]

Part of the difficulty is that the purchase price of lots of consumer kit is now so cheap, that much of it is not economically viable to repair - at least on a commercial basis - and that influences the design to go even cheaper since it now no longer needs to be maintainable. We the gullible punters support the process buy buying on price.

The irony is that much modern digital hardware is not actually that difficult to repair in the right circumstances. Alas the circumstances are hard to come by! i.e. you need access to the technical design info, you need the test gear[1], and you need the ability to re-work modern surface mount electronics. These put together mean that only the equipment OEM (who only have a limited interest in repair) or their authorised repairers have much of a chance these days.

[1] there are times I have been fault finding on digital kit, and thought "what was all the fuss about - only took 15 mins to identify the fault". Then you glance up at the £150Ks worth of test equipment in front of you!

[Graham.]

serviceability. Hence I thought I would give credit to

flickering at startup. Over time the period of flickering

bit of research suggested the most likely cause was

it together - all snap fittings round the bezel. Not

fiddly ribbon to the front panel controls

shield could be lifted away from the back of the LCD,

stuff on it - scaler chips etc. Surface mount, high

hybrid board, but mostly through hole mounted components.

shape. With another 4 potentials. Anyway, had them

temperatures - 'kin lead free solder!), and sure enough the

on the other. The rest were actually ok (three 330uF

here and replaced the lot anyway.

back to full working condition.

I think you are being over complimentary to Samsung in this case.

Your description sounds like the job was more difficult that similar ones I have done on LCD monitors in recently. Especially the case disassembly.

Recent IMacs are interesting, at first glance there is no way into them until you realise that the glass screen is held on with magnets along the top and you need to borrow the sink plunger.

[Mike Clarke]

No, it's the built in self destruct feature to ensure that any attempt to open it up for repair ends with the owner having to buying a new one.

[John Rumm]

The case was not typical of all their designs - many seem to have a few external screws. This one snapped apart. On the plus side none of the lugs broke and it all want back properly. It just seemed an odd way to gain access, when you expect the back ought to come off.

Probably would have taken about 20 mins if one had the spares to hand and knew how to get it apart in the first place. So much better than most laptops or games consoles IME.

Apple seem particularly fond of finding unique fixings for their kit

[MM]

My old P2015D LaserJet, bought in 2008, needs a new formatter board. Price: between £70 and £100.

Instead, I bought a new Canon duplex printer from Misco a few weeks ago for £111 including VAT and next day delivery.

The P2015D would be like a new printer with a new formatter board. It's only done 6000 pages and hasn't even consumed the second toner cartridge I bought to years ago. The printer as is, is a heap of junk.

Some people have baked their formatter boards in a medium hot oven for eight minutes to get the lead-free solder flowing again around the surface-mounted components, but I can't be arsed to faff about like that and, in any case, the board would probably fail again sooner or later.

So there is yet another item for the tip!

MM

[John Rumm]

Yup, sad isn't it?

My LJ2200 DN took to eating Jet Direct cards and falling off the network. In the end it was decided that a new formatter board might fix that (and yet another jet direct card of course) - at more than the cost of a new printer. In the end I opted for a USB to ethernet print spooler to feed bytes to it instead. A teeny bit slower printing but cheap enough to be worth doing.

Laser printers seem to die of old age before anything else in domestic or small business use - long before you get anywhere near print engine life or even through a couple of toners IME.

[MM]

I was very annoyed that my P2015D broke in under four years, when my previous LaserJet IIID that I bought new in 1993 lasted over 13 years and only needed toner cartidges and a clean every so often. Mind you, the IIID was built like a brick outhouse in comparison to the P2015D, which is flimsy beyond belief, especially the paper tray, which feels like an Airfix model, it's that fragile.

MM

[chris French]

In message , MM writes

but isn't there an element of you get what you pay for here?

How much did the Laserjet cost compared to the more recent purchase? I'm guessing that if you had spent a similar amount of dosh on a new printer, you would have got something more substantial?

[MM]

Well, yes, but pretty much all consumer goods have got *considerably* cheaper over the past 15 years. I can now buy an Omron blood pressure monitor, decent kit, for £16, whereas the first one I bought about 20 years ago cost well over £100. The new one pumps itself up, too, whereas with the old one I had to operate a hand bulb.

Also, yes, four years ago I could have spent far more on a printer, BUT the printer would have been a massive, network ready, floor-standing office printer, which would have been overkill for my modest requirements. And finally, there is no reason for the formatter board to go faulty but for poor soldering. If you look on the internet, the general conclusion is that the Chinese hadn't mastered the new surface-mount soldering technolgy yet when production moved from Japan, so one could say the printer was faulty by design (since production standards *have* to be considered part of the design).

MM