Throw Away Society

[Anonymous No.547514]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence

>random house hold appliance stops working right after warranty runs out

1:
>no screws to open it, it just snaps together
>1 out of 5 times something will break when trying to open it, regardless of how careful or experienced you are

2:
>there are screws to open it
>it is needlessly complex and has a horrible design inside
>3+ springs fly out from unknown places as you slowly open it
>you were just trying to clean the air intake screens; which don't have a proper access
>feel like MacGyver trying to defuse a bomb when putting it and the springs back together for the next 20 minutes

3:
>the fan motor is located so that the heat from the heating element is sucked across the fan motor
>the motor is burned out
>the entire device only cost $10
>new motor is $15 plus shipping costs

4:
>you're working on a toaster
>everything inside is SMD

5:
>there are tons of moving parts
>one of which is broken and the reason for you opening the device
>another breaks because the device is never meant to be opened again
>all of them are made from hard brittle plastic

I've been around for many decades now. I've worked on electronics and DIY projects all my life. I've even owned a repair business once in my life. As the years go on, the same exact devices have become more cheaply made and less accessible to repair. Many times no advancements are actually made, the device doesn't get smaller or more powerful. It is just designed a bit worse both ergonomically and in performance and made from more easily breakable parts.

ITT, lets post devices, brands, and tools that are rock solid and easily repaired if broken. Stuff we can buy, break, repair, and know we'll never really need to buy another one. Obviously, I'm not talking about cast iron pans and crowbars here. Post stuff with moving parts or electronics. Old, antique, or new is fine. Let's help each other vote for better, more durable products using our money as a voting medium.

[Anonymous No.547523]

Some of those things you listed aren't planned obsolescence, it's just how things are made quickly and cheaply. Through hole components require human workers to manufacture, SMD can be handled by pick and place machines.

I do have a really infuriating story of planned obsolescence myself though: I use an insulin pump to treat my juvenile diabetes. The manufacturer came out with a new model that takes a different shape of insulin cartridge then stopped manufacturing the old shape of cartridge. I had to pay $6000 for a new insulin pump even though the one I already had works perfectly.

[Anonymous No.547524]

I do a lot of gardening, homebrewing, and home canning. I've used a lot of new, old, and antique kitchen devices. I've owned cheap plastic versions, motorized versions, and all metal hand crank versions. There's a few that I can full recommend that can take all the abuse I've every thrown at them without a problem. I'll even list which ones you can add a pulley and random motor to.

Now here's a few kitchen things that hold up well,

Universal Food Chopper: these are all metal, hand crank antiques that chop and macerate vegetables, fruit, and meats exceptionally well. They usually cost $10-$15. You can attach a pulley and motor to these if you want. I don't think there's an easy way to break one of these even if you drop them on a stone floor. You'd need to purposely abuse or neglect one to break it I think.

Mouli Grater: another all metal, hand crank, antique. While these appear flimsy, they do a bang up job of grating spices, vegetables, and cheeses. I've used new plastic versions of these and they tend to be more difficult to use and a pain to clean.

Saladmaster slicers: these are all metal, modern, crank slicers with multiple attachments. They are really nice. I personally prefer the older antique ones that clamp to the table. The newer ones don't clamp to a table, so you need two hands to operate them. They are still really awesome though. Stay away from the older versions that use the suction base. Those suction bases tend to wear out. Some of the clamp on ones are "Vari-Cutter" and "Schulte".

Ferrari floor corker: I have one of these. They are all metal Italian floor corkers. The bushings are brass instead of nylon and last indefinitely.

continued....

[Anonymous No.547527]

>>547524
...continued

All-American brand pressure cookers: These are amazing. I've had one for 30+ years and their newest largest one for the past 3-4 years. Both are exceptionally sturdy. I've never broken them, but their gauges, jiggler, rubber emergency pressure vent, and petcocks are all easily replaceable. The only part you need to be careful of is the lip of the lid and base where they meet. If that gets dented they won't work right.

Garden weasel (pictured): I have one of these with a fiberglass handle. The tines can be removed if you need to replace or better clean the tines. I've been using this thing for about 5 years now and it is great for using quickly between rows of crops where a motorize rototiller can't get to or shouldn't be used.

Let me show a big difference in quality and price here. In this image you have a super cheap Victorio strainer and a really expensive Squeezo strainer. There are various Victorio models ranging in amounts of plastic they container.The biggest problem is their scroll (the spiral auger thing inside the screen that pushes food through) is also plastic and prone to splitting when you are cranking through some tough foods. My aunt has one of these and there's some extremely difficult to clean cracks in the scroll, which finally busted out. The hopper was dropped once and broke somehow. When you crank through some tough stuff the entire unit will move back and forth as you crank even though the foot is solidly attached to the table.

The Squeezo strainer on the other hand is all metal except for the wooden plunger, rubber gasket, and nylon bushing. The only part that really wears out is the nylon bushing, but only have about 10-15 years of use. Those are easily replaced too. Nothing on these break. They feel really solid. When you crank through tough stuff it won't move even half as much as the Victorio strainer.

Victorio price: $50 or less
Squeezo price: $200-$230 depending on how many extra screen sizes you get.

[Anonymous No.547532]

>>547523
>Some of those things you listed aren't planned obsolescence, it's just how things are made quickly and cheaply. Through hole components require human workers to manufacture, SMD can be handled by pick and place machines.

That's true, but it isn't all about planned obsolescence, it is just some people don't know what that is so I posted the link to it.

>I had to pay $6000 for a new insulin pump even though the one I already had works perfectly.

I'd be pretty pissed too. I think I'd badger the hell out of the company about it. Maybe then if they make a new model it will accept all the older types of cartridges too. Imagine being somewhere in an emergency where you need a new cartridge but all there are in that location are the other style cartridges. If you ever contact them, tell them you don't want to be in that sort of situation.

[Anonymous No.547538]

A lot of vintage electronics are super durable simply because their technology was a lot larger and physically durable. A few examples are gameboys, 8-track-recordplayer-cassette, combo, stereo radios, and CRTs.

I still use CRTs for my main PC stuff. I'm using the same old Gateway EV910 CRTs for years now. I have graphics cards so that I can have multiple monitors hooked up. so, I can use a wide flat screen in addition to my CRT monitors. One is for entertainment like games and movies and the CRTs are for web, programming, etc. The problem is that I've gone through about 5-6 flatscreens and none of the CRTs have died yet even though they are secondhand units. I have a dead 50" flatscreen here I've been trying to fix for a while now without luck.

[Anonymous No.547541]

Televisions. THAT is planned obsolescence. I am a very, very handy dude. I've been repairing my own electronics since my first annoying zapper gun speaker leads came undone.

Anyways, I had an LG 28 inch flat screen. One day it suddenly fizzled and gave up the ghost. I sighed and started tearing it apart. The panel board fried the very first cap in line, from the 90V ribbon cable. So, I strip it all down. Call LG, tell them I need the value for C515, that I'm a licensed repair tech, and this is my personal television. They say they don't know. They don't have a board breakdown, they usually just replace the panel if something fries.

336 dollars + shipping to replace the board, and the fucking LED display. The TV was 260$ on sale at best buy.

So, I still have all the pieces, I'm waiting for another one to pop up at my local repair guy's shop with another problem that he can't fix, and I'll swoop it, rob the cap, discern the value, order a new one, and make off with two working televisions.


Anyways, all anyone can say is "no" when it comes to getting shit fixed.

[Anonymous No.547543]

OP this interests me greatly. I have noticed that current products are on the market far less these days. A company 50 years ago could make a product that would be profitable for 5-10 years in the market. Now products are on the market for months sometimes.

I am a product design student currently working on a project for a cordless drill (and other power tools) for a large power tools manufacturer. I am having trouble grasping how modern battery powered drills will last 2-3 years, and consumers will buy a new one before repairing the old one. In my family we have a 1960's craftsman aluminum body corded drill that still works amazingly. If anything breaks (and it has) you take it apart and repair it. I have replaced the brushes in it several times. I was hoping that perhaps you could describe what a perfect cordless drill would be to you or post pictures of ones that you like.

[Anonymous No.547547]

>>547541
I know that feeling all too well. I made the mistake of buying a Vizio brand LCD 24" screen. 5 days before the 90-day warranty it smoked and died. I'm sure I could have fixed it, BUT it was under warranty (I also had a 1-year extended warranty).

So, I call and send it in. They repair it and send it back. a couple months later the same thing happens. I send it in and they send it back. 2 months later SAME THING. Only they dont' send it back this time. They keep it and give me money for the cost of the price I bought the unit at. However, it cost me $30 each time in shipping costs.

So, I spent $90 in shipping.

[Anonymous No.547548]

>>547543
Can modularity be designed into hand tools so that they may also function as bench tools? e.g., I can use my circular saw as a table saw without effort or worry, my hand drill becomes a drill press with the proper attachments.

[Anonymous No.547549]

ifixit dot com, tools, spare parts, and guides on how to fix shit.

[Anonymous No.547550]

>>547543
>all metal drill

Oh, that reminds me, I have one of those I just found from my deceased grandparent's place. The cord is all mangled, but I want to replace the cord and see if it works. It is also a widow maker because there's no ground. so, I'll be adding a grounded cord if the motor will work in the first place.

> I am having trouble grasping how modern battery powered drills will last 2-3 years, and consumers will buy a new one before repairing the old one.

I frequent the recycling center to find parts and easily salvageable stuff. I didn't go one week and this past week I spied a big box of about 10 cordless drills. They still worked, they just had dead batteries. The problem was they'd been in constant rain for a full week and were now all rusted to hell and back inside. I almost cried. I need a few for turning into stationary bench tools for wood working.

>I was hoping that perhaps you could describe what a perfect cordless drill would be to you or post pictures of ones that you like.

Heh, well, I actually use powerless cordless drills when I use a cordless drill. Otherwise, I use a 7amp Skil 6335 corded drill that has a max RPM of 950. The cordless drills I use are actually the ones in this image. The reason I like these is because they are light and never run out of power. The only problem is in tight spaces. You know what would be nice? A battery-powered drill that also had a crank on it. If the battery dies you can slide the crank handle out of the handle and plug it into a place on the side and still be able to drill by cranking it. It'd also be cool if you could also charge the battery the same way, with the hand crank, but that's probably asking too much unless it is TEOTWAWKI. lol

[Anonymous No.547551]

>>547548
I have a Dremel attachment that turns it into a router and one that turns it into a drill press.

I'm sure I've seen many other such devices for things like what you want. I'd be nice to see them more often. Being able to simple snap in and bolt down one tool to use as another function would be great. Like taking my portable router and attaching it to a router table.

I actually got an old battery powered circular saw so that I could turn it into a small table saw for medium sized work (I already have a small Dremel table saw and a normal full sized one.).

[Anonymous No.547552]

>various models of gm gauge clusters have problems with the gauges going bad
>gm requires replacing the gauge cluster, it has to be programmed through them as well, you cannot reprogram a used cluster to a different vehicle
>usually costs about $1k
>can order replacement stepper motors for these gauge clusters online for about $2.50 each but gm does not tell anyone this.
>takes about 10 minutes to remove gauges from car and about another 10 to disassemble the cluster to the circuit board.
>each stepper motor is only 4 solder joints and they are easy to do.
I have saved countless dollars for people by doing this.
top kek gm

[Anonymous No.547554]

>>547548
Interesting idea. I may sketch some ideas up. The problem i see though, is that the stationary tools are meant to be more powerful than handheld.

>>547550
Also interesting. Not sure how much weight and space a charging unit and handle mechanics would take up.

Does anyone have any input as to what kind of materials they like their tools to be made out of? Plastics? Metals? Wood grips and finishes?

Thanks so far.

[Anonymous No.547558]

>inherit a cheapo Chicago Electric reciprocating saw
>use it to clean up my grandfather's property by tearing down old shit and scrapping it
>the fucking blade holder breaks
>call and ask about a replacement part
>its discontinued
>cant find replacement anywhere

This small cast iron ring that you tighten the blade to with Allen bolts prevents me from using the damn thing.

I'm still pretty pissed off that the only way to get a working reciprocating saw out of this is to buy a whole new one.

[Anonymous No.547560]

>>547538
yeah older monitors man, I went to a hacklab near me and they had a room of old working monitors they were giving away or just playing with.

>>547538
My old man was a roofer/welder by trade ive been badgering him to teach me to weld, he built the room im sitting in.

My point though is he has most of his tools 20 or so years old , big mains electric drills, files screw drivers, hell hes 50 suttin now and has an engineer set square he cleaned and oiled for about 10 years. Still looks new haha.

>>547543
Brushless motors should help in the regard, they are cheap as shit and reliable unless you throw a magnet.

If you want it to last oversize it.
most products are rated at 75% of their max
In the army i think they go for 50% duty

>>547523
Poor man, makes me glad i live in the Uk with nhs. Say what you will but it really is a load off.

[Anonymous No.547563]

Apple Computer

[Anonymous No.547564]

>>547554
>Not sure how much weight and space a charging unit and handle mechanics would take up.

It shouldn't be very much. A the motor in a battery powered drill is actually great way to create some electricity. Just take the battery out and hook it up to a volt meter then crank away on the drill head. Putting something in the head will help crank it. With a small charge regulator circuit and switch to switch from drilling to charging you can make it charge the battery without much space or weight taken up.

>Does anyone have any input as to what kind of materials they like their tools to be made out of? Plastics? Metals? Wood grips and finishes?

I prefer metal and wood over anything plastic. Some things with rubberized grips are nice. Having optional gripes for different angles and leverages is also nice. Having things that are interchangeable with other stuff is also nice for when something breaks.

[Anonymous No.547565]

>>547514
>mother owns 25€ phone
>battery dies, asks me to get her a new one
>new battery would've been 30€

[Anonymous No.547566]

>>547558
I think I'd try to make a new one or find a part that would work with it. Discontinued stuff happens all the time with electronics. Especially screens. They'll have some model number like C456 then 6 months later have C456a and when you call to ask about the C456 they will tell you it is unsupported and discontinued. Yet, the C456a is the exact same screen with the exact same parts. Sometimes they'll change out one board for a board they can get someplace cheaper and slab the "a" on the end of the model number.

The point is that most of the time it would be supported, but they want you to buy a new one to continue the cycle.

[Anonymous No.547567]

>>547565
Cheap cordless power tools are exactly like that. Someone explain the economics of that to me.

[Anonymous No.547569]

>>547566

Perhaps so. I may swing by Harbor Freight and disassemble their display model to see if it uses the same part.

[Anonymous No.547570]

I've always found Kenwood Chefs to be very reliable and quite easy to repair. The old ones usually are anyway, not so sure about the new ones.

I recently got one like this from a boot-sale/yard-sale for £15. Still works brilliantly and it must be at least 20 years old.

[Anonymous No.547580]

>>547570
I have a KitchenAid mixer that's like 30 years old I think. It's been oiled/greased up only two times I think. It still works like a champ. All metal too. It is awesome for cookie, pastry, and bread doughs.

I recently bought a Montgomery Ward "governor controlled" mixer that looks like this one. It is the kind that has two beaters. I paid $5 for it at a thrift shop. I greased it up and it works pretty well actually.

[Anonymous No.547802]

>>547580

I have 2 Hamilton Beach Model Gs mixers, a Model 24 mixer and a Oster Regency Kitchen Center (mixer, blender, food processor, food chopper, meat grinder and ice cream maker). While the Regency is mostly plastic its still made in the USA and does just about every fucking this you'd need done in a kitchen. The Beachs are all metal (with Pyrex bowls) and real champs. Not quite strong enough for dough work (the Oster is) but great for everything else. I also have a few Osterizer Blenders that are fucking BEASTS. The best is a model 642 "Imperial Ten". It has a 7.7 amp motor and is 90% chrome.

That said, Sunbeams, Osters and HBs are still known for being pretty good machines for the price. KitchenAid is still tops though, you gotta pay an arm and a leg for them though.

[Anonymous No.547812]

>>547802
>KitchenAid is still tops though, you gotta pay an arm and a leg for them though.

Indeed, but they are REALLY worth it.

[Anonymous No.547913]

>>547567

Its pretty simple. They do really short-ass production runs and use nonstandard parts. So, a year or more down the line, after they've stopped making it, you come along and try to get a part. Guess what? All they have left by then is New Old Stock and they can charge whatever they want. This is generally what cheap tools do because they do the one run and than switch the factory over to other shit and toss the old tooling.

Another reason is that sometimes the tool is a loss leader. This is what "quality" toolmakers do. Same deal with printers and ink cartridges. They sell you the tool for cheap and make the money back on batteries and other accessories. Thats also why they love using proprietary shit. You crack open those batteries and it doesn't matter who made them they have the same type of Nickel Cadmium or Lithium Ion cells inside, they just use a proprietary case so it wont fit in any other tools. Again with printer cartridges. You think HP and Kodak use different ink? Fuck no.

This is very much not a new thing though. I have some Yankee screwdrivers. The real deal hand assembled North Bros. "Yankee" brand screwdrivers from the 20s. These were the guys the invented the fucking things and guess what? They take Proprietary. Fucking. Bits. At least with todays tools you have interchangeable hex based bits but not old Yankees. You lose a bit and you gotta go to the source to get a new one. So, while they did make things to last back in the day they still liked to screw you and get money where they could.

You want to really see some shit look of the difference between a Morse and Jacobs taper for tooling. That shit goes back like a century.

[Anonymous No.547923]

Ex LG employee here.

The horror I have seen. there is no planned obsolence, just minimum requirements, the closer you get to those, the better. Warranty is the aim, if you can make something cheaper and it complains with the warranty go for it. This guys save everyfucking penny, the monitors and tvs around the offices were the ones that the clients gave back because they burned, you could actually see the ghost image of the company that used to have the flat screens

>>547913
they dont toss the old tooling, they destroy the old tooling. this is to avoid piracy. people used to grab the old molds and start making units or spare parts.

the only thing i give credit to LG is the nice packaging, way overkill, but they need to survive trips to israel, india, brasil etc. even to places with no roads

[Anonymous No.547951]

I realize this one is more /k/ related, so I will keep it short. I found a Camillus 883 pocket knife in an old, gutted fuse/breaker box while on an urbex. It was sitting in about an 1/8 inch puddle of water, and rusted open. Probably been there for years.

Brought it home. Managed to work everything lose with a mixture of WD-40 and elbow grease. Dropped it in a bowl of CLR. The brass and stainless bits cleaned right up. The back-springs took a tad bit more work, but I got them cleaned up too. I've been using it as my daily-carry knife for over a year now.

If that doesn't say something about durability, I don't know what does... Although, the company changed hands in '07, so I don't know if they still have the same standards they used to.

[Anonymous No.547965]

>>547543
Nothing fancy for me please. Polished aluminum or stainless steel case. I dont mind the weight. No bit holder or nothing. If i want to use a light, i have lights for that. Please dont build pne into it. One nice requesy i would like to make is to make a wall attachment to plug into the batyery reciever to use 120ac in addition to battery power. Like the guys that do it using microwave parts.

[Anonymous No.547980]

>>547554
Check out this hand drill from fiskar. It just needs a trigger. Add some wood accents too so old people would drool over it

[Anonymous No.547984]

>>547980
I actually had one of those as a kid. It worked, but it was a piece of crap compared to the older, all metal version my dad had, much like one of 547550's....my plastic hunk-o-crap broke after about two years of use.

[Anonymous No.547986]

>>547554
Do it in metal + wood grip. Here's another inspiration 4 U

[Anonymous No.547990]

>>547913
While the batteries from different manufacturers are almost the same, they differ slightly according to the manufacturer's preferences (cooling, etc). I have heard talk of some manufacturers teaming up to make a universal battery for all of their cordless power tools. I don't know if this would integrate or segregate the market even more, but it is in the pipeline.

[Anonymous No.548026]

>>547913
>At least with todays tools you have interchangeable hex based bits but not old Yankees.

That's because you could drill with those too. Having your bits get pulled out all the time is a real bore. So, they have a locking mechanism.

[Anonymous No.548027]

>>547965
>One nice requesy i would like to make is to make a wall attachment to plug into the batyery reciever to use 120ac in addition to battery power

100x this. If the battery goes you can at least plug it in with an extension cord and finish the job, depending on where you are.

[Anonymous No.548042]

>>547514
It's not so much planned obsolescence as it is a shift in the economic bracket of the average consumer. More of the consumer demographic today that is purchasing goods are in a lower income bracket than the people that were purchasing those same goods 50 years ago.

People want way more stuff and aren't willing to pay as much for it. So companies (who are also only interested in maximizing profits) compete with each other solely on price and not on the actual quality of the product.

Goods were made to last 50 years ago because the expectation was that since they would cost so much compared to the percentage of income you are buying it at it should last longer.
Nevermind that the societal norms surrounding personal responsibility and independence have completely changed such that nobody expects to or is willing to fix things themselves.

[Anonymous No.548045]

>>548042
>So companies (who are also only interested in maximizing profits)

That is the part I hate most. I mean you can still become very successful today by making extremely top quality, expensive items. The problem the profit margin won't be nearly as high as the super cheap throw away crap everyone else makes. But, you'd still be living very comfortably. It is just that people are too fucking greedy and want max of maximum profits.

I think that's one of the reasons I'm so into making stuff myself. Good stuff is just so hard to find and the once good stuff is no longer good, even from the same company it used to be good.

[Anonymous No.548046]

>>548042
>nobody expects to or is willing to fix things themselves.

Even the number of professional repair places are dwindling to nearly nothing because devices are made so cheaply it is more cost effective for the consumer to throw away the marginally broken item and buy a new one than to pay for a repair.

[Anonymous No.548063]

>>548026

They would get pulled out because they used a non-standard chuck. You couldn't use standard round shack twist drill bits in them or they would twist inside the chuck (and not fit right of course). They also wouldn't clear the shavings correctly. Ratcheting drill bits have strait fluting and a very aggressive bite to them because of the limited number of rotations to get per cycle. Now, normal North Bros. drills (breast drills, egg beater drills, etc) can accept standard bits because they used standard two and three jaw chucks, but not the ratcheting screwdrivers/drills though.

>>548046

Well that and labor costs. You would not believe what a camera repair person gets paid an hour to tear down and repair a camera. Just about any schmuck can work on an assembly line putting one part into a spot for 8 hours but it takes massive skills to tear down an $800 camera, identify the problem and put it back together. And thats the problem, its only worth it for stuff that costs a shitton of money. For your $80 drill you'd pay more for a skilled technicians labor than it cost to make. Look at auto mechanics, same deal. If you need a new heater coil installed the part itself is generally only a small fraction of the total repair cost.

[Anonymous No.548066]

happened a couple months ago
>washing machine stops spinning
>still goes through cycles, just doesn't spin
>everyone says get a new one cause its old
>open it to see one of the brushes on the motor has worn out
>found a place to make a new one for $30
>installed it, works like new
Mind you it's an older machine, so the front panel gives you access to everything.
people are always amazed when i tell them i fixed it for under $100 instead of buying a new X hundred dollar appliance every time something breaks.

[Anonymous No.548070]

>>548066
I have the same dilemma with pretty much anything.
I can either buy something very efficient, but god help me if it breaks

OR

I could get something older that will be not as efficient, but I and every other average Joe can fix it.
Best example is cars. I can get and older 4runner that has 17HWY or newer one that has 20HWY, but again if something goes wrong on the newer one it will cost arm, leg, and a kidney.

[Anonymous No.548097]

>>547565
>>547567
its the new way of retailing
>undercut competition with low margins or even loss
>rip off stupid consumer with crazyass margin accessories and replacements
see; cars, smartphones, ink printers (lol) etc

protip; you can buy new batteries for pretty much any phone off ebay from china, cost about 5-10bucks with shipping and worked just as good as "original" every time i tried
you could propably upgrade any old cordless drill by tearing out the old NiCd battery and replacing with generic LiIon packs of same voltage

[Anonymous No.548107]

>>547570
I've got that one (A701) and it's 40+ years old

Thankfully most parts for Chefs of all vintages are still available. They have enough of a cult following to ensure that people actually care about fixing, refurbishing and reselling them.

My coffee machine is a similar story. Simple, robust and beautiful.

[fllaw No.548217]

>>547580
my fucking parents threw out my grandmother's stand mixed because THE BOWL BROKE. I did not come to learn this until very recently when I said I wanted one very badly. Fucking hell.

attached is a pic of a fan that i restored recently, its a 1947 ge vortalex 12" oscillator. i soldered new head wires to the motor, replaced all the wiring and the switch (since the knob cracked and was expensive to replace), removed a lot of rust, painted, oiled, greased, and away she went! blows like hell!

[Anonymous No.548225]

>>548217
>my fucking parents threw out my grandmother's stand mixed because THE BOWL BROKE

The mark of denizens of a Throw Away Society.

I love that fan. Good job.

[Anonymous No.548228]

>>548063
>Well that and labor costs.

That's what I was getting at. It isn't rocket science to repair most common things. Now shit like big office copiers on the other hand....holy shit.

[Anonymous No.548232]

>>548066
Same here. Usually it has something to do with the belt slipping off center or the line freezing (it is in an unheated room.) It was a gift from my mother and she insisted someone else fix it. So, the first time she paid about $75 to have the belt put back on. Since then I've kept my mouth shut whenever it breaks down (rarely) and just fix it myself without cost.

I go to the recycling center often because they allow people to take stuff from there (except copper and aluminum). I'm always amazed how many electronics are tossed out that work perfectly except for some small blemish or really easy-to-fix and replace part is broken.

[Anonymous No.548241]

>>547570

I'm waiting on the edge for one of these. My grandfather bought an original one as a gift for my grandmother, she used it up until the 1990s then it sat in their kitchen until she died. I was all ready to take it cause my grandfather was gonna chuck it or sell it, then me mother steps in and goes "I'll use it more and look after it!"

Never used it once. And I cook and bake often and lust for this machine, which is currently sat under a tailored cover on a table at my folks house.

God-fucking-damnit. Back on topic, I much prefer older stuff because it can be fixed. Desk clock is a 1930s Sterling Croydon synchronous clock which I rewired, added a ground and restored; hall clock is a 1950s Metamec electric art-deco style clock that I rewired and repaired. Lamps, fans, and especially tools I own are all old, repairable and made to last. Some of the stuff I have in daily use dates back to WWII.

Back onto kitchen appliances, my coffee maker is a 1980s model, bought for 50 pence from a market and my sandwich toaster is a 1980's Sunbeam model with metal hinges and metal-reinforced handles that don't just snap off if you want a thick sammich.

[Anonymous No.548254]

One thing I just thought of that is really cheap and over done these days. That's cast iron anvils instead of tool steel forged anvils. I do some cold peening with nails from time to time. I was at a friend's house a few months ago and showing him how to make a quick cheap drill bit from a random nail (see pic of some of my first ones). Well, while peening the nail it was actually making dents in the top of his anvil. I found out for him that it was just cast iron.

This is why I'm saving up for a nice big one like a Ridgid 69642 model 12 forged anvil.

The "anvil" in this image is just the back end of a cast iron bench vice. Hence the dents from the nail you can see in the images on it.

>>548241
I love old stuff too. Some of it even has a nice style and is durable as hell. I have tons of antiques and I use a lot of them every single day.

[Anonymous No.548260]

>solid metal (I think aluminum) hand drill, three prong cord
>completely locked up
>was fuck up due to a washer wearing out or something, AND the brushes locked in when the armature slipped forward
>fix both those issues
>most beautiful piece of technology I've probably repaired

>get hand-table-saw thing
>replace brushes, works fine

>guy comes into our VACUUM repair shop with a lamp
>a lamp from like the 40s or some shit
>scrub it down, redo lamp sockets
>they used paper insulation around bulbs
>cut up a vacuum extension tube, just able to fit insulation in
>guy thinks it looks great with sleek aluminum holsters around the lamps
If I could find them I'd post lamps like it

On that note, of being a vacuum repair shop:
>people bring in "no clog" Dysons, clogged
>use >30 year old vacuums to clean them out
>guy comes in, willing to trade a near-new Dyson canister thing for an 20+ year old Electrolux Canister
>people drop off Kirby because they needed something lighter (and newer)
>come back in one or two months because new one broke
toppest kek

Don't even get me started on shit like Bosch or Miele. Fuckers are trying to create grey goo under their hoods. Even on some basic machines, they'll use the motor coils as resistors to prevent a lamp from blowing out. You literally have to wire the lamp circuit going through the motor, or you'll blow out the bulbs.

[Anonymous No.548266]

>>548260
>they needed something lighter (and newer)
>newer

>Those people that need the latest most modern "thing" and those people that toss out something because it got dirty or a small scratch.

Pet peeve territory right there.

On the up side, I've saved a lot of stuff from reaching the landfill.

[Anonymous No.548269]

I don't want this to sound like an advertisement, but as far as durable footwear goes, I had this pair of Blundstone hiking boots since....forever. Easily 5-8 years old.
I dont use them for hiking per se, but as a general walking shoe or for use in snow/cold/rain/mud, they're a dream. Comfortable too, and breathe well.

[Anonymous No.548273]

>>548269
I'm really hard on shoes/sneakers. Mine usually run $30 to $50 and only last about 6-8 months before they start separating from the sole.

I try to buy ones that have one color of sole on the bottom, but that is getting harder to do. Most have 2 colors and they actually separate and one color flops off. Like in this image, the white and dark grey would separate or the red and grey. Or, they'd separate where the sole meets the "leather" around the toes and side.

So, I get like 2 pairs of sneakers a year, sometimes 3-4 pairs if I'm unlucky in finding a good pair.

[Anonymous No.548277]

>>548273
Don't buy sneakers. If you want something to last, get a pair of good leather shoes like Redwings.

[Anonymous No.548282]

>>548277
I was actually looking at these just now. They have the fewest breakables things on them and everything I've read so far has been good,


http://www.zappos.com/blundstone-bl584-rustic-brown

A bit pricey though.

[Anonymous No.548315]

>>548260
>Kirby

my mom bought one of those before I was even born, she still uses it.

[Anonymous No.548551]

>>548315
I had a friend that sold Kirby vacuums for a while. They were really good. I preferred the Rainbow sweeper at the time for dust issues. Now I'll either use a shop vac, vacuum with water bucket, or in-wall vacuum system.

[Anonymous No.548558]

>>548277

I'm an (ex) motorcycle rider (too smashed up now). Anyway, I buy combat boots from altama.com. A pair lasts about a year of daily (hard) use. By then the uppers and soles are worn out, having done zero maintenance.

I figure they are meant to be worn day in and out, by people that worry about their feet.

[Anonymous No.548561]

as far as cars go: old CJ5's and CJ7's. There are even fuel injection kits to retrofit the motors. They are mechanically stone cold simple and easy to work on.

[fllaw No.548566]

>>548225
Thanks, man. It took a while but she works great. And I think looks a LOT better than a fucking Dyson.

Anyway, pic related, but not directly. Thank you, Throw Away Society.

http://grist.org/list/aging-boomers-who-cant-drive-will-be-trapped-in-unwalkable-cities-of-their-own-making/

[fllaw No.548569]

>>548260
>1930s Sterling Croydon
im jelly

>>548241
i feel your pain. just steal it. they won't even notice. fuckers.

>>548232
man dont even get me started on washing machines. the tranny on ours went out so i had the manufacturer (admiral) send one out (it was under parts warranty, but not labor) and i replaced it myself. such a fucking stupid design.

When it went out AGAIN (squealing, slow spin, etc.) I said thats it we're getting a new one, since it is OBVIOUSLY a bad design. I wasn't wasting any more time on it.

SO, I go out looking for a good old fashioned speed queen, since I KNOW they are servicable, and basically I just want to be able to wash my clothes. but my GF was like no those are hideous and overpriced i want "nice" ones.

For the same price i bought a lightly used 2 year old LG set. They seem to be in perfect working order, and while i resent how complicated they are, i do really love the steam function.... that's was really sold me....i'm just dreading the first time I have to repair them...ugh....

[Anonymous No.548606]

I've had good experiences with older automobiles. I used to work in a garage changing tires, oil, and helping the primary mechanic, so I picked up some knowledge beyond the basic citizen's view in regards to minor service-work.

Do not own the following cars if you wish to change your own oil without serious injury or incident. (mostly burns from exhaust manifolds placed in fucking retarded locations)

Jeep. They get extremely hot even in the best of situations, and even if you drive them 5 minutes before you go under there, touching anything in the region of the engine block or exhaust guarantees you a brand-new present and some generous cursing. Wear gloves if you must or, change the thing cold. Changing the oil at a higher viscosity doesn't do a whole lot, though I won't say it has no impact on how well the oil drains, just not very much. If you're that concerned about it, just run a quart of used but, still clean oil, through it until it comes out an even color.

Vans. Fuck the asshole who invented the snub-nosed van (1993 GMC Safari for an example) and all minivans. There is no room under the hood for anything and as a result there is no room underneath either. Enjoy grabbing that oil filter after bending your wrist past 90 degrees to pass the front-end system.

THE PONTIAC FUCKING SUNFIRE. If you own one of these miserable rat-dick contraptions and don't change the oil yourself, then fuck you and your family. 1995 was the year hell burst forth onto the earth.

[Anonymous No.548610]

>>548606
Further advice:

Low-profile tires: Fuck 'em.
BMW's with reverse lugnuts: Fuck 'em
Anything with a lugnut key, esp if the owner loses it: Fuck 'em
Cars with front steering that require the wheel to be all the way to right to access the oil filter underneath: Double fuck those
Any vehicle at all that doesn't keep the oil filter towards the bottom-rear of the front end is also a terrible mistake.

All that said, standard shift pickups are fun to work on, enough so that I own one and keep up with it religiously. Any car that keeps the amount of space it has in total in mind in its design is fine by me, more and more now automotive designers pack more shit into a smaller space with every model, and it gets to the point where it's hard to do something like fuck with the bottom of the brake fluid reservoir without jerking out the air filter assembly, sensors and all.

[Anonymous No.548627]

>>548566
This is where bicycles can come in handy for those that can still use them. Maybe if they used them in the first place they'd not have so many problems.

[Anonymous No.548629]

>>548610
>reverse lugnuts

Fuck reverse anything. God, damn it.

[Has the hobby of electronics d(...) No.548636]

Electronics engineering student here i got into it because i wanted to be able to put up a fight vs planned obsolescence

I have learned way too much about how electronics are made and now when possible i usually DIY my own stuff to be as durable as possible,

However even when i do have and know how to use an oscilloscope, and a multimetter, LCR metters and logic analizers, right now i have a broken 40 inch sony TV and a Canon printer that out of nowhere are not working, i already checked what i could do, sometimes it’s an integrated circuit that its not available for the general public, sometimes they just put a god damn black blob so you don’t see what integrated circuit they are using , or sometimes it gets so complicated that I get desperate (and im a very patient person)


I still need way more knowledge and years of experience as an engineer to attempt to repair (and not replace a module) of this stuff, it kind off pisses me off to the point im considering not buying them again and just do my work by hand and never ever watch TV again (full of adds anyway), however my parents are the ones that insist on having everything big and new without thinking because they feel “poor” if they don’t have the stuff “everybody” has
Through my journey i have seen how even electronic components are getting cheaper and weaker in every possible way, litteraly made to be as cheap as possible and to to barely be able work, and the more digital circuits are involved the more the chances of it not working in a short period of time,

In short my advice “Analog and old” is way better than “efficient and new digital stuff” or at least you can repair it easily instead of investing thousands of dollars in equipment and years of study time for just to find out you cant repair it because of coorporate greed and bussines plans

pic semi related, my battlestation to fight planned obsolescence

inb4 china its making almost everything these days even my equipment

[Anonymous No.548641]

>>548636
>black blob

I want to _____ people when I see those things.

> it kind off pisses me off to the point im considering not buying them again and just do my work by hand and never ever watch TV again

I know that feeling so well. I have a dead 50" flat screen sitting just left of my 17" CRT I'm currently using.

Keeping up with the Jones is about the most retarded mentality to have really. I blame society and corporations' manipulation of it for that.

[Anonymous No.548660]

>>547951
Try PB Blaster next time instead of WD-40.

[Julez No.548673]

Hi!
One way to get lasting computer stuff is to avoid consumer grade stuff. Get office grade stuff instead. If the IT guys in any company get complaints about a specific brand over and over again, they won't buy it any more, and the manufacturers know it.
Instead of a new Acer Laptop, buy a used Thinkpad. Mine is from 2007, and runs gread wit an SSD. HMMs (hardware maintenance manuals) are to be found for every model, and they describe every step down to the tinyest fucking screw that needs to be taken out to change any part that is in there. Spare parts can be found all over ebay. My screen was yellowish when I bought it used. €50 on ebay for a brand new one! Consumer laptops of my classmates in technical college were failing left and right, mine held up.
Next thing, printers. Avoid consumer grade ink jets like the plague. I have an office grade HP Laserjet 2300d.
€100 on ebay, refill toner €15 for two fucking 6000 page cartridges. Heavy like a tank, but also built like one. I feed it all the wrinkled leftover paper to print on the backside, hardly ever a paper jam. I am actually looking forward to every print job I have, because I just love machines that run like a swiss clockwork!
Screw those:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/printers

[Anonymous No.548674]

>>548569

This is it, case is a little worn but I like the patina. Cost me about $10 sold as seen from an antique/junk shop, after a strip, grease and rewire using modern fabric-braided cable it's good as new.

Funny little quirk is it's a manual start; you have to spin it to get it to work (either forwards or backwards) when you switch it on.

[Anonymous No.548676]

my dick stops working after the warranty runs out

[Anonymous No.548685]

I agree with this except the "planned" part.

There's no conspiracy on the part of toolmakers or other manufacturers to plan for their products to break at a certain point to force you to buy a new one.

They just design them to last at least some length of time, usually not that long, because it's cheaper that way. Because, like it or not, cheaper is generally what the US customer wants these days. They would rather buy a new product every couple of years but pay less today than pay more for something that will last. This is true for virtually everything.

You can still buy quality products, though you're going to have to go online or in a catalog to do so. But even those are cheaper (cost-wise, not quality-wise) then they used to be so it's not all bad. (Of course there are the extremely tiny niche market exceptions, and those are outrageously more expensive than they used to be.)

[Anonymous No.548691]

>>548673
As far as laptops go, Thinkpads are the only thing you should be buying, used or new.

They're used by NASA, every company that knows what's good for them, and anyone who has a good idea of quality.
Even after IBMs computer section was brought by Lenovo, the quality hasn't gone down a noticeable degree; although the basic design of the T series has suffered somewhat, but it's probably not really due to Lenovo but rather the consumer markets retarded wants.

And they make high spec laptops (W series) if you need that kind of thing, as well as less expensive generic use shit.

The 90s thinkpads are fucking space age technology: practically every non coated PCB trace that you can find is gold plated, all the connectors generally have thick gold plating, and the components are high quality.

Dollar for dollar, they're way better than Apple or any other fucking computer manufacturer, never mind retarded shit like Dell who make the worst fucking laptops on the market.

[Anonymous No.548692]

>>548685
>There's no conspiracy on the part of toolmakers or other manufacturers to plan for their products to break at a certain point to force you to buy a new one.

There is for some companies, not all.

[Has the hobby of electronics d(...) No.548703]

>>548692
>>548691

Its not like engineers are looking for a way for stuff to break down, its just that the amount and quality of the semiconductors being used its getting lower and lower it has more to do with the construction quality of the semi conductors than of an electronc design scheme

as >>548691 said you dont see good quality PCB traces that often today, Average Joe thinks netbooks and macs are good machines when the last time i checked macs couldnt be opened or serviced

Gets worse with netbooks some of them dont even have screws when they fail they are litteraly dispossable trash in every possible way

You can try to open a netbook and then it will become trash because its not possible to put it all together again

God damn you industrial designers

[Anonymous No.548713]

>>548703
>Its not like engineers are looking for a way for stuff to break down,

Some are. For netbooks, you can snap them apart and where they were snap apart the snap will be broke many times. You can epoxy something in that place so that you can drill a hole and install your own screw for later taking apart.

[Anonymous No.548718]

>>548703
There are design quality issues with some companies as well as with parts quality issues.
Take this, for example:
http://ludens.cl/Electron/chinverter/chinverter.html

Obviously, when you buy something cheap, you are going to get something cheap.

But there's something to be said for using the components you have in a fucking logical way, which some companies fail to do beautifully.
(caps right by heat sources, MOSFETs without adequate cooling, bad connection jobs, underbuilt for its intended purpose, and so on)

[Has the hobby of electronics d(...) No.548721]

>>548713
thats not the work of the engineers the cases, are made by industrial designers (Product designers) (not engineers)

Their job is to make a case that looks good and has functionality

They can make the most functional and serviceable case ever and it also looks great, however

Thats when the suit guys and bussines plans get involved and the company chosses not letting anyone try to fix their products (apple is famous for this) so then they take that master piece serviceable case and turn it into a case that will brake down if you attemp to open it made of the worst and cheapest material possible

>>548718

>(caps right by heat sources, MOSFETs without adequate cooling)

This is the fault of the engineers, but any engineer coming from a decent school wont commit these mistakes since the 1st thing they learn is chemistry and how temperature affects the circuits in general,

But when you find bad electronic design these days we dont know if they are doing it on porpouse, by mistake, or because they get ordered too

[Anonymous No.548723]

>>548718
>http://ludens.cl/Electron/chinverter/chinverter.html

Jesus fuck. It'd have been better if he'd just trashed it and built a new one from scratch. lol

[Anonymous No.548731]

>>548629
Why do you hate reverse cowgirl, Anon?

[Anonymous No.548732]

>>547543

This post is making me rage so hard. My dad gave me a metal-bodied Craftsman corded drill that had a 'refurbished' sticker on it. He didn't even buy it new. and it was the best drill I ever had.

Then some asshole broke into my garage and stole all my tools. I'll never see that drill again, and will have to replace it with something that has no chance of lasting long enough to give to one of my kids

[Anonymous No.548735]

>>548732
Get one on eBay.

[Anonymous No.548736]

I've got a 1970's Black and Decker corded hammer drill me dad gave me. Metal bodied and completely indestructible it seems, not broken down once in forty odd years. When it does, I'll fix it and use it for another forty.

>>548732

I agree with this feller ( >>548735 ), look for one secondhand. It won't hold the sentimental value of something your dad gave you, but there's plenty of people selling old tools because there's a mentality out there at the minute that new is automatically better.

[Anonymous No.548761]

>>547541
I'm hanging onto my CRT set. I worked in the TV repair game and this new stuff is exactly like you say.

[Anonymous No.548795]

>>548691
i found my way around the laptop game, basically i bought a 1200 dell studio laptop for 600 on the outlet about 4 years ago, a upgraded to a crazy accident protection 4 year warranty for 300.

the laptops seem to last over 2 years, but by then the tech is a bit outdated. so, i just put it in a gym bag, throw it down the stairs, and because they change their proprietary parts every other fucking year they end up having to send me a brand new one. 4 years later im on my 4th laptop.

i went from a first gen dual core to a new i5 with 8gb of ddr3 ram.


ahahahaha take that fuck you dell

[Anonymous No.548798]

>>548736
tell me about it man. i fucking HATE cordless drills.... but i wanted a driver (not a drill, one with slower speeds and a torque setting) to save my hands putting together furniture and shit.

i literally could not find a corded driver/drill. all the drivers are cordless. i know the batteries will shit out eventually, long before the actual driver, and i cant buy spares ahead of time. plus i knew it would be cheaper but NO it doesnt exist.

when these batteries give out im seriously contemplating converting one of the batteries into an a/c adapter.... basically cramming any necessary converter in the batter shell, wiring it to the metal contacts, popping in a grommet and putting a grounded cord out the back of it. that way i can still use it as battery powered but also corded when i want.

[Anonymous No.548801]

>>547543
I also have a drill like that, a Black and Decker. It was from my dad and has 30 years of use. I only change the brushes ones and the bushing.
I love tools with aluminum bodies instead of plastic (like most pneumatic tools).

[fllaw No.548802]

>>548674
dude that is a sweet ass clock.

i have (what i think is) a 1960's simplex school clock that i got from the chemistry department of the university of florida. its exactly like the one pictured, except i still have the tiny red second hand on mine. its big, about 16".

i worked in the office there (i was an english major) and a very old professor had recently retired. the room that became my office had a lot of his old stuff in there. every once in a while i would find something, ask about it, and their response was "oh, wow, more old stuff, he didnt clean anything out, you can get rid of it." so instead i took it home.

i also have a 1960's bell rotary telephone and selectric II typewriter. it would be working except for the one fucking shitty plastic gear in the back that broke, one day ill have it fixed when i have a place to display it.

as a side note, that simplex clock worked perfectly until recently...its hard wired to 120v, and it just...stopped....any ideas?

ps, i kick myself every day that i didnt take his ash tray. it was an old amber glass and brass standing floor model. *sigh* what i wouldnt give to have it...

i also have a 1960's (i think) dremel shoe polisher that works (just needs new wool)...again, no place to put it so its in storage... =(

[Anonymous No.548803]

>>548801
>I love tools with aluminum bodies instead of plastic (like most pneumatic tools).

I've actually considered metal casting new bodies from aluminum for some things I like that are made from plastic.

[fllaw No.548804]

>>548802
forgot pic
they have this one up for $40, but i just saw one on ebay sell for $300...i didnt even realize it was worth anything...lol

[fllaw No.548805]

>>548801
you know now that you mention it my dad has one like the one pictured... i used to call it old spark since..well...it sparked like a mother fucker and scared the shit out of me as a kid...any idea why it would spark? or how to fix it? i would love to claim it before they throw it out.

my dad is 84 btw, and he fucking throws everything away. just adding to the discussion about throw away society...not everyone from a bygone era had the right mentality...some of them created the throw away society we have today. i love my dad but the day i realized that he shaved with an electric razor i almost exploded. why, having learned to shave with a double edge, would he go electric!?! what the fuck dad!!?!

[fllaw No.548807]

>>547514
hrm this isnt exactly a drill but it has even fewer parts than a zippo, looks cool as fuck, and still works after some 70 years... nimrod

[fllaw No.548809]

>>547514
printers are a bitch and a half, they are all plastic, often difficult to repair, but i will say...i love my brother 7065dn. it doesnt have a useless fax, it has a nice ADF, scanner, prints quick, does auto duplex printing, connects to my router via lan (and you can SCAN through the network, which isnt always the case with these). but the nicest thing for me is that the toner cartridge is separate from the drum unit, so they dont have to BOTH be replaced every time, and the toner is EASILY refillable. the refill plug is right there on the side and you can get toner for like $5 on ebay.

you dont even need the "reset" kit, theres just a little plastic tab you push on with a screwdriver to tell it there is a new cartridge in there.

we have several similar models at my office, and they serve us very well.

[Anonymous No.548811]

>>547550
Hahaha, it's true the widow maker thing. I isolate the motor of my drill and add ground too. One time i felt a shock from it and i never want to risk again.
About the batteries, i hope that in a future, nobody use batteries for that kind of thing. Supercapacitors are a chance if the technology becomes cheapper.
>>547913
I have a 14,4v Still drill, and it's a shit, i open it and have a shitty motor and a button. The battery cost the same as the new drill. But i dind't want to spen so much. So i put a lead 12v battery and use a homemade charger.
Now i'm thinking that i could use some Li-Po batteryes from RC models and a charger that i already have, because the lead battery is too heavy.
>>547986
I love it. I want one.

[Anonymous No.548820]

>>548805
Mine has a plastic handle, i think it's a modern model from B&D.
The sparks are probably from the brushes. Take apart the drill and clean between each copper contact of the motor (i think that in english it's called collector), you can use a small saw blade.
btw, i use a Solingen razor blade tho shave. it was from my grand grandfather.

[Anonymous No.548821]

>>548217
i like the benchtop. lotsa tools and shit. fan looks good, too. nice finish. how did you get that slight shine?

[Anonymous No.548827]

>>547543

NO LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

Li-Ion has utterly shit longevity and chances are nobody is going to be making your particular design of battery pack years down the road.

Meanwhile I've got a B&D drill that's over 25 years old and the NiCad battery in it still lasts for more than half the drilling it did when it was brand new.

>but NiCad is toxic

Fuck you so is lithium and cobalt oxide. As an added bonus lithium also catches fire and explodes.

[Anonymous No.548830]

>>548827
Yeah, but lithium ion are lightweight, doesn't have much self-discharge, nor memory.
Anyway. Supercapacitors gonna replace them all.

[Anonymous No.548833]

These bitches right here. I have had 2 of these (a framing gun, a trim gun) for something like 8 or maybe 10 years now. You can completely strip them apart to clean them or replace a broken part and put it back together again easily. Probably one of the best (and most useful) tools I've ever bought.

I will probably have to replace them with newer models at some point though, as the rechargeable batteries always eventually die and the old battery type for these are getting hard to come by.

[Anonymous No.548834]

>>548830

There's no such thing as battery memory, not even for NiCad. Faggots over-charged/discharged their batteries and damaged the separator material, and then figured there's some magic property in the battery chemistry that makes it stop charging as far as it used to.

Fast forward some years to the widespread use of smart charging circuits and low voltage cutoffs in the tools themselves and "memory" problems with batteries virtually disappeared.

Self discharge is a real problem, but it's manageable. If you haven't used your drill for several weeks then charge it before you begin.

You don't really notice the weight on a metal drill but when everything except the motor and chuck are plastic I can see that being uncomfortable.

>Supercapacitors gonna replace them all.

I'm all for this as long as they have a lengthy lifespan.

[Anonymous No.548835]

>>548833

Rebuild the batteries. Like I said before, once you open them up, they use all the same shit. Generally its a stack of "Sub C" 1.2 volt Ni-Cad or Li-Ion batteries soldered together with little tabs. Unsolder them, drop it a new stack of the same type (or greater amp hour ratings if you want even more life out of them) and you are all set. You'll even be able to use the original charger.

[Anonymous No.548836]

>>548834
Well, that about the weight it's true.

Supercapacitors have a high current peak, and have a very simple construction. Any capacitor have more charge/discharge cycles than any battery. It suppose to last more.
The only problem for now, it's the energy that can hold.

[Anonymous No.548837]

>>548833

Those batteries are super easy to rebuild. They probably contain 2/3-C or sub-C cells that you can order online with tin tabs preinstalled.

Soldering up the wire is also child's play because the whole stack will be in series.

[Anonymous No.548913]

>>548804

I love finding out stuff is worth more than I realised. Also, those selectric typewriters are fab things, really nice to work on. I use a late 1960's Litton Imperial to write most of my letters on, because $1.50 for a long-lasting ink ribbon beats the crap out of $30+ for a cartridge for my printer.

Not really sure what to say about it suddenly packing up. Best to lay out a cloth and dissassemble, firstly see if there's anything visually wrong and work your way through the mechanism. Is it a synchronous movement? If so, there isn't much to go wrong really, make sure the wires are still attatched, the coil is insulated and not damaged and the hands move freely. Check the fibre gear teeth for evidence of wear, then the hard gear teeth for the same. Sounds more like you've a loose wire though if it suddenly stopped.

This is my other clock in daily use, the 1950's Metamec. Didn't even have to strip this one down, changed the fuse over from a 13amp to a 2amp then plugged it in and it's still going six years later. Cheap shit I buy comes and goes, but the old stuff I use just keeps on going.

[Anonymous No.548917]

>>548805

Hah, my old dads drill sparks like nuts as well. Figure I should strip it down and clean the bushes but for now it still works fine.

My grandfather is 94 now, he lived through the Great Depression. As a result he never chucked anything out in his life, he used margarine that was 6 months out of date, other stuff that was over a year out of date. When his wife died, he just...gave up, really. Started chucking out really valuable old stuff because he now realises he's going to die soon. Each time I go to his house now, I have a chat with him, and make sure he isn't throwing out anything valuable, sentimental or useful, because he thinks no-one wants this "old junk".

He doesn't believe it when anybody tells him that "old junk" is worth money, and people actually want it.

[Anonymous No.548921]

>>548703
It's not really the engineers call. In a lot of cases its a business decision. I know when the Dyson guy originally went around trying to sell his design to existing vacuum companies they outright said no or told him they would buy the patents and shelve the idea. They made too much money on bags to consider bagless designs.

That was the mindset he was going up against. Engineers may not decide to design something weak, but they are definitely told who to buy parts from, how much parts have to cost, and what manufacturing techniques are off the table.

Any engineer could design a refillable cartridge for an inkjet printer. They just would never be allowed too.

[Anonymous No.548928]

>>548921
That's been my experience as an engineer. I recently developed a bluetooth pedometer that could last about two years on a single 2032 watch battery. My fucking boss wouldn't let me put a hatch on the thing so consumers could change the battery. After the battery is dead the whole thing goes in the trash and people need to buy another one. This is going to be extremely common now that bluetooth 4 lets devices run so long on one battery.

[Anonymous No.548932]

>>548827

Li-Ion is great if you're using the tool every single day.

Especially when someone forgot to put the drill in the charger the night before.

[Anonymous No.548940]

>>548932
>Li-Ion is great if you're using the tool every single day.
Its also great if you will wear out the mechanical parts of the drill in a year or two.

For most hobby/homeowners, battery powered tools are a poor idea.

Batteries have a limited life-span, even rechargeables and even just sitting on a shelf.
The factory will stop making batteries before you wear the drill's mechanicals out.

So then when the one battery you have dies, you have to go out and buy a whole new drill.
Every couple years.
Get it now?
THIS is the real reason that stores sell big fancy lines of battery-powered tools.

[Anonymous No.548943]

>>547514
>The Pictured drill

I have one very similar to that. I still use it but with a jacobs chuck out of an old electric drill.

[Anonymous No.548948]

I usually enjoy getting on my soap box about this topic, but I feel like I should play devils advocate here and provide some contrast.

Consumer goods have become very cheap in comparison to what they once were. I can now go and buy a whole house full of crap on a couple of months wages where as before you'd have had to wait for grandfather to die so you could inherit some decent hand tools. I can possess what I need to meet any realistic expectation these days and that is a great advance in personal freedoms.

Also modern technology has been used to automate and improve production in order to bring prices down and give mass availability if people want it. Any time you start bringing in the human angle your costs are going to rocket. I don't know why people struggle to understand that a part that has a cost price of $1 on the production line as part of a run of 500,000 is now $50 when you want to order one which must be stored and selected and invoiced and packed and shipped and accounted for all by hand involving staffing a contact centre and spares department. You aren't going to pay line prices for something which has come out of a giant system unfortunately.

Certain design and manufacturing methods mean that working on these items is impossible or difficult by hand. You require specialist tools and technology to service these parts and you sacrifice true cost price to subsidise these systems which bring convenience, safety and repeatability for a majority. I would love to go to the car dealership and pay $2 for a set of tapered wheel bearings which I can fit myself instead of having to visit them because they possess the bearing press, but the company wouldn't fucking exist if they did that for me and everyone else.

Example would be brake lines. The tool the put the flare on the end of lines costs about $140. My local place will make a set up for $10. I've needed them making up twice in my life. Why buy the tool? I don't begrudge their daily bread.

[Anonymous No.548957]

>>548948
I personally don't give a shit about cost. I want durably hardcore quality and nothing else. Otherwise, I'd just buy shitty red plastic cups and styrofoam plates and live in a trailer. Pic related.

>Example would be brake lines. The tool the put the flare on the end of lines costs about $140. My local place will make a set up for $10. I've needed them making up twice in my life. Why buy the tool? I don't begrudge their daily bread.

Not a very good example. That is a service vs DIY, not cheap tool vs quality tool.

[Anonymous No.548960]

>>548957
Durability and quality isn't often related unless durability is what you consider defining as a quality product.

Within durability you've different perspectives. Serviceability, parts availability, ease of DIY working, maintenance cycle, lifespan, usage patterns etc.

I mean, something could be considered durable, but be completely unrepairable and fragile, but during normal usage and normal lifespan it might last you forever. Something else might require repair constantly, but be simple and so cheap to repair that it is part of the compromise of using that item and as such is considered a reliable durable workhorse.

Even cost doesn't scale correctly with these things. It is influenced by many factors. Things do wear out. My car is now 15 years old and I work on it all the time, it is economical to repair and service rather than replace and I don't mind it, but I wont consider it a bad tool when I finally decide to change it.

[Anonymous No.548963]

>>548960
Example could be the 25 year old cement mixer I borrowed that my father bought from new for £50. It was made somewhere in the USSR and is AWFUL. But for £50, the fact it still works 25 years later, the fact that the uninsulated motor exists inside a rusted housing and the power is connected to it with crocodile clips, the bearings, terrible yet I can put an oil tap on it and just let it piss grease onto the floor during usage. I consider this a durable product which has been suitable for purpose and good value. You might want to tuck any loose clothing/hair in while working around it.

[Anonymous No.548968]

>>548960
>>548963
>unless durability is what you consider defining as a quality product.

A product that isn't durable isn't quality, but durability isn't quality alone.

[Anonymous No.548996]

It's a little problem when your electric drill or blender breakes down, but it's much bigger issue, when your car does the same. IMO, nowdays cars are the best example of what OP is talking about. Let's look at BMW. 20 yrs ago they made their 5ers reliable as hell, e34 is still a VERY popular car in Europe, you can easily find one in excellent condition with 400.000+ km on odometer. Lots of e34s powered with M50 motor broke 1.000.000-km-threshold.

Nowdays BMWs are made of shit and crap and are not meant for repairs. Intake manifolds are made in one piece with turbochargers, cylinder block is made from corrosive aluminum alloy.

VAG engines are just the same:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijqSD6I7hnI

[Anonymous No.549015]

>>547523
yikes, I'm happy to live in europe

Lets say I'm related to a certain pacemaker company. pacemakers are replaced by the latest model every year, because the battery is sealed inside and people want the newest model anyway. We could make rechargeable pacemakers, but who wants to keep running around with a 10 year old device.

sometimes there is a reason, but it sucks when you pay it out of your own pocket like in the USA

[Anonymous No.549016]

>>549015
I just read my comment and I realize it may sound misleading: the pacemaker is replaced every 5-10 years depending on the type. but I meant to say that there is a non stop output of new models

[Anonymous No.549031]

>>547554
I'd kill for the ability to plug in my cordless. Thing is that cordless drills blow corded drills out of the water what ergonomics are concerned, and also their speed/torque ratio is way more usable these days when everything is being screwed together. Nails are only rarely used and pretty much only with nail guns.

If you made a unit with a 5 meter cord that fit into the battery socket of the cordless drill and shipped it with the drill as well as two batteries, it would be a major selling point I believe. I suggest, though, that the unit has a built in fan which would provide air to the drill for added cooling (you could ramp up the fan in the drill, but that would add unnecessary weight for when it is run on batteries) , and maybe over engineer a few if the components, since such a drill would see a lot more usage than one with only batteries. (The main bearings in a cordless is dimensioned for 15 hours of usage). Today, the batteries are the weakest link and will bust first. Extra batteries are available, but everyone just buys a new drill.

As for materials, look to Makita, Bosch and Panasonic for what tradies want. Look to Black & Decker for what we don't want (brittle toy plastic). Metal, wood and leather would be pretty cool, but I think most people would feel that such finesses would only add to the price without adding anything to its value, which is annoying. That said, I would personally love a drill made from aluminium with wood and leather details, but I believe I'm a minority in that regard.

[Anonymous No.549086]

>>548948
But this board is /diy/. We want to repair our own stuff. If a company have to dissapear because the make profit from air, i can live with that.

[Anonymous No.549171]

>>549031

The problem with that is the DC output required is very high. Those motors can require 30+ amps DC under peak load and an AC to DC transformer capable of providing that kind of juice is not cheap. And thats for little 12 volt drills. I haven;t a crew what those 18 and 24 volt drills would need.

I've working on converting a bunch of old Makitas to wired and the transformer I had to use is normally used for HAM radio setups. Its about 6 times the size of the battery that normally powers it. On top of that, DC power does not like being transmitted long distances so you would either have the transformer built into the drill (not happening) or have a brick on a rope type with transformer closer to the drill than the plug. If you tried to have a 5 meter DC cord on the thing you would suffer way to much voltage drop.

[Anonymous No.549180]

>>549171
Oh, well most battery-driven cordless drills already use universal motors and can accept AC easily. So, going from 120v to 12v-18v-24v can be easily don't via a beefy transformer right on the power cord that plugs into the wall. Like what you see used for printer power cords for instance.

Based on that, you can simply offer the AC/AC transformer with cord as an optional purchase. It can have a plug much like one used for devices like printers, PCs, etc. The drill itself only needs a place where you can plug the cord into it. That way no extra weight is on the drill itself.

[Anonymous No.549181]

>>549180
>easily done via

fixed

[Anonymous No.549187]

>>549180
>most battery-driven cordless drills already use universal motors

Really? Huh. How to you check that to make sure? Like I said, the ones I'm converting are pretty old, 20+ years and some are close to 30.

[Anonymous No.549262]

>>549187
I'm not sure about one that old. Read up on them a bit and learn how to tell the difference when looking at them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_motor

[Anonymous No.549434]

>>548948
To offer counter points. The whole "pulling a part out of a warehouse requires staffing" argument is quickly disappearing. Automated warehouses coupled with drop shipping can make margins very slim. It's already true in a lot of ways as many parts I've ordered direct from China got to my house faster and cheaper than by local suppliers.

Secondly the specialist tools required to work on many items only exist because of design intent. Apple products could have replaceable batteries just like virtually every other consumer electronic on the market, but they are designed not to. Everything from seamless panels, proprietary screw heads, to unlabeled electronic parts make it near impossible to repair many things on the market today. This is a deliberate design choice to make a product disposable instead of repairable.

[Anonymous No.549447]

>>547514
>2:
shoulder buttons on any handheld device/controller
fucking ps3. fucking DS lite

[Anonymous No.549474]

>>549447
LOL Yeah, I've repaired a few of those for a friend.It really helps to have a set of dental pick/detail pick tools to help align things through the tiny crack as you are closing them up.

Can you imagine what it must be like for the assembly line of people that put those together? Hopefully, it is an automated system and no one has that horror.