Talking to my dad about his old radio made me see my work differently

He was telling me how he used to fix his own stuff in the 70s, and he said, 'You know, back then, you just followed the signal until it stopped.' I mean, it's obvious, but hearing him say it about a simple AM radio, it hit me that I get so caught up in schematics for modern boards that I forget the basic idea. I spent like 3 hours last week on a tablet with no backlight, and maybe I overcomplicated it. Do you ever find yourself over-engineering a fix when the old-school approach might work?

3 comments

3 Comments

hunt.quinn1mo ago

@gavin_hill27's story changed my mind about always needing the perfect tool for the job.

jesse_allen1mo ago

My buddy spent two hours trying to find a special screwdriver for his laptop. He was ready to order one online. I told him to check his glasses repair kit, and the tiny screwdriver in there fit perfectly. He saved ten bucks and a three day wait.

gavin_hill271mo ago

Ever try to fix a modern TV remote by just cleaning the battery contacts? I got so deep into looking for a circuit diagram online for my buddy's dead remote, bought a multimeter and everything. Turns out the old batteries had leaked a tiny bit and just gunked up the spring. Five seconds with some rubbing alcohol and it worked. Felt pretty dumb but also kinda smart, you know?