The Lance J. Technoweb

I find or acquire a whole bunch of used electronics, and they often don't come with a power supply.  My adjustable power adapter solves this problem.  It's a pretty cheapo SHNITPWR Adjustable Power Adapter .  Yes, that is the name! For about $20, it solves a whole bunch of "I don't have the power adapter" issues. The Strategy of the Adjustable Power Adapter  The basic information I need to power a device includes the following: DC or AC current Voltage Polarity (center-positive or center-negative) Amps  Once I have all this data, then I configure my adjustable power adapter accordingly and plug it in!  If I find that the device is working appropriately and has some value to me, then I will buy a standard aftermarket power adapter from Amazon of the correct specifications. So what if I don't know this critical information?  Easy!  Strategy 1: Look at the label! I look on the device in hope that it shows the exact power spec.  Sometimes it...

I have a Black + Decker dust buster vacuum.  It works fine, but it comes with a silly and hard-to-replace power adapter.   It's only hard to replace due to the funky DC power connector.  Otherwise, it's just a cheapo 15vdc power adapter. Here are the tech details if you're thinking of replacing yours. BLACK+ DECKER CLASS 2 POWER SUPPLY P/N: 90629039 MODEL: SSC-150015US INPUT: 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz, 200mA OUTPUT: 15VDC, 150mA Mine puts out a voltage of 16.4 VDC when idle.  As I face the connector, the positive pin is on the right, as shown in the picture.   If my power adapter were to break, I'd save this unique DC connector and solder it to an aftermarket power adapter that matches these specs, perhaps something like this one on Amazon.  

A friend gave me a Crate battery guitar amp that he used for busking. It is a nice 15 watt amp with an internal battery. Sadly it died, and its custom power adapter was misplaced. After several years the battery will fail, and it requires a functioning battery to work at all. Happily, new batteries are inexpensive, readily available, and easy to install. Obtaining a replacement battery for the TX15 The original battery was a 4+ pound, sealed lead battery. Any replacement battery should closely follow the specs of the original. I bought this MightyMax Battery on Amazon , which is a perfect replacement. There are many batteries that conform to the needs of the TX15, and they can be found at local hardware stores as they are commonly used in lots of equipment. It pays to look locally if you need something faster than Amazon.  The battery specs are as follows: 12 Volt, 7.2 Ah lead battery (mine was marked 1272). Length: 5.94" (151 mm)  Width: 2.56" (65 mm) Height: 3.94" (100...

A few months back my dishwasher started to get noisy.  The wash cycle was taking a very long time, and  the dishes were coming out dirty. This turned out to be a water fill problem due to debris in my home's hot water pipes. In the end I solved my dishwasher's problem by flushing my home's hot water pipes.  Here is how I solved this problem. Dishwasher Problem Diagnosis After a few weeks of awful dishwasher behavior, I ended up opening its door in the middle of a cycle to see what was going on. It sure did look and sound like it was trying to pump water around, but it was clear that the spray was minimal. At first I imagined the problem was due to a clogged dishwasher filter or bad pump, but after disassembling all those things it was clear they were not the problem. Then I started to suspect that the dishwasher simply wasn't filling up with enough water. There was an easy way to test it: just add water. So at the start of a cycle I'd add about a liter of water and ...

A friend of mine gave me a dishwasher he was throwing away.  It looked great and it was relatively new, but it wasn't cleaning well.  He decided to punt and buy a new one instead of fixing it. I figured I needed a dishwasher for an apartment I manage, so I took it.  Now it is installed, even before I attempted to fix it.  Despite its looks, I still know that it is still problematic.  Now I want to figure out what's wrong.  I guess it is easier for me to figure out its issues when it is hooked up. Step 1: In-situ inspection It looks very dirty.  It has been sitting around for about a year and is covered with construction debris and etc.  A little cleaning will hopefully make it look better.  Fortunately, there are no dents! There is one weird thing: the top dishwasher rack is somehow binding to the back of the dishwasher, where the water feed connects to the central arm. Step 2: Diagnosing the rack binding issue. I remove the upper rack, and t...

My dishwasher hasn't been cleaning dishes well.  It is about 12 years old... is time for a new one?  The short answer is no. A new dishwasher will not fix my problem.  It turns out that my kitchen's hot water flow is very low, and so my dishwasher is not filling up with enough water.  Buying a new dishwasher won't fix this, so therefore I won't be buying a new dishwasher. [ UPDATE!  After a 12+ months of suffering, I solved all my dishwasher problems by flushing my kitchen's hot water plumbing!  See this post for more information. ] How the Dishwasher Inlet Valve Works My dishwasher fills up using a timed water valve. Given reasonable water pressure, my dishwasher accurately accepts about 3 gallons of water per cycle in 95 seconds.  If the water flow is very low, then less water comes in over those 95 seconds.   If water pressure is decent, the dishwasher fills until a float switch is triggered.   If the dishwasher doesn't get enou...

I've been using my late 2009-vintage A1342 MacBook as my primary computer for many years,  but I have just upgraded to a 2020 "M1" MacBook Air . There was nothing wrong with my old MacBook, except that it could no longer run a supported Mac operating system.  So I decided to repurpose it as a utility laptop that I can drag around to different sites to perform basic network maintenance functions. My old MacBook had a Sandisk 1 TB SSD inside, which is far more than it needs now.  I ended up pulling out  the 1 TB drive and putting it into a USB3 enclosure so that I can archive bulky files on it (photos, email, videos and documents).  Instead of the 1 TB drive, I put a very inexpensive 60 GB SSD into the MacBook.  60 GB is plenty of space for what I plan to use it for. Thank you, MacBook A1342.  Your 11+ years of service have been amazing.

Ouch, a watered-damaged MacBook!  Maybe someone spilled some water or other liquid onto the keyboard.  This is bad!  Immediate action is in order, with seconds to spare. This is how I address a water-damaged device.    TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! If it still works, turn it off immediately! Make sure it is unplugged.  Don't plug it back in. Do NOT try to plug it in or turn it on again.  Really. Open it up.  This requires the appropriate precision screwdriver kit.  Don't have one?  Take it to a shop!  Do NOT use the wrong tools. Disconnect the battery Mop up any water with paper towels. Is there water everywhere?  Pull out the board and other components to do some further mopping up in the tight spaces. Put the parts, except the display and battery, in a slightly warm oven (maybe 90 °C, or 190 °F) for 4 hours to help encourage the drying of parts.  Water can get under components, we want to encourage that water to evaporat...

I run my Roomba 500 just about every day, so you can say that I'm a heavy user.  I like the Roomba series because it works well, it's reliable, and it is easily repairable if it breaks down.  My Roomba 500 has been in operation for 8+ years and is still running strong. My Early Robot Years: I have owned four Roomba vacuums over the years.  My first robot was a 2nd generation "Sage 4110" that I bought in 2007 for $160.  It was great, but I ran it hard.  One day I foolishly ran it through mud and water and it broke down. I tried to repair it, but I was an idiot and botched the repair. I'm not sure what happened to it, but I moved in 2008 and I don't have it any more. My second Roomba was a 2nd generation "Red" model, likely a 4100, that I bought around 2010 for about $100.  I ended up leaving it to my roommate when I moved to another state. Roomba 500 series Repairs and Upgrades I bought my Roomba 500 in 2012, and it has been running strong since then....

My Soda Stream Jet's fill button broke, which means I can not longer carbonate water by pressing the pushbutton. This caused all sorts of grief in my household. Here is how I managed to repair my Jet to give it another 10 years of life (hopefully). First, a look at the button The fill button on the top of the SodaStream is actually a simple lever. Pressing down on the button moves a pin that does the actual work of pressing open the Carbonator's valve. Unfortunately, the axis point is fairly thin and can see a lot of stress. That's where my Soda Stream button cracked. [ I think the usage tip here is "don't over-press the button like a gorilla, it doesn't do anything but put high stress on the button."] Cracked levering point of the button The Pesky Lever Retaining Pin The Fix It was pretty easy for me to replace the button: Take off the back of the Soda Stream and remove the carbonator. Push out the the button lever's steel retaining pin. This takes qu...

My LG refrigerator's control panel and light dome was melting and started to detach. My fridge looked awful, with melting plastic that started to get in the way of my food. Here is how I easily repaired the control panel in 15 minutes and for under $20. That's far less than a $325 service call! A Repaired LG Control Panel The Repair This procedure will work for many LG models even if the control panel itself looks pretty different, as my procedure does not replace the electronic module or its associated control panel label - it only replaces the damaged plastic housing. Stuff Required A good mid-sized Phillips head screwdriver A very sharp knife, like a pen knife or box cutter The replacement LG control panel trim piece, about $15 on Amazon Two 3-Watt LED bulbs that put out much less heat - minimizing a chance for re-occurrence Repair Instructions 1. Turn off the LG refrigerator. I simply unplugged it, or you can hit the cir 2. Unclip light dome from the contr...

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair.  Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator.  Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way.  Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver.  I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...

We've all seen a Lightning cable that has started to fall apart.  They get used every day, and after enough tugs and yanks on your iPhone, they start to fray. I've seen a lot of these frayed cables, so I've started to fix them before they break with heat shrink tube.  I get my heat shrink on Amazon, like this handy and inexpensive pack.   I prefer the heat shrink tubes without internal glue - it has higher flexibility and a smaller outside diameter once shrunk. Heat Shrink Tubing on an Old, Frayed Lightning Cable In the photo here, you'll see that I slid on a 1.25 inch length of heat shrink over the lighting connector, and then shrunk it into place.  I chose a diameter that just barely fits over the lightning connector.  In all, it took about 60 seconds to perform this repair. Warning: the white plastic of the lightning cable has a pretty low melting point.  It seems to start to melt at about 125°C (or about 250°F), which is the same temperatur...

Roomba definitely has the biggest name in robots, but there are a lot of great looking competitors out there.  So why get a Roomba? Because robot vacuum cleaners have a lot of moving parts.  And moving parts need to be maintained. The beauty of Roomba and iRobot is that spare parts are readily and inexpensively available.  Sure, there are consumables available for every robot out there.  But new wheels and motors?  How about upgraded parts?  iRobot is unique in that there is the expectation that you can affordably keep an old Roomba going forever.  Everyone else?  Not so much. My Roomba gets a lot of use, and it's 7 years old.  I've upgraded the entire cleaning head assembly - which includes the primary gearbox and brush motors and dust bin.  I've also repaired a failed power jack.  Other machines would likely already be disposed of. But my Roomba keeps on going.  I suspect that it will last as long as I need it to....

Fixing My Noisy Heating System on a budget My home has a hot water baseboard heating system, and the noise the heating system made had been driving me nuts for years.  Each time the boiler came on the pipes started to click, snap, and tick as they heated up and cooled down.  It was loudest in the master bedroom, to the point where I could not sleep at night. These clanky heating system pipes let no one sleep. The problem wasn't with the boiler, and the problem wasn't with air in the pipes.  The problem was with the installation of the heating system plumbing.  Whoever drilled the holes through the walls and joists for the heating pipes drilled them in an uneven way.  The heating pipes rubbed against many of the holes, so as the pipes heated up and expanded they would "click" loudly. The clicking, tapping, and clanking could be heard throughout the house. Some Expensive Suggestions One home improvement expert suggested that, for $800, I install heavy...

We now live in the age where part of your life is spending time and money maintaining and repairing things like your car keys . My Porsche's remote key was getting weaker and weaker, until one day it stopped operating altogether. Keyless remote without the remoteness. Not so good. I was a bit fearful spending a sizable chunk of my time and money at the dealership to have such a small problem addressed, and so I decided that I would try to replace the battery myself. Items required A clear work surface A small flat blade screw driver. A quality lithium CR-2032 Battery, available here. Procedure The following video shows how I successfully opened up the key without breaking it, and replaced the alarm remote battery. In short, from the vantage point of the key's steel part facing away and the buttons facing up: I take a small screwdriver and press on the little plastic tab on the left side.  At the same time I use my fingers to start to pull the two halves apart.  From th...