CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**Curt Palme**

I've had two PC boards come in last week that were worked on by customers. I won't detail the boards to protect the guilty..

Both boards were (in my opinion) butchered. One had 1/8 watt fusible resistors replaced by 1/2 watt ones, and I've never seen a low level circuit nuked so badly, as the original fault wasn't found, and the higher wattage resistors didn't blow as a result of the dead short caused by one transistor. It went and ended up nuking 6 transistors, 12 resistors and probably some other faults that I haven't found yet as I'm waiting for a buncha parts now.

The other board was a simple installation of a resistor, but the end user left bare leads on the replacement part that caused arcing and all sort of other damage.

From now on...if you've worked on your own boards, I will no longer do board swaps or quote pricing before I've seen your board. I've always done a flat rate on board repairs, and to be a nice guy, I've usually sent out loaner parts or just done a board swap in order to get you running quickly. I can't afford to do this any more based on these two boards that I've gotten in. Both of these boards have massive damage that were caused by attempted repairs rather than a fault that occurred in the set itself.

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Maybe you should make this a sticky.

wallace

Z-Photo · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:47 pm Post subject:

Was that madmrH again?????

draganm · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 8990 Location: Colorado

anybody can do electronic repairs, all you need is a soldering Iron right? Rolling Eyes

People do incrediblt stupid things and then hope someone else will clean up their mess. IF I was in Curt's shoes I wouldn't even touch something an idjot had soldered on prior. It's like the post on AVS where the guy knowingly damaged a sweep coil on an 8500 trying to "yoke alignment" and then tried to power the set up with a bad coil. I mean how fuking stupid can you be? Rolling Eyes

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10187 Location: kamloops BC

I am suprised this is not already a rule. you are just too damn nice. Very Happy

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:

I like it when people try to return things to big box stores that they've spilt hings in. Uhhh no my week old lap top has a water leak. What do you mean there's not suposed to be water in there? It came that way. Smile

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject:

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

There is no substitute for "no substitutes". Particularly when replacing a part that acts as a safety device.

I'm personally very picky about techniques, as well. I won't ever snip a part off its leads and then tie a new part to the leads and
solder over the connection. I'll properly desolder the part from the board and replace it CORRECTLY. If you're worried about lifting
the solder pad, your soldering skills aren't good enough that you should even be working on the board, and you know it.

I've seen "work" from some technicians who thought that the RIGHT way to do it was quite literally the most wrong and absolutely
incorrect way possible. Like the one time where a "technician" (spell that BUTCHER) says to me that you never, ever clinch the leads
to the circuit board before soldering. (Applicable to thru-hole parts only, of course.) Only the solder should hold the connection together.

Helllo, dumbass! According to U.S. military specifications for electronic assembly and soldering for high reliability, the part must
be mechanically secured to the connection first and THEN soldered. Lead clinch is an essential part of this process and failure to clinch
leads is cause for mandatory rejection of the work.

EVERY electronics company worth a darn adheres to this procedure, at least to some degree. And any technician who ever got a single
certificate or diploma from any organization that trains technicians trained him to do it that way.,

CJ

paw · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1176 Location: Arvada, CO

Curt
Tell these 1 or 2 folks that you can't honor the original quote. If they piss and moan, send the boards back as you found them. You don't need them as customers. Having a board die and needing it fixed is one thing. To butcher it and expect or hope to get it repaired at the one low price is unreasonable and is taking advantage of you. Now I'm sure you don't mind some hottie taking advantage of you but not in the wallet. Wink

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:19 am Post subject:

Well as it turns out, they are both long time customers with multple sets/repairs at this point, so I couldn't really do that. In neither case did I really lose my shirt, and hey, I like a challenge, but two in a row is way more than I had all of last year.

I totally understand the want/need to a DIY repair, but both of these parts replacements/solder jobs were way substandard.

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Come on Curt!!!

Let's face it. Below are the items that I received from you and what I SHOULD have receievd from you. No you tell me something is not fishy??? Rolling Eyes

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:00 am Post subject:

Sorry, no warranty when aftermarket mods are put on electric motors by the customer. I clearly sent it out with the molded connector only, you added the white zip cord, didn't you?

I lubed the spindle as well. I think you'll find that regardless of the flame, it still spins freely, right?

I may be slow, but my work is poor.

jask · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 10187 Location: kamloops BC