do you really need to get rid?

[propellor]

hello everyone, just thought I'd start this thread to see if anyone was intrested.
basically the idea is to stick in tips, for people to try before they get rid of stuff. for example I picked up a stereo the other week but before i did the lady said that it wouldnt read cd's so I sent back maybe she could clean the lens as 9/10 times thats the problem. she didnt try it as she wasnt to bothered so I picked up and cleaned the laser and hey presto it worked! great little stereo too.
So I thought maybe people wouldnt have to buy new stuff if they just had a bit of practical knowlege, I know it means less stuff on JT but hey, you might just make somones day!
please post somthing if you think its a good idea, please dont if you dont!;-))

cheers, jim

[pete210]

ye just read this sounds like a great idea , just a quick tip , washing machines and dryers the motors give alot of trouble mostof the times its just the brushes in the motor they are a wearing part , they transmit the power to the rother which is spinning and they just wear , they canbe bought very cheap , i get then in charley shilds in inchore , they are quite easy to fit , just turn over the machine make sure its pluged out u will see the motor its the bit with the small pully connected to the belt , just remove normally jusr 2 or 3 bolts , u will see where the new brushes go they are spring loaded normally just held in by a small screw

[julia123]

hi all, not so long ago a jumbletowner was giving away a psp cos he couldnt get the os to load and didnt know how to reset it....i did a quick search and found out how to reset...i sent him the details in time before he gave it away and he was very grateful....needless to say there was a few people not so happy to not recieve this but i just couldnt let him give it away when there was nothing wrong....

being helpful and making someones day always puts a spring in my step...
kind regards all julia

[neid]

I google everything!
My washing machine started spurting water out through the drawer, I rang the repair guy and hed told me hed call the following week(not a possibility in my house) I googled it and found out that there was an internal filter and when my hubbie cleaned it out for me he found loads of €1 coins...so I made money in the end.
I did the same last week when my car started making a funny noise. The guy in the garage told me id blown the turbo so when I asked him if I could have a leak in the intercooler pipe?(thanks to google) He looked at me dumfounded! The job ended up only costing me €50 instead of the hundreds he first quoted me!

[Moeby]

Hi Propoller, I've read a couple of your threads and they are very interesting, you sound like such a handyman. Without sounding absolutely stupid, how do you clean the lens on the cd players?

Also my son has a stereo that the other lad let fall and the lid doesn't close right and so it doesn't work now. I am loath to dump it because I paid something like 135 euro for it when I bought it. Any suggestions?

By the way I think this is a fantastic thread. I am not shy about trying to fix things rather than dumping when there could be very little wrong. Well done. Kind regards.

[bandit]

good post and very interesting,

[jenniferalan]

Very good idea. My other half's ps3 broke after Christmas. It was 3 months out of warranty.... He enquired how much it would cost to fix it with a specialist ps technician in Munster and he quoted him 100euro for post and packaging (50 euro each way) and then another 98 for him to fix it.

Few weeks passed and he was thinking about how expensive that would be to get it fixed...he googled how to fix it (like someone mentioned previously above with a washing machine) he found out that the laser and possibly the fan was broken. He then ordered new parts online for something like 45-50 euro incl p&p. He fixed it himself and then had parts left over to fix a friends ps3 for which he earned the price of a drink!

If anyone has something wrong with their ps they should look for info online!

[propellor]

Hi Propoller, I've read a couple of your threads and they are very interesting, you sound like such a handyman. Without sounding absolutely stupid, how do you clean the lens on the cd players?

Also my son has a stereo that the other lad let fall and the lid doesn't close right and so it doesn't work now. I am loath to dump it because I paid something like 135 euro for it when I bought it. Any suggestions?

By the way I think this is a fantastic thread. I am not shy about trying to fix things rather than dumping when there could be very little wrong. Well done. Kind regards.

Hi moeby, with your cd player, when you open the lid you should see a glass lens about 5-6 mm across, now this is suspended in a sort of spring loaded cradle to stop it jumping when it gets a knock so you need a light touch as its easy to put to much pressure and get the thing wedged. what you will need:- cotton buds or lint free cloth and methylated spirits or nail varnish remover.Method:- take a cotton bud and douse in meths and then in a circular motiongently rub the lens, take your time and dont be shy with the meths then take a dry bud and in the same way dry off the lens. sometimes you might have to do it a couple of times.will answer about the other stereo after I done the shoppin! hope this helps and thanks to everyone for posting

Jim

[propellor]

google search tips would be cool aswell as I'm good with my hands but not with search criteria! still looking for pics of vivs anglia from the young ones and aint found 1. plan to restore one then paint it yellow with fames down the side

[propellor]

google search tips would be cool aswell as I'm good with my hands but not with search criteria! still looking for pics of vivs anglia from the young ones and aint found 1. plan to restore one then paint it yellow with fames down the side

'flames'

[neid]

google search tips would be cool aswell as I'm good with my hands but not with search criteria! still looking for pics of vivs anglia from the young ones and aint found 1. plan to restore one then paint it yellow with fames down the side


try this :)
http://www.anglia-models.co.uk/movies-yo1.htm

[propellor]

try this :)
http://www.anglia-models.co.uk/movies-yo1.htm


Thats perfect neid! thanks a mill now to find a project car!

[neid]

http://www.carsforsaleireland.ie/used-cars/detail/1965-Ford-Prefect-Cork-Classic+car-Petrol-Manual-49400/

theres loads out there- cant see one for free though!:)

[bluecurlygirl]

google search tips would be cool aswell as I'm good with my hands but not with search criteria! still looking for pics of vivs anglia from the young ones and aint found 1. plan to restore one then paint it yellow with fames down the side


http://www.anglia-models.co.uk/movies/movies-yo01-1.jpg

Hope this is some good to you.

Oops someone beat me to it!!

[propellor]

brilliant! bin lookin for months and you two find it straight away! think I might start a proper thread for these tips though, copy and paste what we already have and then just let people keep adding stuff. What should I call it, any ideas? still having fun with this thread though! and thanks for the links;-))

jim

[Moeby]

Hi Jim, thanks for the information, just got to it now. I'll be going mad with cotton buds now there's a few cd players that need cleaning. My son's play station 2 is not reading discs maybe this is the problem with this too, so I'll try to find the eye and get it cleaned.

Well done with this thread, I figure if something is not working and you have a go at fixing it, if it works great and if it doesn't what the heck, it was worth a try, but it's great to get advice from someone in the know. Kind regards.

[cavalin]

We now have our very own jim will fix it on jt....great idea.

[cianer]

Hi Jim, thanks for the information, just got to it now. I'll be going mad with cotton buds now there's a few cd players that need cleaning. My son's play station 2 is not reading discs maybe this is the problem with this too, so I'll try to find the eye and get it cleaned.


Hey Moeby,

The Playstation 2 takes the cds in via a drawer so you can't get at the laser without taking the whole thing apart. Some CD shops sell a lens cleaning CD that basically has little brushes sticking out of it, as the CD plays the lens passes under the brushes which clean it. I have one that I got years ago for £10 and it does the job. The cotton-buds-and-alcohol is preferable as you can ensure a thorough job is done but if you don't want to take the PS2 apart this is a good alternative. Not free but cheap enough.

In the case of your son's stereo you mentioned the lid doesn't close properly. Lasers, even low-powered ones used in CD & DVD players, can blind you permanently if you look at them so there are failsafes built into these machines to prevent this. In your case I would imagine the stereo is refusing to turn on because the lid won't shut. See if you can fix the lid so it shuts properly before you go down the cotton bud route for that particular machine.

Slan,
Cian

[summersun]

Hi Doctor Jim,


Great thread... and now you have me thinking that you can fix anything....


Try this one for size please....

I have a 7" portable dvd player and to cut a long story short... on a weekend away without a tv my kiddies decided to plug their ps2 into the dvd player to see if it would work..... needless to say it didnt, if you now try to pay a dvd you can hear it ok but the screen is snow and lines only..... no picture


Any ideas please propellor.... or is this a bin job??????


thanks for thinking about it

take care
Summersun

[Moeby]

Thanks for the info Cian. Just got back on line the computer screen wasn't working for a few days and didn't get a chance to check it out. The problem! it was plugged out at the back how simple was that? lol. Kind regards.

[cianer]

I have a 7" portable dvd player and to cut a long story short... on a weekend away without a tv my kiddies decided to plug their ps2 into the dvd player to see if it would work..... needless to say it didnt, if you now try to pay a dvd you can hear it ok but the screen is snow and lines only..... no picture


Any ideas please propellor.... or is this a bin job??????


Can't speak for propellor but it kinda sounds to me like a bin job, sorry. Do you know what connector they plugged it into at the back? If it wasn't specifically for plugging stuff like playstations in the chances are the internals are fried. Not what you want to hear I know.

If you can get the kids to show you how they plugged the PS2 in and explain it to me I'd have a better idea. What colour connector from the PS2 and what is written above the port on the DVD player that they plugged it into?

[summersun]

Can't speak for propellor but it kinda sounds to me like a bin job, sorry. Do you know what connector they plugged it into at the back? If it wasn't specifically for plugging stuff like playstations in the chances are the internals are fried. Not what you want to hear I know.

If you can get the kids to show you how they plugged the PS2 in and explain it to me I'd have a better idea. What colour connector from the PS2 and what is written above the port on the DVD player that they plugged it into?



Hi Cianer,


Thanks so much, for trying to help ...

The portable dvd player is a powerpoint ppp711

What we did was plug the yellow ps2 lead into the yellow video in on the dvd player and i think the red into either the audio in or the s- video... or the white into the s video????

If you play a disc the screen is just white horizontal moving lines, and after a while you can hear the music.... but no picture any more.


Thanks for thinking of this problem,

Summersun

[cianer]

What we did was plug the yellow ps2 lead into the yellow video in on the dvd player and i think the red into either the audio in or the s- video... or the white into the s video????

Plugging the yellow PS2 cable into the yellow video-in was correct as the yellow cable is the video one. S-video is an American alternative to the yellow cable but its not really used in Europe. The red & white cables are for Audio (one for the left speakers, one for the right) so I imagine plugging them into the S-Video input is what caused the problem. =(

To be honest the only S-Video connections I've ever seen look like this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/S.video.socket.png) which the red/white cables wouldn't fit into, so can't give you a specific answer as to the cause but I would assume that plugging audio cables into the video would blow something inside the DVD player.

If the DVD player is valuable it might be worth getting it checked out at your local electronics repair shop, otherwise I'd try a few different DVDs and if none of them work I'd junk it. Sorry!

[summersun]

Plugging the yellow PS2 cable into the yellow video-in was correct as the yellow cable is the video one. S-video is an American alternative to the yellow cable but its not really used in Europe. The red & white cables are for Audio (one for the left speakers, one for the right) so I imagine plugging them into the S-Video input is what caused the problem. =(

To be honest the only S-Video connections I've ever seen look like this (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/S.video.socket.png) which the red/white cables wouldn't fit into, so can't give you a specific answer as to the cause but I would assume that plugging audio cables into the video would blow something inside the DVD player.

If the DVD player is valuable it might be worth getting it checked out at your local electronics repair shop, otherwise I'd try a few different DVDs and if none of them work I'd junk it. Sorry!
Hi Cianer,


Thanks so much for trying to help, it was only a powerpoint , but it did its job until we tried to make it into a tv...


take care
summersun

[propellor]

Hi all, Its been a while but I have another tip.

picked up a dryer and dishwasher eons ago and just got to fixing them. the problem with both was when a cycle was started they would both trip out the breakers.
if this happens with an appliance that uses an element to heat something it is 99% certain that the element is shorting out causing the trip.
after a quick look on ebay.co.uk I found the dryer element for 25quid, ordered, fitted and it works fine. same goes for the diswasher although that element was a about 40quid and a bit mor tricky to fit.(did the dryer in 10 minutes via a little panel on the back, the dishwasher was virtually stripped and took 1 1/2 hours!).
so I guess if your washer/dryer/dishwasher etc suddenlly starts to trip the breakers, open up the machine and just disconnect the element (isolating the connections with electrical tape) and try switching it on again, if it doesnt trip the breakers its the element and therefore a cheap fix if you go through ebay. irish suppliers tend to be more expensive.

hope it helps

jim

[insanechicken]

Hi All,

as with the stereo above i managed to tick off some JTers by telling a lady getting rid of her old ipod which wasn't charging properly that she could buy a replacement battery in Maplins for €16. You scratch the case like mad fitting it and the charge length is never the same as the original but €16 for a new battery is a darn sight better that the price of a new ipod.

Hope this helps someone

[niara]

How do you disassemble a playstation 2 to clean the lens??

I have checked for hairs stuck in it, I've hoovered it out on low power in case there was something jammed in it but still no luck. My sons are driving me mad to buy a new one but I just can't.

[propellor]

How do you disassemble a playstation 2 to clean the lens??

I have checked for hairs stuck in it, I've hoovered it out on low power in case there was something jammed in it but still no luck. My sons are driving me mad to buy a new one but I just can't.

never done a ps2 with the sliding drawer i'm afraid but I imagine its the same as stereos with a sliding drawer basically its a pain to do as the drive unit itself is normally on its own carriage within the casing. The only real advice I can give is get the screwdrivers out and take your time and be methodical while you open up the casing and carriage. generally the carrige has a kind of plate which lifts up and down to hold the disc in place and predictably the it obscures the lens. So all you need to do is work out how to get at it,which may invole quite a bit of disassembly.TIP watch out for pieces that have tiny bits that are spring loaded with also tiny springs! if they gone you've had it...

Hope it helps, maybe someone else has some better advice...

Jim

[mw100860]

Hi there propellor, thats a great idea of yours, money is scarce enough these days so any help to fix broken but still usable stuff is greatly appreciated.
I have a problem that I hope you can help me with, my dishwasher some times doesnt wash the stuff in the upper basket properly. The spring on the door is also broken so we have to prop a chair against it.
I know that the upper arm doesnt spin sometimes as I can open the door without the water stopping so I can see it static, with the water just pouring out of it. I have tried cleaning it out, using anti-limescale cleaners etc to no avail. I could cope with the broken door but its a drag having to wash dishes by hand after the dishwasher

[cianer]

How do you disassemble a playstation 2 to clean the lens??

I have checked for hairs stuck in it, I've hoovered it out on low power in case there was something jammed in it but still no luck. My sons are driving me mad to buy a new one but I just can't.

There's a few articles on the web detailing how to do it, such as this one: http://www.ehow.com/how_2241525_clean-playstation-2-lens.html

People have also stuck up videos of it on YouTube. Most important thing to note is that you have to open the playstation to clean the lens, which voids the warranty. If it doesn't work I'd guess that's not an issue but figured I'd warn you.

A google search brings up some videos of people doing it: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=playstation+2+clean+lens

[niara]

Thanks a mil. People on here are so good.

[TickTock]

This is a great thread. I have found over the years some so called 'experts' have told me something I have is kaput and has to be replaced - I'll bet most of the time they could have been fixed!

For instance, my garage door was broken and I could only open and close it with great difficulty. An 'expert' said for safety reasons it had to be replaced and quoted an astronomical price. I got another guy and he fixed it in 10 minutes!! I asked the second guy about the safety aspect and he said there was no problem, it'll be fine for another 40 years!! When you don't know, you have to accept what 'experts' tell you.

I get angry about the injustice of it. After all, we can't afford to pay these high prices and as customers depend on the professionals to be truthful with us.

[propellor]

This is a great thread. I have found over the years some so called 'experts' have told me something I have is kaput and has to be replaced - I'll bet most of the time they could have been fixed!

For instance, my garage door was broken and I could only open and close it with great difficulty. An 'expert' said for safety reasons it had to be replaced and quoted an astronomical price. I got another guy and he fixed it in 10 minutes!! I asked the second guy about the safety aspect and he said there was no problem, it'll be fine for another 40 years!! When you don't know, you have to accept what 'experts' tell you.

I get angry about the injustice of it. After all, we can't afford to pay these high prices and as customers depend on the professionals to be truthful with us.

Thats the reason I started the thread tick tock, people get ripped off so much. the main problem is the 'experts' are sales oriented and their time costs a bomb.
Also beware if they try to sell you somthing new saying it will cost too much to repair, and also offer to take your old unit off your hands for a small discount on the new one. they'll repair it cheaply and sell it on for profit.

buyer beware as they say!

Jim

[TickTock]

I've been ripped off so many times, even by some people I know well, it's hard to trust anyone anymore. Congratulations again propeller on this thread.

[spirix]

I found a hi-fi (CD + tape reader) near the bin of an apartments block.

It didn't work.

I opened it, and after a while I noticed it was missing the fuse on the cable.

I put one and buala!

The LCD screen doesn't work, but it makes my dinner cooking much louder & happier.

[Torann]

Video player is acting up when you put a tape in it just spits it back out again and the screen reads E1 :S

[niara]

My son's ps3 was giving the message "cannot read hard drive" and lots of other error messages. I sent away for a hdd drive from ebay which I got for 50 euro and watched a video on Youtube instructing me how to replace the hdd. I had it done in ten minutes and the ps3 is now working as well as the day it came out of the box. It would have cost me much more if I had sent it off to be repaired. I'm doing the same with my daughters netbook which she got for her birthday. Two weeks later, the dog jumped up and broke the screen on it. I enquired and it would cost 180 euro to fix so I sent away through ebay for a replacement screen which cost 56 euro and I'm going on Youtube tomorrow to follow instructions. Best to try to repair if it's worth the gamble. Cross your fingers for me, I'll let you know if it works. So Torann, try youtube for your solution. Key in VHS repair and see what comes up.