Skeleton Man wrote:

Also, if I can repair a $30 power supply, the same basic skills should apply
to a $200 power supply.. you wouldn't just throw it away and buy a new one
then.. (doing component level repairs is an an extra skill I'd like to teach
myself)

Doesn't work like that in real life.

The parts alone will cost more than the replacement of the power supply.
Likely even for the $200 power supply.

And whether or not you like it, your time IS worth something, and it's
usually a LOT more than a measly $200 for a power supply.

There may be some conditions that control this, such as this may be a
special-purpose supply that can't be replaced, or off-the-shelf replacements
are not available for some time, and you can fix it faster than the time the
replacement comes in.

And, from what you've described, it doesn't appear you're up to the task
anyway, and 'fixing by correspondence' doesn't work in this case. Much like
trying to get your mother to completely dismantle your car engine, repair and
reassemble going off instruction on usenet.
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