On 8/25/2010 12:40 PM, Leon Fisk wrote:

Write down as many notes/thoughts you have on it right now while they
are fresh in your mind. When it happens again those notes could be very
useful.

Yes! Notes are extremely important.

If repairing for someone else, please remember to ask
The Magic Question:
"What happened just before this symptom appeared?"

Got a unit in with a weird symptom.
I called the customer and asked The Magic Question.
(And I'm Not Making This Up):

"I closed the top cover and noticed that it was pinching
a wire in the hinge. That couldn't be it, could it?"

I located and repaired the damage to the pinched wire,
secured it out of harm's way; was suddenly unable to
reproduce the symptom! Complete functionality restored.

On another unit, customer asks about image
distortion in a document scanner.

I asked The Magic Question and appended it with:
"For example, was the unit dropped or perhaps hit?"
The customer responded by nicely indicating they didn't
require any further assistance.

Funny that.

The Magic Question is a heck of a time saver.

--Winston