On Mon, 14 Dec 2015 14:05:17 -0000 (UTC), Cursitor Doom
wrote:
Anyone care to share their experience on the correct approach to
troubleshooting? I'll kick off by suggesting:
1. Assume nothing.
Perhaps we can assemble a list of golden rules....
There is no correct approach. There are only approaches that work
under specific circumstances. Like the universal solution to all
problems, and the answer to all questions (42), the correct approach
are only useful after you found the solution.
1. That which you know to be functional, beyond any need of checking,
is usually the problem.
2. Solutions found after midnight are best forgotten as they are
likely to be the product of temporary insanity.
3. Things go better if you have a schematic, gallon of coffee, a
working unit to compare, and a parts unit to cannibalize.
4. While it is theoretically possible to work on two problems at one
time, it is much easier to fix problems in the order they appear. I
like to fix the little things first.
5. Nothing is considered fixed until after it is cleaned. If you
can't fix it, at least make it look like it's been fixed.
6. Approximately half the disassembly videos on YouTube are wrong,
useless, dangerous, or out of focus.
7. For a good collection of counterfeit parts, just buy them on eBay.
8. Your most valuable tool is a visual inspection, often with a
magnifying glass. This helps identify exploded, incinerated, or
overheated components. It also shows where the previous repairs were
performed, a sure sign of problems to come.
9. Always ignore the symptoms and theories of the customer. They're
often misleading and will usually waste your time chasing down false
theories. Test the unit yourself to confirm the symptoms. I often
find a very different set of problems or that the buzzwords in the
original description were misused.
10. Fix everything that you find, even if the customer hasn't
complained about it. If it's wrong, even slightly, they'll be back to
complain and you might end up fixing it for free.
11. Take photographs of before and after. Treat is as if it were
evidence in a lawsuit or insurance investigation. I also take a photo
of the insides of the customers laptop, and use it for wallpaper on
their desktop. The reactions are "interesting" and help fortify my
exorbitant rates. The photos also help when I can't recall how to put
it back together.
12. Never do what cannot be undone. For computahs, make an image
backup of the hard disk both before and after the repair. Image
backup programs are now very fast and Terabyte USB 3.0 hard disk
drives are cheap.
13. No repair is complete without a culprit. The first step to doing
a repair is to blame someone or something. This is an important part
of the repair as most customers are worried that they may have done
something wrong (such as buying a piece of junk). By blaming someone
else, this eases their guilty conscience.
14. Never let the customer see you reading the instruction manual.
They will immediately suspect that you don't know what you're doing.
15. Beware of spare parts left over after reassembly.
More later. I'm late (as usual).
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558