fixed it
I never before realized that so many things that break are in fact fixable. What can I say, I was raised in this throw-away society of ours where broken objects, especially electronic, are quickly tossed without question. When you take some time to examine something "broken" it seems all too often it is something rather trivial to fix. Yesterday I fixed my dad's Rotozip, then I used it to cut tiles in the bathroom so I can put in some new electrical outlets. The switch inside the Rotozip had somehow melted, pulling the switch contact away from the power contact. I chiseled away at the deformed plastic and got the contact back in place and put the thing back together--problem solved. It was broken, now it works fine. It's like getting something for nothing just after you thought all was lost.
I have to say that my coolest save so far was actually our garage door opener that died a while ago. I bet 99 out of 100 people would have simply junked it and bought a new one. Not me; I took the thing apart and pulled out the circuit board. I inspected it and found a possible loose solder point. I checked it with my multimeter-- sure enough if wasn't making a good connection. I resoldered it, reassembled the garage door opener and it's worked perfectly ever since. That 20 minute repair probably saved me $200+. (not to mention keeping from generating more waste!)
I've been known to dabble in laser printer repair too. My own LaserJet would have been destined for the scrap heap had I not disassembled it bit by bit over a few weeks time to eventually discover the broken paper sensor deep inside. A few months ago I repaired an ancient LaserJet for a client at work. I took it apart and found a few worn out components. Replaced them with parts from ebay for about $40. That 12 year old printer is still in service now thanks to that repair.
I find it very satisfying to bring a broken piece of equipment back from the dead, extending its usefulness, and preventing it from adding to a landfill somewhere.
