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Post by Polarengineer on Mar 3, 2024 14:09:15 GMT 1
My old Makita electric chainsaw gave up the ghost. The flimsy ABS chain guard, which holds everything together, fell apart. Internet search says "No longer available" that is on UK, FR ,NL, DE, sites and Makita service sites. Everything else about the chainsaw is working well, but this cover killed it. What to do.... Make your own. Welding is not so good these days as it needs a steady hand. Now it functions like it should and is much much better than the original design in ABS. Attachment Deleted  |
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Post by lapourtaider on Mar 3, 2024 14:46:38 GMT 1
Nothing wrong with a bit of make do and mend.
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Aardvark
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Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
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Post by Aardvark on Mar 3, 2024 18:10:31 GMT 1
That specific part covers the chain where it goes around the drive sprocket and is often critical because it also serves to grip the chain guide bar into place once it has been tensioned. On my little battery powered chainsaw and also on my now defunct Echo full size one that part is plastic that is easily distorted when tightening. Simply making it from cast aluminium would extend the life and durability of the tool considerably. I suspect some bean counter accountant worked out they could get more profit by using plastic. Repair to a plastic part that is stressed is rarely successful.
Full marks to you for making a repair that will last way longer than the original.
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mysty
Member
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Post by mysty on Mar 3, 2024 18:36:18 GMT 1
That's well beyond my skill level.
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Post by lurcher on Mar 3, 2024 18:43:51 GMT 1
It is good to see skills put to practical solutions to awkward problems and have a successful conclusion. Most impressive!
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Nifty
Member
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Member is Online
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Post by Nifty on Mar 6, 2024 9:31:25 GMT 1
Master of self sufficiency. DIY.
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Mar 7, 2024 10:18:29 GMT 1
Thinking further about DIY.........
it also helps reduce the waste of resources and saves money by extending the useful lifespan of an item.
It seems we are being brainwashed from childhood to believe that all we need is a credit card and a smartphone full of Apps that do our thinking for us.
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Post by lapourtaider on Mar 7, 2024 10:45:09 GMT 1
It seems we are being brainwashed from childhood to believe that all we need is a credit card and a smartphone full of Apps that do our thinking for us. That may be true for anyone born in the last 30 odd years, but as a child I spent 100s of hours with my grandad learning skill of hand and how to repair things and prolong the life of all kinds of stuff. It led me into my career and is something I've always done and continue to do now. |
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Post by jeliecrack on Mar 7, 2024 11:17:26 GMT 1
Trouble nowadays,is the printed circiut board ,which in a repair situation is so bloody expensive ,it really is cheaper to buy a new machine with the warranty then try to repair it.
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Aardvark
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Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Mar 7, 2024 17:50:55 GMT 1
Perhaps.
I had some time to waste a few days ago while waiting for a break in the rain and found myself trying to answer a question I've had for some time. I'm a regular at our local tip and I can't help wondering why the electrical appliance bin is always so full of those big flat screen tellys. They all look brand new to me. Surely they can't all be duds. I was surprised to read (in several different places) that the expected life of one of these miracles of technology is only four to ten years! And as you say, it probably makes sense to buy a new one rather than spend who knows how long trying to find someone to make a repair at a sensible price. I have been inwardly hoping that our ancient Mitsui 26" crt leviathan might self-destruct one day so we could get something that takes up less space but I might have a long wait. The mrs. brought it with her when she first came to France and had it since the early 80s and it is still performing like new.
With the help of the internet when I am faced with a faulty piece of electronics I can often find a service manual (free) online that helps me to figure out which section could be the problem. Usually less than a centimetre of solder is more than enough and it costs peanuts. Mrs. A's laptop had a problem with the charging socket. A quick Youtube search identified it was a common problem and I found a detailed video on how to cure it. Cost less than a fiver to install a new socket onto the pc board. Even less if I could have bought just one but that fiver was the minimum spend for a pack of ten. More spares for that electronics stash.
lapourtaider: My grandfather did the same for me, and my grandmother and mother both had a creative flair and there was always some clever crafty project going on to watch and learn a new skill. Although I picked up a lot of skills and a "fix it" mindset, it never led me into any sort of what people call a career. I mostly used it to live beyond my actual means and quite occasionally it helped pay the bills when there was no employment to be had.
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Post by robertarthur on Mar 7, 2024 22:46:03 GMT 1
@ Jeliecrack, repairing (component level) of a printed circuit board is still possible. The case of a non functioning Samsung flatscreen tv, once very expensive. The only thing they forgot was to use professional electrolytic capacitors in the switched-mode power supply. For a fistful of euros four new Panasonic Long Life, high temp and low ESR caps and a little bit of solder. This was in 2014 and ten years later still in perfect working condition. |
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Post by iolar on Apr 5, 2024 14:45:38 GMT 1
Perhaps. I had some time to waste a few days ago while waiting for a break in the rain and found myself trying to answer a question I've had for some time. I'm a regular at our local tip and I can't help wondering why the electrical appliance bin is always so full of those big flat screen tellys. They all look brand new to me. Surely they can't all be duds. I was surprised to read (in several different places) that the expected life of one of these miracles of technology is only four to ten years! And as you say, it probably makes sense to buy a new one rather than spend who knows how long trying to find someone to make a repair at a sensible price. I have been inwardly hoping that our ancient Mitsui 26" crt leviathan might self-destruct one day so we could get something that takes up less space but I might have a long wait. The mrs. brought it with her when she first came to France and had it since the early 80s and it is still performing like new. With the help of the internet when I am faced with a faulty piece of electronics I can often find a service manual (free) online that helps me to figure out which section could be the problem. Usually less than a centimetre of solder is more than enough and it costs peanuts. Mrs. A's laptop had a problem with the charging socket. A quick Youtube search identified it was a common problem and I found a detailed video on how to cure it. Cost less than a fiver to install a new socket onto the pc board. Even less if I could have bought just one but that fiver was the minimum spend for a pack of ten. More spares for that electronics stash. lapourtaider: My grandfather did the same for me, and my grandmother and mother both had a creative flair and there was always some clever crafty project going on to watch and learn a new skill. Although I picked up a lot of skills and a "fix it" mindset, it never led me into any sort of what people call a career. I mostly used it to live beyond my actual means and quite occasionally it helped pay the bills when there was no employment to be had. In 2001 we spent time in NW Spain sorting out renting an apartment for our move there. It was autumn and when we returned it was cold, so switched on the c/h. Nothing happened, so removed the face plate of the controls and saw straight away what the problem was. There was a bank of contact points that were dull, so got out contact cleaner, let it dry and used some Deoxit Gold, used in audio for optimum electrical contact. Refitted the face plate and switched on - no problem, functioned perfectly. If I had got a plumber in he would have removed the PCB, ordered a new one and screwed me for over £200. The problem is that nowadays a lot of gear has no access point. I bought a new monitor about 4 years ago an AOC. A great game monitor - I don't play mind games, I don't have the time or inclination but they mean I don't have to wear my reading spectacles, my distance vision is after cataract ops. very good indeed. I'm sure that the problem was that one cap had gone o/c - open circuit but there was simply no way for me to access the innards. When you buy audio gear there is nearly always a label saying - opening will invalidate the warranty - which means, go out and buy another one mug punter. Whenever I buy new gear if it's not a kit I always open the back to see what's going on inside. Even expensive gear can be im proved by changing out a few components. |
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