How Do I Get a Machine That Can Detect the Faults of Most Home Electronics

Hello AH #3.

That makes sense. You need knowledge, yes! but what tool do you suggest would be most then be most useful, or essential come to that?

A good set of screwdrivers and nutdreivers. ;-)

I suppose a DVM would be good too, but really, the most useful diagnostic tool is between your ears.

It's not just knowledge that is most important, it's a way of thinking.

Basically, it is called troubleshooting or problem solving skills.

Once you develop those skills it becomes pretty obvious what physical tools you need for whatever job is at hand.

I could just tell you to buy a DVM, but even knowing how to operate it is almost worthless if you are not equipped to be able to problem solve on an abstract level.

I spent a lifetime refining those skills and even my first engineering job I came on board with a pretty good ability to problem solve (learned that as a kid), but mentors at my jobs helped refine those skills. It takes time to master.

I am not trying to discourage you from learning. By all means do it and you will have a rewarding set of tools in your head, but it's like becoming proficient at chess, you have to work at it and it takes time. I hope you do, but good mentors will help you more than anything you could buy in the Sears tool department.

Hello AH #22.

Thanks. (in a electrical context) I was hoping you would say an oscilloscope! I've just bought one. The last time I used one was working on electronic ground equipment during National Service in the RAF. It was essential then, but that was 50 years ago.

Pricewise I couldn't afford one back in those days, and not justified (or necessary) when set against the cost of repairing faulty items (assuming the 'scope/brain was able to identify the fault) and it was repairable with available parts and suitable dexterous skill, it usually turned out cheaper, and quicker, to scrap the dud one and buy a new one.

Over the years, I might have been able to repair many items, that with hindsight would have saved money had I bought a 'scope at the time, but with 20/20 vision in this respect, I didn't.

So now I have splashed out on a modern (used) 'scope. Mainly, for starters, to help design and build a little rectifying battery charger for my mower.

Plug your electronic devices in one at a time. If the circuit trips, throw the electronic device in the trash. Then repeat.

DVOM and a knowledge of electronics.

Three words and you'll be fine:

Read post #3

If you really, "have lots of latest home electronics appliances in my workshop that are faulty" you are buying poor quality appliances.

Modern electronic devices are generally very dependable.

Call a repairman or buy new, quality replacements.

My take on the OP is that he is a "repairman" in an environment where his customers cant afford to throw away their faulty appliances and buy new ones. He is frustrated because the modern electronic control systems are not designed to be repaired.

It seems that his PC is now broken too.

Most of the newer day electronics is cheaper to replace than repair. A toaster at Walmart can go as low as $15, but expect Walmart quality and get around 1-2 years before the toaster becomes toast.

You have hit the nail on the head here, I do believe. It is a challange to repair the "unrepairable" (something I used to really enjoy but unfortunately time does not permit anymore). If the OP is doing this as a business, he won't be in business for long, for as you say, most are not designed to be repaired. Alternately, if he is doing this for his own stuff, hats off to him.

The only thing he needs, is a record of what he has done, if it worked, and, finally, the solution to the problem for each and every device he looks at. It's called experience and that cannot be bought (unless of course you hire someone that has it). Any one can learn to operate test equipment(well almost everyone) but without knowing where to start to look, up the proverbial creek in most cases.

Some components, like for instance, the mechanical timer in a washing machine, can be a learning experience, especially if all the spring loaded contacts "spring forth" right in front of the cute girl you are trying to impress with your handiness.

Thank heavens for electronic timers.

Yes, but mechanical components are getter rarer all the time. I can recall my dad sitting at the kitchen table with the timer from an old Maytag, many times, and, he always got it back together and working. Mind you, he is the one I got my inquisitiveness from as he was always fixing things that "could not be fixed". He made that machine last more than 50 years. Most of the time just a good cleaning and contact point filing a little. It went with my Mom's house when it got sold, and as far as I know, is still working away.

Many modern appliances are run by one ASIC and not much else.

Well, if your looking for something to do all the diagnostics for you, try this:

They cost a lot, and you may have to wait quite a while to find one.

"Jim, this man is an appliance"

<Picture of McCoy leaning over unconscious humanoid form, scanning with tri-corder>

"What's more, by my tri-corder readings, it's unplugged. Well, that made it easy!"

I am not trying to be negative... trying to maybe save your life.

The simple fact that you are asking this type of question really lets me know you have nowhere near the level of knowledge needed to do these things in a manner that does not expose you to possible life ending scenarios.

Without a doubt, in the short term, your only sane option is to bring these broken devices to a pro. In the longer term... education, study and experience are what you need to do in order to fix the things you asked about.

When you can answer the question you asked correctly yourself, you are getting near where you want to be.

LOL....Yeah it's called a service tech...

RTFM

Look it up.

I have a feeling that the OP is looking for something like the OBD readers used for modern automobiles. Something he can plug into the ailing appliance and read a fault code from the Appliance's "brain".

Unfortunately, I don't believe that such devices exist, or if they do, they are proprietary for each manufacturer and product. The bottom line is, they don't want you to repair their product. They want the consumer to buy another one.

I had a machine that could do that, but it broke and I don't know what is wrong with it.

I'm good friends with Mr. Peabody & his adopted son Sherman.

I can borrow his WABAC machine (you may know it as the Wayback Machine) and we can go back in time to before when your machine failed and see if we can fix or replicate it.

Once upon a time that "machine" would have been a multimeter. Now, with microprocessors running many appliances, you may be asking for one device that can understand all (or most) of the varied instruction sets and I/O - and does not yet exist.

Call this a good thing; we can still get paid for using our brains. I suggest the minimum setup would be still a good multimeter - but add an oscilloscope. A more advanced shop might use a logic analyzer to identify data and instruction bit errors.

The first tools you should be using are your senses. Look for obvious problems like burnt components or broken wires. Listen for abnormal sounds, smell around for anomalies. Move things around looking for broken pieces. You are free to taste it also but that won't help you much.

Then get a multimeter, an o-scope (200MHz should be fine,) and a book from Radio Shack on basic electronics.

However, in my experience, consumer electronics are not made to withstand the test of time. Recycle.

Werner Von Braun once said: "The best computer we can place in a spacecraft is a human being. And they can be mass produced by unskilled labor."

I repaired a microwave oven with a mechanical timer and a 110 volt hotplate control. It did everything the "smartboard" would do except tell time. And I got a digital clock out of the deal.

When I found a microwave at a yard sale with mechanical components I snapped it up. I'm still using it.

The timer motor failed on our clothes dryer. A new one cost $90. My neighbor gave me a kitchen timer. Haven't bothered to repair the dryer.

The cost of making things smaller-cheaper-faster-smarter, was making them impossible to repair. For all of the wonderful things I get from my toys for the price I pay for them, I think it was a fair trade.

I just had my Mr. Coffee pump espresso machine crap out on me yesterday after only a year and a half. OK, not good, but I had left it on accidentally when we left on vacation, so I know why it failed. Back then, I ELECTED to pay $89 for it, instead of the "better" choice machine (Rancillo) that was $799. Today I bought a replacement of the SAME unit for $69 on Amazon, and they changed it to where the LED is on the FRONT instead the side where I didn't see it. Better, cheaper, proven to work fine if I don't screw up. COULD I have fixed the old one? Probably. I'm sure it was just some PCB trace that over heated or an IC that died. It would have taken me 2-3 hours of my life to find that issue and fix it. So lets see, $69 / 3 hours is $23/hr. I'm worth more than that.

My father however, a product of the depression era, would have done it, if for no other reason that to prove to the world that he could. I already know I can, I don't care if anyone else knows it.

Based on your numerous and valuable contributions to this forum over the years, it is a pretty safe bet, that at least here, there are lots of people who know you can do it.

I feel privileged to second that sentiment.

3KV and if anything is wrong, it will show up.