I came up with this question right after I wanted to take apart a microwave to see why it wasn’t heating anything before I remembered that that’s a very, VERY bad idea
I had a problem with the control panel in my Panasonic microwave and was able to fix it pretty easily. Everything I needed to get to was inside the right front of the microwave; the control pad membrane and the sticker that goes on the front of it.
If you’re gonna take a washing machine apart and you cut all the wires, make sure you cut the main electrical plug off as well or your dumbass son (me) will plug it in and electrocute himself with it.
and electrocute himself with it.
Um, aktschully, you shocked yourself. If you electrocuted yourself, you would be dead.
WAIT. UNLESS YOU DID DIE. DOES THAT MAKE YOU A GHOST?!!! A GHOST THAT CAN TYPE ON KEYBOARDS!!! AMAZING!!!
Yes, I am a ghost, I don’t type I just yell at it I till something happens, it’s exhausting.
You poor thing… :(
It’s not all bad tho, fuckin with people is fun.
Lol, I bet.
You are doing it the hard way. You can shrink yourself down and enter the keyboard. By flying underneath the key membranes you can short out the contacts and make the keys trigger. So I’ve heard.
Desktop computer power supplies. Don’t open them.
BS. Just drain capacitors. I’ve repaired a few (worthwhile ones) by replacing caps. You just need to know how. As with anything, read up.
How else am I supposed to put the magic smoke back in?
Anything connected to your garage door.
That spring will fucking kill you.
Anything with large capacitors?
Word for word my answer
And people don’t realize how long they can hold power after the device has been “off”.
Edit - I forgot to add my thing! A good example of something that doesn’t sound scary is a TV, but it has large capacitors that can end you (or make a bad day).
I heard once that old smoke detectors have some radioactive isotopes in them. Not sure how true or dangerous but sounds bad.
Ionization chamber smoke detectors have a tiny grain of Americium in them, which is radioactive. However, the radiation is almost entirely alpha particles which are relatively low risk as they don’t penetrate skin particularly well.
They are also still sold, though you should buy the other kind (which use light beams instead) because they’re significantly better at their jobs.
I forget the details, but each design has a use-case.
Though for most people, the newer design is likely the better choice.
They’re low risk unless you ingest them, because then they’re hitting internal organs directly.
Also if you pool the Americium from 100 detectors together they become pretty dangerous.
Ahhhh gold old nuclear boyscout…
Current smoke detectors still do, and usually have some warning on them stating such.
If it had warnings about not opening it, or not containing user serviceable parts, don’t fuck with it.
Actually not. They CAN be repaired, but are a nightmare of soldered and glued shit. The only apple thing I own (Linux/Android/Win user) is an iPad, which admittedly is a sweet performer, and iPads are just plain better tablets, but no way I’m cracking it open. I’ve replaced Android screens, repaired laptops, but fuck apple. Not because of danger, but because breakage is almost guaranteed on newer stuff.
“As an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, FUCK. THAT.”
– Me and my spouse.
P.S. Fuck John Deere.
Of course I understand caution with ⚡️, but just about everything has a ‘do not open’ label on it (in the litigous US anyway). Do we not care about right to repair?
I thought in the context of the question it was obvious what I’m referring to.
'Twas not, friend.
You can harvest the transformers for a couple junk microwaves to make an arc welder.
If you aren’t experienced then pretty much all power supplies, battery backups, and motors should be left to someone else.
I saw someone lose a finger (later reattached) to a washing machine with a jammed tub. It was plugged in and on when they reached underneath it and yanked the belt, their sleeve ducked their hand into the drive wheel.
That said, if it fits your personality it can be both fun and satisfying to learn how to fix stuff. I try to teach anyone who’s interested and asks. Except LG washing machines, those things can fuck right off.
How did they reattach the finger to the washing machine?
super glue. Don’t get it on your eyelids, though.
Duct tape of course
I’ll expand the microwave to anything that can carry a large electrical charge without you really knowing. I had a UPC that started acting weird, that was one I just sent right back to the manufacturer. I’ll swap out batteries, but I’m not cracking open something with that much potential energy stored in it without me fully understanding everything about it - and unless I helped build the thing I do not know enough about it.
But the blue smoke kinda smells good
This very much depends on your level of skill, experience and awareness of the dunning-kruger effect.
Since dunning-kruger isn’t valid, we’re halfway there!
So basically, go for it?
This very much depends on your tolerance for ragrets.
[peels back t-shirt to display neck tattoo]
Seconded, they are basically eldritch as far as I am concerned
Ok firstly.
Never, work on anything that is still connected to a power supply.
This includes any stored energy. Isolate it first. Gravitational, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and chemical (if possible).
Don’t fuck with stored energy.
Secondly.
Learn how to test if things are live, or have any stored energy.
Thirdly.
Once you KNOW you are safe. Go hard, learn all you can.
Holy shit, how has no one mentioned rechargable batteries?
Lithium Ion batteries, commonly used in phones and the like, rapidly catches fire and emits acidic smoke that will melt your lungs when the battery is punctured.
Old arcade machines. Giant capacitors + little knowledge on the subject = a very bad time.
As with anything it can be done safely if you know how. People still play those and they obviously need repairs/maintenance sometimes.
