Diagnose Before You Dispose

摘要

The days of replacing vacuum tubes in the family television set have long passed into our cultural memory. Modern appliances, toys, and gadgets now have microprocessors, memory chips, transistors, surface-mount devices, and a host of other unfamiliar electronic parts that can seem intimidating to the untrained do-it-yourselfer. In an era when VCRs and DVD players can cost less than $50, many people treat such items as virtually disposable, and―with repair shops charging $50 or more for simple, basic repairs and maintenance―discarding a malfunctioning appliance makes financial sense. However, many hobbyists would prefer not to part with an already reliable―and potentially sturdier―older piece of electronic equipment. And even though today's appliances are increasingly designed to be too difficult and expensive to repair, it still is reasonable to try to extend the useful life of these newer devices.