Venting thread

[Raphael]

Really, better ability to replace individual parts of gadgets should be mandatory or something.

[MacAnDàil]

Yes, indeed, and products should be built to last, like they were before the light bulb cartel.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

The headache of them not being so is enormous.

[Travis B.]

What likely is the case is that the power connector is soldered directly onto the motherboard, and either the connector is not made separately available or the first set of repair people were not competent enough to desolder the old connector and solder on a new connector. As for the manufacturer, it's obviously in their interest to force you to spend as much as possible on a fix, hence they would not provide the option of fixing just the connector.

[Rounin Ryuuji]

I would assume it was soldered in, yes; that's how things often are when you open them up. Same with parts sold as "assemblies"; while somebody with extensive knowledge might be able to take them apart, they usually come pre-assembled.

[Travis B.]

It is unfortunate that so much is made to be disposable these days. In the case of electronics, things like ball grid array chips are nearly impossible to replace. In the case of the power connector here, though, there is the chance that it is still through-hole, though, which should make it easier to replace provided you can get your hands on the part. (Even non-BGA surface mount parts are replaceable by those who know what they're doing.)

[alice]

What likely is the case is that the power connector is soldered directly onto the motherboard, and either the connector is not made separately available or the first set of repair people were not competent enough to desolder the old connector and solder on a new connector.

Definitely the first. I specifically asked the manufacturer if they could supply a separate connector, and they said "We can't do that".

[Travis B.]

What likely is the case is that the power connector is soldered directly onto the motherboard, and either the connector is not made separately available or the first set of repair people were not competent enough to desolder the old connector and solder on a new connector.

Definitely the first. I specifically asked the manufacturer if they could supply a separate connector, and they said "We can't do that".

That sounds like they are deliberately making the laptop difficult to repair without getting a whole new motherboard.

[Moose-tache]

To be fair, this isn't just corporate greed. Miniturization and price competition have led to highly consolidated motherboards that are very difficult to replace piece-by-piece. Years ago the inside of a laptop looked kind of like a desktop: off the rack parts connected with wires. Now it looks more like the inside of a smart phone: one single lump of proprietary hardware that can't be easily compartmentalized.

[Travis B.]

To be fair, this isn't just corporate greed. Miniturization and price competition have led to highly consolidated motherboards that are very difficult to replace piece-by-piece. Years ago the inside of a laptop looked kind of like a desktop: off the rack parts connected with wires. Now it looks more like the inside of a smart phone: one single lump of proprietary hardware that can't be easily compartmentalized.

This is true in many ways, but in this specific case this is one of the few things that ought to be replaceable with a replacement part and some skill with a soldering iron.

[alice]

To be fair, this isn't just corporate greed. Miniturization and price competition have led to highly consolidated motherboards that are very difficult to replace piece-by-piece. Years ago the inside of a laptop looked kind of like a desktop: off the rack parts connected with wires. Now it looks more like the inside of a smart phone: one single lump of proprietary hardware that can't be easily compartmentalized.

This is true in many ways, but in this specific case this is one of the few things that ought to be replaceable with a replacement part and some skill with a soldering iron.

That's what I thought. Part of me is tempted to go ahead and solder a red wire and a black wire onto the motherboard and attach them to an off-the-shelf socket.

[Moose-tache]

To be fair, this isn't just corporate greed. Miniturization and price competition have led to highly consolidated motherboards that are very difficult to replace piece-by-piece. Years ago the inside of a laptop looked kind of like a desktop: off the rack parts connected with wires. Now it looks more like the inside of a smart phone: one single lump of proprietary hardware that can't be easily compartmentalized.

This is true in many ways, but in this specific case this is one of the few things that ought to be replaceable with a replacement part and some skill with a soldering iron.

That's what I thought. Part of me is tempted to go ahead and solder a red wire and a black wire onto the motherboard and attach them to an off-the-shelf socket.

Of course, you can see the motherboard and we can't. Some designs are more modular than others. Have you tried uploading photos to PC repair forums?

[alice]

Of course, you can see the motherboard and we can't. Some designs are more modular than others. Have you tried uploading photos to PC repair forums?

No, because the laptop is still with the manufacturer. Good idea though.

[malloc]

Apparently hulu changed its policies so that I can no longer log into my brother's account. This means I will have to miss several of my favorite shows. I realize that sounds rather petty, but it still stings given that I have so few luxuries. Those shows were the rare highlight in my week. Oh well. I already know how one of them ends from reading the comic and the others are just light comedy so it hardly matters. Still, can't life let me have anything?

[Moose-tache]

That sucks. I checked thepiratebay.org, and they do have plenty of Hulu shows, so... Time for a trip to 2009!

[malloc]

I don't have a VPN or any other way of obscuring my online activities, so piracy is extremely risky. It seems absurd to spend five years in prison just to watch some shows.

[zompist]

Hulu is $7 a month. Is that really impossible for you?

[malloc]

For my current purposes, yes. I don't use hulu all that often and once the current show I am following ends, I won't really need it at all. And in any case, I have never liked the notion of clogging servers with throwaway accounts.

[Moose-tache]

Getting kicked off of your family member's streaming account is a legitimate gripe, even if it is a "first world problem." I remember when we stopped using my brother-in-law's HBO Max account. But the good thing is you don't have to worry about pirating being "risky." Nobody goes to prison for watching The Thing About Pam illegally. If somebody tries to tell you that, just ignore them.

[Vardelm]

On Monday I found water under the water heater. Service guy came this morning. We now have a new water heater.

Showered this afternoon. Water in the shower didn't drain and I stepped out onto a floor covered in water. Will now be trying to snake the drain and probably then calling a plumber when it still doesn't drain.

Home ownership is a scam.