Electronics - Gotta Luv 'Em

StPeteAPB · 06-10-2011, 01:31 PM

Sunday my Canon MX700 died. Just plain dead. No capability to easily fix. Monday, my Samsung 50" DLP died ... WTF?!

So, as far as the printer ... I picked up an HP 6500A e701A from OfficeDepot - on sale for $99. Love it! Just a heads-up if you're in the market for an all-in-one.

The TV ... repair guy said it would be $200 for labor and about $600 for a new DMD set of boards IF it was, indeed, the issue as I described over the phone. EFF That! I can get a new TV for that or less.

But, before I went that route, I changed out my component video cables ... and the TV has been awesome ever since.

Not sure I've ever known or expected that those sorts of cables can go bad, but I cannot not believe my eyes and experience in electronics.

So, the other heads-up ... if your TV acts up, check the cables!

That's all ... just looking to help anyone who reads this and coincidentally has either of these issues.

WhiteFury · 06-10-2011, 01:51 PM

That reminds me of two things:

1) Never, ever buy a cable from BestBuy. I love BestBuy, but they will rape you on the cables. Now I use Monoprice.com. A 20ft, 22AWG High Speed HDMI cable (that's the one that is so thick you can hardly bend it) cost $20.80. BestBuy & I'm sure other retail stores, a SIX foot HDMI cable, like this one, will cost you $80.

2) I tend not to trust electronics repair people. "It's the board...it'll cost you $600." So my A/C in the house won't kick in. I call our A/C peeps that we've used for 11 years now and "the new guy" showed up. He was polite and all but he found that my board had gone bad, and that would cost me about $600. Yeah, let me think on that. So I call the shop again and get John. John owns the place. John asked me how the guy knew it was the board. I said, John, how the hell do I know? He laughed and stopped at the house on the way home. He took things apart and asked me for my shopvac. I got it and he took me outside and told me to stand right in front of the A/C exchange exhaust. Through the window he said "here it comes!" and I got hit in the chest by a squirrels nest going 75 mph. I looked at that thing and was like, WTF? He closed everything up, turned everything on, walked by a still stunned home-owner and said, your board is fine...you let me know when something else comes up...I'll be right out. And with that he drove away. About 60 minutes worth of work, zero dollars.

captainfester · 06-10-2011, 01:51 PM

excellent! always good to win one every now and then!

mental · 06-10-2011, 02:12 PM

Well, I know How Ya Feel. They replaced my Board, and It didn't do Shit. Maybe I should check the cables. But I think I will always need glasses!

captainfester · 06-10-2011, 02:36 PM

HA. at least your ac repair guy has a great sense of humor!

StPeteAPB · 06-10-2011, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteFury

That reminds me of two things:

1) Never, ever buy a cable from BestBuy.
2) I tend not to trust electronics repair people.

Yah, I don't buy cables even from Walmart ... they're less expensive and just as good on-line for a lot less. Got my HDMI cable for $12 when Walmart wanted $21.

And, #2 ... I suggested it was the DMD board when the other component video inputs were acting as bad as the primary ones. I did research and expected it was the DMD and a small fortune to fix ... it's a shame we're such a disposable society that we don't fix things anymore - we just toss 'em out.

RedspawnSilver · 06-10-2011, 05:07 PM

Could be dirty power or a power surge try this: http://www.google.com/m/products/det...ostart=10&sa=N

Sent from my Droid using Motorcycle App

NMUCat · 06-10-2011, 07:21 PM

Good to hear things are working out in your favor.

I would love to fix the stuff I got when it fails. But when the diagnostic and repair cost are as much as a new one then why not upgrade. I think they do that on purpose.

**Richard1** · 06-10-2011, 07:30 PM

I have a relative that works for Best Buy and can get things at cost. When I needed HDMI cables that they were selling for $70-$80, he got them for me for like $5 or $10. Before you ask, yes, he did give me the sales receipt of his purchase. It showed the original price and the employee discount.

cypress · 06-10-2011, 07:42 PM

Hate to admit it but I once bought an HDMI cable at Best Buy for $100 because I thought I needed the best one. Now I buy the cheapest one I can find.