Question For The List

Yes, OK, I don't insist on the service manual being available. If the thing is standard components, and not too many of them, it's not hard to trace out a schematic. But then again, if the product is a couple of ASICs, with no docs, I am going to avoid it. As I've said before, I am not rich enough to buy cheap tools (and I use 'tools' in the widest sense here). Yes, there are, of course, products that I know I will have to replace. Like primary cells. And secondary cells (they have a limited number of recharge cycles). And the toner cartridge in my laser printer (although I would be annoyed if some mechanical part of that cartridge failed before all the toner was used up. I also might try refilling it, particularly if it was a hard/impossble-to-obtain one for a classic printer). PC keyboards, though, I do repair. Normally becuase they fail at an inconvenient time (like on a satruday evening), and I can repair them sooner than I can get a replacement. -tony