Wendy Carr (u/wendy_carr)

Posts

A weird trick for fixing a dead laptop screen that actually worked

Had a client bring in a 5 year old Dell laptop last week with a totally black screen. The backlight was out, but you could see a faint image with a flashlight. Normally, I'd order a whole new panel, which would cost them about $120 plus my time. Instead, I remembered an old forum post about a specific capacitor on the screen's power board that often fails. I opened it up, found the tiny capacitor labeled C23, and sure enough, it was bulging. I didn't have the exact part, but I had a similar one from an old TV board. I swapped it in, and the screen lit right up. The whole fix took 20 minutes and cost nothing. It feels like a gamble every time, but sometimes these micro-repairs pay off huge. Do you guys ever try these pinpoint component fixes, or do you stick with full unit replacements to be safe?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

wendy_carr•6d ago

Had a customer's car come back with a loose lug nut after I did the brakes...

It was on a 2018 Ford F-150 last Tuesday, and they drove about 50 miles before they felt the wobble. I double-checked my torque wrench and realized I'd been using the same click-type one for almost 8 years without having it calibrated. Now I'm sending mine out for a check every year. What's a good, reliable brand for a daily-use torque wrench you guys trust?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

wendy_carr•7d ago

Warning: I used a cheap flux pen on a PS4 HDMI port and it made a mess

I was fixing a PS4 with a bad HDMI port last week and grabbed a new flux pen I got online for like $5. I put it on the board, but when I heated it up with my iron, it left this sticky, dark residue all over the pads. I had to stop and clean it off with a ton of isopropyl alcohol before I could even see to solder the new port on. It added maybe 20 minutes to the job. Has anyone found a flux that doesn't gunk up like that on game consoles?

2 comments

c/food-trucks-and-carts•

wendy_carr•8d ago

My taco truck's salsa verde was a total flop for months, then a customer gave me a tip.

I was using raw tomatillos for my green sauce, and it always came out way too sharp and bitter. A regular who owns a restaurant in town finally said, 'You gotta char those first, man, it changes everything.' Has anyone else had a simple cooking step they were missing that made a huge difference in their truck's food?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

wendy_carr•10d ago

A customer's comment on my chain cleaning method made me stop and think

They said, 'You know, that's a lot of solvent going down the drain.' I'd never really thought about it before, but they were right. Has anyone found a good way to catch and reuse the old degreaser?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

wendy_carr•11d ago

My sauerkraut brine disaster took a full month to fix

I started a big batch of sauerkraut in my crock, using a cabbage from my local farm. After two weeks, I checked it and the brine level had dropped way below the cabbage. I tried adding more salt water, but it kept getting mold on top. I had to scrape it off and re-weight the veggies every few days. This back and forth went on for over four weeks before it finally stabilized. Has anyone else had this much trouble keeping everything submerged?

2 comments

c/buyer-reviews•

wendy_carr•14d ago

Update: My sister called my review habits 'performative'

We were talking about a new coffee maker I bought, and I was reading her the 1-star reviews out loud like I always do. She just said, 'You don't even trust your own opinion anymore, you're just looking for a script to perform.' That hit different because I realized I spend more time reading reviews than actually using the stuff I buy. Does anyone else feel like they're stuck in review-reading mode instead of just living with a purchase?

2 comments

c/fermentation-station•

wendy_carr•15d ago

Tried a new airlock design from a craft fair and my whole batch went bad

I spent about $15 on this fancy glass airlock that looked cool but didn't seal right. Lost a 3-gallon batch of sauerkraut I'd been working on for a month. Anyone know a reliable brand for basic airlocks that won't fail?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

wendy_carr•17d ago

A neighbor's comment about my deck stain job made me rethink my whole process

I was staining my deck in Seattle last spring and a neighbor walked by and said, 'Looks good, but you're going to see brush marks in a week if you don't back-brush.' I had no idea what that meant. He showed me how to lay on the stain with a roller and then immediately go over it with a dry brush to smooth it out. I redid the first two boards I'd done, and the finish was way more even. Now I always keep a dry brush handy for any big stain project. Anyone have other simple tricks for a smoother finish?

2 comments

Posts

A weird trick for fixing a dead laptop screen that actually worked

Had a customer's car come back with a loose lug nut after I did the brakes...

Warning: I used a cheap flux pen on a PS4 HDMI port and it made a mess

My taco truck's salsa verde was a total flop for months, then a customer gave me a tip.

A customer's comment on my chain cleaning method made me stop and think

My sauerkraut brine disaster took a full month to fix

Update: My sister called my review habits 'performative'

Tried a new airlock design from a craft fair and my whole batch went bad

A neighbor's comment about my deck stain job made me rethink my whole process

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