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Old 19th Jun 2014, 10:57 pm   #1
lesmw0sec
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Default "Temporary" fixes.

Just finished an enclosure for my soldering iron transformer. As a temporary measure, I had lashed up the transformer with a bit of insulation tape around the nasty end. This "temporary measure" has lasted for the last ten years!

Any confessions as to similar bad practice?

Les.
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 5:38 am   #2
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

I have a garage full of stuff, a goodly proportion of which has been there nearly 25 years. I was going to 'sort that lot out' 24 years ago, but I was recently married and innocent of the WWW (ways and wiles of women, not the World Wide Wait, though they have markedly similar effects on one's wallet and free time).

There are a number of 'temporary' electrical/electronic lashups therein, but I do have a fridge, a phone (two lines, no waiting) an AM/FM Tuner stereo and a TV +digital decoder. Within that haven there rest an embarrassing number of "I'll fix that next weekend"'s plus a modest quota of still-born projects.

At the top of my 'urgent' list I have a Sony solid-state mini TV that I quoted on for a repair when an employee in the early '70's. The quote was rejected and the TV abandoned, so I did a temporary fix and took it home with the full intention of completing the job properly, then I got married.............sigh, 40 years on..........

Cheers

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Old 20th Jun 2014, 11:11 am   #3
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

Our main colour TV is a 15 year old Philips NICAM stereo CRT TV. The only problem was the mains on off switch failed I ordered a new one but to get the set going again I linked out this switch and fed the set through an MK 2 pole switched mains socket and provided an externally fitted 10Megaohme resistor as a static drain. This temporary repair was done 8 years ago and was only meant to last a few weeks until I got round to fitting the new parts.
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 12:14 pm   #4
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

One post deleted, Forum related "fixes" only please.
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 2:12 pm   #5
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

One of my bench power supplies had it's mains cable nibbled by mice in my old workshop, I used half a roll of insulating tape as a temporary fix, that was seven years ago and I still have not got round to replacing it

Mark
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 4:45 pm   #6
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

Too many to list............
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 5:46 pm   #7
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

The inline PSU failed on my Mum's dining room 19" flat screen TV about 9 months ago. It was a 12v SMPS brick. To get the set up and running quickly I chopped off the power lead to the TV and connected it up to a variable bench PSU and gave instructions on how to switch it on and off. I taped over the variable controls to prevent as much potential trouble as possible! The plan then was to get a replacement in line SMPS unit asap. Meanwhile my Mum was coping perfectly fine with the 'temporary' lash up!
So, ok, temporary became semi permanent and a month or so went by.
I was then 'leaned' upon to "sort it out properly" in Mum speak!
Therefore I went searching on ebay, as you do. By chance I came across a very nice 12V, 7.5 amp, modular but fully enclosed SMPS by Advance for a fiver! The set takes about 3.2 amps so this would be nicely underated. Ok, it looked a bit industrial but it would be infinitely better quality than any no name brick PSU, and I planned to conceal it from prying hands, as connections are by terminal strip at one end, as is typical of these units.
So far my concealing plans have been postponed by one thing or another for the 8 months it's been in use, despite some nagging! It's working perfectly though and my Mum rigidly adheres to my user safety instructions and doesn't go anywhere near it!
Looks much better than the OE too
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 6:10 pm   #8
lesmw0sec
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

Glad to see that I am not alone then! I must admit that one thing that spurned me finally to action was an electrician who I was training for the final amateur licence exam. He was rather amused by my soldering station!

Les.
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 6:57 pm   #9
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Smile Re: "Temporary" fixes.

Good afternoon,
The SMPS power supply to my old HP laptop went up in smoke one day. As a temporary fix I used a bench power supply.

I had a look at the old failed HP SMPS power supply and was not happy with its construction and as a further temporary fix I decided to make a proper linear power supply at 18.5 volts at several amps out of bits I had at home.

I made this out of a dam huge industrial mains transformer and several paralelled up TO-3 transistors on a massive heatsink built into an old 19" industrial enclosure. It is regulated at 18.5 volts but could comfotably take 20 amps or more continiously!! So good it was and with a reassuring hum from the transformer I forgot about getting a replacement.

When I was working up in Redcar and doing bed and breakfast I would lug this thing with me much to the amusement of the landlady. I still have not got around to getting a proper HP replacement power supply.

Christopher Capener
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 10:00 pm   #10
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

My hacked/cobbled together MP3 jukebox now has some foam rubber wedged between the touchscreen flat flex connector and the metal surround (brought it back from the dead after about 2 years of "I must take another look at it one day").
Still working, hope it lasts as I've no chance of getting another one
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Old 20th Jun 2014, 10:04 pm   #11
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

In the days when I used to build things, valve and very early transistor, the lash up/birds nest I made on the bench worked a treat until I assembled it neatly it on a chassis/PCB, never worked properly after that.

Peter
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Old 21st Jun 2014, 9:12 am   #12
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

On my bench I still have a Rendar mains connector block - the type with the lift up lid that allows you to connect bare ended wires to the mains. I dropped it and smashed the back cover. It was given a temporary repair of a 20 cigarette packet as a cover held in place with insulation tape. I gave up smoking almost 40 years ago but it's still in use.
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Old 21st Jun 2014, 9:15 am   #13
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

My workshop TV suffered a power switch fault where it would only work when held in, as a quick bodge I jammed it in using matchsticks!
This lasted a few months until it finally died, not having the correct switch, I bypassed it and fitted an inline switch from a table lamp.
Although I found the correct replacement switch some years ago, it has still not been fitted...

Although I have replaced the rather lethal mains lead on my Avo valve tester, there are several bits of test gear that are still awaiting temporary 'repairs' to be attended to, but I guess I am not alone in taking an age to sort them properly.

Mark
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Old 21st Jun 2014, 12:33 pm   #14
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

There's an old adage: The Plumber always has the worst bathroom in the street.
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Old 21st Jun 2014, 4:27 pm   #15
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

In my loft I have a ceramic/Bakelite light switch which I fitted a considerable number of years ago, its of the QMB type, the operation became unreliable a few years ago as it kept sticking, I put up with it for some time and even considered fitting a new one but I took the cover off and sprayed some switch cleaner inside and its perfect now.

Peter
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Old 21st Jun 2014, 11:08 pm   #16
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

A word of caution about temporarily bypassing mains switches: make sure to remove the old switch before doing so! It might still have a carbon track between live and neutral that can cause trouble.

Also a word of caution about jamming the switch in place: contact pressure might not be sufficient, I have seen at least one jammed switch catch fire because of this.
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Old 22nd Jun 2014, 2:12 pm   #17
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

The cobblers kids always had holes in there shoes comes to mind.
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Old 23rd Jun 2014, 12:10 am   #18
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maarten View Post
A word of caution about temporarily bypassing mains switches: make sure to remove the old switch before doing so! It might still have a carbon track between live and neutral that can cause trouble.
Good point. I did remove the old on off switch before linking it out.
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Old 23rd Jun 2014, 12:22 pm   #19
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

I have a small (150-watt) power-inverter whose output-transistors failed and I couldn't easily source replacements. So I extended the transistors' leads and wired up a pair of 30-amp TO-3 transistors on a hefty 'spares box' heasink that's twice the size of the rest of the inverter. Cable-ties and some orange plastic string hold the heatsink to the inverter. Been like that for at least a decade.

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Old 23rd Jun 2014, 5:00 pm   #20
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Default Re: "Temporary" fixes.

I would like to challenge the suggestion that the "temporary fix" is necessarily bad. How many have had the experience that the "temporary fix" is actually better than the proper repair?

I remember once lashing up a little panel and switch using masking tape "just until I can mount it properly". The problem was that there wasn't an easy way to do it properly due to fitting this into some funny shaped thing. A decade later when the tape gave out I considered the proper repair, but ended up replacing the tape with more tape because it was as good as it got - the proper repair would have involved some difficult metalwork and awkward fixings.
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