The Manic Mechanic

I've been fixing lots of things here lately; my statement in an earlier post about being a "fixer of things and builder of stuff" was far from metaphorical. What sometimes makes me laugh is how different my tasks are, often in the same day. Take these two photos for example:



Jeff's truck needed a fuel pump, and, like most vehicles produced in the last 20 years, the fuel pump resides in the fuel tank. Rather than lifting the truck, dropping the tank and have to work with dirt falling in my face while wrestling with a heavy, fuel-filled tank, I find it far easier to remove the truck's bed. The new pump assembly required a modification to the wiring harness that connected to it, and this method made me able to stay above my work, enjoying the spring foliage as a nice bonus. It's also the better method since I had to work alone. I can finesse the heavy stuff without risking my back getting more wrenched than the bolts holding the bed in place (there are eight, by the way).



The next morning and a trip to the post office to pick up more parts I had on order, I shifted gears and went small. A recent tantrum damaged my cell phone display, so it was to the internets for a cheap fix. I installed the new display which worked perfectly until four days later, where the replacement lost the image on the lower inch or so. This is indicative of a bad display driver circuit, and I ordered up another. I can practically do this repair in my sleep now. The board at the top of the photo is the amplifier out of a big Infinity subwoofer which was given to me, albeit with a problem. I found a service bulletin online, plus found some other problem parts, and the last two (the big blue capacitors) were also waiting for me at the post office. I slapped those in first, then bench-tested the amp board as I fixed up the phone. The Lab of Mayhem has it's own THX-rated sound system. I can fairly much rock my ass off with all six channels rumbling, and the all-concrete "bunker" (really) that houses the lab keeps the sound from making its way to the soundly-sleeping Jeff in the evenings. I had totally overhauled the lab, cleaning out decades of accumulated junk and did some upgrades, so I finally have a place I can tinker and make to my geeky, nerdy heart's content. The garage is next, as I have already begun to clear out junk there as well. Tonight I had my tire changing machine apart to figure out why it wouldn't clamp rims properly. A plastic cam used to position a pneumatic valve had broke in a move, and it should be something fixable with some epoxy rather than money. I find lots of satisfaction in being able to improvise or recycle something into a repair or build, rather than spending lots of money. It's like sticking it to the man.

As some of you might remember, my treasured Olympus C-5050 digicam recently bit the dust. During my online research to see if this was any sort of widespread problem and to locate repair resources, I uncovered some interesting facts. Very interesting facts. It seems I am not alone. And if goes beyond the C-5050.

This article on the Imaging Resource website details the same issue affecting dozens of cameras from seven different manufacturers. It seems that all of these cameras share CCD sensors manufactured at a Sony fab lab. The sensors suffer from substandard package sealing which cause atmospheric air and moisture to enter the CCD sensor package and cause it to fail. The failure rate increases as the cameras are subjected to extremes of heat and humidity. The bad news here is that my other camera, a Canon S230 Digital Elph is also on the list. The good news is that the manufacturers of these cameras have instituted repair programs to fix affected cameras even past their warranty period, and reimburse those that had this issue repaired before this service bulleting arose.

The service bulletin also covers PDAs, camcorders and other items capable of taking pictures. The list only covers digital cameras though. If you have one of these items showing similar symptoms, it might be worth researching the links to see if it's covered.

Check the following list to see if your camera is shown. Regardless if your have had problems with the camera, it's worth checking to see what pro- or retroactive measures can be taken:

( List of affected cameras behind cut for convenience )

Note that there are other cameras besides the ones contained on the list.

I'll post an update to my caera situation as the saga unfolds. If anyone in my readership has models affected, let me know in the comments and keep everyone posted.