INDEX V2.86 (05/25/1998)

Contents:

Table of Contents
Chapter 1) About the Author & Copyright
Chapter 2) Introduction
2.1) Why is all that junk in your attic?
2.2) Information on consumer electronics technology
2.3) Web sites dealing with low voltage wiring
Chapter 3) Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide
3.1) SAFETY
3.2) Safety guidelines
3.3) Troubleshooting tips
3.4) Soldering equipment
3.5) Soldering techniques
3.6) Desoldering techniques
3.7) Soldering pins in plastic connectors
3.8) Test equipment
3.9) Handy-dandy phone line tester
3.10) Getting inside consumer electronic equipment
3.11) Getting built up dust and dirt out of a equipment
3.12) What to do if a tiny tiny part falls inside
Chapter 4) Audio Cassette and Open Reel Tape Equipment
4.1) Parts of an audio tape transport
4.2) General guide to tape deck cleaning and rubber parts replacement
4.3) Lubrication of electronic equipment
4.4) Tape head demagnetizing
4.5) Homemade audio tape head demagnetizer
4.6) Building a bulk tape eraser
4.7) Splicing of audio tapes
4.8) Tape or cassette deck, recorder, or Walkman transport problems
4.9) Tape transport azimith adjustment
4.10) Walkman/Discman power or sound intermittent
4.11) Cassette or tape playback - one channel dead
4.12) Distorted or erratic recording
4.13) Previous recording not erased
4.14) Cassette player erratic autoreverse
4.15) Autoreverse audio not correct for either or both directions
4.16) Walkman plays both sides of tape at once
4.17) General tape speed problems - slow, fast, or dead
4.18) Tape speed problems on older equipment
4.19) Tape speed adjustment made easy
4.20) Sudden increase in flutter on tape decks or Walkmen
4.21) Annoying tick every 30 seconds or so from audio output
4.22) Reel-to-reel tape deck problems
4.23) Tape creeps off capstan
4.24) 8-track player problems
4.25) Repairing a cassette tape
Chapter 5) Turntables
5.1) Turntable (record changer) maintenance
5.2) Speed control in turntables
5.3) Turntable runs slow or fast after being moved
5.4) Wow, flutter, and rumble in a turntable
5.5) Erratic sound from turntable
5.6) Turntable tracking and skating force adjustment
5.7) Turntable tracking/skating problems
5.8) About stylus wear
5.9) Changer won't cycle automatically
Chapter 6) Loudspeakers
6.1) Loudspeaker anatomy
6.2) Loudspeaker problems
6.3) Electrical causes for loudspeaker damage
6.4) Repairing loudspeaker drivers
6.5) Repairing speaker driver cones
6.6) Some sources for loudspeaker repair parts and services
6.7) Repairing an open driver
6.8) Loudspeakers - repair or replace?
6.9) Speakers wired in series?
6.10) Comments on speaker shielding
Chapter 7) Telephone Equipment
7.1) Telephone basics
7.2) DTMF codes
7.3) Phone jack or extension installation or repair
7.4) Answering machine comments
7.5) Answering machine delays after playing OGM
7.6) Answering machine picks up then hangs up
7.7) Answering machine does not complete cycle
7.8) Answering machine has weak outgoing message
7.9) Newly installed phone will not tone dial
7.10) Cordless phone problems
7.11) Cordless phone keypads
7.12) Erratic or noisy telephone equipment
7.13) Checking phones and answering machines for electronic problems
7.14) Modem problems
7.15) Identifying and replacing SMD devices
Chapter 8) Calculators, Clocks, and Watches
8.1) Problems with calculators
8.2) Repairing a calculator (or other device) with a fried power transformer
8.3) Getting inside calculators
8.4) Battery powered digital clock problems
8.5) AC powered digital clock problems
8.6) Why is my $2 LED clock so much more accurate than the clock in my $2,000 PC?
8.7) Replacing batteries in digital watches
Chapter 9) Photographic Equipment
9.1) Light meters
9.2) Pocket camera repair
9.3) Getting inside a pocket camera
9.4) Pocket camera problems
9.5) Testing of camera shutter speed
9.6) Electronic flash fundamentals
9.7) Electronic flash problems
9.8) Problems unique to battery or AC adapter powered electronic flash units
9.9) Problems unique to AC line powered electronic flash units
9.10) Problems common to all electronic flash units
9.11) Electronic flash dead after long time in storage
9.12) Photoflash circuit from pocket camera
9.13) Darkroom timers
9.14) Weird exposure meter problem of the year
Chapter 10) AC Adapters
10.1) AC adapter basics
10.2) AC adapter testing
10.3) Pocket wall adapter tester/polarity checker
10.4) AC adapter repair
10.5) AC adapter substitution and equipment damage
10.6) Power reversal - better pray
10.7) Replacing batteries with an AC adapter
10.8) Converting an AC output wall adapter to DC
10.9) Adding an IC regulator to a wall adapter or battery
Chapter 11) Equipment Power Supplies
11.1) AC (plug-in) power supplies
11.2) Totally dead power supply (non-switching type)
11.3) Low or missing power supply outputs (non-switching type)
11.4) Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) and power inverters
11.5) About fuses, IC protectors, and circuit breakers
11.6) Fuse post mortems
11.7) Fuse or circuit breaker replacement
11.8) Testing a power transformer
11.9) Identifying the connections on an unknown power transformer
11.10) Determining unknown connection on international power transformers
11.11) Determining the ratings of a fried power transformer
11.12) Determining power (VA) ratings of unknown transformers
11.13) Transformer repair
11.14) Grounding of computer equipment
Chapter 12) Batteries
12.1) Battery technology
12.2) Battery basics
12.3) Battery chargers
12.4) Substituting NiCds for Alkalines
12.5) Can a large electrolytic capacitor be substituted for a NiCd?
12.6) Determining the actual capacity of a NiCd battery
12.7) NiCd batteries and the infamous 'memory effect'
12.8) Care and feeding of NiCds
12.9) Why there will never actually be closure on this topic
12.10) NiCd battery pack will not hold a charge
12.11) What is this thing in my NiCd battery pack?
12.12) Zapping NiCds to clear shorted cells
12.13) Identifying technology of umarked battery packs
12.14) Problems with battery operated equipment
12.15) Battery juice and corroded contacts
12.16) Automotive power
12.17) How do those on-battery or on-the-package battery testers work?
Chapter 13) Motors and Relays
13.1) Small motors in consumer electronic equipment
13.2) Motor noise in audio equipment
13.3) Finding a replacement motor
13.4) Relay basics
13.5) Relay identification
13.6) Relay testing and repair
Chapter 14) General Equipment
14.1) IC and hybrid power audio amplifiers
14.2) Amplifier noise caused by bad hybrid bricks?
14.3) Andy's quick tips for locating shorted/bad amplifier parts
14.4) Substituting Darlington transistors in audio amplifiers
14.5) Noisy or intermittent switches and controls
14.6) Why NOT to use WD40 on noisy controls
14.7) Resuscitating potentiometers
14.8) General intermittent or erratic behavior
14.9) Need to turn up volume to get sound to come on
14.10) Speakers take a while to come on
14.11) Amplifier clicking and shutting down on music peaks
14.12) Speaker outputs do not come on or shut off immediately
14.13) Dead channels on front-end audio components
14.14) Equipment hums or buzzes
14.15) Dirty power and buzz from equipment
14.16) Identifying and correcting sources of interference
14.17) Interference on AM radio band
14.18) Internal fuse blew during lightning storm (or elephant hit power pole)
14.19) Use of surge suppressors and line filters
14.20) Surge Suppressor/UPS cascading
14.21) Lightning, surge supressors, and telephone equipment
14.22) Equipment dropped or abused
14.23) Decayed glue in electronic equipment
14.24) Repair of printed circuit board traces
14.25) Circuit repair where a pad has been lifted due to mechanical stress
14.26) Boombox or other equipment went to the beach (sand and/or surf)
14.27) Salt water salvage
14.28) Fil's notes on rescuing soggy equipment
14.29) Reviving old (antique) equipment
14.30) Additional comments on old equipment restoration
14.31) Tube amp web sites
14.32) TV/VCR combos
14.33) Boomboxes and compact stereo systems
14.34) Design to discourage repair
14.35) Panel lamps out
14.36) Adjusting station/channel settings on tuning dials
14.37) Repairing a broken dial cord or tuning gang wire
14.38) Revival of dead or tired remote control units
14.39) Problems with keypads or touchpanels
14.40) Repairing flexible printed cables
14.41) Comments on soldered flex cables
14.42) About elastomer ('zebra stripe') connectors
14.43) Identifying wiring on an auto radio/cassette
14.44) Ray's notes on plastic part repair
14.45) Putting equipment into long term storage (Self-Stor, etc.)
14.46) Dealing with a kit that was assembled by someone else a long long time ago
14.47) Cleaning exterior surfaces
14.48) When glue is more than glue
Chapter 15) Specific Problems and Repairs
15.1) Classic ATT Touch Tone phone 'battlewagon' will not dial properly
15.2) ATT classic dial phone will not dial
15.3) Jerrold 400 Cable Converter Problems
15.4) Original Nintendo console erratic or dead
15.5) Repairing Texas Instruments TI-5X calculators
Chapter 16) Service Information
16.1) Determining belt type and size
16.2) Rubber or elastic bands as drive belts?
16.3) Interchangeability of components
16.4) Why are there parts missing from my equipment?
16.5) Web resources
16.6) Some general references
16.7) Recommended parts suppliers