In desktop computers the PSU (Power Supply Unit) is a critical component and it does a job of providing DC voltage to all other components in computer. This PSU is basically a SMPS (switching mode power supply) and it can fail after few years of use. PSU fail more often if there are voltage fluctuations. What we mostly do is buy a new PSU and discard the old one. Did you know that this PSU can still work like new by just changing few components inside it! And good thing is that not many parts fail in SMPS and it can be repaired easily. So here is a DIY post on repairing the PSU. Before we begin please note that high voltage maybe present even when the PSU is disconnected from main power supply, so do not touch anything inside before removing all the stored charge. We will tell you how to do this when we reach that point of DIY.

Removing the PSU from cabinet

First of all we need to take out the faulty PSU from the computer cabinet. To do so, first of all disconnect all the connections from computer and open up the cabinet. Now you should see the PSU with bunch of wires coming out and connecting to motherboard, drives and all. Remove all these connectors one by one. These are made in such a way that they cannot be fitted in incorrect direction so you don’t need to worry about which wire goes where when re-fitting them. So just pull them out one by one.
Once all the wires are removed, look at the back side and you should see four mounting screws which are holding the PSU in the cabinet. Unscrew all of them one by one and before removing the last two screws, hold the PSU by hand so that it does not fall below and break something. At this point if you find dust on PSU and in the cabinet, you might want to clean it with soft dry cloth and a paint brush. Take the PSU apart. Put the computer cabinet cover back and forget it for a while.

Opening the PSU

Look at the PSU and on top you will find screws, unscrew them using a Philips screwdriver and keep the screws at a safe place. Now try to remove the PSU cover apart, if it doesn’t come, search for more screws. Sometimes there maybe some screws hidden behind stickers.  Once you have opened the PSU cover, clear the dust with blower. Do not touch any part inside right now but do have a good look on any burnt sign on any part of PCB or parts. Look at the fuse if you can spot one, if its blown, make sure you have a spare one ready but do not replace it yet.

We will continue this DIY in part 2

No matter how much you take care, your laptop LCD is the most sensitive part and prone to damage. Other parts like keyboard or laptop chassis if damaged slightly will not cause problem in normal functioning of laptop but a slight scratch on screen and its really irritating to see that scratch all the time reminding you of bad incident when you brushed your car keys against your screen accidently. LCD’s cannot be repaired as such and only option left is to replace it with a new one. However if your LCD is not damaged but still not working, there is a scope for laptop screen repair job. Things to look in this case are data and power cables attached to LCD and you have to open the laptop to check this. The data cable if damaged then LCD will light up, but not show anything on screen while if power cabled gets damaged, the screen will be very faint and almost impossible for you to see what’s on the screen.  In this case simply check the cable for continuity and any mark of physical damage. This cable goes to a circuit board attached to LCD which is called Inverter; this board is sometimes available as spare for certain popular models of laptop. In case it’s the inverter that is culprit, you can simply buy a new one and replace it. However chances are that you will have a hard time finding inverter board for your laptop model, however full LCD’s are available so you can change the whole thing also.

While doing all this take care that you don’t touch the backside of new LCD that you are installing as it’s a sensitive part and can get damaged. Also get a roll of static tape which you have to use to stick the wires inside LCD housing, don’t use that old tapes that come out from old LCD. Keep all the screws that you take out while opening at one place, better put them in a small packet or stick them on magnet so that they don’t get lost. It will be a good idea to wear an anti static wrist band while doing this repair work.

Sometimes it happens that TV or any gadget remote does not respond and several thoughts start coming into your mind that what can be wrong. Most of the time its dead battery but how can you check that your remote is working or not or there is sometime wrong with TV itself. If you have a camera phone or any digital camera, take it out and its time to make some movie of your remote control! It may sound funny but it’s the simplest way to check if your remote is working or not. While looking at your phone thru camera, press any button in remote and you should see the remote sensor glowing brightly. See in the photo above which is my AC remote and as you can see the sensor is emitting light which means the remote is OK. If the light is very dull then you need to change the battery and if there is no light then battery is dead or remote is not working anymore.

My room is the dirtiest part of home. Large windows which I like to keep open for sunlight and fresh air from outside also bring dust from outside which gets collected on everything kept in room. Now a lazy person like me never bother to clean it and I avoid doing it also because I am allergic to dust and if I use old cleaning methods of dusting with brush or cloth then I’ll become sick. Collection of dust not only looks bad but also not good for health, one need to get rid of it. Dirt Devil is a new kind of vacuum cleaner which is different from other vacuum cleaners we have seen till now. The most irritating thing about any vacuum cleaner is the wire which not only makes it a nuisance to use but also limits its range; you cannot use it where there is no power outlet. AccuCharge vacuum cleaner by Dirt devil is cordless and lightweight too. You can use it with very much ease anywhere without the problem of plugging and carrying heavy weight of a bulky vacuum cleaner around. I can also use it to clean the car from inside since lots of dust get trapped in seat covers and foot mat which is difficult to clean otherwise. It’s rechargeable so once charged, it can be used anywhere, even if power outlet is not available. A very good product, reliable and it comes with 3 year warranty.

Sony announced the launch of its unique glass speaker system named Sauntina (model: NSA-PF1). It vibrates with a single three-dimensional depth, producing clear sound in 360 degrees. The glass tube can also be illuminated with the choice of three colors including blue, amber and purple. 360 degree sound is not a big deal and can be achieved easily using normal speakers too, but this is something new and sound reproduction is done using vibrating glass instead of coil as in normal speakers. It will go on sale in Japan on June 20th for 1,050,000 JPY.

You know that the remote battery is dead but you press the TV remote button harder thinking that it will work! Pressing the button hard doesn’t work and finally you change the battery. Mostly remote controls use two AA size batteries which give about 3.2V when they are new and this voltage declines with the usage. With decline of this volt, range of your remote also declines and you have to fight with remote to change channel! Now my point in telling all this that being a cheap man I don’t like buying new batteries every now and then so I thought of some cheap and long lasting system. Most of us in our home have cellphone which is out of date, not working or just a piece of junk which is thrown away in corner. Its time to use that phone now! Take that phone and if its charger works then charge the phone battery. If phone doesn’t work then take out the battery and charge it using another phone. Now I know this battery must not be in good shape but we don’t need any powerful battery here too. After charging the battery, see the size of this battery and check if any remote in your house can fit this battery inside its battery compartment. Don’t worry for the +ve and –ve contacts, just see if it can fit, remove some extra plastics from the battery if needed. Once it gets snugly fit inside remote connect the +ve and –ve terminals. In my case as you can see in photo that –ve terminal is already aligned with –ve contact of remote, it’s just a good coincidence but for positive I have to use a short wire. Don’t worry if this thing looks ugly as you are going to put back the battery compartment cover after doing all this so no one would know what’s inside. While doing all this, just make sure that both the terminals of the battery should not touch each other, else you may burn your finger or even explode the battery! After connecting, check the remote and it should work now. If it doesn’t then don’t panic, just check the polarity and contacts. If all done properly, your remote will not need any battery replacement for some years to come! And yes one more advantage is that your remote becomes few grams lighter. Enjoy!

Warning: If you are minor then don’t do this experiment on your own, do it under guidance of your parents.

Disclaimer: Though I have checked that above described method works, in fact I am using this in my home but I am not responsible for any damage caused by using the method given above.