 For me, right to to repair isn't just about ewaste, and preventing corporate gouging. It's about mental health. Being able to fix your gadgets is therapeutic. Empowering. Good for the soul. In a world full of complex technology it's easy to feel small and helpless. And maybe I'm too much of an idealist, but I think that if everyone could experience the joy of fixing or modifying a gadget now and then we'd all be a little more open minded, a little more daring. A little harder to push around. 71 comments
I conserve/restore sewing machines (depends on the machine which I do). I have machines from 1870s to 1970s. I also have replaced all my light fixtures with vintage & antiques I've restored and rewired. For our house, I do electrical & most painting. Husband does woodworking & plumbing. Our house has become another family member due to all the work we've put into it with our own hands. We've also gone antique & vintage with our furniture, which we restore. No more disposable furniture. @futurebird so true. We had a TV die a little over 18 months after purchase (days after the warranty expired). It happened on New Year's Eve. The following day, we went to Radio Shack and bought the supplies to replace the capacitors that had swollen on the power supply. It was incredibly empowering (no pun intended) to be able to feel like we had some say. The class action lawsuit and free repairs came years later, probably too late for most people.  When I was around 9 yo, our TV had vacuum tubes. We had an ironmonger's (hardware store) on the next street, just a tiny place in row housing. It had replacement tubes (valves, we called them), and we'd need one once a year. My dad was a mechanic. He taught me to fix cars. I've rebuilt engines, but I look under the hood in mine and wouldn't dare start.  @futurebird the first time I fixed something that was breaking (breaking solder in my small mp3-player jack) I was really elated - and whatever you fix and works again is more valuable to you afterwards, there are only upsides @mmby @futurebird I have an early 2000s HP Laserjet printer where the circuit board was printed with early non-lead solder, and it tended to die of cracks within a couple years, but I baked the board it in my oven a couple of times according to someone's online recommendations and it has been fixed for a decade and a half now.  @mmby @futurebird Helped a friend with his old audiophile stereo that turned out to have a failed op-amp, had one of those rip-van-winkle electronics moments when I realized that the specs on the new cheap-generic op-amps kicked the shit out of the old specialty "audiophile" op-amp.  @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird It can be tricky with sound though. Sound is extremely subjective. Internal supersampling to 1MHz or what-have-you sounds great on paper and can certainly do a lot in a number of situations, but in the end, what matters is what it sounds like to one's own ears. It's very tricky honestly. It can come out better, worse, or no discernible difference when changing such a thing. I'm using a hybrid-tube amp these days and the difference of swapping tubes is insane.  @nazokiyoubinbou @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird Also the frequency-responce differences between when the tubes are cold, and when the tubes are fully warmed-up, is measurable and noticable to trained ears. :D One bass-player who was experimenting with different tubes, found a pedal that allowed the tubes to be changed. He then tested it out with different transistors and was getting measurable differences, even with the same-spec transistors. Also for nice tubes: @BillySmith @nazokiyoubinbou @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird tolerances for the characteristic IV curves of nonlinear elements (e.g. transistors, diodes, different kinds of thermionic devices) are such that there can be a great deal of variability between "identical" parts. @BillySmith @nazokiyoubinbou @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird also, given that tubes often burn out or otherwise fail, I would really hope *any* equipment which uses them mounts then in a socket so they can be replaced. @stripey @BillySmith @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird As far as I know there haven't been any devices made in the past like 60 years that used tubes without a socket. Even some less replaceable ones like CRT elements apparently often have a socket. Rest assured any tube amplifier you can buy today has sockets, but also, by definition any that is a hybrid is obviously modern. The tubes I'm using were indeed sold as a matched pair as verified via oscilloscope on multiple parameters (all beyond me.) @stripey @BillySmith @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird As a side note, I'm referring to a headphone amplifier, which is much lower power than, of course, speaker amplifiers. Combined with the fact it is a hybrid amp, thus putting less load on the tubes themselves, I expect these will actually last far longer than their originally intended lifetime. @BillySmith @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird Interestingly enough, it might even matter how they're mounted -- eg upside down versus rightside up. I don't know how to measure such a thing and don't have golden ears to really truly tell (mine ended up upside down due to separate reasons) but I presume it's that the heater distributes more evenly and slowly or something this way. Just a guess though... @BillySmith yup, transistors can also be a bit all other the place even with the same parts number. Building distortion or fuzz pedal is a fun way to try that :) And there's also some old germanium transistors which are known for being audibly temperature sensitive, like the ones in the old Fuzz Face circuit. @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird I just realized though, this brings up a really important point on the whole "right to repair" thing. It's not just repair. As this highlights, modifications being even a possibility is part of this. Swapping parts and etc to change it can allow one to customize a thing for their own needs incredibly. Swapping opamps in amplifiers, OS ("ROMs") on phones/tablets, even just being able to upgrade a GPU in your PC without having to buy a whole new system... @nazokiyoubinbou @mmby @futurebird It was not a sampling device: https://www.ti.com/product/LM258 @dr2chase @mmby @futurebird The oversampling thing was just an example of one of the common things modern OPAMPs push versus their much older predecessors. However, unless I'm misunderstanding, isn't the key vital point of the existence of OPAMPs to take some sort of signal and amplify either the voltage or current (or both)? If it's not handling a signal, what is it even doing? @futurebird I've taken apart a VERY old upright typewriter to clean it and most of a well-used sewing machine, also to clean it and check for worn parts. I've mended bits on lawnmowers, strimmers, old cars and you do get better the more you do; @futurebird It does feel good. I repaired a couple of old computer keyboards earlier this year (IBM model Ms we've been using for decades) and the feeling of satisfaction from the whole thing is difficult to overstate. @futurebird Thanks for articulating this. I’m a fixer, too. Partly because I’m cheap, but also because it’s so satisfying. @futurebird When I was a kid, my dad (who grew up during the Great Depression) would always order schematics from HW Sam's when he bought an appliance. He keeps appliances working around the house for decades (like the microwave he got 50 year's use out of).  @futurebird Why I've always preferred to build my own computer and use Android phones. If I can't tinker what's the point? Learned helplessness is what they want
@futurebird Having worked in northern and remote locations, right to repair is a game changer for people (frustration of losing your gadget for extended period) and business (frustration and revenue loss when losing your essential technology for extended periods). @crashglasshouses They share a few good stories, both about times when companies made thinga repairable and when they didn't.  @futurebird Not everyone likes to tinker, but would pay to repair if it didn't cost more to repair than to buy new. So repairmen would be an industry again, folk would save money, less would be thrown out, so still a win for everyone.  And if you’re not going to fix it yourself, having the quiet guy with his little repair shop in the old service station or the funny woman with cool hair in the basement shop under the sandwich place is a public good whether you need something repaired or not. Those places existing are good for a community’s ephemeral spirit. In "New York Cities Hypogeographies" (the novel I've been working on for two years) the old woman who runs the repair shop is the connection that unites the robots who are having a revolution and the people of Deep Brooklyn who are oppressed in less obvious ways by the Distributed Prison. She helps families to locate the pods of inmates and free them, and is one of the few human people aware what is really going on at the lower margin of the excavations. @MichaelTBacon @futurebird we have a monthly mostly-free repair-a-thon in the church hall in my inner city community. Have you read "Unauthorized bread"? More focused on DRM than repairability, but modifying your devices as an act of joyful power made me think of it.  @futurebird That’s great. Tinkering and fixing is enjoyable for a lot of people. I still remember the first time I used a soldering iron, and later, used a breadboard. I follow several friends who post about fixing old computers, occasionally, and I enjoy reading about their work. Why would that give you the right to stop me from buying a gadget I want?  @futurebird Nothing feels so good as to listen to earphones again which you just fixed the cable of. @futurebird My fave childhood confidence building memories are from learning how to repair all sorts of things, with my Dad. @futurebird Absolutely! Fixing our own gadgets is empowering and therapeutic. In our tech-driven world, it’s a small act of rebellion and self-reliance. 🛠️🔧 #RightToRepair  @futurebird we'll be unstoppable when we realize the "angry white male" is actually frustrated and helpless and yelling at his computer for not working or something like that metaphorically.  @futurebird totally. and even while some people may never become inclined to tinker themselves, if we were free to explore and transform our machines as we see fit, it would mean it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who can help you, and that builds up the chains of solidarity necessary to organize as a community.  @futurebird a fun youtube channel i found recently is https://www.youtube.com/@bigclivedotcom/videos he takes consumer electronics apart and explains how it works with circuit diagrams and all. and sometime suggests ways of hacking them @futurebird Yes! It's such a great feeling. It's winning and feeling proud and happy, against the odds. For someone raised in a consumer society where it is supposedly always cheaper, faster, easier to just buy a new one, it's a totally new feeling of empowerment. Each fixed thing is a story to tell, and a memory that will make the next one a bit more probable. 🔧🪛 @futurebird I love fixing tech. It’s so rewarding. Why get a new laptop? Just add a component to the old one. I was really excited that thunderbolt could have drastically reduced e waste with plug and play components but here we are. @futurebird whether or not you’re an idealist aside, you’re also correct. In DBT, what you’re describing would fall under the broader category of “building mastery” (learning new skills in general also fall under that category), which is a useful tool for emotional regulation and creating positive experiences. :blobcatthumbsup:  @futurebird @mekkaokereke So much this. Every time I’ve been able to fix a problem myself, either by following instructions or figuring it out myself, I’m left with both a solution and a sense of empowerment that I know will carry forward to the next time I’m faced with that sort of situation. @futurebird I hadn't soldered much in a decade other than guitar electronics In the last three years I've fixed TVs and stereos, lights and a microwave PCB. I've rebuilt washing machines watching YouTube, learnt carpentry with downloaded how to guides and mastered basic plumbing. Saved thousands  @futurebird It's also about the right to fix the phone after you buy it. Most phones come with so much bloatware you can't remove it's pointless to bother upgrading. Right to repair means I can wipe that garbage and install a thinner OS. One that isn't spying on everything I do and say in its vicinity.  @futurebird even for those who can't fix their stuff, there is a nice community aspect. It just feels nice to be able to bring your stuff to local tinkerer who loves to fix stuff (or to be that tinkerer, which is often my case)  @futurebird the right and ability to repair also gives important outs from the cycle of constant crises that comes with poverty. So many of those crises boil down to 'an essential item broke (because it's low quality/second hand, because poverty), now I'm between a rock and a hard place: pay money or try to exist without it'. @futurebird Nothing to me ever seemed crazier than the idea someone might not be able to repair things they physically own and have within their physical hands. I think nothing can ever truly stop that no matter what, but it's amazing how far companies go to try to prevent it. Personally I not only repair a bunch of my own stuff, I modify -- even improve. For example, I rigged 18650s to devices that ran on AAAs and they run longer per charge, are easier to charge, and have more charge cycles. @futurebird I completely agree. I'm not very technically skilled at all, but ever since I started hanging out with my boyfriend he started teaching me basic technical skills. I'm still not very good at it, but I'm at least not nearly as incompetent and ignorant as I once was and that's all I can really wish for. @futurebird now imagine if we could build our own cars, phones, laptops, houses, etc... even better, grow them ourselves. That's the world I want to wake up in.  @futurebird Preach! Computers turning into walled-garden app-store-only consumer devices is one of my least favorite technology trends  @futurebird yeah, absolutely!!! it's all of these things for us but first and foremost we just find it more rewarding to have a device that can be our device over the years as we maintain and modify and improve it, it feels like more of a two-way relationship compared to disposable stuff @futurebird It's not just tech. How many people these days can thread a needle, stitch up a hem or replace a button? Make a loaf of bread from scratch? Plant a seed and nurture it into a plant, and on to fruition? Navigate by the stars? We are losing all the skills that enabled our not so distant ancestors to survive. We are being nudged into a state of childish helplessness. It's not a sustainable position for the human race. @futurebird Right to Repair is required. It cost me over $100 for a repairman to walk in my door and say “It’s not worth fixing.”  @futurebird yes. Some of those of us who design and build these systems think that way.  @futurebird I suddenly hear Leah 'See Jane Drill' Bolden's "You can do this!" 🙂 My favorite recent one on the channel was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWNQoyPKhJE @futurebird definitely agree, it brings down a few extra hurdles we don't need in our lives, and helps foster a community ready to fix problems together. @futurebird A couple of years ago my electric lawn mower battery died and the manufacturer no longer sold replacements. I took it apart and discovered it was two small 12v batteries hooked together. I bought new batteries, put everything back together, and my lawn mower was working like new. It was an amazing feeling to figure out how to fix it on my own. @futurebird I don’t know I got 2 left hands what repairing belongs I probably make it worse  @futurebird haven't really repaired much, if anything, but seeing very similar things from creative hobbies that leave you with physical proof of your time and effort I believe you without a second thought. @futurebird Actually I really miss that if something is no longer working you simply open the case to take a look inside. My dad always used to do this, from toaster to washing machine, from bike to car. Not being able to do that any more feels... unnatural.  |
Gregory's Server
@futurebird There's also a nesting/nostalgia element to it. Objects you've mended and repaired become familiar and loved. In a disposable culture, your possessions are constantly changing, as if you're adrift in a sea of materialism. There's something lovely about the well known and well worn object.