jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The first person I see in the morning is Mr. Coffee, who give me my cup of Joe. Setting it up on automatic last night, everything went fine. At first. A few minutes later, the LED's weren't right, and I couldn't make any adjustments or even turn it off. The clock kept advancing rapidly, hour by hour. Rebooting it (pulling the plug) didn't help.

Then I thought about the knowledge I've picked up from TV shows - I Love Lucy, Married with Children, the Simpsons. I pounded on the electronic portion of Mr. Coffee about eight times, and it settled down and let me set it. This morning, there was a hot pot of coffee when I came into the room.

So, the next time your electronics are giving you a hard time, don't hesitate to bang that Mark III or D4s against the wall.

Gendarme Loc: Katy, TX

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer. Wisdom for the ages.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right. It was a situation where I had nothing to lose. I wasn't afraid that I might break a broken coffee maker.

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

You're so right, Jerry! I've noticed in the past when someone has trouble with their watch, that's also one of the steps taken to get it working again. Strange they don't include that in the 'Help Suggestions', isn't it? :)

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I've roughed up electronic and mechanical things at times and gotten them to behave afterwards. But never a camera. Well, actually I once did take apart a leaf shutter (of a small 35mm folding camera) and got it back together again and after wards it was tested to be more accurate the my at the time SLR focal plane shutter! Thing was 1) when I took it apart, parts went flying everywhere! 2) It was not at the time my camera, it was my soon to be father-in-laws!

About camera issues. Recently I was really frustrated with my secondary DSLR, my first DSLR in fact. My Pentax K-20D was getting a black stripe about 4 pixels wide down one side of the frame about 15 pixels from the edge. I did a little research and found a few suggestions on how to fix this. None work, then. The diagnosis was probably a failing sensor. Pissed me off as I really have a low shutter count on that camera as I use my K-5 most of the time. Pentax knew it was a common problem with that camera yet issued no recall. Grrrr. I could crop the image to avoid the problem if it did not get WORSE. Oddly, I used the camera a few days ago, and the black line seems to be gone! Let the camera sit for 6 months!? I still don't think I've gotten $725 of use out of it if it does fail soon. :|

Gendarme Loc: Katy, TX

You have heard "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well the new one is "If it is broke, what have you got to lose."

Ronr2 Loc: Virginia

If banging or duct taping doesn't work spray with WD-40, may not fix it but you will have used the best known fixes for anything broken.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Don't forget Vice-Grips.

Gendarme Loc: Katy, TX

Does it move? Yes.
Is it supposed to move? No
Duct Tape.

Does it move? No
Is it supposed to move? Yes
WD-40

See? Problem solved!

llamb Loc: Northeast Ohio

I've been fixing electronics since the mid '60's and here's a tip that only takes a minute and corrects many devices:

remove the source of power: unplug AC or remove batteries

press and hold the "ON" button for ten seconds

release the "ON" button and reapply power

Try the device. This can resurrect device whose memory has gotten a little "confused."

I've read elsewhere of correcting problems with membrane switch panels on coffee makers by washing them with a strong solution of the breakfast drink "Tang".

Tang also rejuvenates dishwashers. Run an empty load with a cup of Tang.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Funny - that's also worked for cameras.

llamb Loc: Northeast Ohio

Hi, Jerry!

Yep! It fixed my early model Sony Mavica after it lost its way. High-end CRT monitors, LCD televisions, CD players, alarm clocks (no on/off - held down each button) large disk and tape drives, etc...

Now, if I could figure out how to beat the lottery machine...

Jamackay

This is a tried and true way to deal with electromechanical devices. A good rap fixes a lot of things.

mlj Loc: Anderson, SC

Jerry, you must be a highly-skilled engineer!

Nikonhermit Loc: In This Place

Time-honored remedy. If you remember the movie "The Longest day," a tank just stalls in the middle of all the action. The General standing nearby hits it hard with his swagger stick and it starts right up. "Anything mechanical, give it a good bash," he says. But I don't think he meant "anything electronic."