Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

Most of us know our cell phones, smartwatches, and GPS devices are computers, but they show up in places we don't think about either! Recently my Keurig Coffee maker quit making coffee. It would turn on and off but pushing the buttons did no good. The lights would come on but it would not run through the sequence needed to heat and release the hot water through the Keurig cup. I finally unplugged it (just as you need to do to a computer or printer from time to time), and after letting it sit for a couple of minutes, plugged it back in and it worked perfectly. The computer inside the maker just needed to be rebooted!

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Glad you got your hot coffee Mike!

Don

bikinkawboy Loc: north central Missouri

I hope the electric toothbrush my son gave me for Christmas doesn’t have a processor and gps. They could tell everyone in which room I was standing when I brushed my teeth. As if anyone would care.

I’m waiting for someone to put a gps into a 9/16” box end wrench. I could use an app on my phone to find it because I never can.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I think you had a gremlin inside and while the current was flowing it couldn't let go of the hot wire it had grabbed.

He was only trying to get a bit of coffee to wake up.

RiJoRi Loc: Sandy Ridge, NC

Odd. The products I've worked on – vending machines and alarm systems – have all had "watchdog circuits" which, if not "fed" regularly, would restart the micro, keeping it from wandering off to la-la land.
Quality Control at Keurig should be interested in knowing about this, if you are so inclined.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

The toothbrush will send a message to your dentist and let them know the frequency of brushing your teeth, will report on the health of your gums, and check for cavities! Then when you use the worn-out toothbrush to clean small parts, it will detect rust and generate ads for lubricants!

Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

My Keurig occasionally does the same thing . First time it happened I just took a chance and, viola, it worked. I have had this unit for about 5 years , but never has the descale light come on. Guess I should descale it for good measure.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I'm an old fashioned coffee drinker. We've been using a Bunn coffee maker for 25+ years. It always has a stored heated pot of water. I mix my own beans (Expresso & Starbucks medium) and store them in two airtight aluminum containers. I grind the beans everyday. Once placed in the coffee maker, due to the stored heated water, a full pot of coffee is ready in about 2 - 3 minutes. The coffee pot is thermal insulated and stays hot for hours. That's my "Keurig"!

I limit my cups of coffee to two a day. Very occasionally at night, I drink decaffeinated coffee.

Mark

Red6

We had a Bunn where I worked. I was there for 33 years and the Bunn was there when I got there and it was there when I left. These people know how to make something that lasts!

I worked a lot of long days at that job, starting early and ending late, so the number of cups of coffee I drank from that coffee maker would number in the thousands!

Old Coot

Yers. Everything has a computer inside these days but more important, everything and I mean everything is now connected to the Internet

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

Even my hand calculator has a Motorola 68000 processor in it. 50 years back this was a real powerful computer processor.

Carl S

Maybe we should try that with Congress! Unplug them for a while to reboot them!

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

That won't help; the problem is systemic.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

When in doubt about any device, shut it down, turn it off, unplug it or remove the batteries, wait a little bit, reconnect power source, and restart. It doesn't fix everything, but it's the first thing I try. Sure, you may lose the clock setting, or some menu settings, but who cares if it starts up and works again?

When a family member whines about something acting up, I ask, "Did you shut it down, turn it off, remove the power source, and reboot?"

The next things to check are always:

> Cables — Are they in good condition? Wires often get pinched and broken, or pulled away from delicate connectors.

> Connectors — Are they fully seated? Are they in good condition? Are they clean and bright, or pitted and corroded, or loose?

> Switches, controls, and push buttons — Are they tight, clean, and in good condition?

> Batteries — Are they fresh or freshly charged? Are rechargeables relatively new and still capable of holding a charge? If removable, are the terminals on the battery and the battery compartment terminals clean and free of corrosion, battery chemical leakage, oxidation...??? If not, use a small amount of white vinegar on a foam swab to remove alkaline battery crud, a small amount of distilled water on another foam swab to remove the vinegar, and a spritz of DeOxIt contact cleaner and lubricant to keep terminals from oxidizing. Do not use abrasives such as pen erasers on battery compartment conductors. They will remove the conductive metal plating and allow the underlying metal to rust or oxidize worse than it already is.

> The smell test — Does a non-operational device smell burnt? If so, it's probably hosed! Consider repair or replacement.

We recently had to replace our 5-year old over-the-stove microwave oven. It tripped the circuit breaker when I hit "cook." I reset the breaker, and the clock worked, the light and fan worked, but the next time I hit "cook," it blew its own internal fuse AND the breaker. I'm pretty sure the Magnetron tube blew, or the transformer that powered it melted its windings. It smelled like an electrical fire. Oh well...

Yesterday I stress tested the 14-year-old high voltage traction battery in my relatively low mileage Prius. The Dr. Prius App that connects my iPhone to an OBD2 reader says the thing has 18% of its life left. Hmmm... decision time. Repair the old battery and play whack-a-mole with bad cells? Replace the entire bank of cells with a reconditioned battery? Replace the entire bank of cells with new Nexcell Lithium modules? Replace the entire bank of cells with a new Toyota battery? Sell the car and get a newer model? I hate unexpected break-downs. I hate repairs. I hate spending money. Hmmm…

Chiroman8

Dear Bridges,

Please enjoy your cup of joe & thanks for your info!