DIY

On Monday, my desktop monitor decided to die. I sent my computer to restart for updates and it just suddenly gave up the ghost. The power button/light would come up, flicker and turn off, come up, flicker and turn off. The screen itself never came on. Something was very obviously wrong. After a bit of troubleshooting to be sure it was the monitor, I realized that it was no longer working and a suspicious "burning electronics" smell my wife had smelled near my computer recently was probably related.

So, I did what any clueless person does, I searched DuckDuckGo for anything related. And that led me to this video While this wasn't my exact monitor, it was the right manufacturer and with the suspicious "burning electronics" smell, the idea that one or more capacitors had popped seemed possible.

Now, I'm not an electrician. I can solder kinda ok (usually without burning myself). I have a basic understanding of electronics and know enough that I can look at a board and identify some of the components and what they might do. However, at this point the monitor was dead. It was destined for the landfill and I figured, "why the hell not?" The only thing I would lose is some time and maybe I would learn something along the way. And if I did succeed, I'd save myself a couple hundred dollars, prevent more e-waste and just generally do something that made me feel cool. So, I pulled out my toolkit and cracked my monitor open.

Inside I found a setup pretty similar to what the video showed. Specifically, there is a circuit board which is pretty likely the power supply. And sitting in a neat line were three capacitors which were bulging on top. Looking at the traces, all three capacitor bridged the same traces and I'm guessing they work in parallel somehow. I suspect that I had lost one or more when my wife smelled the burning electronics and the last one popped when I did the reboot. The monitor usually cycles into standby and comes back when I reboot and I guess that it led to just enough strain on the capacitor(s) this time to take them out. A few minutes work with a soldering iron, a solder sucker and solder wick and I had all three out and the holes cleaned out, ready for replacements (yes, they were all through-hole style).

Even better, all three capacitors were rated for the exact same voltage and capacitance (680uf 10V). Easy, I'll just pop down to the nearest Radio Shack, grab a few and.... Oh ya, it's not 1999. Getting any sort of small electronics part is actually a bit tough. Well fine, I ordered a 10 pack off Amazon. And then waited for them to arrive. They came today and I sat down to see if I could fix my monitor.

Soldering the new capacitors in place was only a few minutes work. I even have a 3d-printed resistor bending tool to get the spacing and bends in the legs pretty nice. Which was good as I just could not find capacitors of the right rating which were also the same diameter. The ones I got were about 2mm smaller. Parts replaced, I re-assembled my monitor, hooked it back up and... Well, it powered up correctly and the power button/light stayed blue, but there was nothing on the display.

Well shoot, this seemed close, but something was wrong. And then I remembered hearing a "pop" sound while moving some of the control boards around. Maybe I had disconnected a cable by accident or maybe I just didn't reconnect something right, or maybe I just fucked the whole thing up. So, I cracked the case back open (lesson learned: test before reassembling completely). I pulled the control boards back out and sure enough there was a ribbon cable which was half way unseated. I pushed that back in, put the control boards back in place (but left the case open), connected the monitor to my computer and fired it up. Never have I been so happy to see the GRUB menu.

I powered off the monitor, unplugged the cables and closed the case back up. And here I am now, writing a Lemmy post about it, using that monitor. Something destined to be e-waste, saved with less than $10 in components, a bit of easy solder work, and a willingness to just try.

They all die at the very root, and I have the third one dying on me. Unrepairable due to it being cast into some plastic. All "cable-free" converters are passive only, and I have to buy these DACs from an online store, as the local electronics store now only carries super cheap wireless (about as cheap as a proper wired, but godawful of course) ones.

Since building a time machine that would bring me back in time to stop the publication of the art that inspired wireless earbuds (it was some cyborg anime girl listening to music on earbuds without wires, at least the super-thin and transparent smartphone is far away), I thought I'd add some proper cable strain relief to one of these converters.

Hey, I've got a cold room in my place that is concrete on all sides, I'm going to be framing it in and insulating and I don't really need any help there unless there's anything cold room specific I should know, however.

As you can see I have a floor that appears to be a stepped concrete pit, filled with quite a lot of dirt, and what I believe is probably a tie in to the sewage drain.

Can I just get rid of the dirt? The whole room spells like petrichor because of it.

Assuming the pit continues to step down, can I just build the floor over it regardless, and do I need to support the pipe in some way if the dirt is removed?

Or, if I'm completely off base please let me know what I should be doing.

Thanks

I went to put in an outlet with charging ports and found this monstrosity behind the wall plate. The box is filled with expanding foam, I'm guessing as some kind of support? Then painted all over. I scraped it all out, put in outlet spacers and its much better. I think there's foam around the box too, but I'm not gonna worry about that (yet).

Now I get to spend next weekend replacing all the outlets in the house just in case there's any more sketchy "fixes" 🫠

After cleaning and replacing:

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/51305553

I've been wanting an F1-style steering wheel for sim racing for ages, but I didn't want to spend massive amounts of cash on a commercially-built steering wheel that could be great but had loads of features I didn't care about (especially LEDs and a screen) since I play in VR.

A colleague of mine, who is also into sim racing, built a steering wheel that was better than almost anything you can find from Fanatec/Moza/Thrustmaster/whatevs for around 500€.

So, of course, I decided to ~~buy the same thing~~ build it myself from scratch for the challenge and to save some money. Because I'm an idiot, I guess. I thought it would take me 2-3 weekends. It took 4 months. It's basically a wheel-shaped mechanical keyboard. It was the biggest non-essential project of my life. I learned a lot, including not getting myself delusional enough to start that kind of project on a whim.

Features:

• F1-shaped steering wheel, heavily inspired by Ferrari's one with the general shape and front. Back is closer to Mercedes'.
• Magnetic shift paddles
• Analog clutch (WIP)
• 7 rotary encoders
• 10 face buttons + 2 back buttons + 5 clickable encoders
• Quick-release connection to the steering column
• Aviator-style USB connector
• QMK firmware
• Everything is 3D-printed except for the aluminium mid-plate and the quick-release

If you guys are interested I have a few WIP pictures, so I could start a build log. WDYT?

I'm looking to repair the safety slide on this knife. There use to be a hemisphere type of thing on it similar to the button. Years ago it randomly fell off and I didn't notice so I lost it. Any ideas on a good repair? The knife holds sentimental value to me as it was my grandfather's and I believe he got it in West Germany when he was stationed there.

If anyone knows of any better communities to post to for help I'd love the recommendation!

I'm looking to finish the back of a cabinet cheaply while maintaining a wood look on it, it's to be a kitchen island with a butcher block top. The back of the cabinet is unfinished MDF.

I was thinking for simplicity I could use wood flooring pieces like this to finish it and just add corner trims, but wondering how I could glue it down to the back. Wood glue is probably out, but would liquid nails work?

Hi Lemmy,

I want to do a project that involves concrete. Basically I am making steps, giving them texture and stamping them so it looks somewhat like stones.

I have watched a million videos and I feel I can tackle this, plus I have a lot of areas to practice that won't be too visible so if the steps look a bit amateur it's fine.

My biggest question is about the effort of mixing concrete. I have a corded drill with a mixing paddle and most steps won't require much. However a few are larger and I would have to mix 10 bags or so. The drying time allows me to work one at a time and then do my stamping but I was wondering if this is feasible from an effort perspective.

I am an experienced DIYer but have not worked much with concrete, I made a coffee table, post bases, etc but never something that requires so many bags... am I setting myself up for failure / a broken back? hehehe

Is this a thing that I could legally do myself or is there no choice but to suck it up and commit to more than the life expectancy of the panels before roi? We got two quotes last summer that were just not happening mainly due to windows and roof both bedding replacement as well. The current concrete tile is likely to be replaced with a cheaper material.

Basically, there is a gap between my front door and the floor (live in an apartment).

All sorts of revolting smells come in from the hallway all the way into my entire apartment.

I tried looking on temu but all the door sweeps have horrible reviews, except the ones that work for inner doors (goes in front of and behind the door and is like some kind of foam).

Those wouldn't work cause my front door is too thick

Please help for some kind of recommendation 🫠

I’m trying to set up a quick-connect system for my natural gas crawfish boiler and could use some guidance. Here’s my setup:

• Gas line on patio: 1/2" female threads
• Boiler connection: 3/4" male threads

I want to use quick-connect fittings so I can easily detach the boiler and store it in the garage. My initial thought was:

• A 1/2" male quick-connect for the gas line
• A 3/4" female quick-connect for the boiler (though I recognize I might need an adapter)
• A compatible hose to link them

But I’m struggling to find a straightforward kit or parts that match these sizes. Am I missing something? Are there adapters or specific brands that simplify this?

Edit: Thank you @hex123456 and @David_Eight! I got it figured out. In case anyone finds this for a similar setup, here is what I did:

• I got this hose
• This adapter for my gas line
• This adapter for the boiler (couldn't find a hose with the proper size)
• And of course, some yellow tape

Not sure if anything is actually needed. It just looks unstable. Power is already run to the shed, so it might be difficult to move and do a full concrete pour. I was thinking of lifting with a car jack and finding a better combination of pavers to remove the wood wedges, but I'm open to any ideas. And it is on a slope, the other end is on pavers on the ground. This stack of pavers was the previous owners attempt at levelling I guess.

I've spent a few days researching how to replace my air switch / timer box with something remote control. Water got in the air switch line and it hasn't worked right since. I've looked for replacement breakers, maybe some contactors with wifi etc. I don't need a timer function, just on and off for my spa pump and blower. I believe they each run on a 220v 20amp circuit. The pictures below are the old box with timer and air switch, and the breakers that precede that box, which I believe is a quad plex arrangement. I'm open to replacing the breakers or the box.

I'm a novice with this stuff so any guidance you have is appreciated in advance. I actually spoke with intermatic and their rep told me they don't have any single boxes that can control 2 220v circuits, which seems insane to me since the original is an intermatic product.

What are you.planning on DIYing this year? Large or small I'd love to hear about it. Is it something you've done before or something out of your comfort zone?

I'm planning on building some wheelie bin storagefor the from of the house that's on a bit of a slope. Never done anything like that before. I'm going to get a wood blade for my angle grinder as I cannot cut straight with a saw to save my life.

I'm sure it'll end up looking like Homer's handywork.

Before or after that I'd like to build a small work bench for the garage. But the possibilities are so much to decide on.

Hello all,

I have been tasked by the wife with putting up her new mailbox. It weighs in at a hefty 40 kgs. It came with a base plate with 4 holes to attach it to something on the bottom. I was going to make up a quick concrete slab but is a complete newb in that regard.

Please help;

Should I put some bolts in the concrete before it cures or should I drill the concrete after it's cured and put some bolts in then?

There is some existing concrete in the spot from the post of our previous mailbox, is it ok to just cover that over with the new concrete?

Will it be enough to just make a box shape with some scrap wood for the form or should I get something else? Being a 40 kg monster, how thick should I make the slab?

Any other advice?

Thank you in advance!

I've never had a proper tool bag before. As a home DIYer I've just had loose tools on shelves in the garage. I finally got fed up of running up and down stairs to get the next tool I needed on a job. This thing is great. I can fit most things in and I have a few other tools to add - like some scissors to stop borrowing the kitchen ones. I may even get a shorter, wider one for longer tools that are less frequently used.

Let's see your tool bags and setup.

I have added a wifi repeater to the outside of my home so that my wife can watch her critter cams. It is a POE device that runs all the way back to my router.

Would like to install this surge protector but I'm getting conflicting information on grounding it. My installation is to the side of my house, not a metal pole.

Lowest effort options first, I can:

A. Place the protector inside near where the CAT5 enters the basement. Ground to a junction box that I installed that is grounded to the house panel and rod.

B. Ground internally to a water pipe or externally to the outdoor spigot.

C. Drive a ground rod where the cable exits the house and ground to it.

D. Repeat C and also bond to to the pre-existing home ground rod. (Least preferable option, rods would be on opposite corners of house.)

Over the next year or so, we're looking to replace our wood floors, all the base boards, all interior & exterior doors, and door trim. Since the wife and I both work full time, we're thinking we'd focus on one at a time, and do it slowly over a few weekends and evenings. Is there an order that would make things easier? Like do floors before baseboards or vice versa? Is it even worth doing things one at a time?

hell yeah

No idea what the story behind this is. It's a single gang coax box, and just a hole next to it. Looks like previous owner started to patch the drywall by putting the backer in but gave up.

First time homeowner here. The house was previously owned by an investment firm who cut a lot of corners on renovations at some point. Does anyone have a good resource for fixing botch jobs? A lot of tutorials cover fixing or replacing things that were done properly before hand, and I don't want to spam forums with "How the he'll do I fix this monstrosity??"

If there is a better community to ask, I’d be happy to post there. I am looking for ideas for a color to paint my living room, based on my accent colors.

It might be hard to tell from the photo, but the walls are a light grey. And I’m going for a farmhouse/country feel.

Thanks!

Trying to get this gate to sit level and swing freely. I used an adjust-a-gate kit. The width is 92", height is 6'. I have used the lightest possible wood, and I can't get this damn thing to hang straight. The turnbuckle that came with it bent straight and came flying out of the holes, so I used a different one I had on hand. Clearly the wheel isn't doing anything except causing the gate to warp since it isn't centered under the weight.

I want to add a diagonal cross brace from the bottom hinge to the top corner, but I'm not sure how exactly to do it with the 3 horizontal boards.

I'm also considered replacing the hinges with 3 extra long strap hinges, one on each horizontal board.

What do you guys think?

Gates

I tested this with an electrical socket reader and it chimed, so there is some power to it still. I'd like to remove this, the old keypad, a siren, etc.

Besides shutting off the power while doing it and maybe capping the cable ends, what do I need to think about? I'm just trying to make sure I don't burn my house down 😅

Hi, I am wondering if anyone could please help identify the white powder substance that is appearing on the shelves on my shed?

I think it may be some type of acid? It appears to be eating away at the metal of my shelves. I have previously brushed the shelves down to clear this before but it has returned, so I suspect I may need to use some sort of cleaner?

There was a leak in the roof for a few months and some tools became rusty as a result. The leak has been sorted but I wonder if it could be related to the powder substance.