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Questions

The questions below provide a direct way into the information on this website. They are grouped here to make them easier to browse, but the groups are an index rather than a hierarchy in which the knowledge resources are contained.

Choose the question that comes closest to what you are trying to understand, investigate or do. The wording of each question is kept identical wherever that knowledge resource is referenced.

In electronic repair, understanding the faulty behaviour and the function of a circuit is usually more important than immediately replacing components. Inspection, documentation, measurement and careful work together form the basis for useful diagnosis.

• What information helps with an initial diagnosis?
• When is repair not sensible?
• Why measure first instead of immediately replacing parts?
• Where can a device be investigated together?

• Where do I start on an unfamiliar circuit board?
• What can an oscilloscope show that a multimeter misses?
• Do I always need a schematic?
• Where can I learn or practise this?

• How do I find a cable break?
• Can I resolder a connector that has come loose from a circuit board?
• When is desoldering better than adding more solder?
• Where can I learn to solder?

• Why should I not just replace the fuse?
• How do I test a power supply under load?
• When should I stop measuring myself?
• Where can I build basic knowledge?

• What should I do immediately after water damage?
• Is alcohol always the right cleaning agent?
• How do I tell whether corrosion is electrically relevant?
• Where can this be investigated carefully?

• Should I replace old capacitors preventively?
• What does a reversible modification mean?
• How do I deal with missing knobs, gears or panels?
• Which capabilities are relevant?

Measurements reveal behaviour that cannot be understood by looking or replacing parts alone. Voltage, current, signals, fault codes, live data and a well-designed experiment help separate assumptions from observations.

• Why must I not simply connect an ammeter in parallel with a power supply?
• What is the difference between measuring AC and DC?
• When do I need an oscilloscope?
• Where can I learn to measure safely?

• How do I formulate a measurement question?
• What is the difference between accuracy and resolution?
• Why calibrate?
• Where can a setup be built?

• What should I do with an OBD fault code?
• Why is live data useful?
• Can a mechanical problem appear as an electronic fault?
• Where can vehicle diagnosis take place in practice?

When a part is no longer available, that does not necessarily mean the end of a device. Measurement, material choice, fit, modelling, modification and 3D printing can offer different routes to make a part usable again.

• How do I look for a replacement part?
• When can a donor device help?
• Can I reproduce a part?
• Which capabilities are relevant?

• Which dimensions should I record?
• How do I deal with wear?
• Should I use the final material immediately?
• Where can this be done in practice?

• Can every broken part be printed?
• How do I make a model of an existing part?
• Why does print orientation make such a difference?
• Where can I design and print?

• How do I choose between plastic, wood and metal?
• What is a tolerance?
• Why make a test piece first?
• Which ways of working fit this?

An idea becomes easier to test when functions, dimensions, connections and constraints are made explicit. A prototype does not have to be the final product; it may exist specifically to test one technical assumption quickly.

• Where do I start with the design?
• How do I choose fasteners?
• When should I make a prototype first?
• Where can this be made?

• What should a first prototype prove?
• When should I draw CAD and when should I start with hand work?
• How do I document a prototype?
• Which capabilities can come together?

• How do I know whether two parts are electrically compatible?
• Which bus should I use: I2C, SPI, UART or something else?
• How do I drive a motor, relay or other load?
• Where can I build such a system?

Practical making combines material behaviour, joints, fit, tools and the properties of the machine used to make something. Problems with a 3D printer or a construction are therefore often both mechanical and process-related.

• How do I choose between wood and metal?
• Which joint is suitable?
• Do I need to make a drawing?
• Which capabilities are relevant?

• Why does my first layer fail?
• How do I recognise an extrusion problem?
• When is it a mechanical problem?
• Where can the printer and printing process be investigated?