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"Arfa Daily" <arfa.daily@ntlworld.com>: Dec 04 01:42AM In my workshop, I have four four-drawer filing cabinets absolutely jam-packed with service manuals that I have collected over more than 40 years in the business. The thing is, that I almost never go to them any more. My first stop is almost always the archive of downloaded manuals on the computer, and if the one I want is not there, then online to one of the excellent archives to be found there, to download it. And if I can't find one, then the item is probably not worth the fixing time anyway.   So, even though it's been a bit heart-wrenching, I've started ditching all the old paper manuals, with a view to getting rid of three of those cabinets, and winning back the space. As well as doing this, I have also been sorting out the many many cabinets of small spares, and been seriously rationalising what is kept. It's really hard, and I keep thinking "I'm gonna need that next week" as something else goes in the bin. But at the same time, it is also sort of 'invigorating' to be restoring some order and tidiness to the workshop.   Has anyone else been through this process and felt better for it at the end, or am I just going to regret doing it for years to come ... ?   Arfa

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com>: Dec 03 06:23PM -0800 On 12/03/2014, 5:42 PM, Arfa Daily wrote:   > Has anyone else been through this process and felt better for it at the > end, or am I just going to regret doing it for years to come ... ?   > Arfa   Well, I have about ten filing cabinets in my shop and while a reasonable percentage is online, most of it is not. So I slowly scan them as we have time and add to our internal library.   I have no intention of dumping the paper, it is my archive.   John :-#)#   -- (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup) John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games) www.flippers.com "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Dec 03 07:47PM -0800 On Thu, 4 Dec 2014 01:42:14 -0000, "Arfa Daily"   >Has anyone else been through this process and felt better for it at the end, >or am I just going to regret doing it for years to come ... ?   Yep. I have a similar problem. Most of the "recent" manuals, which means in the 30 years, I've recycled or sold. They're all available in PDF form somewhere. The really old stuff, dating back to the 1960's through 1980's, I'll keep for now, as they're often difficult to find. I've been scanning these as needed, and posting them to various public archives. However, since there's no money in doing this, it's a very low priority for me. Fortunately, I have an easy way to do the scans. One of my customers has a Canon ImageRunner 5000 copier, that will do double sided scan and OCR reads to PDF very quickly. Video of the machine in operation: <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/crud/CanonImageRunner5000.wmv>   A much bigger problem is how to organize manuals and driver CD's. The recent stuff can usually be found online, but the old stuff is long gone and difficult to find. I have several large boxes full of disorganized CD's, that require a linear search through the mess every time I need something. I think of it as a miniature version of the service manual problem.   About a year ago, I purged my office of floppy disks, keeping only those that I suspected I might need. Since then, I've spent an inordinate amount of time finding images of the one's I tossed. However, I expect that problem to be only temporary, as I'm refusing to work on any antique computers, which also allows me to toss old power supplies, cables, PCB's, etc. That's much easier than running an antique computah warehouse.   I suspect that you'll be quite happy with scanned manuals. There's not as handy as the printed variety, but they do have the advantage of being searchable, which makes them quite superior to printed manuals. If you're scanning to PDF, try: <http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer> (free) which has a built in OCR reader which can be used to make scanned PDF's searchable.     -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca>: Dec 03 11:54PM -0500

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Dec 03 10:19PM -0800 >turn them into text, while after that certain year, it was done >electronically anyway, so full searches can be done on those later >patents.   Not really. The USPTO has just scans, but if you use Google Patent search, the PDF files were all fed to an OCR reader and are searchable. I just tried some really early patents and they were all searchable. The basic text of the patent, in searchable ASCII, is also available on the Google Patent search pages: <https://www.google.com/patents/> <http://www.google.com/advanced_patent_search> Unfortunately, Google made a mess of the OCR reading on some patents, so don't expect perfection.   For my own devious purposes, I make sure that all my PDF manuals are OCR read and searchable. I then use a text search tool, such as Agent Ransack, to find the manuals or search the contents: <http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack> Some manuals arrive in MS Word format, which Agent Ransack can also handle if I enable the "search MS Office format" checkbox.   It's a long way from the paperless office, but it's a lurch in the right direction.   -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

"Mark Zacharias" <mark_zacharias@labolgcbs.net>: Dec 04 06:52AM -0600 "Arfa Daily" <arfa.daily@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:XZOfw.51090$GK1.22488@fx36.am4...   > Has anyone else been through this process and felt better for it at the > end, or am I just going to regret doing it for years to come ... ?   > Arfa   Oh, yes. We have tons of old Hitachi, Sony, JVC, RCA etc vcr manuals, Pioneer crt big-screen manuals, and on and on. Better off just to throw them away. Way back when, they were golden.   I do think that when I retire I can pick a bit of change selling original McIntosh, Marantz, Denon, Kenwood etc audio manuals on eBay.   Even have a collection of old B&O manuals I suspect I could get fairly good money for.   Sign of the times indeed - I mostly use digital copies anymore also. Big 24" monitor on the bench helps the old eyes.     Mark Z.

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net>: Dec 04 07:56AM -0800 I compulsively collected service manuals -- especially for the Sony products I owned -- and, as you've seen, that collecting came in handy just yesterday.   When I was a kid, the Enoch Pratt Free Library * had volumes of the Rider service manuals, which I sometimes pored over.   I would be cautious about destroying them. You'd probably be better off boxing them, and putting the boxes in a safe, dry place until you find someone who'll give them a good home.   * For those who aren't Baltimorons... The Pratt library was endowed by a wealthy merchant. It was (and probably still is) considered one of the world's great public libraries. It was the first place to go when I had to do research for high school papers.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_Pratt_Free_Library

John-Del <ohger1s@aol.com>: Dec 03 03:51PM -0800 On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:14:05 AM UTC-5, William Sommerwerck wrote: > gets in the way of it swinging back, so //that's// going to have to come off.   > Nothing is ever simple. I just keep telling myself "It's kaput, so what > difference does it make?"   Morbid curiosity most likely. If you've got time that would otherwise be wasted watching TV, then you'll probably enjoy solving the puzzle more.

"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net>: Dec 04 07:48AM -0800 "John-Del" wrote in message news:3b4738d8-c399-45e9-8a0a-781cad466299@googlegroups.com... On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 10:14:05 AM UTC-5, William Sommerwerck wrote:   >> Nothing is ever simple. I just keep telling myself "It's kaput, >> so what difference does it make?"   > Morbid curiosity most likely.   We like to think we're "smarter" than the equipment we're working on. In this case, though... There's no question the Play button is shorted to ground even when it's not pressed. But... the controls work through a resistor ladder, and the readings I get for the resistors are backwards (eg, the 10K "base" resistor is readable only when the Play button is pressed, though it should be other other way around). This, of course, has nothing to do with the problem (I think), but it drives me crazy.   "Just for luck", I pulled the cable from the main board and reinserted it. I think I'll just put it back together and forget about it. (This problems isn't going to have one of those "It works! It's a miracle!" endings.)   I have spares, and this model (D-FJ75TR) shows up on eBay occasionally at a low price. So it's no big deal.     > If you've got time that would otherwise be wasted watching TV, > then you'll probably enjoy solving the puzzle more.   I have a pile of books worth reading (among others, I'm working my way through LIFE's "The Old West"), and a list as long as my arm of things to update or repair. I'm trying to do one a day, but it's more like two a week. I just blew out a classic Lux amp, so that's risen to the top of my list.   I did watch two Blu-ray movies yesterday, "Gojira" and "42". I was anxious to see the latter, as an acquaintance was in it. TV watching is limited to when I go to bed -- which, in this weather, is fairly early.

Ken <Ken@invalid.com>: Dec 03 11:27AM -0600 chuck wrote: > power supplies but the computer won't boot. The problem is the power > supply. My guess is that the supply fails when current draw increases > on start up.   Replaced the PS, a good thought however. This still leads me back to a clock generator that is not showing any leads moving. The processor cannot begin to function without a clock pulse. My biggest problem is not being able to find any documentation for the processor or the clock generator. Unlike days of old when such info was available, the manufacturers only give it to those purchasing (or about to purchase) a large number of their devices today.

jurb6006@gmail.com: Dec 03 09:07PM -0800 What would be really nice is to find this the problem and then to fix a couple of old ones I have laying around. That would be great because one of them in particular though an XP class board is a really high end one and has some stuff I would like to have. The other is a Dell that an Win 7, hich means it is an adequate conmputer.   But the fact is that almost for sure, when the mobo is found to be at fault, it is usually software. That BIOS shit, it runs in no extended RAM, down at the bottom. Things have advanced a bit but the thing that makes it beep is still a very rudimentary system.   So anyway, did you pull the RAM ?

stratus46@yahoo.com: Dec 03 10:06PM -0800 On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 9:27:56 AM UTC-8, Ken wrote: <snip> > generator. Unlike days of old when such info was available, the > manufacturers only give it to those purchasing (or about to purchase) a > large number of their devices today.   How old is the mobo ? We have some older (5+ year) servers at work that don't run if the caps are bad. Replacing bad caps almost always brings them back up. Computers are very fussy about the power supplies. 'Good enough' rarely is.   G²

Ken <Ken@invalid.com>: Dec 04 06:55AM -0600 > What would be really nice is to find this the problem and then to fix a couple of old ones I have laying around. That would be great because one of them in particular though an XP class board is a really high end one and has some stuff I would like to have. The other is a Dell that an Win 7, hich means it is an adequate conmputer.   > But the fact is that almost for sure, when the mobo is found to be at fault, it is usually software. That BIOS shit, it runs in no extended RAM, down at the bottom. Things have advanced a bit but the thing that makes it beep is still a very rudimentary system.   > So anyway, did you pull the RAM ?   The RAM is good, as I pulled it and tested it in another computer.

Ken <Ken@invalid.com>: Dec 04 07:04AM -0600 > brings them back up. Computers are very fussy about the power > supplies. 'Good enough' rarely is.   > G²   The computer is probably not older than 4-5 years. It has Windows 7 installed and of course is a touch screen unit. The thing that makes trouble shooting difficult today is many (including this one) are "All in one" units and they are not as accessible as they once were. Put that together with the manufacturers not wanting to give out information about the components, and you are often forced into buying a new unit.   For what it is worth, I checked the caps on the MB with my ESR meter. Searching the web, I found others with the same type of problem on the same model of computer. That does not mean there is a common problem, but it does mean I am not alone.

jurb6006@gmail.com: Dec 04 07:44AM -0800 >"The RAM is good, as I pulled it and tested it in another computer. "   Fine and dandy, but did you try firing up this computer with no RAM in it ? It is supposed to beep. If it does not beep that is bad.   If it does beep it is probably not the clock generator, provided you are looking aty the right chip. What's the number anyway ? Maybe I'll have a go at getting some info on it.

gregz <zekor@comcast.net>: Dec 04 07:20AM > (like mica and plastic washers) to isolate it electrically. Years ago it > was more common to find metal backed T0-220s or T0-3s that needed mica or > silicon rubber. Today most semis are encapsulated and only need thermal goo to mount.   I started fixing an amp somebody was trying to fix. Without insulators on the output transistors, it was never going to work.   Greg

bv4bv4bv4@gmail.com: Dec 03 09:24AM -0800 Why is Smiling a Donation? (And smiling to your brother is donation). This is what the greatest Prophet (All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him) said and this is what the latest researches are discovering, so let's read .... Researchers have studied about smiling influence on others. They have found that smiling contains strong information that can influence the human subconscious mind! They found that everyone has his particular smile that no one can share with him. Moreover, every smile contains special effect, too. They photographed these smiles and showed it slowly, hence, they noticed some specific movements. Likewise, a person can have more than one kind of smiles, regarding his mental status, what is he speaking about and the person he is speaking to... Some of the most important information of such researches, researches are talking about what you can give to others through the smile, because it is more than giving a material thing for the following reasons: When smiling you can transmit joy to others, which is a sort of donation and which can be the most important. Studies showed that sometimes man may need joy and gladness more than food and drink. Also, that joy can treat many diseases starting by heart problems. Through the smile you can transmit information to others very easily, because a word with a smile has more influence on the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging has shown that expression influence changes too much with a smile. The expression is the same , however, the influenced brain parts differ according to smile type accompanying this information or this expression. You can calm an atmosphere stain of a given situation with a soft smile. This cannot be done with money. Hence, smile is worthier and more important than money. So, the less you can give to others is smile donation. Smile and recovery: Many doctors have noticed smile influence on recovery. Therefore, some researches declare that the doctor's smile is a part of the treatment! Then, giving a smile to your friend, your wife or your neighbor, you are giving them a free remedy prescription without feeling, and this is a kind of donation. For these reasons and others, smile is considered as a sort of donation, giving and generosity. And now dear reader, do you realize why did the prophet of compassion (All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him) say: (and smiling to your brother is donation)!! -------------------- By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel www.kaheel7.com/eng http://www.kaheel7.com/eng/index.php/legislative-miracles/193-why-is-smiling-a-donation- Source: · Smile -- And The World Can Hear You, Even If You Hide, www.sciencedaily.com, Jan. 16, 2008. Thank you

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com>: Dec 03 11:09AM -0800 > Why is Smiling a Donation?   Why is a good bowel movement a donation?   Is it not true that you say the Prophet is claiming that things humans do is a donation?   If so, then a good dump is certainly right up there.   As is a nice kiss, dancing, admiring a beautiful woman (or man if you are so inclined), breathing (try doing with out that for long!), a good sleep, good sex (consenting adults), and so on.   John :-#)#   -- (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup) John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games) www.flippers.com "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

John-Del <ohger1s@aol.com>: Dec 03 03:48PM -0800 On Wednesday, December 3, 2014 2:09:28 PM UTC-5, John Robertson wrote: > (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games) > www.flippers.com > "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."     John you smooth talker you... I was all set to become a bomb making, throat cutting abuser of women and children follower of the prophet but you've changed my mind.

Ken <Ken@invalid.com>: Dec 03 05:58PM -0600 John-Del wrote: >> www.flippers.com >> "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."   > John you smooth talker you... I was all set to become a bomb making, throat cutting abuser of women and children follower of the prophet but you've changed my mind.   THAT is FUNNY!!!!

John Robertson <spam@flippers.com>: Dec 03 06:21PM -0800 On 12/03/2014, 3:48 PM, John-Del wrote:   > John you smooth talker you... I was all set to become a bomb making, throat cutting abuser of women and children follower of the prophet but you've changed my mind.   As with Christians, Buddhists, Sufi, (insert your favourite religion here) only a tiny minority of Muslims are bomb making, throat cutting etc. lunatics.   Most are peaceful nice folks who make good neighbours.   The crazies? Well stop them like any rabid animal. But the fact that a few are unsane doesn't mean all of them are. And don't forget that Fox News is in business to make money - look up the Spanish American War and see what part Randolph Hearst had in creating that conflict.   Back to repairs!   John :-#)#   -- (Please post followups or tech inquiries to the newsgroup) John's Jukes Ltd. 2343 Main St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 3C9 (604)872-5757 or Fax 872-2010 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games) www.flippers.com "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

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