# Broken Hardware, Fixes and Hacks over 8 Years

DevFeed: [Broken Hardware, Fixes and Hacks over 8 Years](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/broken-hardware-fixes-and-hacks-over-8-years-30805.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://hookrace.net/blog/broken-hardware-fixes-hacks-8-years/>)

Published: 2016-06-20T22:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Dennis Felsing](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dennis-felsing.md>)

Topics: [Hardware](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/hardware.md>), [Image](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/image.md>)

Tags: [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [durability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/durability.md>), [electronics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/electronics.md>), [experience](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/experience.md>), [hardware](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hardware.md>), [personal](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/personal.md>)

## AI overview

A personal overview of eight years of using, repairing, and working around failures in computing hardware. The article emphasizes frugal reuse and discusses common problems such as failed capacitors in consumer electronics.

## Source excerpt

After reading the feedback of my recent article about running DDNet, I noticed that people found it interesting how I'm trying to minimize money and resources. I also noticed that I had been doing something similar with my personal computing hardware setup for an even longer time. I've mostly been using the same hardware for personal computation purposes over the last 8 years. In this article I want to talk about some of the hardware I've been using, how it broke and how I fixed the problems or worked around them. My goal was to be frugal about hardware, to keep using the same hardware for a long time and repair it when possible instead of simply buying new hardware. The reason for this post is that I'm moving and abandoning my old hardware setup. There may be some interesting tales in here. Depending on how you value your time it is probably cheaper to simply buy new stuff instead of repairing old ones, but I consider it a fun activity and a much more rewarding experience. Whether you call it planned obsolescence or just cheap manufacturing, it's a fact that electronic hardware tends to break rather quickly. Most reviews don't take any note of this and so it is difficult to find out which hardware to buy if you value durability. The best I can do is tell you what you should and should not have bought 8 years ago. For each of these topics there are probably much more detailed reports and guides online, so I will keep it short and just give an overview. If you're interested in fixing your own hardware, a search engine of your choice is your friend. Tools used The tools I use are absolutely simple: Mostly I just used a Weller WECP-20 for soldering, regular screwdrivers and some other, older hardware to steal replacement parts from. Nothing fancy and I don't claim to do anything special with it. Liquid-Crystal Displays Let's start with what in my experience was the most common problem in consumer electronics, resulting in their failure: broken capacitors Or at least it