since when is 13 years old "too old"

[poppa smurf]

my air con in the house stopped......it's a top of the line Daikin split system

phoned up the aircon mob to come and have a look see ($78 for the first hour)

mice had paid me a call sometime in the past and ate out one of my diodes from a circuit board....."no problem" says I stupidly... "just get another one"

"dunno mate, she's pretty old"..........

"whadaya mean old, I only bought it in 1999"

"yep doubt you'll get parts for it now"........and he was right......10c diode and the whole system will be thrown out......dont you love modern technology

thinking about going to reverse cycle ducted now to use a bit of our excess power (thank you solar)......

"ah! now that has gone up as well", quoted $8,500 12 months ago god knows what it is now

"we will redo a new quote for you"

thank you Mickey and minnie......your job here is done!

[sprint347dave]

i prefer my AC system,,i wear less if its hot and more if its cold,,heaps cheaper aswell

[calais]

I wouldnt throw the unit out.

Get a specialist to repair the circuit board for you. I know there are mobs out there who can sort it out at a bare minimum of expense compared to junking an otherwise sound system entirely.

What it tells me is, the mob who came out to assess your system, arent technicians at all. Merely salesmen dressed as tradesmen.

[xisled]

Old is 2 years or older.

But maybe contact another repairer.

For the tradesperson it is easier to replace the unit than get a part replaced.

Everything now is once it breaks throw out and replace.

For example we got a brand new washing machine. after 12 months old it spat the main bearing. Westing house said they would replace it because it was cheaper to replace than repair. Good thing is we got a brand new washing machine with the a new warranty.

[FordACE]

Yeah get the board fixed. Especially if it's one diode.

[poppa smurf]

I've thought a bit about this (don't want to do that too often, bloody hell it hurts)

so would a computer technician be able to replace a diode or who would I approach?

maybe a T.V. repairman??

I reckon I'll pull the board myself and ask around.....cant hurt I guess......if I fail it is still heading for the scrapheap

damn shame it's a good unit and hasn't had much use

just made a couple of calls.....all I'm getting is "mate, no-one does that anymore!"

[|||]

oh man i really thought this thread was about something else

[Dr Smith]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I've thought a bit about this (don't want to do that too often, bloody hell it hurts)

so would a computer technician be able to replace a diode or who would I approach?

maybe a T.V. repairman??

I reckon I'll pull the board myself and ask around.....cant hurt I guess......if I fail it is still heading for the scrapheap

damn shame it's a good unit and hasn't had much use

Left field, try places like Radioparts or Jaycar or maybe even a TV repair place that does work on circuit boards.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by |||

oh man i really thought this thread was about something else

no........ it's not about scotch!!

[Smoke Pursuit]

Thats the throw away society we live in now... As soon as somethings out of warranty it gets harder and harder to get replacement parts.

If your thinking about ducted Id look at something like Actron Air.... Australian based company that backs its product up very well... My dad has one in his house and its amazing.

[graham7773]

Poppa Smurf, before you throw the whole lot away, have you got the circuit board out? If you have, take it to any company that repairs computers or stereos. They can do the repair in about 5 minutes. If you have a fine soldering iron and some resin core solder, you can do it yourself as long as you can find the correct diode. Jaycar may be able to identify the diode for you if you take the board to them. A small aligator clamp clipped on to the wire you are soldering in to the board will act as a heat sink so you don't fry the diode. The only thing that may sink your plans is if the board has surface mount components. A bit more difficult to repair.

[poppa smurf]

I've rang 4 mobs so far......they are all a bit non committal about repairs

I've had responses varying from "nah mate just buy a new board"........to technical stuff like "it may be a multilayer diode"

I'll rip it out tonight and have a look at this curious animal......I thought a diode is a diode is a diode......dick smiths got hundreds of them,

surely one is the correct one and any bloke with a bit of nouse toward electronics should be able to fix it

but what do I know......I'm just a tool sharpener

but yep you're right it's a throw away society.......my old swampy in the shed has to be 30 year old and never missed a beat

[blueoval]

I reckon you have nothing to lose trying to fix it yourself mate. Do a google search on the model and have a read of some of the DIY forums. Whirlpool is a pretty handy forum to check.

My Samsung R-series LCD TV went on me about 3 years ago (the real thick version, not the thin ones of today). Bought it for 4k when they first come out in 2004 from Hardly Normal. (I know ridiculous right?) Anyway, the tv was out of warranty and playing up, flicking on and off at will, found out it was an under sized capacitor used from factory that just gets over loaded when hot, searched the net, heard of a heap of others experiencing similar problems with same model, found out the issue, and I could have done it myself but I didnt have a soldering iron nor the time, so I got a tv repair guy to do it and replaced with a capacitor easily capable of handling the power/heat generated by the tv. Problem fixed for very little cash. Probably increased the life of the TV by another 5+ years too.

Just have a read online in case there are others who are experiencing the same problems as you or know how to fix the issue and have a go. You spent good money on the unit, and if every 'professional' service is forcing your hand on a new unit, I would have a crack at it yourself and try your luck. Just make sure you have an electrician close by before ripping anything down or powering anything.

[cs123]

Ring up Daikin and ask for a schematic for the board. They should refer you to a authorised repairer who can give you one.

[Mickxr8]

Chuck some pics up ( and model etc) ? if you pull the board , No doubt a few people on here would be more than skilled in pointing ya in the right direction

[Franco Cozzo]

I was pretty surprised when I managed to get parts for our whirlpool washing machine which was built in 1994, had to import them from the USA though.

[pcman]

yeah google the model, my pc lcd monitor started playing up a few weeks ago googled it and turned out was a common problem 4 capacitors replaced later and its good to go again for about 4 bux and a hours time

[Jastel]

Had 3yo a/c unit ruined because a gecko walked across it and fried himself. Circuit board cost more than new unit. Lucky a mate found one out of a similar unit that was good.

He said the manufacturers are not interested in "critter proofing" the systems, just replace if under warranty.


It must have been a while since you have been to Dick Smith Poppa Smurf, they only sell TV and phones etc nowdays. Very few small electronic components anymore. Jaycar is the one to go to.


But really are cars any different??
Most mechanics just bolt on new pieces, at $75+ hour for labour nobody pays to fix the 10c part anymore.

[GTpilot]

take it to a TV repair man. NOT computer repair man.
TV repair man will be more versed in analogue circuitry, and how to fix it. Most computer repair guys these days will just throw out he old board and replace with new. many wont even know what a diode is! let alone how to correclty replace one and solder it without making a mess of the PCB.

[mik]

you might be able to salvage a part off an old board, some specialist electronic shops also have 2nd hand parts.

[NeillNZ]

I think the reluctance of the repair shops will be that they are not keen to simply replace a part as experience shows it is almost never that simple. However like others have said you have nothing to loose. So you could explain that your expectation is only that they might be able to get it going rather than a guaranteed fix.

Keen to see a close up photo of the board. Electronics is my business and I expect others who are reading this thread.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I'll rip it out tonight and have a look at this curious animal......I thought a diode is a diode is a diode......dick smiths got hundreds of them,

Actually no.. Dick smith doesnt sell any of those nerdy parts anymore. they got out of selling kits a few yrs ago. Jaycar and Solace do however.
And there are quite a lot of different diodes out there.

[GhiaEB]

Sadly it's called "planned obsolescence".

Taken from Wikipedia,

Planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence[1] in industrial design is a policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.[1] Planned obsolescence has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuing use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer (a replacement part or a newer model), or from a competitor which might also rely on planned obsolescence.[1]

There is a good doco on it on YouTube. I'll see if I can find it

[GhiaEB]

Here it is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxzU1HFC7Q

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by GhiaEB

Sadly it's called "planned obsolescence".

Taken from Wikipedia,


There is a good doco on it on YouTube. I'll see if I can find it

It was on ABC or SBS last yr.... very good doco indeed

[poppa smurf]

still at work so haven't pulled the board yet......

got the better half nagging me at a distance (mobile phone) the outlaws have turned up for free grub, ....yet another reason to stay at work!

cant get away till all is done ..(gotta watch the shortening of the sentences or the english police will snaffle me)

looks like a late one tonight so will try to sneak away tomorrow to pull the board

[Kryton]

13 is old - you cant buy numerous parts for AU's from Ford anymore so i dont see the issue with not being able to buy parts for an Aircon.

[FordACE]

If you were in Brisbane I'd give fixing the board a go. As someone else suggested though, there can be components up and downstream of that one diode that may also have been affected.

[poppa smurf]

okay......spent the morning home after the deliveries, decided to have a look at this curious beasty for myself

no-body here wanted a bar of the circuit board so 'SO SELF" I said...."self, you gots to take a peek"

ripped into it and found a few things that didnt add up.....the "diode" wasnt a diode it was something else.....see pic (if I can get it to go in there)

now this "something else" had had it's top taken off but no damage to the little copper coily thingy (technical terminology that only us highly trained techies would understand)

I tried removing the circuit board but all wires came off bar about 5 little black buggers.......not the time to spit the dummy and use the old adage "brute strength and ignorance will win the day".....so easy does it

it was at this stage of chasing these little black wires back to their source that I came upon the intriguing enlightenment.

the wire was chewed through.....happy days!!!

so I gots me trusty wire strippers and electrical tape and fixed up .......voila she woiks!!!

now for this pic!!........

never mind......all fixed.....I'll retry this photo bizzo and see if I can make sense of it!

thanks to all for the encouragement.......much appreciated......Ford ace....thanks for the offer!

and yes apparently 13 years is too old...........the techie went to a panasonic meeting the other day for updates

they are thinking about or are already giving 10 year warranties.....the problem is that the spare parts wont be there

apparently the people who make the air conditioners do not make the spare parts

crazy world we live in..........yay got the photo in......you can see the coil thingy on the left about an inch from the top

the busted wire can be seen (barely) just left of centre top beside the green wire

[davenl5l]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I've rang 4 mobs so far......they are all a bit non committal about repairs

I've had responses varying from "nah mate just buy a new board"........to technical stuff like "it may be a multilayer diode"

I'll rip it out tonight and have a look at this curious animal......I thought a diode is a diode is a diode......dick smiths got hundreds of them,

surely one is the correct one and any bloke with a bit of nouse toward electronics should be able to fix it

but what do I know......I'm just a tool sharpener

but yep you're right it's a throw away society.......my old swampy in the shed has to be 30 year old and never missed a beat

but not the sharpest tool in the shed?........LOL