Anyone remember as a kid taking apart electronics, and then breaking it at what ever stage...and even bending resistor's all around til they broke, because you had no clue as a kid...and then getting in a whack of trouble for breaking your's or someone else's toys ? I sure do.

I wish I had a few of those toys now, to try and repair them. But sadly pretty much all my toys got thrown out I guess. Dam

 

My mother's iron quit and I took it all apart to see what was wrong. Put it back together without finding the problem BUT for some reason, it now heated. When she put water in it to use the steam function, the water ran right out, in great quantities. My response was, "So that is what that part was for!" The part was still on the table. That was about 60 years ago. Later, my co-workers had a favorite saying about me. "There he goes again, taking it apart to see how it used to work."

 

As a child, my uncle who was an electronics engineer would send me things that I joyfully disassembled in the basement. What glory, what joy! I remember many of the components I took out of radios and TV sets but it wasn't until after another half dozen years that I started to understand how they worked,

 

My parents made the mistake of giving me a child's toolchest around age 4. I didn't saw the legs off of any chairs but the screws disappeared from the doorknobs and the traps under the sinks came apart. And the asbestos shingles on the sides of the house made this lovely popping sound when you put the wrecking bar under them and popped them off. I sometimes wonder how I survived to become a teenager which brought on another more advanced spate of antics... But then there were some non-functional clocks that I made work again.

 

Hell I still get in trouble for taking things apart my latest

Made a real nice serial keypad for my esp8266

 

If you have a kid like that buy cheap electronic junk from places like the Salvation Army for them to destroy. Those urges will be sated without indiscretions..

 

I always have a problem with taking things apart and putting them back together. I have never been able to rebuild an engine or transmission without having parts left over somehow. Not that the rebuilt ones seemed to mind in the least and they worked great afterwards. I think there must be some kind of parts reproduction going on after I turn the lights off and go to bed.

 

I always have a problem with taking things apart and putting them back together. I have never been able to rebuild an engine or transmission without having parts left over somehow. Not that the rebuilt ones seemed to mind in the least and they worked great afterwards. I think there must be some kind of parts reproduction going on after I turn the lights off and go to bed.

The parts fairy always leaves behind extras when the reassembly job is done.

 

The parts fairy always leaves behind extras when the reassembly job is done.

That I can handle, it's when they start stealing them that I get pissed off.

 

I remember my Dad had a radio chassis in the shed. I pulled it apart to the extent of breaking all the valves to see what was inside, and even unwrapped the capacitors.
Earlier this year, my Granddaughters helped me disassemble a very large photocopier. We reduced it to boxes of screws, springs, solenoids, fans, motors, PCBs.....
It took days! They really enjoyed it too.

 

Yeah I remember breaking apart radio and tv components to see what was inside of them. Building Knight Kit Short Wave radio and then I outsmarted myself. I tried tweaking a tabletop Sylvania radio to get a better signal on Cousin Brucie on WABC out of NY and got the thing all out of alignment.

 

Been there ,done all that! Haven't stopped!
Best trick was MANY years ago, tried to make a transformer by wrapping about 20 turns of building wire around a steel bar and plugging it into a 240v socket. Made a nice bang and blew the wires off the back. Had to dismantle socket and managed to rewire it. Forgot about the fuse though(luckily it did blow) and parents wondered why fridge was defrosted when they came home!

 

My parents were okay with it when I took my own toys apart, but when I moved on sister’s toys...

Bob

 

Then there was the time my little brother played "Gas Station Attendant" and filled the family car's gas tank with sand. Nothing I ever did later could top that one.

 

I still love taking things apart. I don’t remember fixing anything when I was younger, I just had this desire to dismantle everything. Then I started to realize how many things just needed a fuse. I’m just better at putting things back together. Hey Sam those extra parts go in the “spare” bin

 

I have to take it apart before throwing it away.

I was about 10 or 12 years old and threw a rod in a lawn mower. Dad, said your fixing it.

Withe leaf blowers, I just so happened to buy a leaf blower that the manufacturer said my leaves were not compatable. They offered a refund or a downgraded model after blowing one up twice. Oak leaves pulverize and the "dust" gets on the aluminum cylinder head and it doesn't cool properly.

I might forget to mix the oil into the gas too and that;s my fault with a different brand. I might have the only leaf blower with a cylinder head temperature gauge. I haven't blown it up yet. I try to make stuff better.

Oh, I forgot we're talking about electronics. That too.

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So what would you do, if the zipper on the leaf blower/vac broke? A bag is $40 and a zipper is $40 installed. The new zipper has bigger teeth and compatable with my leaves and there is now a tap on both sides of the zipper to hold instead of one side. Zipper hasn't broken yet.