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so I resist opening up the stuff.
But if the warantee is gone or the product gots outdating I try my best to sweeze every drop of performance or function.
Someday I will root my Milestone to speed it up... 
Press F1 for help or google it.
Greetings from Germany
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Same here. If I still have a valid warranty on a product then I usually use it and let competent people fix my stuff. Now on the other hand if I am left on my own (no warranty, etc) then I do crack open faulty gadget (be it laptop, mp2 player, etc).
The only item I do not let others touch is my motorcycle (-, I have a friend who works in a workshop, races enduro and gives me plenty of advices. Not only this saves a lot of quids, but at the end you do know that everything is as it should and that every bolt is in its place (you wouldn't believe how lazy some of the workshops are).
Trust is a weakness.
modified on Thursday, October 28, 2010 7:41 AM
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I take apart everything I can, unless it's critical to my business and working properly. While I'm inherently curious and love to see the guts of all my electronic gear, I've learned that it's best not to mess with the stuff that I earn a living with.
The rest of my hobby stuff is fair game, though.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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I am intrested in both electronics and computers, so it's only natural for me to take things apart and look at how they work 
See if you can crack this: fb29a481781fe9b3fb8de57cda45fbef
The unofficial awesome history of Code Project's Bob!
"People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."
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I do love to see the "secret" stuff inside the laptops and gadgets. My mom screamed at me when I took opened up the "space invader" handheld game back in the 1970's... and she was relieved to see it is still functional after I put it back together.
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I take everything apart to see what makes it tick. Have every since I was a kid...curious nature.
But and the keyword here is butt, the expense determines how far I go.
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I would have thought the "Absolutely under all circumstances" would have been higher in this group. Instead, over 70% of you guys are a big fat maybe. Or no.
When I was 8 my brother and I made a speaker phone out of a (brand new) ghetto blaster, a digital scale and a corded telephone. I always thought these things were in and of the same genre of 'research' or whatever as programming.
I like to see how things tick. Sure, I won't understand at the finest level by looking at the big details. But you'll never know the finest level if you don't start sorting through the big stuff, no?
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I would open everything, but most modern devices (except desktops) are fiendishly difficult to open without damaging the exterior. What's more, they usually require special tools which are expensive and a pain to find.
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Not to mention voiding the warranty...
--
Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
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Well yes, but I thought that went without saying. All these warranties are a nuisance, after all as they say, if you can't open it, you don't own it 
What's worse is that manufacturers seem to go to extreme lengths to void them. The other day I went to get my mobile phone repaired, but they claimed that it had been damaged by water and showed me the indicator (like this[^]) which was slightly pink. Never got it wet, probably caused by condensation which is inevitable.
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Sorry to disappoint you - I just don't care for electronics and never did.
On the other hand, I love inspecting generated machine code after compiling a piece of software. One can't really trust these modern compilers and their crazy optimizations
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Back when I was younger 8-15 I used to open stuff up more often. I started building my own PCs by the age of 12 because of that. But not before breaking stuff or not assemblying it right and get screamed at by my dad.
Today is a little more challenging for the following reasons:
1 - I pay for the gadgets, so usually I won't risk ruining it if it's not broken
2 - Except for PCs, components get really small and complicated that isn't worth to just open it up to figure out you won't learn anything
3 - Risks of damaging the beautiful casing and voiding warranty aren't worth the possible benefits.
Of course, if it's broken I'll try to fix it myself before calling the guy. Recently, on the risk of voiding the warranty I opened up the top part of my brother's notebook to clean up spilled soda. I was afraid to damage those keys that were held by very fragile and thin plastic components. Good thing everything worked and he can type again.
I love to tear stuff apart, it's just nowadays the lack of time and the risks make it worth in very few cases, that's why I voted for "it depends". My next task is to try to recover my neighbor's hard disk, which fails to read anything (possible mecaninc components broken), but I look forward to it, as long as it does not interfere with my mundane pleasure of the weekends. 
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I'll give you the cost argument...and when I finally shell out some serious dollars on a phone, truth be told, I won't risk wrecking the device.
Come on, Canada release data for WP7!
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Exactly! I used to build my own PCs when I was a kid because I couldn't afford to buy them already built. Now that I can afford it, who has the time? I still change my own oil though.
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Derek Viljoen wrote: I still change my own oil though.
Yeah, but I prefer with the help of a lady 
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If its a cheap device - I might.
The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything it's too late to stop reading it.
My latest tip/trick
Visit the Hindi forum here.
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I have had to open up a few laptops to add memory. And with some Dell models that means you need to remove the keyboard to access the second channel. Usually by that time the warranty is long gone anyways.
John
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I have a Toshiba Laptop that I added memory to. After I added the memory the laptop would not start or boot. I found from other users that you have to take the battery out and hold down the Boot/Power button for a period of time. After that you put the battery back in and it will bootup like normally. Apparently, there is some CMOS RAM in there that has to be cleared.
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One of my pair of Sony earphone (with noise cancelation) would sometime start to stop working on one side when I turned noise-cancelation on. To make it work, I hate to twist the headphones a little and everything would be fine until I moved a bit too much.
I decided to opened them and see if I could do anything.
I open the half-broken side and *click* something fall off on the floor. it's a small metal pin with some adhesive paper on it. It was maybe holding something, I don't really know. Then, I start checking if all the cables are all right. They look like they do. They're so flimsy that I fear breaking one by looking at it so I rapidly close the headphones back without replacing the pin since I have no ideas where it goes.
Try them in my MP3 player, BAM. They work perfectly like day 1. lol.. I'm awesome.
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the engine cover on my truck. Rarer still to open a piece of hardware. 
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...if I haven't seen, how it looks like as long as it works, how would I know, how it should look like after I have finished repairing it?
Well, this applies at least to mechanical devices.
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." (DNA)
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You may also not want to repair it, instead want to make it behave in a way other than the one it was conceived to. 
In this case you don't care how it worked before... 
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A childhood compulsion, and as I've never grown up, I still indulge.
But it's much bigger than just opening up the box.
I prefer clear glass dishes. I even had those corning ceramic pots (it was some years ago) that you could see through whilst the cooking progressed (Now, I settle for stainless steel and a glass cover).
(Despite my best efforts, I can't seem to get a see-through camera)
As for PC stuff - I've only bought bare-bones desktops since my first experience with one - which, besides including all the manuals [to encouraging poking and fixing] means I get to look inside intimately.
Interesting (per original question), since the options for change are relatively small (and over priced), lap-tops aren't all that interesting while they still work.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek dissappointment. If you are searching for perfection in yourself, then you seek failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I take broken things to bits, even if I know I can't do anything with them, just for a look.
Anything that can be salvaged, e.g. switches, buttons, displays, get stripped and thrown in a box just in case they come in handy one day (I find more and more things are since buying a few arduinos to play with).
Maybe its something to do with The knack[^]
Dave
Find Me On: Web| Facebook| Twitter| LinkedIn
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DaveAuld wrote: Anything that can be salvaged, e.g. switches, buttons, displays, get stripped and thrown in a box just in case they come in handy one day
Yeah - I know the feeling. I've actually even used some of my saved stuff. Not sure why I don't through out the serial mouse and some of the slightly broken stuff . . . but hey, you never know.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek dissappointment. If you are searching for perfection in yourself, then you seek failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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