Faulty ATX PSU in Dr. Dre Beatbox - any suggestions as to cause. (Not ATX)

[Murphyv310]

Hi.
I would say you have made the right decision to hand back the "beatbox".
I see parallels to another member on here that has been in the trade with his own shop since the 70's. He had a big rental base for a long while and did very well over the time when rentals were very common. He gave an excellent service and replaced worn out sets in a timely manner.
The spanner in the works was that he simply wasn't treated well by some customers, don't get me wrong he had many loyal and decent customers but there were a significant amount that were far from the best.
As the years went by he suffered exactly the same issues as I did with demands of customers increasing, many not willing to pay for the work done and having no idea that you had a mortgage or children to be fed plus of course all the expenses of running a business.
Then came along the guy doing Homers, our friend on here and myself had at least one these types that would charge a fiver for pocket money, this of course gets around and those that are trying to make a living dont get a look in.
This made me angry as I spent my apprenticeship gaining a City & Guilds credit pass in the TV Technicians course, I then went onto get a C&G certificate in VCR servicing, CD certificates and many more. So I spend time away from family going to night school to get my additional papers really all for nothing at the end up. I got so sick of the treatment in the end up from customers, manufacturers and suppliers.
Think of all the suppliers that have gone, to name a few SEME, Willow Vale, CHS and countless manufacturers spares outlets like CES.
Our friend here still has his workshop, he is not in good health, he make virtually no money and in fact has to put money into the premises out of his own pocket that was heard earned many years ago, I really can't get my head round why you would do this.

I now enjoy doing what I do as a hobby, my grandchildren, car and time with my wife that I certainly didn't do when working in the TV trade, my own health isn't wonderful and I put that down to often working 10 to 12 hours a day, then taking kids places, fixing my car, cutting hedges, lawn and general maintenance at home.

Personally and it just my opinion if you are in your 70's I'd be looking to enjoy your life, electronics as a hobby but not as a job, life is too short to worry about a pile of jobs in your workshop, if you have good health then I pray you are able to have a good number of years retaining it, health issues then I'd not concern yourself with work, keep well and enjoy things.
Our friend here is often stuck in his cold and dismal workshop, I've said many times get out into the light, go to Ireland, France or Germany, head up here but keep away from morons that bring in rubbish that cannot be fixed for the tenner that they think is top rate.
Sorry for the tirade, but the Radio & TV trade is a thing of the past and it did so many engineers little good.
I could go on about the ill health it has caused over the years to many but that is for another thread at another time.
Take care.

[Old Sparky]

There's a lot of sense in what you say, Trevor. I'll be 75 in a couple of months time, and the Cellar in which I work isn't the best place I've ever worked in. Add to that the problems you mention such as lack of spare parts & service info, closure of several component suppliers, and the sheer difficulty of working on some modern gear is making me think that I should (a) not take on anything made later than (say)1980, and (b) seriously think about closing the workshop, and keeping in touch with electronics purely as a hobby at home. It's almost impossible to earn any money doing repairs now anyway. For every reasonably well-paying job there seem to be 3or 4 which are more trouble than they're worth. By the end of May this year I'll have completed 23 years as a self-employed repair engineer. Might be as good a time as any to call it a day.

[Mark Hennessy]

Personally, I find that there's a world of difference in enjoyment levels between paid work and hobby work.

I keep the former to a very low level. I admit that the cash is nice, but the work itself is a very different animal - it's someone else's property, so you've got the worries of making things worse or causing cosmetic damage or worse, plus the possibility of a "bounce", or unrealistic customer expectations (like assuming a new fault 2 years down the line is in some way related to the work you did).

Against that, there are no pressures at all with hobby work. You work at your own pace, and you enjoy the various bits of the process, from design, prototyping, debugging, constructions and final use. Different people enjoy these parts differently - for example, I enjoy turning the prototype into the "finished" thing - which will be neat and tidy (and serviceable), even if it's only on Veroboard - but others might rush this, preferring other parts more. We're all different. But relaxed hobby work means that mentally, we're in a place where we get the most from the activity. I certainly think more clearly when I'm not under pressure from customers (and even if you're dealing with the most understanding customers possible - which is the only sort I work with - pressure is self-generated because I'm pretty conscientious).

I'm lucky that my day job is a good mix of different aspects of engineering. I once worked doing electronic design work, and it nearly put me off electronics completely. That was a serious shock, as that was all I'd ever wanted to do since I was a small kid. I particularly hated the way that people with little understanding of electronics would pick through your design trying to shave off every fraction of a penny (and this wasn't cheap consumer tat by any description). I also learnt how some people would think nothing of taking full credit for your work if they could. Standard office politics, I know, but I was glad to leave. No regrets, 25 years later.

[Murphyv310]

Absolutely Mark.
Your sentence re others taking the credit for your work strikes a chord with me on at least a couple of occasions.
Funny how we all have different experiences of working practice and colleagues.
These days though I don't bother if someone pinches an idea of mine, life is too short to get hot under the collar.
I enjoy pottering with my old stuff, I find it therapeutic, no customer to "Nip ma heed" so for me its all good.

[boater sam]

I discovered what banging you're head on a wall and working have in common.
Its wonderful when you stop.

Our service company became an appliance delivery business, the manufacturers preferred to swap out expensive appliances under guarantee rather than pay trained engineers and hold stocks of spares.

Out of guarantee work dwindled due to planned obsolescence and customers not being prepared to pay a reasonable rate for an engineer in his van with thousands of pounds of spares inventory to call at their homes.

So we made the big change, all staff made redundant, sold off vehicles, spares, office equipment and premises. Staff were offered the business as a Co-op, " we don't want the responsibility" was the response.

Then the large house, antiques, all furniture, the fast cars all got sold and we downsized big time to a narrowboat.
Now we cruise the UK 8 months of the year and spend winters in the warm of the Philippines.

The service industry as we knew it is gone, may it rest in pieces.
I say enjoy what time you have, spend the kid's inheritance, and learn to live again.

[Murphyv310]

Brilliant Sam especially spending *The kids inheritance " and of course "may it rest in pieces".

[Keithstv]

I discovered what banging you're head on a wall and working have in common.
Its wonderful when you stop.

I say enjoy what time you have, spend the kid's inheritance, and learn to live again.

Ah "SKIing". That's  what my mother did. When my brother and I questioned her about it she said "Well you'll get the house". She did enjoy her holidays and we did get the house plus a little bit extra.

I've now officially retired and now do things I want to, spending my kids inheritance It's amazing how much there is to and it's true I don't know how I had the time to go to work. And I certainly don't miss it.

Keith