You might be able to get a hint from the title…

A brief disclaimer. Don’t do stupid things with electronics and electrical items unless you understand how they work. Don’t discharge capacitors with a screwdriver. If in doubt, leave things unplugged, depress the power button, and leave for hours to days (depending on the item) to ensure it’s safe. Basically don’t do dumb shit.

Replacing the power supply from my iiyama ultrawide monitor was a non-starter. After it died spontaneously I was scrambling for ideas. As readers of this blog will know, I’m a big proponent of DIY and repairing things that break. The idea of cracking open a modern computer display might give you pause for thought, but if it’s out of warranty, what’s the worst that can happen? Probably electrocution, but let’s not think about that too hard.

Two boards enter. One will leave. First off we have the power supply. I reasoned that there was no life whatsoever in the monitor, so likely the power supply was at fault. A different component may allow the panel to switch on or flicker, but a dead power supply isn’t going to allow for much. Straight to eBay and £30ish later I ended up with a replacement part. Did that fix it? Nope.

I was faced with a dilemma. Sink more money into replacement parts knowing the chance of fixing the issue was now minimal, or give up and order a replacement monitor. Against every fibre of my being. Obviously, I chose the part.

The power supply was eliminated as the problem (provided the board supplied to me was indeed functional). I set out to find a replacement main PCB/control board which cost another £30ish. Having already cracked open the casing I knew how to fit the part. I put everything back together and plugged it in. A beat. Then the monitor burst into life displaying the splash screen. It was alive!

The casing is a little worse for wear as many of the plastic clips holding it together broke upon opening, but it’s back to functioning as normal. There was nothing wrong with the dodgy PCB to the naked eye but replacing it seemed to solve whatever issue it was having, and save me hundreds of pounds in the process. It won’t work for every monitor every time, but I suggest cracking yours open if it dies and taking a look. If you’re a competent person who disconnects the power and can handle these things safely. And for the love of God, if it’s a CRT (cathode ray tube), leave it be. Those things are genuinely terrifying.

A Force of Gardening

Destruction is often the first step of creative processes around the house. You’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelette. And eventually, after several years of homeownership, you’ve got to get rid of a tonne of accumulated junk that was waiting for a tip run or might have come in handy at some point. It was time for a skip.

This is my first skip experience. They’re not a cheap option by any means, but it does save filling the car multiple times and having to negotiate some bewildering rules and other expenses at the amenity site. (read: tip) Getting a general waste tip saves the hassle of separating all the waste, and supposedly most of the stuff is recycled rather than dumped.

We’re living with the legacy of things that looked nice at the time, but later fall apart. Case in point. Don’t build decking framing with unsuitable timber. Pressure treated or some sort of damp resistant wood is essential. Many of the boards were fine, but the supporting structure was rotten and the whole thing had to come up. Part of the corner renovation is replacing the wall as well as I was never a big fan of the faux brick sections.

Treehouse demolition was unfortunately on the cards as well. The structure was rather rotten and riddled with woodworm. It will be replaced in time with a slightly more child-friendly one. I was considering trying to re-use some of the timber but much of it was beyond saving. One thing I have saved is the door which will become a new cornhole (terrible name, by the way) board.

Once the decking, blocks, and general rubbish were cleared out, the skip was almost full. I timed it poorly as I was away in Sheffield for work over the hire week and only got back in to Plymouth on Saturday afternoon, not allowing for much clear out time. I did spend hours in the evenings shifting rubble and scrap wood with some success. It’s scary that you can fill a skip and still have an incredible amount of stuff left. Such is life.