Comment on 'boardswapping' as part of the computer culture.

[Tony Duell]

> 
> 
> Am zondag, 30.10.05, um 01:43 Uhr (Europe/Zurich) schrieb Tony Duell:
> 
> >
> > Actually I am trying to think of anything I own and depend on (or even
> > use actively) that I am not capable of repairing....
> 
> Your PC's harddisk, i.e. the thing that contains the most precious of 
> your computer : the data.
> You might be able to repair a certain class of failures with these 
> drives, but in most cases you will have to replace it.


Alas yes... I can't attack it like I do with the RK's, etc :-)

> 
> Also the same is true for the computer CPU's. If it breaks, you replace 

That depends on _which_ computer :-). I can certainly repair the CPUs in 
my minis, PERQs and HP desktop calculators

> it . You do not want a FIB machine so you had a chance to repair the IC 
> itself.

Yes, OK, I agree with you. 

> 
> Most of us view CPU and HD as basic building blocks of a computer. If 
> you take the same viewpoint on a PC's motherboard, then there is no 
> (technical) reason why a more modern PC is out of the question.

I think want annoys me is that I know I should be able to fix a 
motherboard to compoennt level. I can do SMD rework (it doesn't bother me 
at all now). I can trace signals with a 'scope and logic analyser. And I 
have the obijection to replacing more than I need to.

> 
> If you don't want another PC because you lack space, now there is 
> something I can really understand !

Yes, there is always that :-). I am having peoblems finding space for the 
PX8 I bought the other week...

-tony