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DEL.ICIO.USThe joys of high-tech junk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Technology is almost always gender neutral. Some of the smartest geeks I know are women; some of the most techno-clueless are men.
But my guess is today’s topic will be a natural for guys and not so much for women. Today we’re talking tech junk.
My junk drawer and junk closet have been valuable allies in diagnosing and fixing computer problems. They’ve gotten my home computers up and running during times when stores were closed.
I love my junk collection. But my wife thinks it is, well, junky. So be warned, following today’s suggestion could be hazardous to domestic bliss.
My junk addiction started when I became a ham radio operator. Spare and salvaged parts usually ended up in the junk box. After all, a guy never knows when he’ll need a spare Eimac 3-500Z tube. When I started messing with computers, it was natural to store away old hard disks, video cards, sound cards, printers and extra cables. Let me offer one example of how having a bunch of junk can save your neck.
You turn on your PC and the screen is flickering like a candle about to go out. Common sense tells you the monitor is failing, so you decide to buy a new monitor. That could turn out to be an expensive bet. You could hook up the new monitor and see the same flickering. A bad video card - even one that isn’t seated or connected securely - can cause the same problem.
That’s where the junk box (or closet) can save you some money. Get out that old but still-working monitor you saved and hook it up. If the problem goes away, you know the monitor was at fault. If it continues, you can reach into the junk box again and try a working video card. This diagnosis by substitution method works fine for printing difficulties, mouse problems, trouble with sound and a dozen other maladies.
Keeping old monitors and video cards and such around can save you money this way. They can also save your neck in emergencies, such as when a printer or monitor fritzes out late at night just as you’re finishing a critical project.
There’s one more use for junk that I adopted from a commercial technician. When his junk box gets full to overflowing, he’ll use it to create a Frankenstein of a computer. All it takes is a case with a power supply, a motherboard (that’s the main circuitboard), a junker hard disk and a monitor. Then he gives the home-assembled computer away to someone who can’t afford one.
Not only does that put junk to good use, it’ll make you feel good right down to your toes. Not everyone will have the skill or inclination to assemble a computer, but it’s a fine learning experience. If you’re working with discarded parts, there’s not a huge downside to failure.
If keeping a junk box is appealing, here are a few tips:
Most accessory boards such as sound cards, video cards and ethernet cards can be damaged by static electricity or just by being constantly banged around in a messy pile. That’s why I save the special anti-static packaging - along with any styrofoam packing - for these cards.
It’s also important to store your junk in a reasonably cool and dry location. Moist basements are bad; drawers and closets usually are fine.
There can be real joy in collecting junk, and it’s useful too. Still, if you’re a guy who wants to give it a try, you may want to plan on adding to your wife’s flower and jewelry collection as well.
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