Repairing and troubleshooting electronic devices can be easy or difficult. Common problems may include no display, colors are out, no power and others. Repairing electronic devices can be quite straightforward if we know how to do it properly. As an example, with a fresh fuse, we could restore our devices back to life. Some of the solutions are very direct and easy. In many cases, faulty electronic devices could steal away our precious time. In general, we should know how to efficiently tackle our problems, especially if these problems are intermittent and unpredictable. By being intermittent, devices could function and not function alternately, which results in less than satisfactory reliability. As an example, the blue color of the computer monitor could disappear occasionally, causing objects to look reddish.
However, not all devices have the tendency to get damaged intermittently and some of them could simply die and cease to function without warning. In this case, it could depend on the quality of components, environmental factors, circuit designs and others. Some devices can be rather difficult to repair and they could shut down, hours after being repaired. Technicians should be able to solve any of these random problems whenever possible. Troubleshooting time can be quite lengthy, especially if we are not able to locate problems. Sometimes, we just don’t know where to begin, if we are not familiar with the device and how it works. In this case, we may need to check all the primary components and check whether they work properly, instead of painstakingly resoldering the entire board.
An essential thing we should do is to isolate the problem, by identifying the possible faulty component. The next step would be to replace all the suspected components in a specific circuit. Unfortunately, beginners may do things that can make the situation worse, as an example may hit some of the delicate components with the screwdrivers accidentally, causing them to work improperly or even fail entirely. Some of the intermittent problems can be caused by heat build-up. The device could work well when it is cool, but the increasingly inefficient cooling performance due to accumulated dust or weakened fans could cause problems after the device runs for a few hours. In this case, we could touch the device with our hand and if it starts to fail each time it becomes unusually hot, then we need to deal with the temperature problem.
As an example, we could get a can of spray cooler which is available in electronics supplies stores and it could direct cold, dry air to the overheated electronic components. Check if the device starts to work properly when all the heat-generating components are cooled down. This method should help us to locate overheated components. Intermittent problems in electronic devices could also be caused by loose contact and we should check whether there are changes when we resolder some of the components. We may also replace the components if necessary, because unstable electrical current may already damage them.