Had a talk with an old TV repair guy that changed my approach to troubleshooting

Met this guy named Frank at a shop in Austin last Tuesday while picking up parts. He told me he never uses a multimeter until he's looked at the board with just his eyes for five minutes first. Said most of us jump to testing too quick and miss cracked solder joints or bulging caps that are obvious if you look close. Been trying it for a week now and caught two issues on a power supply that I would have missed with the meter. Anyone else slow down and just look at things before testing?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarcooper5d ago

Man I've been doing that same thing ever since I read your post, it really works.

zara_hunt4d ago

Wait, is that actually working for you @oscarcooper? I tried it after Frank's advice but got mixed results. I think the trick is knowing what to look for, which comes with experience, not just staring at boards hoping something pops out.