Hacker Public RadioJun 15
New Episode: hpr4661 :: Laptop Computer Woes, or How I Learned to Love My Tech Hoarding
Claudio rambles on about problems with his two laptops and how his tech hoarding came to the rescue.
Hosted by Claudio Miranda on Monday, 2026-06-15 is flagged as Clean and is released under a CC-BY-SA license.
Tags: RightToRepair, Computers, Laptops, HP, PCrepair.
Today on the #HackerPublicRadio #Community #Podcast​
#HPR ❤️ #CreativeCommons
https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr4661/index.html
HPR4661::Laptop Computer Woes, or How I Learned to Love My Tech Hoarding

Hacker Public Radio is a podcast that releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday. Our shows are produced by the community (you) and can be on any topic that is of interest to hackers and hobbyists.

Show threadKermode 🇨🇦
@claudiom
Everytime you mention EVOO, what I hear: Extra Virgin Olive Oil! :-)
Jun 15 at 4:43pmWeb
Show threadClaudioMJun 15
@gemlog As do I. ​
Show threadKermode 🇨🇦Jun 15
@claudiom Bad caps are common in older equipment. It seems to me there was a period of time years ago when a huge batch of sub-standard caps was distributed.
Thanks for the show btw. Still listening, I'm up to the bit where you reach out to your boy and grandfather. Of course, I know this story already from fedi ;-)
It's been a long time since I made a show for HR...
Show threadClaudioMJun 15

@gemlog That was around the early to mid 2000s, but shouldn't have been an issue for a laptop manufactured in 2020. Still, as I mentioned, it might have been my fault, but it could also be the quality of the design coming from Taiwan.

I may be recording an update to this since my son's grandfather managed to find the problem (shorted out MOSFET caused by the cap blowout). I already bought a proper charger for it in preparation to get it back (hopefully before Father's Day ​).

Show threadKermode 🇨🇦Jun 15
@claudiom Yeah, they were large electrolytic cans that would bulge. In a different decade there were resistors the wrong wattage and they'd get crispy. Regular looking 10k - until they weren't.
I can't do SM stuff either. Heck, even in the late 80s things were getting so small that you had to be *Very* careful not to create solder bridges replacing some chips.
My soldering irons don't see much work these days.
I've watched vids of guys doing phone repairs that look very similar to watching someone do eye surgery! I'm not kidding, because I've watched both. Microscopic.
I thought we did Fathers Day already. I don't get a warning for that, because I don't need to do anything.