Sniing was Re: Microdata "Microprogramming Handbook"

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Fri Jan 25 21:09:08 2002

On Fri, 25 Jan 2002, Joe wrote:

> Or the example of dead UPS's being sold for $50 a
> >pop.
>
> Did you ever stop to consider that the buyer might know somehing that you
> don't? Perhaps he is knowledgeable on that model and knows that 90% of the
> "dead" ones can be fixed by changing an internal fuse even when the
> manufacturer claims that "there are no user serviceable parts inside".

In this particular instance, I had done work for the place who was selling
off the dead ups at auction. They were indeed a little crispy and their
magic smoke was gone. They had taken a near lightening strike. I have
repaired these units in the past, but it is not something I would
recommend anyone not experienced with them try. There are lethal voltages
and currents inside these units, even when disconnected from AC mains. I
was quite sick when I saw the seller trying to sell these off to
uneducated buyers on ebay for $50 each. If someone had indeed bought one
at that price, they would have been tempted to try to repair it when it
did not work. People qualified to work on these units would tend to be
educated buyers and not even consider paying $50 for a dead unit.

-Toth
Received on Fri Jan 25 2002 - 21:09:08 GMT

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