Talk:Repair Wiki

Feel free to discuss your suggestions on the Official Discord.

If you are looking for the page that was here before, check the Standards page.

Click the button below to post a suggestion, then add  when you're done to insert a user signature.

=Suggestions=

The discussion on Talk:Main_page_backup should be either here or on Standards.

Remove captcha for non-admin users?

Set $wgCapitalLinks to false.

These pages are of note: Special:LonelyPages, Special:UnusedFiles. Patrolin (talk) 12:29, 26 April 2021 (PDT)

Gamification like https://stackoverflow.com/, local events, michelin star. ddeath (talk)

Dehumidifers (and possibly refrigerators and air conditioners and heat pumps, which operate on the same principle)
Portable dehumidifer often fails due to poor grounding or an inexpensive relay. While you're in there, replace the compressor capacitor. Although the main boards are proprietary, the operating logic is simple enough that the entire brain could be replaced with an open source implementation. As whole industries move toward DRM on everyday appliances, it's a good idea to get inside these simple devices. 76.180.139.90 02:08, 13 April 2022 (CEST)

Game console
We should add a category specific to game console accessories, such as controllers and other peripherals. (Edit: It's done.) SgtPeppers (talk)
 * Feel free to add that category, SgtPeppers. Ask for help on Discord if you get stuck. Karar (talk) 16:24, 4 May 2021 (PDT)
 * If I may suggest: Would it not be better to have a wider 'Peripherals' Page, much like Phones and Tablets have their own? To me, it seems like a stronger consolidation, since most are USB-based these days, and relatively interchangeable between platforms, even if they were designed with specific platforms in mind. Gamepads, mice, and keyboards are all more similar to each other, than to the towers they plug into, in my opinion. Pie75 (talk) 00:42, 1 June 2021 (SAST)
 * That sounds like a good idea, feel free to create the Peripherals page & Category:Peripherals category. Karar (talk) 12:32, 1 June 2021 (CEST)

Kitchen equipment
Microwaves (especially with safety disclaimers), toasters (same), etc. I personally have a general-public beer draft machine, that has a power supply problem, and I could document its repair here. Theo (talk) 20:37, 3 June 2021 (CEST)

Seconded. I'd like to see all kinds of household appliances covered here, and any kitchen appliances would be much appreciated. Ohnoitschris (talk) 09:46, 24 July 2021 (CEST)

Ditto. Have a Kenmore microwave that is about 10 years old, ~$1200. Have made 2 repairs by replacing the same type of relays, 1st for failing turntable, later failing range hood exhaust fan. Found replacement relays for about $2 after much searching. Suspect these are common problems since mine had 2 or 3 of the 6 relays of that type fail. Board is about $150 to replace, seems to be getting scarce. Happy to share details here.

Please do share such details. My experience has been more to the microswitches going on mine. Same as one would find in an arcade cabinet or an industrial sealer pedal Jon Doe (talk) 16:45, 8 December 2021 (CET)

Dishwashers
Made this video some time ago, might be helpful to others: Diagnose & Repair a Bad Latch on a Frigidaire Dishwasher (GLD2250RDC4)

Vehicles
There's a large auto repair community. I'm sure there's a bit of crossover between electronics repair and auto repair people. --Mbrickn (talk) 06:46, 8 June 2021 (CEST)
 * Sorry for the double post. Now that I've thought about it for a second more, a general vehicle category might be better. Especially with eBikes and such there's a bit of overlap there too. --Mbrickn (talk) 06:48, 8 June 2021 (CEST)
 * I second vehicles, as I have some information concerning Delco radio repair that could be helpful and isn't really present anywhere on the internet.

--Thorad (talk) 00:26, 13 September 2021 (CEST) Created the Vehicles category. Feel free to add your contributions Swiftflikk (talk) 07:08, 14 October 2021 (CEST)

Miscellaneous
A few ideas for populating the Miscellaneous category --Mbrickn (talk) 07:13, 8 June 2021 (CEST)
 * Smart home devices/assistants
 * Medical devices
 * Handheld or Car GPS navigation devices / Satnav
 * Single board computers aimed at makers (IE: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Etc)
 * MP3 players

Routers/Modems
Routers, Modems, Modem Router Combos, etc. My main reasoning is that I can post my findings about routers I own. CanadianOtaku (talk) 05:10, 18 August 2021 (CEST)

Extension Install Requests
This link may be useful to you: How to install Extensions
 * Visual Editor | a lot of people will probably prefer to edit in this mode since they won't need to learn "code" for styling text, putting in images etc.
 * ParserFunctions | Basically allows for logic-based "what if" coding in WikiText. Necessary to create complex Templates in the future.
 * InputBox | This is an extension that lets us insert intuitive "Create New Page"
 * Image upload in edit page mode | since uploading images is pain in the ass otherwise I really recommend this
 * Embed Videos | Allows us to embed YouTube videos on the site instead of merely linking to them.
 * Category Tree, | this would help with categorizations of pages
 * CSS & Code editor | Helps style the wiki
 * Hit counters | Lists what pages are viewed the most in order to prioritize workloads
 * Comments or Comment Streams | (unsure which one is better), a lot of people don't realize that there is a discussion page on every page, this would help people to ask about specific thing on a specific page
 * UserMerge | since it is impossible to delete a user according to MediaWiki's own documentation, it should at least be possible to merge two users, in case of a typo'd name or name change. Theo (talk) 20:30, 3 June 2021 (CEST)
 * JSBreadCrumbs | navigation breadcrumb trail to know where you're located Skolander ) 06:07, 2 May 2021 (PDT)
 * If I may add as well, Scribunto is a great extension that adds module support which is something that I can definitely see a purpose for in the future. ElijahPepe 16:20, 2 May 2021 (PDT)


 * Inline Drawing and Picture Editor | I use diagrams.net/drawio.io to record diode measurements, reading of parts or any general text from logic boards into photos. Edited photos can be changed by anyone who edits the wiki page, to add extra information or correct an error. No need to use paint or another tool to write on top of photos anymore, which cannot be edited afterwards. Saved photos can be visualised within the plugin interface without refreshing the page. It may require additional change to a MediaWiki upload function to handle svg files which are 4-5 times smaller than PNG. Hit me on Discord if you need more information regarding the tool or need half a brain to get it running - it-solve @ 09:34, 18 March 2022 (CET)


 * Additional product category suggestions:
 * Interactive Displays
 * Projectors
 * Networking Devices (I'll give examples because I'm not sure if this is the best title for the category)
 * Routers
 * Switches
 * Access Points
 * Repeaters
 * IoT Devices

Extension Request
The User Profile extenstion would be a nice addition. Skolander (talk) 23:31, 2 June 2021 (CEST)

Guides for people who have never used or contributed to a mediawiki-based wiki before
Would be nice to possibly have a page outlining common pitfalls, things to remember (like adding pages to the stubs category) and helpful shortcuts, like page templates, for creating pages like for individual laptop models .etc so things are consistent SoggyKeycaps (talk) 21:18, 7 June 2021 (CEST)

Incentivising Contributions
In response to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fHC49p8BnA&ab_channel=LouisRossmannLouisRossmann

Me thinks it's the promise of money that gets stuff done, not the reward of money itself - although money is a nice reward in the end. You're right about your vision - you should accept submissions on the wiki for free, with moderation - and then have a "rewards scheme" for "time saved" e.g. "if this solution saved you X time - please consider donating - X amount will go to the author, and Y amount goes to support the website" - so then people will be encouraged to submit information of value, with the promise of future payoff - and like a patent system - users who submit unique solutions can monetise, and so are incentivised to post solutions - and additionally will be permitted to advertise their own repair services on the solution page. The goal then will be to moderate and vett solutions - having minimum standards - avoiding duplication, etc. whilst raising money and encouraging people to donate. Then on a monthly basis you can dish out rewards based on donations - each donation needs to say which page/solution it was for - general donations go to funding tzhe website. It would be a trickle at first, but the advertising and utility might be enough to snowball.

I was thinking also "bug bounties" - like large companies do to fix security issues - people could post "how do I fix X? with a monetary bounty (or just freely)" and then a valid solution could be rewarded, with any future rewards adding to that bonus.

/thoughts 141.101.98.183 01:51, 8 June 2021 (CEST)

Vacuum Cleaners
I've repaired a few Dyson vacuum cleaners in my time, for some reason people throw them away when there's not much wrong with them, and they're expensive! I even sell a part I couldn't find on ebay, not quite Rossmann Group, but... Richard C --81.178.229.127 04:35, 11 June 2021 (CEST)

Reply
Please check out and add to Basic Vacuum Refurbishment, or post for specific models, or make a more advanced refurb page.

Smartwatches
We should post how to repair Apple Watches! These devices are all that I repair, and there are many more issues when it comes to fixing these other than the screens and batteries. I would love to share what I know with others.

Electric toothbrush
Hello. About one year ago my Waterpick electric thoothbrush kind of died, the batteries were holding power for less than 1 minute, so I decided to open it and try to replace the batteries. I could find similar batteries in Amazon and was able to replace them, though I didn't have a tin solder to properly do it. I guess most people, when the battery doesn't last long, buy a new toothbrush and throw away the one with short battery duration. It is not hard to fix and we could save a lot of materials to end up in landfills!

Headphones/Headsets
Hyper X/Kingston Cloud Alpha

After almost hitting the exact day of purchase, but > two years later only one of the speakers died. A google simple google search "cloud alpha right..." you get the jest. Anyways... I ordered some replacement speakers and replaced the stock drivers already suspecting that. Two months later the same side Speaker was fried again...

I´m not a professional but I can´t see any serious mistake I have made in my try of fixing the headset. Any serious mistakes on my part would have killed the drivers.

Bottom line: There are two black box chips in this Headset, one in the cable-volume-dongle and one in the left speaker casing and I would like to offer the headset for testing it for a "killswitch".

Error in boilerplate templates?
The section doesn't seem to match the template type. MouseAppeal (talk) 01:04, 25 July 2021 (CEST)

Under Products add "power tools" section

I would like to add a main section for "power tools" this would include power tools such as drills, circular saws. These type of tools have batteries that need replaced/repaired along with tools have buttons and controllers Bizit524 (talk) 23:59, 5 September 2021 (CEST)

Radios
Hello! I am KC3QWF

FCC Lisc. radio Operator of General Class & Owner and SYSOP of the AlleKiski700 GMRS Radio Repeater System.

One thing we "HAM'S" do best is fix things (No just radios!!). Radios Break... User error and just crappy manufacturing, such as all things. Now there is TONS of resources out there for Kenwood, ICOM, Motorola, Ameritron, LDG, RCI, MFJ, Astron, But it's spread far and wide. I personally know people that will contribute to making the radio section a great place to help others get that "rig" grandpa used to talk on working and on the air.

73! (73 is an old telegraph code that means "best regards")

DE KC3QWF, Sean.

DJ Equipment
Pioneer DJ:

Pioneer uses a few different kinds of Tact Switches for their devices, mainly Panasonic and ALPS switches.

Spare parts are quite widely available, but searching and purchasing the part directly from the manufacturer can save about 50-90% of the Pioneer spare part price.

Mainly ALPS SKRGAAD010 for most CDJ 2000, 2000nexus Buttons as well as almost all DJM Buttons.

I think we should categorize that by brands, then device type etc.

A few service manuals for CDJ 2000 and CDJ 2000nexus as well as a few DJM Mixers are available. This would probably be copyrighted PDF though

Please be gentle, english is not my main language and i never posted anything here before, but i want to share my knowledge about the parts used in Pioneer DJ Equipment to save people and businesses money when sourcing spare parts. The repairs themselves are quite straight foward as it is no complicated electronic for the most failure prone "things" in those devices (almost always the switches or some plugs).

Guides can be created.

Almightyloaf (talk) 23:12, 6 September 2021 (CEST) almightyloaf

Add desktop milling machine
desktop milling machine are an important part of enthusiast community, is a good complement for small 3d printers, I have repaired the serial porft for one of this machines cheaply and i would like to add the procedure that I followed.
 * Feel free to add that procedure to a page, just make sure to give it a category, e.g. and  if you're still working on it. There's more help on the FAQ page. If the procedure is from a third-party website, make sure to add references to the website. Karar (talk) 09:20, 13 September 2021 (CEST)

Enterprise servers and network gear
I have plenty of Dell and Cisco systems that I would enjoy doing a writeup here and there explaining some fixes I ran across while I work with them. I am tired of seeing fixes that are "impossible without sending it in" and I want to help keep this kind of practice from becoming the industry standard. Mikemcdog (talk) 02:49, 13 September 2021 (CEST)
 * You are more than welcome to write those repair guides, take a look at the FAQ for help on formatting, if you don't know where to start feel free to ask us on the Discord. Karar (talk) 09:39, 13 September 2021 (CEST)
 * I've made a page on networking, you can link your stuff to there, and it should be on the main page once enough content is on it. CanadianOtaku  Talk Page 23:40, 13 September 2021 (CEST)

Audio Devices
Headphones, Speakers, Hi-fi systems, Sound drivers, Amplifiers, Microphones, etc. (Catfood (talk) 13:47, 13 September 2021 (CEST))

CNC routers & Plasma and Laser Cutters
Laser and Plasma cutters, CNC routers, etc. (Catfood (talk) 10:05, 14 September 2021 (CEST))

Aviation
There are many non important and non mission critical pieces of equipment and troubleshooting that is hidden from private and commercial pilots, various things such as reading reports and logs all the way to changing a battery in your headset, This category would be great to add for all of these pieces of information.

It would also be great to add important and critical pieces of equipment. For instance engine control boards, inertial reference sensors, flight controls, and black boxes.

To reproduce

 * New Firefox profile (93.0. 64-bit)
 * Install NoScript - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/addon/noscript/
 * Visit https://repair.wiki

Actual result

 * Yellow and white spinner (loading bars) stuck to the top of the page.

Expected result

 * No spinner
 * And/or:
 * -tag, telling me which domain(s) to enable Javascript for, and why

--Violaine (talk) 13:57, 8 October 2021 (CEST)

Industrial equipment
This site does not feature any categories for industrial appliances which could be repaired, therefore a suggestion to add one.

Reasoning why this would be an important category: Industrial sector is full of various equipment which upon failing create a nightmare for the upkeep personnel and then to the factory owners. New modern stuff is relatively easy to fix by replacing it with new (yet still there should be a possibility to fix it), but old obsolete items have a true potential on creating a financial nightmare for the factory. This nightmare scenario happens when replacement part is obsolete, nowhere to be found and god forbid a a one off item made for the purpose. So replacement is not an option, in order to repair the device someone needs to reverse engineer the contraption, since no schematics are available (or as in most cases it's not shared by manufacturer). Reverse engineering task might range from trivial to hell. Building something to replace the thing might be also quite problematic, hard, slow and expensive. This small failed unit can result in stopping a large production equipment and the system provider has only one option available "you guys should modernize", which can carry an humongous price tag and long production delay while the old thing is scrapped and new is built and installed. In a way these problems are not a concern of an average Joe, but if the factory goes down, there is going to be a lot of layoffs and an increase of the product prices to the end customers. If the company can't afford to get up and running the layoffs are going to get permanent and some product might cease to exist from the world. So in other terms the effect of a one broken old PCL unit can potentially cascade to many people.

Repairable industrial equipment could be roughly categorized as follows:  PLC's (Programmable logic controllers)  Motor controllers and frequency inverters  Robots and their controllers  Other controllers  Power supplies  UPS devices (although this one could as well be within IT appliances)  Machine vision equipment (camera and their controllers)  Process appliances (welders, heaters, ultrasonic washers, ultrasonic welders, gluing devices, vibrators (not the adult ones))  Air systems (vacuum stuff, compressors, valves, pressure sensors etc)  Production equipment (CNC lathes, CNC milling machines, presses, automation cells etc...)  Sensors (ranging from various small sensors up to an expensive lidar systems)  HID appliances (Human Interface Devices)(industrial screens, mouses, keyboards, panel PC's, PLC displays, touchscreen, etc...)

As another idea/suggestion, could this site harvest schematics/service manuals and have a nice and convenient way of sorting and searching among them (ie by name, product range, product series, manufacturer, genre, tags)? Scemosystems - Things should be able to be fixed if the equipment owner decides to do so! (talk) 03:30, 2 November 2021 (CET)

Vacuums & Blowers
I was able to fix my central vacuum and grooming blower by swapping out the motor brushes, Just thought it might be interesting to have people see where to look with pictures, etc.

Reply
Please check out and modify: Basic Vacuum Refurbishment, or create a more extensive page for specific models. Jon Doe (talk) 21:49, 7 December 2021 (CET)

Scales / Weighing equipment
I would like to post information regarding the repair of scales. I have quite a bit to share on board repair for specific models, and general scale repair. How to fix indicators with wandering readings, dead communications ports, no power, and dead load cell excitation. How to diagnose a bad load cell, or junction card, how to repair a faulty load cell junction card.

Reply
Please post this info, others will help, but the first page should be started. Example: Basic Vacuum Refurbishment Feel free to create sections, and use some of the ones found here, I agree, scales and load cells are infinitely useful, especially in shipping, and can be of great use to a number of people. Jon Doe (talk) 21:47, 7 December 2021 (CET)

Recreational Vehicles - New Section Suggestion
One group that has been "right to repair-ing" for a very long time is the RV owner world. Buried in forums and social media is a wealth of knowledge for peers helping each other to repair and modify their RV.

I'm not sure how best to create the RV section, but if someone will point me in the accepted direction for this implementation of Wiki tech, I'll be happy to stand it up.

Allow editors to see preview without entering captcha
I need to frequently see the preview to see how my edits will look, but I must enter a captcha every time, which is not saved and I will need to enter every time. While a small issue, reducing frustrations with editing is crucial to improving the wiki.

Add NEWS Box in the main page, and side bar...
https://support.apple.com/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/otherassets/programs/Expanding_Access_to_Service_and_Repairs.pdf https://www.selfservicerepair.com