If you see me somewhere please let me know. I’ve no idea where I went.
Fair enough, but there are still mechanical moving parts that could fail. An evening watching YouTube videos that cover known, user-serviceable issues could save a few headaches (and maybe some money) if anything happens in the future.
Never fun to pay a few hundred monies for a tow and a repair you could have done at the roadside.
I’m gonna add not so much a single item as an idea. If you are a car owner, find your car in an online owners’ message board. There will usually be a post or more detailing socket sizes and types, specialty tools, and common issues with your car model. Take notes and go to Harbor Freight to assamble a dedicated tool kit to keep in your car. Mine cost about US$50 and fits in a small soft bag. You only have to get tools to cover repairs you’re comfortable performing yourself, though if you break down and a good samaritan stops to help, they can make good use of them.
If you’re feeling rich and sassy, think about adding oil changing tools like a filter wrench, and more extensive accessories like a torque wrench (the clicky kind is fine) and a basic engine code reader. You can always Google the code for your vehicle once you know it. If your car has special bolts for something, make sure you get the sockets for them. You don’t have to keep the entire set, just the sizes your car actually needs.
Include baling wire, zip ties, gasket maker, hose clamps, and some repair tape that will withstand pressure. If there’s a repair manual for your car, get one.
The idea is that, should anything happen when you’re out and about, you’ll have everything with you to get yourself back on the road, even if all you’re doing is limping the car to the nearest shop. At the very least, it’s handy to have all the car tools in one place.
Great advice. I’d also add that it really helps to try keeping an understanding of how things work and basic repair or testing procedures. You can get amazing deals on things that are “broken” when the owner just doesn’t want to try repairing it.
Most things can get repaired, and there is probably a video or five online explaining common issues and how to troubleshoot/repair them. Sometimes if you’re lucky, all it takes is a factory reset. Just note how something isn’t working and Google the symptom.
Our 52” like-new LG tv was in a free pile at a garage sale. I asked the owner why and he described how it behaved; sure enough, that behaviour was a brief Google away. $40 and an afternoon later, I had replaced the backlight strips and it’s still our primary TV.
Learn how to sew. Learn basic soldering techniques and how to use a voltmeter. Learn how to replace your own brake rotors and pads. The information is out there and it’s worth knowing.
Commenting to remind that the Pinecil won’t work plugged into a laptop or standard USB-C power bank. You need something like a laptop/steam deck charger that puts out the appropriate wattage.
But if you don’t do a massive amount of soldering (or want a portable or small footprint setup) the Pinecil is fantastic.
It used volatile memory, which was standard for the time, and required a battery backup to keep your data preserved in case the 3 AA cells (which lasted about 700 hours of use) completely drained. No, 700 is not a typo.
The later editions (the Neo and Neo 2) are still compatible with modern technology, since when the Alphasmart is plugged into a computer (or smartphone) via USB, it shows up as a keyboard. Sending your text file to the computer basically just sends all the keystrokes over to your text editor of choice as though you’re typing it really fast.
Just shame-ate an entire pot of mac & cheese FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPIRE!