Saturday, October 18th, 2008
Try Fixing it First!
So many things today are considered disposable. Think about it, disposable razors, paper plates, plastic ware just to name a few. Considering how cheap things are, especially kids toys that are made of plastic in China, we even consider those disposable. When a toy is broken, as commonly happens with kids stuff, try fixing it before pitching it.
Today I was able to successfully fix my daughter’s bubble machine (pictured). Basically it is a piece of plastic with a couple of motors and a fan. It stopped working about a month ago and we had started looking for a replacement at the stores. Instead of pitching it and buying a new one I tried to fix it.
Using a volt meter and a screw driver I was able to determine that the problem was a loose wire on the ON switch. Many problems do not requires a degree in Electrical Engineering to diagnose and fix. Many problems can be solved with a little glue (super glue is great for plastic repairs). After finding the problem, it was easily fixed using a soldering iron and some solder. It took about 20 minutes all in all and that was even with help from my four year old twins along the way.
Not everything is salvageable, but many things are. I also took a part a favorite toy helicopter today that had a spinning rotor that wasn’t spinning anymore. Unfortunately the problem was several broken motor mounts inside that would not hold up even to super gluing. After pulling the electric motor and switch, which I hope to make into something else like a mini wind turbine in the future, the rest had to be chucked.
So the next time something stops working, spend a few minutes trying to figure out what is wrong and see if you can fix it. Remember common sense and don’t get into something that is beyond your capability. Gluing back together a wooden toy is an easy thing and will make a little one very happy after they thought their toy would never be the same.
