oliverdavies.uk/content/node.8174931b-97d3-457f-8822-00c905fe9e1d.yml

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      <p>Today, I rediscovered my hardware knowledge and fixed my son's laptop - a Lenovo ThinkPad X390.</p>

      <p>Some keys weren't working when pressed, only to have the characters appear a few seconds later.</p>

      <p>Fun fact: I started my career refurbishing and repairing laptop computers.</p>

      <p>My first job was for a local laptop company that refurbished ex-business laptops for resale, followed by working for Panasonic where I'd repair laptops from blue chip clients across Europe.</p>

      <p>I used to build custom PCs, but have done little to no hardware work since I started in software development in 2010.</p>

      <p>Today, though, I took the laptop apart and after checking the motherboard and keyboard were OK, I reseated the keyboard and cleaned any dust from inside the casing.</p>

      <p>It worked!</p>

      <p>If I'd have returned it to a manufacturer or taken it to a local computer repair shop, I'd have had to pay for them to diagnose and (hopefully) resolve the issue.</p>

      <h2 id="here%27s-the-thing">Here's the thing</h2>

      <p>Most laptops and phones today are sealed units and not as modular, repairable or upgradable as the devices I used to work on.</p>

      <p>In some cases, you can't upgrade or repair them yourself.</p>

      <p>Similar to <a href="/daily/2024/12/13/gitea">having control and ownership of my own data</a>, I like the ability to repair a keyboard myself or to add more memory or storage to my laptop.</p>

      <p>As well as installing and running my own software, <a href="/daily/2024/12/01/homelabbing-with-nixos">starting a homelab</a> has also reignited my interest in hardware and being able to upgrade and repair my own devices.</p>

              
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      <p>Today, I rediscovered my hardware knowledge and fixed my son's laptop - a Lenovo ThinkPad X390.</p>

      <p>Some keys weren't working when pressed, only to have the characters appear a few seconds later.</p>

      <p>Fun fact: I started my career refurbishing and repairing laptop computers.</p>

      <p>My first job was for a local laptop company that refurbished ex-business laptops for resale, followed by working for Panasonic where I'd repair laptops from blue chip clients across Europe.</p>

      <p>I used to build custom PCs, but have done little to no hardware work since I started in software development in 2010.</p>

      <p>Today, though, I took the laptop apart and after checking the motherboard and keyboard were OK, I reseated the keyboard and cleaned any dust from inside the casing.</p>

      <p>It worked!</p>

      <p>If I'd have returned it to a manufacturer or taken it to a local computer repair shop, I'd have had to pay for them to diagnose and (hopefully) resolve the issue.</p>

      <h2 id="here%27s-the-thing">Here's the thing</h2>

      <p>Most laptops and phones today are sealed units and not as modular, repairable or upgradable as the devices I used to work on.</p>

      <p>In some cases, you can't upgrade or repair them yourself.</p>

      <p>Similar to <a href="/daily/2024/12/13/gitea">having control and ownership of my own data</a>, I like the ability to repair a keyboard myself or to add more memory or storage to my laptop.</p>

      <p>As well as installing and running my own software, <a href="/daily/2024/12/01/homelabbing-with-nixos">starting a homelab</a> has also reignited my interest in hardware and being able to upgrade and repair my own devices.</p>

              
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