Thursday 14 January 2021

Repairing for Thriftyness! Zoom H4n tiny repair!




I'm always repairing stuff and find it a really rewarding thing to do for all kinds of reasons. I've been thinking about how repairs have different things that drive the desire to repair. Many times I repair because I need to use a tool that I've managed to break and can't wait for a replacement, sometimes I'm repairing something I've made, a crashed rocket or ripped parachute. Sometimes repairs are emotional and nostalgic, repairing an item I have an attachment too that is irreplaceable. Sometimes I feel repairs are important in terms of heritage, particularly older tools/ lathe etc. Anyway... today I was thinking, sometimes I repair because I am thrifty!

I particularly wanted one of these zoom H4n audio recorders as I wanted to explore a particular feature they have that's slightly different to others. They are an older model now that were about £250 originally but now can be picked up in good condition for about £100. However you can often find them cheaper listed with a bit of wear and a few faults. This one was listed with a few cosmetic scrapes, an intermittent fault on a button, and the SD card slot cover missing.... it was therefore much cheaper! 

On arrival a quick blow through the case with some canned air has cured the button press issue and it's always worth searching ebay for people selling scrap/spares/repair versions of your item. I managed to find an entire right hand side chassis component for £3.20 complete with the SD card slot. A quick swap and it's not quite as good as new, but it's 100% functional and ready to go! For the repairers out there these are pretty easy to work on, no glues and standard screws!


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