I decided I'm going to try to fix my old printer.

I've had this Samsung C460W for probably well over a decade now. First printer I've ever had, and it was okayish. Print quality is serviceable but not great. It had lots of tray paper jams early on, but those went away. At some point Windows lost its ability to connect to the printer over wifi and needed USB instead, but Linux prints just fine over wifi. But Linux prints only black, no colour, somehow.

And this weekend I tried to print some stuff which went really slowly (according to my son, it suddenly started printing again 4 hours later). And eventually it started to smell while claiming a paper jam.

With some trouble, I pulled 3 sheets of paper from it. Two had been fused together and printed on both sides several times with an image I was trying to print (I don't think it's supposed to be a double sided printer, so I'm interested how that's possible), while the third has a brownish sheen and has been torn to shreds.

I have managed to print something after that, and that went fine, but got another paper jam after that. And the smell every time I tried to print. The smell is probably not healthy and I should probably just get a new printer.

But electronically it's fine. It clearly still wants to print, it's just that there's something stuck inside. I want to open it up and clean it, but it was hard finding how, until I saw someone mention a "fusing unit" and I searched specifically for that, and found this: youtube.com/watch?v=AHAsZmJvz9…

That's probably the culprit. And apparently it's possible to clean or replace it. And replacements cost
€ 55 at the biggest Dutch webshop: (bol.com/nl/nl/p/samsung-fuser-…) which is a lot cheaper than a new printer.

Of course that means I'd still be stuck with this versatile but problematic printer, but on the other hand, it means I don't have to throw it away. Or maybe I could fix it and then give it to some charity.

I'm probably going to fix it just to prove that this can be fixed. Not sure what I'm going to do after that, but I'm open to suggestions.

A lot of right to repair advocates talk about how YOU can fix your own thing. But it's just as important to enable repairmen the ability to fix your thing.

Today a well pump technician accidentally came to my house instead of my neighbor's house but I asked him if he could come by after his original appointment and see if he can fix my low pressure.

It took him 1 minute to look at it and realize I needed a new contactor and pressure switch. He replaced in about 15 minutes with a spare part he had in his truck already.

No proprietary connectors, authentication server or OEM lockouts. #RightToRepair

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I made an update about my repair project.

We've just launched the landing page for The Repair App! If you're interested in following our progress as we approach the launch of our MVP, please consider signing up for our mailing list here.

https://therepair.app

Bonjour à tous ! Cela fait un moment que je n'ai pas fait de mise à jour sur notre projet de réparation.

On vient de lancer la page « landing page » pour The Repair App ! Si vous souhaitez suivre nos progrès à mesure que nous approchons du lancement de notre MVP, vous pouvez vous inscrire à notre mailing liste ici.

https://therepair.app

REPLAY CREW! I knew the lead stories would be a bit heavy, but the chat was AMAZING this week. https://somegadgetguy.com/2025/05/12/sggqa-396-tariffs-with-china-paused-windows-10-support-extended-xperia-1-vii-leaks/

Some wild highs and lows this week. Republicans cutting broadband and education initiatives, but Microsoft extending Windows 10 support and Phillips offering 3D printing repair kits!

Let's get our tech week started right!

Philips debuts 3D printable components to repair products | Tom's Hardware

https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/philips-debuts-3d-printable-components-to-repair-products

> No more rigging your own fixes, download the official part.

Documents are gratis. I wonder what license they are. I guess a proprietary one still nice.

'Late on Friday, May 9, the Texas state House of Representatives passed HB 2963, Rep. Gio Capriglione (R-Keller), which requires manufacturers of electronic devices sold to consumers to make repair materials available to consumers and independent repair shops. It’s the latest bipartisan landslide vote in favor of Right to Repair reforms, which have already passed in eight other states.' https://pirg.org/texas/updates/texas-state-house-passes-right-to-repair-126-to-zero/?pg=14 #righttorepair #uslaw #uspol

Hey #TampaBay area handy folx! I am actively looking into starting a local “popup” Repair Cafe that could be hosted at least monthly, probably in rotating locations around the greater Tampa Bay area.

I’ve been trying to find something along these lines where I could volunteer but there don’t seem to be any active groups. So - I am willing to be the wrangler for this! However, I am basically a hermit and I don’t have a network of local folx who might be able and willing to join me.

If you are in the greater Tampa Bay area and handy with fixing stuff*, and you would be willing to occasionally spend a day** helping our community extend the life of their stuff, please reach out to me?
#RightToRepair
#RepairCafe
#VisibleMending #CircularEconomy
Boosts appreciated!

How to Save Your #Smartphone’s Battery Life

Shrug off your anxiety with these power-saving tips to extend the juice of your iPhone or Android phone.

by Simon Hill

"You may also be interested in how to look after your smartphone battery to ensure it lasts as long as possible and how to get a battery replacement when the time comes."

Read more:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-save-your-smartphone-s-battery-life?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

Spent the afternoon volunteering at a local Repair Café event, and it was a ton of fun! Got to spend time with new people in my community, and get my hands into some fun gadgets I wouldn't normally.

Check https://www.repaircafe.org/en/ for local events or permanent establishments, and help your neighbors or get help from them!

Gonna tell my kids this was the american Pope

https://youtu.be/fEMR6zKP9l8?si=n_aQxcwI5Qf4N7Or&t=304

Some people say they want simpler, fixable technologies. But would your or them buy it. Is this just a throwback/aspirational thing?

Huh, Canada Gov learning a lesson about being able to fix something you bought, like the F-35?

What if you also learned that farmers, techies and lots of people would also love the right to repair stuff too.

Maybe fix that up across the board for everyone.