Frequently Asked Questions
This is a short guide to inform those who have not had electronics repaired before, and also dispel commonly held misconceptions repeated (and through repetition, people then "believe" it to be "knowledge") by online AV forums, youtube videos from hobbyists/celebrity bloggers, advice from ones "knowledgeable friend" ie "my friends an electrician/he knows how to use a soldering iron/he's built an amplifier from kit form, and he said.." or even those working in music retail stores, brand reps and installers - none of which have electronics skills, experience (use of a soldering iron, nor building a "kit" is not experience :-) nor training, in circuit theory, component level diagnosis and repair..
..there are knowledgeable people in the Perth music industry, and the wise ones understand that "they know what they don't know..and don't pretend to know, nor inform people, that which they do not"..
Diagnosis
Definition - the identification of the fault/s, by examining the symptoms, and then testing.
In electronics, this identification is performed by observations once the device is in the workshop, open, with the aid of test equipment and by a qualified, industry trained technician.
A common misconception is that symptoms are the fault.. this is false. The workshop uses the symptoms as a starting point to diagnosis, which is then performed on the workbench.
Diagnosis is not performed any other way. Not
- over the phone,
- with a function test, displaying only the symptoms,
- by referencing a you tube video
- asking someone on an AV forum
as none of the above involve real world measurements of the faulty device from the workshop bench, with test equipment...which, most importantly, and an often overlooked point, is the only environment where the health of the remaining circuitry can also be assessed, ensuring an actual repair warranty of merit can be given on the device.
For hobbyists, a "success" is to find the one faulty component, replace it...and then that is it.. which may be acceptable for ones own equipment... unacceptable for those who must deliver work to a standard, ensuring returned equipment is in a repair warranty state.