Repair Team

[helios]

Andy Krell and Skip Guenter are Team Leads for this team. They will
gather some of the best hardware tech people in Austin to man the
tables that ultimately make this project work. Andy or Skip will want
to talk to each person volunteering, making sure they know the pace
which they will have to work and be comfortable that the people
volunteering know the ins and outs of diagnosing a broken computer.
Gauging from last year's Repair Team, I don't think that will be a
problem. Contact Akrell at gmail dott komm to join this team.

[Michael Collins]

Is there a doc describing what we need from the usb installation devices?  I could work o that if needed.

--
--
Michael H. Collins

OpenAuk.com

[helios]

We are currently working on finding someone to create the image.  I have the additional software and games to add to it.  Will post it shortly.

--
A child's exposure to technology should never be predicated on an ability to pay for it.

[Michael Collins]

Should we wait on mint9 as its coming out in a few weeks?

[helios]

No...I think the Mint 8 release will work for us here.  Knowing that it takes a couple of months to work out any bugs, I would rather use something I know is stable. 

[Andy Krell]

Hi Folks.

Please drop a post here if you are interested in volunteering for the
hardware team. We're looking for hardware savvy people who aren't
afraid of sharp case edges, dust bunnies, bios beep codes or bubba's
home built PC. You don't need to know the make and models of every
CPU, video card or what not, but we DO need folks with excellent
troubleshooting skills. (Go go scientific method) The repair team is
fast paced and I had a great time last year meeting folks, fixing
systems, and scratching my head in wonderment at the things people do
to computers.

Please let us know if you have any ideas for the hardware team,
particularly if you participated last year and have feedback based on
that experience. Skip and I have been brainstorming ideas on how we
want to setup this year to increase our efficiency.

So far we're thinking:
- Minimum of 4 repair stations with LCD, keyboard, mouse
- Each station would be manned by a team of two
- Possibly a "spare" fifth station for overflow, or to be used by
other teams
- Having a team or two in reserve so we can allow for breaks, chit
chat, surge, etc
- Good lighting, we had a cave affect last year

The teams of two approach worked really well for us last year.

-Andy

[Paul Griffiths]

Do yourself a favor and get yourself out of that back corner where you were last year.  :-(       It was cramped, dark and hot -- all conditions not conducive to you doing your best work.  You might perhaps be better off on the other side of the bar, in the raised platform area.  I think it had a higher ceiling (think heat dispersion).  Just an idea.

I also think your idea of four teams of two, with reserves to rotate in, is an excellent one.

griff

_______
Paul (griff) Griffiths

[helios]

We may be going in with a professional electrician this coming weekend to look over the circuits.  Don will do a floor layout then and post it to the group so as to get a better idea of what we are working with.  Most of us remember what the layout was but Don has some experience with this so we'll take a look at it and see how best to situate everyone.  We expect higher traffic and more volunteers this year so we will need to make the decisions prior to moving stuff in and out.  Lighting is as ongoing issue but bringing in the standard types of lighting also creates added heat.  I think we need to get the repair and salvage/parts teams into the best light possible.

[Don Davis]

>> So far we're thinking:
>> - Minimum of 4 repair stations with LCD, keyboard, mouse
>> - Each station would be manned by a team of two

Is a station a table?

>> - Possibly a "spare" fifth station for overflow, or to be used by
>> other teams

4(5) tables? or 2 (3)?

Ross had his cordless screwdriver's chuck set just right. Good idea.
(Multiple cordless screwdrivers / drills)
There were definitely too few screwdrivers.
More canned air. (much more)
Hand held vac.
Rubbing alcohol for the computers.
(band-aids for the crew).
The laminated quick sort reference guide for RAM.
Skip's sorting crates for parts.
Miscellaneous pre-sorted screws and the blank slide-ins for the back of
the computer.
Empty mechanical pencils for straightening pins.
At least a power supply tester at each station (or someone with a paper
clip and the right knowledge).
hdmi -> vga converters at each table.
1 x needle nose

[sgue...@austin.rr.com]

1) 3 tables.

2) I've got at least 2 Phillips I can bring that I wouldn't have a hissy over if I lost.

3) Figure out where we can locate a 120v compressor and I could bring that but it takes an entire circuit by itself and is very noisy. 50ft hose. Would really wanna locate it outside so you'd have to get repair close to a door probably. I don't like this but I also don't like canned air. Open to other suggestions on this.

4) I'll bring alcohol and/or alcohol pads.

5) Screws, really only need 2 bins, fine (CD drives) and course (all else). What you might need and salvage can probably provide are those dang Dell green slide mounts with their shanked machine screws. If intact, Dells came with extras mounted inside the case.

6) Have one PSU tester but I think 1 more and we'd be good.

7) U mean DVI to VGA I think. I'll bring a couple.

8) Let's just have each person on Repair bring their own needle nose and a Phillips screwdriver? Dudes, make sure u label ur stuff. Some people (sheepish grin) walk off and forget their stuff and spend the next week running it down.

9) I'm looking into some portable florescent lights. But having repair guys each bring a flashlight might be a good idea also.... again, label them dudes.

[Paul Griffiths]

I have a PSU tester that I can bring. 

griff

_______
Paul (griff) Griffiths

[sgue...@austin.rr.com]

Kewl! Count = 2
---- Paul Griffiths <gr...@joseph-bolton.com> wrote:

[Andy Krell]

Agreed that the back corner was far from ideal. Aside from the bench
seating, which was usurped by the parts depot anyways.

Also agreed anyone on the repair team should furnish their own basic
tools. Screwdrivers, needle nose, flashlight, first aid kit, ammo
bandolier, etc. I'll bring my Milwaukee cordless drill, woe to the
soul that tries to make off with that. I think Ross brought a
portable air blower (geek hair dryer?) of some sort last year, but it
kept blowing the circuit, so we'll want to stay away from those.

I'm hoping we can scavenge those !@#$@#% Dell green drive slides from
RAMBUS equipped and other problematic Dell machines that come in.

Supplies I can bring:
Small 120V compressor (given power and outside space)
Canned air (agree it blows, har har, but can be used inside)
A few DVI to VGA converters
Screws of various sorts

Also suggest we source:
PC case card slot covers (blanks) - helps keep dust OUT of the
machines

Good feedback folks.

[Paul Griffiths]

On 5/6/2010 11:52 AM, Andy Krell wrote:
> I'll bring my Milwaukee cordless drill

I have a cordless screwdriver that I can bring for the hardware repair
team to use

> I'm hoping we can scavenge those !@#$@#% Dell green drive slides from
> RAMBUS equipped and other problematic Dell machines that come in.
>

We need to be sure and gain commitment from the intake team that they
are on the lookout for these nuggets of gold as they strip machines
headed for the e-waste pile.

griff

[Andy Krell]

That will be the Salvage team run by Alex.

I can amend the salvage guide document with random needs like these
before the event.

[Michael Collins]

I'd be glad to help but be forewarned:  At the first sign I think hardware has issues I fling it as far as possible.  I am too old nowadays to try to resurrect failing hardware.  I use to spent months disbelieving that hardware could go bad and wasting time and money.. 

[Andy Krell]

Folks,

Please take a minute to update Alex's Google Document volunteer list
if you're interested in the repair team. Griff, not sure if you want
to do repair or install, seen comments from you in both threads.

[Paul Griffiths]

On 5/6/2010 4:32 PM, Andy Krell wrote:
> Griff, not sure if you want
> to do repair or install, seen comments from you in both threads.
>

I guess I'm just a flexible kinda guy. ;-)

I've added myself to the install team because I'd already talked to Tom
King and others about that, and that's where I was last year. But, feel
free to move me wherever you have a need. I could be happy and
productive just about anywhere.

[sgue...@austin.rr.com]

Done. Alex and I have already covered this.

Skip

[rossperk]

Besides Mint 8 CDs for the repair team to test with, do you think
MemTest86+ CDs would also be of use? (If so, how many would be needed
to cover a disc per repair partners?)

---Ross

On May 4, 2:26 pm, helios <hel...@fixedbylinux.com> wrote:
> No...I think the Mint 8 release will work for us here.  Knowing that it
> takes a couple of months to work out any bugs, I would rather use something
> I know is stable.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 6:14 PM, Michael Collins <linuxl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Should we wait on mint9 as its coming out in a few weeks?
>
> > On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 4:23 PM, helios <hel...@fixedbylinux.com> wrote:
>
> >> We are currently working on finding someone to create the image.  I have
> >> the additional software and games to add to it.  Will post it shortly.
>

> >> On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 1:45 PM, Michael Collins <linuxl...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> >>> Is there a doc describing what we need from the usb installation devices?
> >>>  I could work o that if needed.
>

> >>> On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 9:56 PM, helios <lobby4li...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>>> Andy Krell and Skip Guenter are Team Leads for this team.  They will
> >>>> gather some of the best hardware tech people in Austin to man the
> >>>> tables that ultimately make this project work.  Andy or Skip will want
> >>>> to talk to each person volunteering, making sure they know the pace
> >>>> which they will have to work and be comfortable that the people
> >>>> volunteering know the ins and outs of diagnosing a broken computer.
> >>>> Gauging from last year's Repair Team, I don't think that will be a
> >>>> problem.  Contact Akrell at gmail dott komm to join this team.
>
> >>> --
> >>> --
> >>> Michael H. Collins
>
> >>> OpenAuk.com
>
> >> --
> >> A child's exposure to technology should never be predicated on an ability
> >> to pay for it.
>
> > --
> > --
> > Michael H. Collins
>
> > OpenAuk.com
>
> --
> A child's exposure to technology should never be predicated on an ability to

> pay for it.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[helios]

memtest takes forever to run if I remember right and we just won't have time to run it.  If a machine gives memory errors and replacing the memory isn't working, then just tag it with the problem and we can deal with it after the event out at the shop or at Skip's shop.

[Andy Krell]

Agree with Ken that memtest is pretty time intensive.

I was thinking of trying to hold on to some "reference" RAM of the
major types so we'd be able to differentiate between bad RAM and
motherboard issues.

[helios]

Also, it would be good to have someone on the salvage team that can "decipher" some of the ram like Kingston that doesn't have obvious PC2700 DDR on it.

[Alex Thurlow]

I was thinking we'd end up with at least one laptop at the salvage station to look up model numbers of things that aren't labeled well.  Do we know yet if we'll have wireless access there, or will we need to set up a 3G to Wifi bridge of some kind?

[Alan Jones]

Hi Alex and all,

On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 8:43 AM, Alex Thurlow <al...@alexthurlow.com> wrote:
> I was thinking we'd end up with at least one laptop at the salvage station
> to look up model numbers of things that aren't labeled well.  Do we know yet
> if we'll have wireless access there, or will we need to set up a 3G to Wifi
> bridge of some kind?

I've been thinking of rooting my droid to allow a 3g to wifi bridge. I
could make sure
that's done by then. I've also got an ADP (G1) lying about that it
should be possible
to make that happen on.

Cheers,

Alan.

[Alex Thurlow]

I have a rooted G1 as well, so that's why I was asking. I don't have
the wifi bridge stuff installed right now, but if I know that we need
it, I can do it.

[sgue...@austin.rr.com]

Do believe they have wireless there.

[Andy Krell]

I have a Verizon 3G MiFi that up to 4 people can connect to.

The Kingston ram numbers almost always come up on a google search.

[RW]

My G1 is ready to be used as an access point if need be.


- RW

[Lynn Bender]

Do not count on the wireless at UP.
It is unreliable, and the back office where everything is
is a mess.

We should make other arrangements.

-Lynn

--
-Lynn Bender
http://geekaustin.org
http://linuxagainstpoverty.org
http://twitter.com/linearb