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Comments on Can I ask about debugging/fixing a broken product?

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Can I ask about debugging/fixing a broken product?

+5
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I've taken a part a broken roomba down to the PCB. I can connect the PCB directly to the battery and connect the charging cable & charger to the PCB.

I'm wondering if I could post about asking for suggestions on debugging the issue. I know consumer electronics are most likely off topic, but I'd ask about the PCB specifically and why the input voltage is wrong.

Someone suggested I try debugging the charging mosfets, but I'm a beginner hobbyist and don't know how, or where to ask about how.

discussion on-topic off-topic
posted almost 4 years ago
4y ago
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dustytrash‭
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−4

Thanks for asking.

Repair questions are off-topic, in general.

We may consider a repair question, if you explain your specific troubleshooting steps, and you understand the design of the device. In practice, the second condition means that you should have a schematic.

posted almost 4 years ago
4y ago
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Nick Alexeev‭
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Lundin‭ wrote almost 4 years ago
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There is not yet any consensus about what to do with repair questions and to what extent they are allowed. It is not yet addressed by the site policies as they stand. This meta post is a good place to discuss this and perhaps come up with specific rules. But until there is community consensus, please don't run off closing posts. This isn't electronics.stackexchange.com.

Nick Alexeev‭ wrote almost 4 years ago
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@Lundin If we let the repair posts accumulate, then everyone who visits our site thinks that repair posts are okay, and they will post more. We will end up with a runaway effect. So, it makes sense to nip this in the bud at an early stage.

Lundin‭ wrote almost 4 years ago
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My point here is that we discuss things as a community and come up with a consensus about what to do with these kind of questions before we run off to moderate posts. The current on-topic/off-topic list doesn't even address repair questions.

Kranulis‭ wrote almost 4 years ago
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+Lundin. Just because something is not covered by site policy does not mean it is off-topic. That is something you came up with.

Nick Alexeev‭ wrote almost 4 years ago
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@Lundin I'd like to share an article with you: A Group Is Its Own Worst Enemy by Clay Shirky. I've read it many years ago, and it had shaped my perspective.