captain_slinky: (Smile)
captain_slinky ([personal profile] captain_slinky) wrote2013-04-09 07:36 am

Uh oh...

Our new-to-us 50-inch HDTV that we bought at Goodwill Outlet for $20 last month seems to be *dead*.

It's an old Sony HDTV from the earlier days of HDTV. It weighs 50,000 pounds because it is a TUBE TV (not LCD or Plasma). It's old enough to feature a Sony Memory Stick Reader on the front - does Sony even MAKE Memory Sticks any more? No SD or USB capability, so I'm gonna say this is probably from 1999.

Went to turn it on this morning and the little power indicator light went on, it made a humming noise (as always) and then... nothing. The light blinked and then turned off. I tried it several times because, y'know, if you do the same thing over and over again expecting different results then you're awesome (I think that's how that goes).

Lucky for me, I used to work at COmcast and so I'm doing all the standard troubleshooting stuff before i give up. If we have to get rid of this TV it won't be the *worst thing*, we just so happen to have a back-up TV in the other room. No, the WORST part about this TV being dead (if it really is actually DEAD) will be removing it's giant corpse from our living room. It almost KILLED us to get it in here! [livejournal.com profile] khristle STILL has scars from the incident!

Meanwhile, I have to figure out a way to wake up Molly. Our usual routine is the same way my own Mother would wake ME up when I was young; settle down on the couch and drift yourself awake while Sesame Street plays on the TV. It's a gentle, soothing way to wake up :) This morning, though, will be a stark and jarringly bleak "WAKE UP WE NEED TO GET DRESSED EAT BREAKFAST AND GO TO SCHOOL!!!"

EDIT UPDATE: I fixed it because I am entirely too awesome! I lov old electronics because a lot of the time it just boils down to "Unplug it for ten minutes then plug it back in" :)

[identity profile] khristle.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
do not scare me like that!!!!!!!

[identity profile] captain-slinky.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Good morning! No need for coffee, I have the thought of a broken behemoth to wake ME up :)

[identity profile] whiskeyjack.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)
You 'reconfigured the primary power coupling'.

I wake the kids up by saying "Good morning! Wake-y wake-y! Here is your wake-up puppy!" and I open the door and Pippin jumps on them and licks their faces.

[identity profile] captain-slinky.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I have a great wake-up song that I reserve for emergencies, never fails :)
aurora77: (Pinup)

[personal profile] aurora77 2013-04-09 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Between cold boots, re-plugging loose cables, and percussive maintenance, I've fixed more electronics than I can count. It's always worth trying a few simple things before giving up.

[identity profile] captain-slinky.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 04:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"Percussive Maintenance" :D

[identity profile] khristle.livejournal.com 2013-04-09 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
OMG percussive maintenance is the best phrase ever! I can't wait to use it at work.
aurora77: (Pinup)

[personal profile] aurora77 2013-04-09 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It's one of my favorites. :) Had an old printer that it worked on regularly.

[identity profile] lynna12000.livejournal.com 2013-04-10 08:14 am (UTC)(link)
In my home, percussive maintenance is also known as attitude adjustment thru blunt force trauma. It is effective on both organic and inorganice organisms.