Clarie Downey, Executive with the Community Reuse Network Ireland, and our own Jeffrey Roe went on the Today with Sean O’Rourke show on RTE Radio One. Thet chatted about repair cafes and repair culture in Ireland. You can listen back via the link below.
More Appliance Repairs
We are no stranger to appliance repairs at TOG. In the past we have taken part in Repair Cafe’s, and we’ve looked at things brought to us by members and visitors. This time it was a Beko DW600 dishwasher that kept burning out its water heater relay every few months. The heater should only be on when heating the water but it seemed to be on all the time, and the machine could be heard gurgling and hissing when filling. On investigation, the Omron G5 relay that powers the water heater had failed with visible burning on the case. The relay failed in the ON state.
This is a very cheap part…. less than 1 Euro. After replacing it several times a few months apart, a bigger and better relay was found after a rummage through our electronics room. A Crydom D2450 solid state relay rated at 45 Amps and zero-crossing switching no less! This should have no trouble handling the approx 7.5A that the heater draws.
What was causing the original relay to fail is not certain. It doesn’t have much air circulation where it is mounted, and the the location of the control PCB itself is very close to the hot inner door of the dishwasher. So time will tell if the new relay can handle the job.
Welder repair
An ancient proverb says that power tool failures occur in threes. During the same week that the lathe motor burned out and the compressor wire meltdown has turned it into a scary noise machine, we also had a mysterious malfunction in one of our welders. It didn’t release any smoke, didn’t make weird noises. It just didn’t weld. 0 volts across the output.
This machine, a small 180A TIG/MMA inverter welder, has recently been repaired. It was not used heavily, as TOG has only so much use for welding. In fact, it was only used by a couple members to practise their welding skills.
On one hand, this machine was 5 year old, has been used extensively in the past and could have been written off as death of old age. The cost of a commercial repair would probably exceed the value of the welder. On the other hand – why not try to repair it ourselves before scrapping it?
Sandymount Repair Cafe – CANCELLED
Repair Cafe returns to Sandymount on Saturday 7th of March 2:00pm – 5:00pm. The event were expert volunteers help you repair everyday items and talk you through the process. The event is totally free.
Bring along your broken items and learn how to fix them alongside expert volunteers…. anything from stereos to suitcases, lamps to laptops, chairs to chinos and plates to parasols.
TOG will be making up part of the team of volunteers on the day. The event takes place in Christchurch Hall, Sandymount.
-Update- This is now cancelled. https://www.facebook.com/events/804078342975111/
TOG at Repair Cafe
TOG will be at Sandymount Repair Cafe this coming Saturday (27th) 2pm – 5pm in Christchurch Hall, Sandymount.
A repair cafe is where people come together and fix all sorts of things. Experts work along side the object’s owner and take a journey together to repair things. The hope is next time you will be able to fix something yourself .
If you have something that is in need of repair and want to know how to do it, drop by on Saturday.
TOG in the Irish Times
TOG was mentioned in the Irish Times on 10th June 2014: No wasters: how to repair a throwaway culture.
Tog, a collaborative makers’ space or “hackerspace” based in an old warehouse on Chancery Lane in Dublin, will help out at the cafe. Tog shares knowledge and tools in everything from 3D printing to knitting. One of its innovations is the Twitter Knitter, whereby Becky Yates, a software engineer, has repurposed a 45-year-old knitting machine to knit tweets.
Next door to Tog is a marketing company, and Tog members love scavenging from its waste. One find was a quantity of rubber ducks, which have been fashioned into a Duck Matrix display. “We’re terrible for puns in this place,” says Tríona O’Connell, part of Tog and a PhD research scientist at Dublin City University.
Ireland’s second Repair Cafe takes place on June 28, at Christchurch Hall, Sandymount, Dublin 4, 2pm-5pm. Some TOG members have previously helped out with the Repair Cafe.
The Twitter Knitter has been shown at Dublin Mini Maker Faire 2013 and at HACK/CHANGE (photos).