Terry Allen (u/terryallen)

Posts

Power supply went pop on a client build last Thursday

I was wrapping up a new build for a regular customer, a mid-tier gaming rig with a Ryzen 5 and a 4060. Everything was going smooth until I hit the power button and heard a loud pop followed by that burnt electronics smell. The PSU was a brand new EVGA 600 watt unit I bought from Micro Center three days prior. I jumped back, killed the power strip, and just stared at the smoke curling out the back. After checking all the connections and finding no shorts, I pulled the PSU and tested it on my bench with a multimeter. Dead as a doornail, not even the standby voltage was there. Has anyone else had a brand new power supply fail like that out of the box, or did I just get a freak lemon?

2 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

terryallen•1d ago

Realized I was tightening lug nuts way too hard for years

I was at a shop in Tulsa last month helping a buddy swap tires on his F-150, and I grabbed my torque wrench out of habit. He looked at me funny and said most people just ugga-dugga them on with an impact gun. But I checked the spec on his truck, 150 ft-lbs, and I bet half the cars I see on the road have them torqued to like 200 or more. Has anyone else noticed warped rotors from over-tightening?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

terryallen•4d ago

Blew a door lock circuit board on a Saturday service call in downtown Portland

Guy calls in at 8am saying his freight elevator is stuck between floors with a pallet of restaurant supplies. I get there and the door lock relay is just clicking like crazy, not latching. I figure it's a bad contactor, pull the old board off, and there's a burn mark right next to the capacitor. Must have been a power surge or something. Took me 3 hours to swap it out because the replacement board had a slightly different pin layout and I had to rewire two connectors. Has anyone else had this issue with older GAL door lock boards acting up after a storm?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

terryallen•6d ago

Just realized my camp stove wind guard was killing fuel efficiency

I was packing up camp last week and this old timer next to my site at Rocky Mountain National Park saw my setup. He said 'you're blocking too much air, that stove is choking.' I had my wind guard wrapped tight around three sides like a wall. Took his advice and left a 2 inch gap on the bottom for airflow. My fuel usage dropped by almost half on that trip. Anyone else been overthinking their stove setup for years without realizing it?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

terryallen•7d ago

TIL my old framing square was off by 1/16th per foot for years

I was trimming out a window in a house I built about 6 years ago and kept fighting the reveal. After an hour of shimming and cursing I checked my square against a new one at the lumber yard. Turns out it had taken a fall at some point and bent just enough to throw everything off. I redid half the cuts in that room using a borrowed square and it all lined up perfect. Anyone else ever trust a tool too long before checking it?

2 comments

c/yeg-homeowners•

terryallen•12d ago

That urgent plumbing fix I thought was $200 ended up being $2,800

Had a pipe burst under the kitchen sink last Tuesday night. Called a guy from a Facebook recommendation in St. Albert and he charged me $150 just to show up and look at it. Turns out the whole drain stack was corroded and needed replacing. Cost me $2,800 total after they tore out part of the cabinet. Anyone else get burned by an emergency call out fee that felt way too high?

2 comments

c/diy-workbench-hacks•

terryallen•17d ago

Old timer at the hardware store told me my workbench was too flat. I thought he was nuts.

He said wood needs a little wiggle room or it'll split when the seasons change. Hit me different after I found a 4-foot crack in my maple top this morning. Anyone else ever heard of leaving a tiny sag on purpose?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

terryallen•3mo ago

Had to match a tricky old mortar color on a repair in the historic district.

Mixed a bit of dry clay powder from the garden center into the standard gray mix. Got the color spot on after two small test batches. Anyone else have a go-to trick for matching old mortar without buying the expensive pre-mix stuff?

3 comments

c/backyard-chicken-keepers•

terryallen•3mo ago

I called total nonsense on the garlic in water trick for chicken mites

For years, I saw people online saying to crush garlic into their flock's water to prevent mites. I thought it was pure old wives' tale stuff, no better than waving a crystal over the coop. Then, last summer, my girls in Austin got hit hard with mites right during a heat wave. I was desperate and didn't want to use chemicals in that heat. I crushed two whole bulbs into their 5-gallon waterer as a last-ditch effort. Within three days, the scratching had almost stopped. I checked under wings and the mites were gone. I still don't know the science, but I can't argue with the results. Has anyone else had a weird home remedy actually work when you were sure it wouldn't?

3 comments