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May 15, 2022, 2 min read

The Joy of repairing Stuff

It just feels so good when something is broken and you can fix it instead of buying a replacement. I have started swapping batteries and things like broken screens for our home electronics some time ago. It doesn't always work, it doesn't always make sense financially, but when it works, it's such an enjoyment that it's worth it. For Android phones with a bad battery you can easily squeeze out another two years of usage.

Today I replaced a touch screen on my old 11.7 inch laptop. I originally bought it for long train travels, which I did regularly some years ago. Not these days anymore, but it's still nice to have one available from time to time. The screen broke as a plant pot fell onto it on a windy day from next to an open window.

broken_laptop_1
broken_laptop_2

I bought it in early 2016, so it's considered old in this space now. Replacement parts are kind of hard to find, especially since the screen is touch enabled, but I could buy a screen from a UK reseller. Following this instructional video the replacement was actually not hard to do.

broken_laptop_replacement_screen

Here is the final result:

broken_laptop_fixed

The laptop is still using a 2.5 inch magnetic disc hard drive, which I plan on replacing with a cheap SSD. With a frugal linux distribution (this will be fun to choose) on it I'm pretty certain this will yield a few more years of usage for me for browsing, writing and coding.