Fixing an Elgato HD60 S HDMI capture device with the help of Ghidra (downtowndougbrown.com)

Article summary

The author of the article attempted to repair a broken Elgato HD60 S HDMI capture device by identifying and replacing faulty components, including voltage regulators and an LED driver chip. The process involved reverse engineering and troubleshooting, and the author eventually discovered that the LED issue was a known problem with the device. The author was able to fix the device, but not before encountering several challenges and dead ends. The repair process took several weeks and involved ordering replacement parts from China.

Main themes

• Electronics repair
• Reverse engineering
• Hardware troubleshooting
• Sustainability and e-waste
• Engineering culture
• Product reliability

What commenters say

• Encouraging repair and maintenance of devices can help reduce electronic waste and promote sustainability, but it requires a significant amount of time and expertise.
• The pressure to deliver products quickly and cheaply can lead to compromises in engineering quality and reliability, resulting in devices that are prone to failure.
• Some argue that the benefits of repair are outweighed by the cost and time required, and that it may be more practical to simply replace devices when they fail.
• Others believe that manufacturers should prioritize making their products more repairable and providing better support for repair and maintenance, rather than relying on planned obsolescence.
• The lack of availability of replacement parts and firmware can make repair more difficult, and some argue that manufacturers should be required to provide these resources to consumers.
• The culture of disposability and planned obsolescence in the tech industry is a major contributor to electronic waste and should be addressed through changes in design, manufacturing, and consumer behavior.