Can we talk about sinking $200 into a circuit board that wasn't even the issue?

I chased a fridge error code for three weeks last fall, replaced the main control board on a Samsung RF260, and it still acted up. Ended up paying a senior tech to tell me it was just a bad door sensor (which costs like $15). So I wasted $200 on that board and another $80 on the service call for something I could have fixed with a multimeter in 5 minutes. Now I'm wondering if it's worth investing in better diagnostic tools (like the fancy Fluke meters) or just sticking with basic gear. Has anyone else thrown money at a part only to find the real fix was simple?

4 comments

4 Comments

ninas6717d ago

Oh yeah, I've got a drawer full of expensive "lesson boards" myself.

wendyprice17d ago

And what did you do with that board after you found out it wasn't the problem? I'm sitting here staring at mine like a dumb trophy, too stubborn to toss it but also too annoyed to try selling it. That's the part that really gets me, the whole sunk cost spiral where you keep thinking a more expensive board or tool is gonna fix the real issue. You said you used a multimeter for the door sensor, did you already have one or did you have to go buy that too?

jamesf4117d ago

Forty bucks for a cheap Klein multimeter is what I already had, and it did the job on that door sensor. @wendprice, that board is sitting in my garage too, probably gonna end up in the trash next time I clean. Thing is, I don't think buying a Fluke would have helped me. The problem wasn't the tool, it was me jumping to the wrong conclusion and buying the expensive part first. You can spend three hundred on a meter but if you don't take the time to test things step by step, you're still gonna end up with a drawer full of overpriced junk. So no, I wouldn't sink more cash into gear until you learn to use the basic stuff better first.

joel_hall1717d ago

@ninas67 I saw a similar thread on this last week where a guy was arguing the same thing about buying a Fluke. He said he fixed an AC unit with a ten dollar harbor freight meter after chasing the wrong part for three days. That really stuck with me. My own experience is proof too. I snatched up a used Fluke 87 for 50 bucks off a garage sale app, and yeah it's nice and all but I still make stupid mistakes when I rush. The step by step testing thing is key. You can have the best tool in the world, but if you skip the basics like checking voltage drop or continuity first you're just guessing.