"Right to Repair" - any practical use? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: EHT
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2022, 10:58:00 am
content: I've heard that there has been legislation passed in UK and/or EU improving the rights of equipment owners to repair equipment but I'm not sure what practical difference it makes.A specific question I have is does it mean that mfrs should make servicing information available? I suppose that in the general case, e.g. White Goods, the user might be deemed unqualified so mfr can restrict the servicing info to repair shops. Begging the questions:If they must empower independent shops to fix appliances, surely there should be general availability of service manuals, not just to franchisees?In the specific case of electronic test equipment, surely the users naturally count as being qualified. It doesnt make sense to sell specialist equipment such as scopes, DMMs, bench power supplies etc. and then say the user doesn't have the level of knowledge required to fix them. This forum proves they doDoes this mean users now should have access to proper servicing information (i.e. schematics, board layouts, servicing menu options in software etc.?Apologies if this has been discussed. I see there's a long thread about Keysighthere. Reading between the lines, seems they'd rather lawyer-up than recognise that users paying thousands of $ on specialist test equipment might have some technical competence!I also note that TTi seem to embody the ideal by making service manuals available and supplying spare parts even for very old equipment. Maybe the manuals are just leaked though? Fluke seems somewhat inbetween, some svc manuals available but many parts unobtainium or prohbitively expensive. Should we maintain a list of how complaint and helpful different mfrs are? Again apologies if i got this summary wrong or its covered in another thread.

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2022, 12:48:23 pm
content: Supplying service manuals, software tools, special tools - that's what I'm thinking and dreaming about."Qualified" very well might mean "legally qualified", i.e. proper certification when working on mains powered stuff.Probably there are a couple of issues, like "you can only use original parts to maintain CE conformity". Time will tell, but I can't imagine large companies giving up their profitable repair business easily and without fight.

author: EHT
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2022, 03:59:19 pm
content: QuoteYes, absolutely!Recently I needed a part for a Bosch Washing Machine. In the past I had gone to eSpares which has a scattering of parts. I was very surprised to find that on the Bosch website they have an exploded diagram for the WM and you can order pretty much any part, prices not too bad either. Of course, no service info given.Its going in the right direction but I wondered if its making a real difference. Apple for instance are the biggest counter-example. Pretty much any problem on an apple device writes it off if taken to their repair services. I think they just get around this legislation by committing to offer to repair your device for 5 years or so. Doesn't seem to include that being for a reasonable cost or supporting independent shops doing it. As far as I gathered from Louis Rossman's videos, they have to rely on parts from scrap devices. I put a new keyboard in my MacBook, but the part I got from eBay was clearly a Chinese copy, not the same quality as the original...

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2022, 04:15:22 pm
content: One of the biggest benefits of right-to-repair is that "they" can't go after people legally with specious copyright attacks for daring to try to repair something (including reverse engineering or whatever steps are needed).

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2022, 02:51:09 pm
content: I know that I'm reviving an old thread but I thought that this might be of interest. It clearly demonstrates why the Right to Repair is badly needed:<https://www.wired.com/story/fight-right-repair-cars-turns-ugly/>

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 02:09:40 pm
content: Quote from: Stray Electron on February 06, 2022, 02:51:09 pmPeople keep buying these kinds of products... probably because there isn't much awareness (yet) about the consequences of manufacturers exerting 100% control by computerizing and cloud-connecting their products.But this won't continue forever - there is already an awareness among technically minded people - and this will slowly spread to the rest of the population.This means that sooner or later, if most people want to be able to choose independent mechanics, some manufacturers will choose to fill that niche...

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 07, 2022, 07:18:04 pm
content: Quote from: EHT on January 26, 2022, 03:59:19 pmBOSCH has some *very* nice spare parts catalog for powertools as well, including exploded views. Ordered some bits and pieces for a circular saw like 15 years ago. Quite fair pricing and every single screw available.Also quite nice is the spare parts catalog of AEG (and a dozen other companies under the Whirlpool brand, I think). However the parts are very expensive and obviously not always available. Inner plastic part of my ex-dishwasher was about 150 EUR (!) list price - and EOL/OOS. That was the 3rd failure of that machine, btw. Unfurtunately, it had to go due to no availabe part.Went with BOSCH/Siemens for all my failed AEG stuff, and never had to look back.