Crossed 1,000 motherboard repairs last month but it was number 873 that I still think about

I've been tracking my repairs for about 4 years now, just a simple spreadsheet. Last month I hit 1,000 total boards worked on, which felt pretty good. But I still think about number 873, an old Dell Optiplex that had a corroded trace near the CMOS battery. Took me 45 minutes with a multimeter to find it, and when I bridged the gap with a tiny wire, it booted right up. The customer was a small non profit that couldn't afford a replacement. How do you guys handle those jobs where the time spent doesn't match what you can charge?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray_king1mo ago

That Dell probably saved them from shutting down for like three months straight.

jade8851mo ago

Lost track of time on a 1998 Power Mac once, owner cried when it booted, didn't charge a dime.

jakep246d ago

Honestly that's the kind of moment that makes it all worth it. I once spent four hours talking an old guy through reviving his Commodore 64 from the 80s, and when it finally loaded his kid's old game save file he just sat there quiet for a minute. Didn't ask for any payment either, some things are just about the memories.