2016 – All Systems Tech

ByRubin Binder

Zirconium 3-way Monitor Speakers

Build based on design by Scott Sehlin
Parts Express Project Page with specifications

Modifications from original design:

Plumbing pipe port with 90 deg. bend

External crossover

Baer Deck-Over (textured latex) over MDF for durable finish

#6-32 T-Nuts for speaker mounting

Egg crate open-cell foam on all possible surfaces

They sound fantastic, very accurate highs and lows from a reasonably small speaker.

Photos of the build:

^Gorilla Glue + air nails

^Wiring and sealing

^Port tube

ByRubin Binder

Space Odyssey 2007

Maybe not a Space Odyssey, but a 2007 Honda Odyssey.

Repairs are not always limited to computers and electronics here at All Systems Tech, sometimes it extends to other devices such as vehicles.

I would like to share my experience since it has happened twice with two different Honda Odysseys (2007 and 2003), both my own vehicles used for hauling equipment to the shop and also the family and dog – so it has to run well.

Symptoms:

Check Engine Light (CEL)

Diagnostic code P0300 (Random misfire), followed by P0301 (cyl. 1 mifiring)

Sometimes but not always P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306 (the rest of the cylinders)

Rough idle (if you put a piece of paper on the exhaust pipe, sometimes it gets “sucked back in”)

Drive-ability otherwise fine

As many have suggested on forums, check the usual suspects (in order of importance):

Spark plugs (the first thing that always comes to mind)

Ignition coils (the second thing that always comes to mind)

Valve adjustment (ok, it’s a Honda)

ECU (Probably not)

Gasoline (Fresh gas, no difference)

Intake air leak (Nothing obvious)

Air mass sensor (But this usually gives a different code)

Coolant in cylinders (Either from blown head gasket or porous cylinder head, not likely)

I focused mainly on the obvious culprits at 160,000 km such as replacing spark plugs, swapping coils, full valve clearance adjustment, injector cleaner, EGR valve cleaning – but the problem always returned after a code reset!

In both cases, after much trial and error, it was dirty fuel injectors that could only be solved by replacing the fuel injectors. Even the professional cleaning did not work. The spray pattern seems to gets very weak at idle after years of use. Luckily, in both cases I was able to find the injectors at a reasonable price online (Rock Auto). Immediately, problem solved and the engine runs so smoothly you can hardly tell it is on. I now consider fuel injector replacement on high mileage vehicles as standard practice.

Lesson learned in troubleshooting – sometimes it is not the obvious solution, even with diagnostic codes!

Hope this helps.

ByRubin Binder

Re-Capping

So what is re-capping? No, it’s not the normal repeating-yourself-again summary of what was just said – it’s a solution to perhaps the #1 killer of electronics: failed capacitors. “Re-capping” is a term that you’ll hear when a technician replaces all of the old, leaking or failed capacitors in an electronic device.

This was a very common problem in older and vintage electronics, for example a jukebox that I’m working on right now has a dozen or more capacitors. Especially the paper variety from the 50’s and 60’s don’t last very long at all, a few years is a long time for those. Modern capacitors can last a lot longer.

Here is a unique “computer” from a Jukebox. It selects which record to play. Looks harmless enough.

Until you flip it over and see a dozen of large brown paper capacitors, leaking and dried out.

Capacitors now replaced with modern, smaller capacitors.

As we can see on the lab bench, this is still a problem in much newer electronics using electrolytic capacitors in the 90’s. I just recently revived a Dell computer that was completely dead, and revived simply by replacing the electrolytic capacitors.