richards
06-23-2007, 10:44 PM
As a long-time reader of the Forum, I've tried to read every new post in the Troubleshooting section. Most of the time the questions asked are beyond my level of expertise, but occasionally someone asks a question about a problem for which I've already found a cure. Helping someone else out of a bind is one of those feel-good moments that we all enjoy.
However, there have been many times that I've asked for help when I was the person who had caused the problem in the first place. For example, the day that I installed my 3hp Colombo spindle was also the day that I installed a wireless network card in my Shopbot computer. For almost an entire year I fought an erratic problem with the Shopbot that frazzled my nerves and cost me a fortune in ruined material. If I had followed three simple rules, I could have solved that problem the very first time it happened.
Here are the rules:
1. Document every change that you make to the machine or to the software.
2. Follow a systematic approach to problem solving.
3. Calendar regular mainteance.
In my case, if I had followed rule number one and written down the fact that I had installed a wireless network card in my computer then rule number two would have dictated that I remove the wireless card and reinstall the regular network card. Using that simple systematic approach would have saved one whole year of frustration.
The ironic thing is that I've been preaching those three rules to my computer customers since 1977. I've told them time and time again to keep a log on each machine and to write down all repairs, all maintenance, all upgrades, all odd or unexplained behavior and to schedule regular maintenance for each machine. Those who followed my advice usually got an immediate reward by having me troubleshoot and suggest a fix over the telephone. Those who failed to keep a log usually had to have me travel to their shop so that I could systematically work through the problem. That cost the customer hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for time, travel, lodging, and meals.
By keeping a log, it is almost always possible to 'roll back' an update or fix to a previous state when the machine was running properly. Planning regular maintenance and writing those items on a calendar would greatly help with preventative maintenance. If I had added a calendar entry for every Monday morning to grease the racks and to check the grub screws on the pinion gears, I would have caught a loose pinion on one of the X-axis motors before some parts were ruined.
It's so simple. Write down everything that you do to or for your machine. Systematically take small repeatable steps to fix a problem. If possible 'roll back' to a know state. If that's not possible, then if we take small repeatable steps, it will be easy to see if what we're doing is helping or hurting the situation. And plan regular maintenance by using a calendar where we're reminded to the 'little things' every time we check the date.
However, there have been many times that I've asked for help when I was the person who had caused the problem in the first place. For example, the day that I installed my 3hp Colombo spindle was also the day that I installed a wireless network card in my Shopbot computer. For almost an entire year I fought an erratic problem with the Shopbot that frazzled my nerves and cost me a fortune in ruined material. If I had followed three simple rules, I could have solved that problem the very first time it happened.
Here are the rules:
1. Document every change that you make to the machine or to the software.
2. Follow a systematic approach to problem solving.
3. Calendar regular mainteance.
In my case, if I had followed rule number one and written down the fact that I had installed a wireless network card in my computer then rule number two would have dictated that I remove the wireless card and reinstall the regular network card. Using that simple systematic approach would have saved one whole year of frustration.
The ironic thing is that I've been preaching those three rules to my computer customers since 1977. I've told them time and time again to keep a log on each machine and to write down all repairs, all maintenance, all upgrades, all odd or unexplained behavior and to schedule regular maintenance for each machine. Those who followed my advice usually got an immediate reward by having me troubleshoot and suggest a fix over the telephone. Those who failed to keep a log usually had to have me travel to their shop so that I could systematically work through the problem. That cost the customer hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for time, travel, lodging, and meals.
By keeping a log, it is almost always possible to 'roll back' an update or fix to a previous state when the machine was running properly. Planning regular maintenance and writing those items on a calendar would greatly help with preventative maintenance. If I had added a calendar entry for every Monday morning to grease the racks and to check the grub screws on the pinion gears, I would have caught a loose pinion on one of the X-axis motors before some parts were ruined.
It's so simple. Write down everything that you do to or for your machine. Systematically take small repeatable steps to fix a problem. If possible 'roll back' to a know state. If that's not possible, then if we take small repeatable steps, it will be easy to see if what we're doing is helping or hurting the situation. And plan regular maintenance by using a calendar where we're reminded to the 'little things' every time we check the date.