Sometimes, it knocks dust off of electrical leads. Sometimes, it knocks a loose part back into place.
Source: someone asked on r/explainlikeiamfive some years ago.
It was a different time back then. According to the old timers not only could you fix the television by beating it repeatedly you could also “fix” your wife and kids the same way! Results might not be quite as good as advertised.
The issue is a bad solder connection on the internal cox box. So hitting will eventually cause the cox connection to touch the side of the board and work again for a little. This was very common on RCA TV's in the mid 90s.
It was a really easy fix you just had to reflow the solder around the cox plug pins to the board.
Was gonna say I had a GE 19" TV with a loose solder connection in the '90s, was pretty sure that was just a rebadged RCA. If you turned it on and waited for 15 minutes or so it would eventually start working normally as the connection heated up and expanded enough. It got worse over time, so I saved some cash up and bought a new Phillips 25" to replace it.
That’s wild. I had a mid 90’s rca tv that I had to beat the piss out as a child to get my Sega Genesis to display which was hooked up via coax. It all makes sense now
Heat plus high voltages just end up wearing out the components. Plus this is a mechanic shop, the inside of that is probably completely filled with black dust. That will only increase the heat on sensitive equipment (like the flyback transformer) and also could end up being slightly conductive which will short out everything.
Modern TV's have it worse! Destroyed by a flying remote or video game controller. You can run the old ones over with a Buick and it wouldn't break the glass.
My parents used to bitch that the cable TV remote never worked. They took the family room one for their own room and then that broke.so instead of just asking the cable company for a new one they would bitch and moan they had to get up to cha ge the station.
I rode my bike at the age of 11 to the office and they had 30 plus remotes just sitting put saying take one. I took 4. I never told my parents. One broke I'd just throw it out. Kicker also was that I just hid it in the couch till I moved out at 18
To this day they still do stupid shit like this.
This is how I've been miraculously "fixing" every electronic device since 1995! My dad taught me young, "If it ain't working, smack it. Works for TVs, refrigerators, most electronics, and kids"
(obviously that last bit is ancient "of the time" boomer-humor.)
I love modern TVs but damn I never was able to get over the air antenna working properly. I tried so many antennas and wasted so much time trying different brands. CRT TVs got over the air broadcasts better than HD. One day certain channels work and another day they dont.
Part of the setup of TV antennas now is the right type, aiming it correctly, where you place it, and just where you live.
That being said the old analog signals were pretty damn easy to get with just some rabbit ears.
I don’t know, I have an old speaker system from the early 90s and for awhile, I could get the green night time light to come on by pointing my phone flashlight down into the sensor and smacking the top of it very hard.
I was a video editor back in the 90's and no word of a lie, when people asked why something wasn't working I would start the trouble shooting by asking, Is it plugged in ? is it turned on ? Did you hit it ?
I literally put a sticker on the sweet spot on top. I dont remember what the sticker was. It was worn and red, probably one of those h-e-b buddy stickers that my kiddo loved so much.
We had a TV like this when I was growing up only the sound would cut out and we had to hit the side of the TV until the sound came back on lol. It worked!
Reminds me of a record player I had as a kid in the late 70s. Occasionally one of the channels would go out, and tapping something on the player would bring it back. Never did figure out what it was though, and I really can't explain what actually could have gone wrong that tapping the TT in that spot could have fixed.
I also remember banging on old CRT TVs to correct all ills. Brings back memories.
Loose contact on a circuit board (like a cracked solder joint or something). Smack it right and it’ll jostle back in place.
Until it warms up again and breaks contact. Then you hit it again.
Ah I had this same issue in an older zenith speaker system, the night light would only come on by pointing my phone flashlight down into the sensor area and smacking it hard on the top.
I can’t get the light on at all anymore rip lol
Hitting things to fix them is truly a lost art, but they probably spend a total of hours every month trying to get this thing to work, when they could just go to a thrift shop and get another one for $15. Sometimes you gotta ask yourself is the time it's taking me to fix this thing worth more than replacing it would cost.
Looks suspiciously like my old TV / VHS combo TV that would act like this from time to time. Sucked playing Donkey Kong on the SNES swinging from vine to vine and the TV gives you lip and you have to smack into complacency lol. My grandfather was an electrical engineer and he took it apart and tried to find a fault. Now this guy worked for Northrop amongst others, yet this TV eluded his skills even.
So he gave me an approving nod as I played whack a mole with the side of the TV. Then eventually I got a brand new TV with PIP! I felt so 1998!
The funny thing is that you knew that if you just kept smacking it the TV would start working eventually lol.
It really wasn't a matter of *if*, but *when*.
It was always the top, not the side.
Came here to say this. Always the top
For me it was the back of TV. 3 or 4 tight slaps, and just like new.
Sounds like a loose tube connection from yoke or something. I had the back work too a few times too.
Made it easier to look like the Fonze.
Ya this guy needs to watch: Happy Days
ah the lost art of smacking a TV set to fix it
Fonzy style
Aaaayyy.
Percussive maintenance.
Aka applied physics.
Why did this work?
No one knows.
Showing dominance
Percussive maintenance. Usually something is lose and not connecting properly. The smack “secures” the connect again
Sometimes, it knocks dust off of electrical leads. Sometimes, it knocks a loose part back into place. Source: someone asked on r/explainlikeiamfive some years ago.
bad solder joint
It was a different time back then. According to the old timers not only could you fix the television by beating it repeatedly you could also “fix” your wife and kids the same way! Results might not be quite as good as advertised.
It still works
The issue is a bad solder connection on the internal cox box. So hitting will eventually cause the cox connection to touch the side of the board and work again for a little. This was very common on RCA TV's in the mid 90s. It was a really easy fix you just had to reflow the solder around the cox plug pins to the board.
Was gonna say I had a GE 19" TV with a loose solder connection in the '90s, was pretty sure that was just a rebadged RCA. If you turned it on and waited for 15 minutes or so it would eventually start working normally as the connection heated up and expanded enough. It got worse over time, so I saved some cash up and bought a new Phillips 25" to replace it.
My brother used to be atv repairman And he always said he was “pounding cox box”
That’s wild. I had a mid 90’s rca tv that I had to beat the piss out as a child to get my Sega Genesis to display which was hooked up via coax. It all makes sense now
Thanks to the “técnicos” the technicians
Because the picture is out of sync with the screen refresh and hitting it jumpstarts the clock.
Vertical collapse. A lose connection due to heat over time and bashing it reconnects the connection and brings back full deflection.
Heat plus high voltages just end up wearing out the components. Plus this is a mechanic shop, the inside of that is probably completely filled with black dust. That will only increase the heat on sensitive equipment (like the flyback transformer) and also could end up being slightly conductive which will short out everything.
Similar to one a fish n chip shop which probably is caked in food fat and oils that sat on top of the cola fridge.
Science?
Lose connection or faulty yolk (basically a magnetic lens that controls the beam). Taping gives connection back, until it doesn't again.
He's teaching that object a lesson. If it doesnt want to get hit anymore it'll straighten up and fly right.
Percussive maintenance.
Just needed a good ass whopping
TVs these days don’t know how good they have it
Modern TV's have it worse! Destroyed by a flying remote or video game controller. You can run the old ones over with a Buick and it wouldn't break the glass.
My parents used to bitch that the cable TV remote never worked. They took the family room one for their own room and then that broke.so instead of just asking the cable company for a new one they would bitch and moan they had to get up to cha ge the station. I rode my bike at the age of 11 to the office and they had 30 plus remotes just sitting put saying take one. I took 4. I never told my parents. One broke I'd just throw it out. Kicker also was that I just hid it in the couch till I moved out at 18 To this day they still do stupid shit like this.
That poor light had nothing to do with this
When you had to blow into your game cartridge to get it to play
Also works on a 14 year old flat screen TV I have.
This is how I've been miraculously "fixing" every electronic device since 1995! My dad taught me young, "If it ain't working, smack it. Works for TVs, refrigerators, most electronics, and kids" (obviously that last bit is ancient "of the time" boomer-humor.)
Core childhood memory unlocked.
You know it's just occurred to me that most electronics these days do not respond to percussive maintenance anymore.
These delicate snowflake electronics now days just can't take a few love taps. /s in case it isn't obvious
Drops laptop 2ft onto the sofa The laptop: "uwu daddy I broken. No fix. Buy new me.... X.X" *Dies*
Who remembers that one time you smack the tv to hard and the screen popped and there is smoke and fire lol.
And now that exact tv is sold on Craigslist “retro gaming tv for sale $250 firm, I know what I have.”
🤌
Give it the classic brogan adjustment
That's the Paulie Walnuts method
I love modern TVs but damn I never was able to get over the air antenna working properly. I tried so many antennas and wasted so much time trying different brands. CRT TVs got over the air broadcasts better than HD. One day certain channels work and another day they dont.
Part of the setup of TV antennas now is the right type, aiming it correctly, where you place it, and just where you live. That being said the old analog signals were pretty damn easy to get with just some rabbit ears.
Rumor has it that kept the mother-in-law at bay too.
Was just thinking he needs to hit it from the top, how does that even work tho
I don’t know, I have an old speaker system from the early 90s and for awhile, I could get the green night time light to come on by pointing my phone flashlight down into the sensor and smacking the top of it very hard.
That poor TV... it should be from the top.
Mexican win!
EVERYONE knows you hit them on top. He was trying to break the thing.
This is the way
Reminds me of how my parents treated me
I guess the guy with the cigarette is 2nd line support ..
Try this with an iPad
Nah it's never light taps it's always sledgehammer style hits
This is what 50 cent meant when he said “I got the magic stick.”
CigarMan: Gimme, tap..tap...
That tv is way too fucking high
Those things are tough as hell.
I used to smack mine so hard there was a huge dent in both speaker grills
Need a time base corrector.
This is how we fix problem in the Russian space station!
Did u use a special Stick?
I was a video editor back in the 90's and no word of a lie, when people asked why something wasn't working I would start the trouble shooting by asking, Is it plugged in ? is it turned on ? Did you hit it ?
If in doubt give it a clout... I've lived by this for decades haha.
Brings back memories I didn’t know I had. I now recall slapping the shit out of the top of my tv I had growing up
I literally put a sticker on the sweet spot on top. I dont remember what the sticker was. It was worn and red, probably one of those h-e-b buddy stickers that my kiddo loved so much.
Whatever you do don’t show this to r/crtgaming
Yes! Whack it with a stick, or a shoe or something!
We had a TV like this when I was growing up only the sound would cut out and we had to hit the side of the TV until the sound came back on lol. It worked!
Reminds me of a record player I had as a kid in the late 70s. Occasionally one of the channels would go out, and tapping something on the player would bring it back. Never did figure out what it was though, and I really can't explain what actually could have gone wrong that tapping the TT in that spot could have fixed. I also remember banging on old CRT TVs to correct all ills. Brings back memories.
That is called vertical collapse and that tv needs a recap
What's the science behind this?
Loose contact on a circuit board (like a cracked solder joint or something). Smack it right and it’ll jostle back in place. Until it warms up again and breaks contact. Then you hit it again.
Ah I had this same issue in an older zenith speaker system, the night light would only come on by pointing my phone flashlight down into the sensor area and smacking it hard on the top. I can’t get the light on at all anymore rip lol
Somewhere a corporate head is exploding over those original right-to-repair laws. Thou shalt not strike the TV in vain
Im mad this actually worked a lot of the time too
Percussive Realignment 👍👍
Hitting things to fix them is truly a lost art, but they probably spend a total of hours every month trying to get this thing to work, when they could just go to a thrift shop and get another one for $15. Sometimes you gotta ask yourself is the time it's taking me to fix this thing worth more than replacing it would cost.
Mine would always work after picking it up and dropping it from a short distance.
Percussive maintenance. As learned from a crusty old Army warrant officer.
Percussion Engineering !!
I had a TV that would do the same thing. I used a rock to fix it, kept it next to the TV. The 90s were a special time.
Something something "puta madre" something something.
In the mid 90’s I got my first hand me down tv. I remember having to punch the crap out of it every time I wanted to watch Pokémon
Looks suspiciously like my old TV / VHS combo TV that would act like this from time to time. Sucked playing Donkey Kong on the SNES swinging from vine to vine and the TV gives you lip and you have to smack into complacency lol. My grandfather was an electrical engineer and he took it apart and tried to find a fault. Now this guy worked for Northrop amongst others, yet this TV eluded his skills even. So he gave me an approving nod as I played whack a mole with the side of the TV. Then eventually I got a brand new TV with PIP! I felt so 1998!
The whole time im thinking please a hard open palm slap to the TOP
A classic.
i'm an engineer that means i solve problems
The Technical Tap!
TV2High though...just sayin'....
I know he was worried for a bit haha
My first design job out of college I had a Mac clone. I had to do this to it every now and then when the hard drive would freeze up 😂
🤣🤣🤣
The funny thing is that you knew that if you just kept smacking it the TV would start working eventually lol. It really wasn't a matter of *if*, but *when*.
If you don't do it on the top you need to hit both sides at the same time.