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My uncle kept telling me to buy a cheap thermal camera and I finally caved

He's been fixing old tube amps for like 30 years and said a $200 one would change my life. I mean, I thought it was just for fancy HVAC guys, but I got one last month. Found a shorted capacitor on a laptop board in under a minute that I'd been poking at for an hour. It just lit up bright white on the screen. Has anyone else found a specific tool that seemed silly at first but ended up being a game changer for basic repairs?
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ray_grant
ray_grant26d ago
Totally get it. I felt the same way about a good multimeter with a continuity buzzer. Thought my cheap one was fine until I got a decent one. The instant beep saves so much time tracing wires, you don't even have to look at the screen. It seems small but it changes your whole flow when you're working. Your thermal camera story makes me want to try one now.
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henderson.mason
But that's just another gadget to learn, right?
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