Past events

Reports about what happens at events and some of items we looked, fixed or designated as being beyond repair

September 2025

On 21 September among other items, there was an iMac, a Nutribullet, a skin massager. We managed to backup all the data from the iMac, creating a dilemma of what to do with a computer that does not get any updates. The Nutribullet worked normally, but there was a switch that had to be activiated. It just required showing the user how to activate it. The skin massager was not repairable, it was glued together and the micro USB port had sunk inside of it. There was also a Rexel shredder whose PCB board was not functional. It was overused and plastic had been put in for shredding! We will try to find a replacement board. We also put together a hand blender that had fallen apart. A grinder with a broken blade was taken apart, if we can find a replacement blade or similar grinder we will be able to get it working again.

Working on a radiator (which failed in the end)

May, June, July 2025

A number of very interesting things came our way, including a fan with broken legs, a sewing machine that needed oil, an older model of iMac that had a virus among other things.

Making lamps with recyclables (jam jars and cardboard)

14, 15, 28, 29th June 2024

Really busy days with some interesting results. Epson printers, cable donations, a hand blender that failed.

Power button repair on a Lenovo Ideapad

May 2024

On 11th and 12 May, among other items, there was an Argos fan that failed and not repairable. We recycled it. We also worked on replacing the keyboard and boosting the RAM on a HP laptop (620), which worked well. We replaced a lampholder of a nice table lamp. And we got a small bedside light and digital clock working with some soldering of the USB port.

On 24th and 25th May, we worked on two Lenovo laptops with screen issues. There were some software as well as hardware problems. Screens were damaged but we recommended using the laptops with external monitors. An oil filled radiator was not repairable, and it was recycled. We got a blender working, which is just needed a little bit of effort to identify a second switch that needed activating. And we worked on a digital clock that was not working; we put in batteries for the time being but it needs replacing its USB port. We looked at an Epson printer with a dried printhead, tried to clean and get it going - but didn't work. To be continued!

Working on a radiator (which failed in the end)

12th, 13th, 21st, 27th April

On 12th and 13th, we had a few iPads to get working which failed maybe due to power supply used. We worked on two blood pressure monitors, a Nutri Ninja with Auto IQ BL 480 (that needed a new blade part) and a lamp. We worked on two juicers, one of which needed some gluing of an actuator. There was a laptop with loose keyboard, we sorted that out simply by replacing a screw. We got an old Lenovo working again, and referred a Dualit toaster owner to Dualit for repairs. We struggled with a Macbook which wasn't connecting to an HP printer, and we recommended the recycling of a Chromebook laptop manufactured by Google.

We had a youth session on the 21st, it was challenging but a lot of fun. We worked with about a dozen students to make crafts with discarded items, including electronic greeting cards and jars that light up. Appreciate the Recycling Club team!

Making lamps with recyclables (jam jars and cardboard)

9th and 15th March 2024

On 9 March, we replaced a print head on a HP Office Jet Pro, with not very good results! The printer had been too badly damaged for the new print head to work. We looked at a Lenovo Ideapad and helped the owner use a virtual keyboard because of stuck keys. Unfortunately the keys were not repairable and difficult to replace so recommended an external keyboard.

Our stall on 15 March was part of London Recycle Week, and we managed to work on three laptops, returning them to good working condition. HP Pavilion 14 needed a charger and a Windows update, so we helped the owner get it going again and gave some advice on finding a charger replacement. Another HP Pavillion 14 came in, and we fixed the M key back on. We worked on a Lenovo Ideapad, and we reset a cable in motherobard to reseset and get it to take charge. Also identified a potential wifi issue as there is a cable loose.

Carbon brush from a Tefal grinder that needed replacing (part cost almost nothing from ebay)

10th February 2024

On 10 February, among other things, we finished a desk lamp from John Lewis, whose circuit board failed. We used an old discarded mobile phone charger to replace it, and fit into the base of the lamp. We took out the halogen bulb, put in a LED, and it worked fine. Among other things, we looked at a Lenovo Yoga with a USB port that was dodgy. Turned out a spring was loose, and we suggested the owner get a hub in order to use their wifi mouse. We also showed them the possibility of getting a 'bluetooth enabled' mouse. Unforuntaely, a Dyson 34 circuit board failed and couldn't get it work properly.

Power button repair on a Lenovo Ideapad

12th and 13th January 2024

January was a busy month! We had some success with a vacuum cleaner - just needed to be unclogged, it wasn't a mechanical or electrical issue. We looked at a hoverboard and recommended the owner replace the battery. A PS 2 came in - that unfortunately was beyond our expertise but referred the owner to a professional. We replaced an HP laptop screen, and got a Samsung ST560 running thanks to using an appropriate charger. A vacuum cleaner and sandwich maker came in with broken plugs, they were replaced, and then PAT tested. A speaker needed a replacement cable.

Repairing a broken cable in a floodlight, which had to be opened with a hot air gun

8th and 9th December 2023

First, we fixed a lamp by changing a fuse. We looked at a Bosch toaster with very difficult to access screws - so we were unable to identify the problem with it. We looked at a HP laptop and figured out a solution to a keyboard with stuck keys - that the whole board needed to be replaced (a simple repair but requiring a £7 board from eBay). A kettle with a faulty base couldn't be repaired. We fixed a radiator and replaced a dimmer on a lamp. We identified why a HP Laserjet wasn't printing from a Macbook or a iMac - the software on the computers were outdated.

Lamp repair by replacing circuit board with an old mobile phone charger

10th and 11th November 2023

A Moulinex Food processor was brought in but it reached its end of life unfortunately. A 2017 MacBook Air went through reinstallation to get it working. A Nutribullet came in, but there was a problem with its circuit board and couldn't be repaired. Repaired a lawnmower, essentially it needed to opened up and cleaned off grass. No real mechanical or electrical problems but due to trapped grass, the blades were not able to move. One food processor came in that was damaged, and one grinder from Tefal (Blendeo) came in that needed new carbon brushes. We helped diagnose the problem. We installed Linux Mint on an old laptop to give it a new lease on life, as its Windows operating system was outdated.

A Dyson 34, handheld vacuum, problem in the circuit board, had to crack open to access

13th and 14th October 2023

A lamp was brought in with an earth wire that snapped. It was repaired by rewiring it. We also sorted out a Windows laptop that did not have a functioning Microsoft Word. So we recommended Libre Office, an open source alternative, and got that working for the owner. We helped with an Omron blood pressure device just by putting in the batteries the right way round. Dehumidifier from electriq was cleaned, wiped off the sensor. A food processor from Silvercrest could not be repaired, and similarly, a Phillips kettle had reached its end of life. A blender from Argos (XB9165) was repaired by pushing a wire back in which had fallen out. A John Lewis clock that stopped ticking just required cleaning its contact points so that it could draw power from a battery.

Dangerous lamp with earth cut off!

8th and 9th September 2023

We were in the market in September. A Kindle (dp75sdi) that was frozen was restarted and charged. It worked well after that. We got a juicer and a meat grinder to work (the grinder was jammed and needed some oil). A kettle came in with a faulty button which we repaired.

Hoverboard that needed a new battery

11th and 12th August 2023

We were in the market and looked at a Cronos 7 from Samsung, a computer that was failing, so we used a tool to extract data. Among other things, we fixed a toy motorcycle, looked at some old wifi keyboards that could not be used because their USB part was missing (they were not Bluetooth and would not match any generic USB receiver).

Preparing to change the print head of an HP printer

July 2023

We were in the market in July. We worked on and tested a kettle, and looked at some wifi keyboards that were shown to us. Unfortunately they were not usable because the USB dongles were not provided with them. They had to be recycled. We saw a fan that was not only not working but not safely wired, so we strongly recommended recycling it and we disabled it so it could not be used. There was a blender that needed some adjustment, and a vacuum that was not repairable unfortunately.

Identifying a loose blade that should be replaced with a part from eBay

Questions?
Contact churchstreet.repair@gmail.com to get more information on the project

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