Adam Savage Repairs His 20-Year-Old Shop Sign!

[@tested]

Thanks to iFixit for sponsoring today's repair! iFixit is offering $10 off your next $50 fix with code EARTHDAY10 at www.ifixit.com/tested

[@Alf_4]

have you thrown out your onewheel since right to repair is so important to you?

[@BenjaminSweetnam]

@@Alf_4 while it's important it's important for the reasons of waste. So why chuck out a good product because of repair values it's counter intuitive.

[@Alf_4]

@@HeavenJ701 why support a company that believes consumers shouldn't own their own devices?

[@steveschritz1823]

I never skip watching the Adam’s videos because you never know when he’ll drop an amazing little bit of advice. Writing on every plug-in transformer what it goes to, so simple, yet I never thought of it, and I can’t even begin tell you how many times I wish I had done that.

[@hanslain9729]

I LOLd hard at Adam throwing that old broken hardware and flipping it off ( 4:14 )... It shows Adam's human side and also because I've done the same thing at that moment. 😁

[@JRufu]

That's the only acceptable response to such planned obsolescence..

[@dougcahill6417]

Made me laugh because I knew exactly how he felt as he flipped it off lol

[@RonPiggott]

I'm giggling like a school girl. It is just way toooooooooooooo funny.

[@ReverendTed]

Yeah, I had a good chuckle. I believe the kids call that "a mood."

[@juliettaylorswift]

just wish he would have tested it because i bet only half is dead

[@amishjim]

Film/TV Fixture Tech here. I build LEDs into everything in movies. Love seeing Adam do LED builds. Especially this down and dirty one. "If I were doing it" I'd cut the strips so they ran flat next to each other and then bus them together. Wrapped around like he did, with ribbon forced up and down like a roller coaster, will just unstick as it gets warm in there and we'll be seeing another video of him fixing it.

[@chris-hayes]

Films and LEDs? Does that mean you have to know a little color theory with RGB LEDs occasionally doing some funky things to how colors look.

[@amishjim]

@@chris-hayes yes, we work with the Chief Lighting Technician to give hom the desired effect. To make sure our colors are true we use high CRI LEDs that are PWM dimmable. The CLT will dial in the colors through the lighting control board. In Fixtures we ultimately make sure all lighting on camera, that the viewer sees (sconces, neons, desktop lamp, etc) looks correct, doesn't flicker and is controllable. I hope that answered your

[@annwagner5779]

You put a tiny little 🚌 in there? 😉

[@pierreburton4523]

Yeah, the sticky back on those strips always sucks and is more of a soft stick. Warmth and that tight enclosure means for sure that in probably 6 months that entire spool of LED's will be in a pile in the bottom of that fixture. :(

[@nixhixx]

Adam flipping off the broken burned out fixture is ALL THE FEELS.

[@_Jester_]

Yes, that was awesome!

[@cemx86]

At 7:46 Adam mentions writing in white letters on the power supply (aka "wall wort") the name of the device ("air purifier") that it belongs to. I also write in white print the output voltage ("12v") and amperage ("2A") so that when looking into my large bin of worts I can quickly find what I need! My $0.02.

[@cemx86]

@@2000jago Absolutely agree with you. They are always printed but 99% of the time it's in tiny black print molded onto a black body. Rather tough to read. MUCH easier for me to find what I need when digging through a box full of worts is if the voltage and amperage is printed in large white letters. My $0.02.

[@Warshipmodelsunderway]

I do the same thing before the power supply gets tossed into the future use box. For active equipment, I use a P-Touch label, just because I'm obnoxious that way LOL.

[@samueldeter9735]

I could see doing one or the other (if it doesn't have a device allocation, putting the specs instead), but I'd assume you wouldn't care about the specs of it while already using it for something

[@Aethelgeat]

Labeling wall warts is one of the better tips I took from Adam. The other thing I do with the ones that I also never throw out is I enter their details in a spreadsheet inventory. When I need a power supply, I check my (sortable) list for the best options. I tired of sorting through the bin again and again.

[@michaelslee4336]

And also add an extra AC on the non DC units. I’ve got a couple that are AC to AC, that threw me for a loop once with that damn tiny font.

[@AlanEggleston]

At 72 years old, I fear it's too late to start writing the devices on all my saved wall worts. I wish I'd thought of this earlier. But what a great tip, Adam. If someone ever writes "What advice do you have for 20-year-old-self," that's going to be my offering (with a hat tip acknowledgement to Adam Savage).

[@Codex_of_Wisdom]

"I don't plan my own obsolescence. I just prepare for it." That quote's going on my wall.

[@jeremybeamer3029]

19:45 “I don’t plan my own obsolescence; I just prepare for it.” Man, that’s life advice right there.

[@alexcaufield4541]

"I've been holding this off for...." *checks watch* "6 years." Get's me every time.

[@tothesummit5864]

"Aziz, LIGHT!" Made my wife laugh sitting across the room even though she wasn't watching the video with me. It's one of those films we always finish watching no matter where we pick it up at.

[@TianarTruegard]

That Fifth Element quote made me chuckle.

[@curtisbme]

I'm just going to use it to show my wife that I'm not the only weirdo who says that when asking for light.

[@R.S.R.S.]

Two movie jokes in one take? made my day completely. 😂

[@SuperSpatman]

This is what I call out, in my house, when someone needs to turn the lights on.

[@LardoTheGiant]

Don’t forget to follow it up with “Much better, thank you Aziz.”

[@Qhotex]

Usually it is heat that kills LEDs. Run them at lower voltage or with a current regulated power supply. Also remember a proper heatsink for the strip.

[@SkyhawkSteve]

very true! I usually focus on making sure they are mounted on a heatsink and try to keep the temperature down to 55C or so. If Adam has mounted that LED strip to an aluminum backplate, perhaps that is good enough?? A quick check with a thermocouple will tell.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Heat is the primary enemy of all solid state electronics. That and bad power, but heat is the primary killer.

[@hw2508]

@@SkyhawkSteve Depending on the LED product aluminum works quite good as a heatsink.

[@littlekong7685]

Most of the time the control board is what goes on them, a cheap capacitor inside a resealable plastic weld body ruins the whole strip. If you can access the controller, worth checking for the surge regulator and seeing if its blown or not.

[@Loki-]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYPEYpSvZa2Jers This guy is great(ex Microsoft dev, made Task Manager) and I learned a ton starting from zero from this video. Great point on the heat!!

[@majorkurn]

love that "Please don't sue me red cross" Laughs, then that look of 'i'm just joking around, but really, please don't sue me over this'

[@WaldoG]

I’ve been putting label maker labels on my wall-warts for about 20 years, and I’ve never regretted it. First things labeled with the label maker were the label maker itself, and then it’s wall-wart.

[@rpavlik1]

Loved the "throw burned out LED driver in trash, flip it the bird". Felt very genuine.

[@jsmusicandmultimedia7619]

My dad, who was a great craftsman, gave me alot of advice through the years. The number one thing he taught me about electricity is, "Electricity doesn't care what color the wire is". I have used that mentality for over 20 years now and it has always helped me avoid larger issues later on

[@finkelmana]

You should probably make some vent holes on the top and bottom to allow air to flow. I suspect the previous LEDs failed due to the heat building up inside, lowering the life of the LEDs.

[@rolls_8798]

it looks like he did, perhaps inadvertently. near the end, you can see the light shining through holes all around the sides. initially I thought they were screw holes but it would not appear so

[@bryan__m]

No, the only reason they failed is because the manufacturer PLANNED for it to fail! Obviously!

[@Wachuko-1]

That is one cool sign. Great that you go it back in working condition. I would have left the chain switch and made an additional hole for the power plug. Love these videos.

[@pauljones2759]

"I've been putting that off for [checks watch] six years" Love it.

[@xSeRosiSx]

The amount of times when working on something and I needed more light and I'm just sitting there going "AZIZ, LIGHT!"... Every time I see one of your vids, Savage, I think you are far beyond my realm of experience and then you remind me that we are actually of the same ilk. We would get along, famously. At least I think we would.

[@BlakeAStoffel]

Just the amount of knowledge displayed to make that fix talk that short amount of time is staggering.

[@shawnmurdock8059]

Awesome Adam: I do the same thing. I keep all my "wall worts" from long dead items. I like your idea of paint pen; I use a label maker and label them. You never know when you need one.

[@brightlittlething]

I used to do drawings that you could only see fully when they were backlit. This sign reminded me of that and now I'm nostalgic.

[@deitz6854]

The wall wart barrel plug polarity diagram tip is so damn helpful. I was recently using a wall wart with a barrel plug in a project and could not find the plug polarity information anywhere online when it was staring right at me the whole time.

[@JacobPaul123]

"I dont plan my own obsolescence. I just prepare for it." Love it

[@ricks900rr]

Wow! Haha I was reading comments and literally was reading yours as he was saying it!

[@rpavlik1]

"I don't plan my own obsolescence, but I do prepare for it." Wonderful quote, with quite an edge to it.

[@Arkferret]

we need more repair videos, they are always fun.

[@tested]

There are more on the horizon!

[@Arkferret]

@@tested YAY!

[@MScharosch]

@@tested How about a right-to-repair video for the Onewheel GT? The community could really use your voice right now.

[@theonlynontrollhere]

Hey Adam! You’ve made a couple of videos about tech stuff and cameras recently, and they’re super interesting! A few years ago I asked a question at the SF Behind the Myths show about cameras and tech, and you gave a rough estimate of how many cameras you guys went through over the course of mythbusters up until then. But it launched you into this story about a nearly immortal camera that kept surviving increasingly ridiculous shots that y’all collectively named “Crispy Cam.” I’ve never heard that story anywhere else, and I can’t find any mention of it throughout the DVDs. I’d love to hear the story again so I can remember it properly, and the way you told it was hilarious

[@karlporath8904]

I would love to hear Adam's reaction to one Wheels anti repair practices that have recently came to light.

[@briansavage932]

Ya know, it's never the LEDs that fail. After all, they're rated it 50,000+ hours! It's always the controller that fries. Every time. I can't tell you how often I've encountered LED tape and rope light where the dumb controller/transformer is dead but the lights are fine. It's the same thing with every LED bulb they sell at the store. It's never the LED itself, always the circuitry that controls it.

[@collin_builds]

To paraphrase a previous one day build quote, “it’s not the LED, it’s the LED ASSEMBLY.”

[@TheBigburcie]

I'm assuming you could hook up the light string to a variable voltage power supply and figure out what voltage to replace it with if you lost the original or it wasn't marked.

[@dustincameron787]

"Aziz, light!" Nice to know I'm not the only one who liked the Fifth Element! 😁

[@mistermethmouth]

I've got a box that says 'adapters' in my synth shelves and on every one of them it's got painter's tape with what it's for on it. White paint marker is also a good one

[@rommiemex9532]

This is great, I made a similar led lit sign with my laser cutter (glowforge), but love the idea of that pull string switch

[@violadrone4285]

0:33 That's a really beautiful model sitting on top of those wooden drawers in the background (by the light) in the middle of the scene.

[@davedujour1]

I write not only the device the wall wort is for (usually computer routers at my house) but also the output volts/watts/amps on the side if there's enough room. It's helpful when I go to use that wall wort in some other project. I don't have to squint and try to figure out what the output voltage is on tiny black on black text.

[@billbucktube]

Are there any other repair techs out there that prefer to troubleshoot first and then replace the bad component? I have changed a lot of those very power supplies. I want to go get the likely still functional led ring light.

[@seandenham1703]

Anyone else get Bob Ross vibes when Adam says "that's a great little switch" around the 15 minute mark? Love it!

[@Bloodemon182]

Your tip with the wall plugs is just genius. And thanks for teaching me the symbols!

[@333donutboy]

Good tip about the drill bit for plastic. I didn't know that was actually a thing. Thanks!

[@WoLpH]

You really want to put led strips like those on some kind of heat-sink. Aluminium rails work great for this. If you won't, they'll quickly burn out.

[@lasarith2]

Adam: this is how I built it 😃 Also Adam: this is how I forgot how I built it 😃

[@LopezBOT90]

Savage is definitely the type to take a shortcut within a shortcut - ~16:20

[@human_brian]

The most likely reason the LED system failed is because it was encased in a sealed light fixture. The transformer unit doesn't like being hot and even as energy efficient as LEDs are, it will still get hot. I'll bet a lot of money the LEDs themselves still work just fine.

[@sundaynightdrunk]

In fact if you look at that little roll of LEDs he pulled them from, they warn you specifically not to plug them in while they're on the roll because the heat buildup will kill the LEDs. Almost ruined a really big roll of RGB LEDs doing that (to test that they worked) before I noticed the warning.

[@perry92964]

ive had a fluorescent light in my bathroom for 20 years and havent had to change the bulb, my question is if the bulb blew out after two years why didnt he just get a new bulb?

[@Kaysler]

I happen to be on a roadtrip and yesterday went and visited Meow Wolf in Santa Fe based on Adam's recommendation. I would second his recommendation. It was a fantastic experience.

[@marcusshaner7066]

Dang. Writing on the Wall Wart is a brilliant idea! Repeatedly testing them for the one I need is so much time I'll never get back.

[@llloyd4]

Leslie Nelson? "Surely you have to be kidding." "I am being completely serious, and don't call me Shirley." :D

[@Darwinpasta]

I used that same kind of cheap LED strip under the hood in my truck. It wasn't waterproof, so I brushed over it with clear nail polish. It's been in there for years and it's only lost one segment so far. Surprisingly good stuff.

[@1pcfred]

If you get the outdoor stuff it's waterproof then.

[@acdtelecom]

When opening the sign to view the trouble, would it have been easier to just test the power source BEFORE scraping the old lights installed? We all know power supplies and power adapters are usually the first to go bad with electronics. I am thinking it may have saved you a few bucks on LED’s.

[@littlekong7685]

Modern LED strips are much more efficient and better able to handle heat than the ones from even 5 years ago, and the older ones tend to have less "pure" colours. If he wants more light then it is just easier to use anew strip than to find a larger power supply and do the math on the old and a new combo strip.

[@manny99956070]

Adam Savage HAS to know that Onewheel is anti repairability now. Since he sponsored Onewheel a couple years back I would like to know what he think of Onewheel now and if he still rides his.

[@stevenduering7155]

My 2 favorite lines from movies are "Say Jim! Whoa! That's a bad outfit! Whoa!" And "Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna make espresso."

[@Eremon1]

The shear number of golden nuggets of information I've gotten from Adam over the years could easily fill an Olympic sized swimming pool.

[@jhutto1984]

Honestly I love the fact that it isn't even the first time he's messed with this thing. XD

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

Actually got one of the bigger iFixIt kits, and although it has lots of things I haven't needed, I've already had a need for a tri-wing and when you have everything, it's really nice not having to worry about whether you have the right driver.❤👍

[@SilentRacer911]

Was gonna say a round fluorescent light bulb would have died rather quickly, and those LEDs will also die unless you vent that thing. It needs airflow or it’s gonna overheat the electronics and die again, but still love watching you Adam! Black should ALWAYS be ground…

[@peterkelley6344]

I second that thought.

[@Warshipmodelsunderway]

I saw some light leaks around the perimeter when he tested it. Perhaps there are some holes allowing natural circulation.

[@TVD1984]

I was just about to say you probably wouldn't want airflow in an Adam Savage toilet, then I realised how much stuff he's got in there. 😅 Still amazed the LED setup lasted 10 years, that's great though. I'm not sure if I missed him saying how long the fluorescent light lasted but they are quite often used in ceiling light fittings in the past and seem to last reasonably long.

[@1pcfred]

Black is hot in AC circuits.

[@Warshipmodelsunderway]

@@1pcfred Not always; it pays to check.

[@vampgaia]

It's actually called a wall wart?? ROTFL! Now I know why I've destroyed some lights. I've used the wrong wall wart with them. Learning every day.

[@Diago767]

"TO THE BATHROOM!" made me laugh more than it should.

[@lukedabbsmusic]

"I don't plan my own obsolescence -- I just prepare for it". That's great. :D

[@jelkooklej]

This is just what I needed today.

[@ENKTechnologies]

Unlikely LED ring light failed. Just needed to replace the power supply most likely. Simple bench supply test would have confirmed LEDs.

[@harrymaylor7700]

I would take the labelling one step further as I do this with my tools and that is engrave the Wall Wart. Paint can be rubbed off over time. When Adam says he is impatient he is not kidding. I never start taking things apart by cutting off cables willy nilly and it really shows as he barges through taking it apart.

[@rzerobzero]

Bad Guy "Who are you and how did you get in here?" Frank Drebbin "I'm the locksmith annnnd, I'm the locksmith."

[@1pcfred]

Nice beaver.

[@rmeden1]

"Greasy inside" I bet a capacitor vented the magic smoke that makes electronics work and it condensed inside.

[@dbtech7914]

Those LED strip lights are popular with model railroaders. I have a silver Sharpie that I use to mark all of my wall warts. I have a giant bin full of spares. Great video.

[@kssmith3]

Hey Adam, you mentioned some burning and the greasy residue. I'm wondering if this thing is overheating! Does it need a bit of ventilation top and bottom so you can get a little convective cooling? Don't want it burning your shop down!

[@mikescott8225]

Adam flips off the old LED components as he tosses them in the trash... [ LIKE button pressed! ]

[@rodwatson8732]

My guess is that the original fixture ballast burned out. That would Account for both the burn mark and the oily residue. Nice work on the re-repair. :)

[@waytospergtherebro]

The only "affordable" 12v LED drivers that haven't died on me after a year or so of continuous use are the Meanwells and I still run a small, silent Noctua over them to be safe. That housing desperately needs some speed holes as it's basically an Easy Bake Oven.

[@Wimachtendink]

that screw coming out ~ @4:40 is a perfect squeaky thing sound! I'm tempted to steal it... I need to learn more about copywrite stuff. I guess I didn't even know it was "copyright" as in "the right to copy"!? Exciting first steps!

[@KidFury27]

A thought on a future update....somehow wire the light to the bathroom lock and then when someone engages the lock upon entering and using the bathroom, they complete the circuit and the light turns on. When they unlock the door to leave the circuit breaks and the light turns off. Then mount it on the outside of the bathroom.

[@Tier1Citizen]

I love the furtive glance at the producer regarding the Red Cross comment :)

[@kris_kay]

19:30 "Please don't sue me, Red Cross." - strong Michael Scott vibes

[@bananabourbonaenima]

17:42 "OOOOO, that's a bingo.....is that the way you say it?" "We just say Bingo." "BINGO!"

[@tromchessar]

The Fifth Element nod made me smile :)

[@Stuballl]

And here was me thinking I was the only one that said 'Aziz, light!' I've also been know to utter a Demolition Man 'illuminate' from time to time

[@atsmith117]

Did anyone else notice the lights dim for a second at 17:18 when he's moving the connection?

[@azskyking6542]

About two wraps into the LEDs it occurred to me that Adam would have "painted himself into a corner" with the connection end of the strip. I yelled and yelled but he didn't listen.

[@tested]

Definitely yell louder next time! He probably didn't hear you.

[@leocallan3691]

17:27 'Aziz! LIGHT!!' 'Aziz lights' -Luke Perry, for a random cameo in a great movie

[@d02cjo]

Two of my favorite movie things mentioned, Aziz light from Fifth Element and the Bingo form Naked Gun.

[@catgynt9148]

I thought that Red was always on the Right and bLack was always on the Left. Nice project. It would be interesting to see if the former LEDs work and the transformer has failed. Wishing you and your family a blessed week. Peace Adam

[@1pcfred]

Adam knows just enough about electricity to be dangerous.

[@elanman608]

When It comes to doing as good a job inside a thing as outside I was once explained to me thusly}- 1 You should take pride in all of your work and and approach all of a project in a workmanlike manner. 2 It is a matter of courtesy to those who come after you to make it easier to understand what you have done. 3 It is a matter of personal reputation regardless of how something may have failed if it looks a mess people will take away the idea that you do sloppy work which caused it to fail.

[@RonPiggott]

4:15 The middle finger to the worn out LED. Too funny.

[@joeyratto6366]

I didn’t know they had bits made for acrylic. I did a project in high school and found that if we sharpen the bits at a lower degree we could drill through the acrylic without cracking it. I guess it could be a specialty item.

[@kmacow]

The Fifth Element quote was well placed!

[@elogan5817]

Adam Savage, breaking the Geneva Convention, as you do

[@treseb1]

My favorite part is Adam flying the bird at the old parts as they landed in the trash.

[@1pcfred]

Adam should have sent that old adapter to Diodesgonewild for an autopsy. He'd have figured out what's wrong and maybe even fixed it. Today we're going to have a look at this dodgy AC adapter Adam sent me.

[@makerpat]

Please do a video tour of just the bathroom, looks like a lot of interesting stuff there!

[@AtticusGrim]

Well the LED's you had in there from before were COB and it doesn't look like the heat they put off had anywhere to go. Small fan might have helped, or as some commenters are pointing out; a heatsync.

[@danielkearney1815]

Adam flipping off the old LED after throwing it in the bin, was some of the best content I've seen him do for ages :D

[@Freakert]

... love it when someone uses quotes from e.g. films: The Fifth Element - Aziz, light!

[@Wolfnstone]

"not opened this thing since around 2000" the realisation that was 22 years ago,way t make me feel old dude🤣

[@justinsaunders4068]

I love when you open a cable in foolish confidence and the cables are brown, blue, grey or white ..any combination but red and black.

[@docwhogr]

nice job adam, i had the same power supply like your old one. failed after one year of constantly lit leds. chanced the capacitors and now is going for 4-5 years.. do you have a badge for getting old and forget that you had fix something and then throw the whole thing without testing what the problem was?

[@michaelslee4336]

A lab balance at work once stopped working and the lab dude got another normal power supply wall pack but no go. Had a look and the scale needed center negative. Set of pliers, solder and heat shrink fixed its little red wagon.

[@johnboyle9682]

Love the zero gravity toilet instructions in the bathroom.

[@TSKseattle]

don't worry about how neat your work is, after all, who's ever going to see it - except 5.79 subscribers of course

[@CheapCheerful]

Hearing Adam go on about planned obsolescence, and wall-warts not indicating what product they're from... this man is my spiritual doppelganger! I'm a typical Aussie bloke, married, two kids, but can confidently say I

[@maxsnts]

Those drivers are notorious for the bad capacitors. I recapped a few at my "cave" and they work great again.

[@rockstarfan886]

Setting a reminder on my calendar for 10years so I can watch the newest in lighting technology added to this sigh

[@mdkamper]

LOVE the fifth element refrence !!! i use that so often XD

[@tallandreckless1142]

"Its been in the bathroom for 8 years." "it's really greasy inside." Sir, that is not grease.