# How many different kinds of electronics can be fixed by smacking them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283 "2010-05-13T11:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/1 "2010-05-13T11:06:14Z")
And, for extra credit, how exactly does such a satisfying solution come about by such a visceral vicissitude? So far I count TVs, VCRs, and car radios. Your turn. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/2 "2010-05-13T11:10:42Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > And, for extra credit, how exactly does such a satisfying solution come about by such a visceral vicissitude? > > So far I count TVs, VCRs, and car radios. Your turn. If you’re the Fonz, any and all of them! I’d add certain digital watches. And, I’d suggest maybe this belongs in MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/3 "2010-05-13T11:11:55Z")
Jukeboxes. Aaaaaayyyy _thumbs up_ ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/4 "2010-05-13T11:13:08Z")
Jukeboxes, obviously. And my DVD player, but that’s not really an electronic fix, simply that the disc tray sometimes gets stuck and won’t eject until I apply a level-2 percussive maintenance procedure to the top of the player. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/5 "2010-05-13T11:20:03Z")
Space shuttles can be fixed by hitting them. That’s how they do it in Mother Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/6 "2010-05-13T11:55:12Z")
I’ve heard of people fixing (or rather, temporarily working around) computer hard drive problems on ancient machines by picking up a corner of the main case and dropping it a quarter inch. Not sure if that works on any recent hardware though. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/7 "2010-05-13T12:00:00Z")
Wikipedia has an [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussive_maintenance) on this, including some “famous taps” from history. The article mentions a few reasons why it might work for various applications. In electronics terms, I always assumed it was down to a badly soldered joint that can leave a gap in a circuit somewhere, which can be fixed by jolting it so that the conductors touch again. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/8 "2010-05-13T12:07:57Z")
I have a digital 8 camcorder that occasionally gets messed up. After a year of thinking it was a pricey paperweight, some googling of the error code found me numerous instances of people saying the proper solution was to smack it, hard, in a specific spot. Works like a charm. Apparently some gear slips out of place in normal usage and… ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/9 "2010-05-13T12:16:35Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Wikipedia has an [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussive_maintenance) on this, including some “famous taps” from history. > > The article mentions a few reasons why it might work for various applications. In electronics terms, I always assumed it was down to a badly soldered joint that can leave a gap in a circuit somewhere, which can be fixed by jolting it so that the conductors touch again. That’s pretty much it. Anything with a loose electrical connection or a stuck mechanism can be affected (in a good or bad way) by mechanical shock. OTOH, A malfunctioning solid-state device (e.g. a thumb drive with a flaky transistor somewhere inside) is not likely to be affected either way. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/10 "2010-05-13T17:18:05Z")
Ah yes, the wonders of percussive maintenance. Personally, I do it for the cathartic effect more than out of any real expectation that it will fix something. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/11 "2010-05-13T17:36:37Z")
Older-style desk phones (the big chunky ones) could sometimes be fixed by lifting the phone about 6 inches from the desk surface, then returning it to its original location with a solid, highly satisfying, thump. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/12 "2010-05-13T17:39:46Z")
Also if there is dust or dirt preventing contact being made in a relay. I have to slap my machine at work a couple times a week to get the relay to work. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/13 "2010-05-13T17:40:43Z")
My first Playstation sometimes needed a whack on the right side with a particularly sized screwdriver to get it performing again. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/14 "2010-05-13T18:31:42Z")
The fan in the desktop in my office sometimes gets noisy. A light tap on the side of the machine shuts it up nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/15 "2010-05-13T18:35:33Z")
The window switch in my car door sometimes needs a good wack to remind it whose the boss. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/16 "2010-05-13T18:38:21Z")
My old computer monitor. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/17 "2010-05-13T18:55:58Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > My old computer monitor. Confirmed. I have resolved problems with CRT monitors many times with percussive maintenance. I now have an LCD TV/monitor that has an intermittent vertical line down the display which is fixable with a slight tap. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/18 "2010-05-13T19:01:57Z")
I was helping someone with a PC problem when another worker came by and said she had trouble with her machine. I walked over and her PC was powering itself on and off every few seconds. I called our hardware guy and he came up, gave the PC a good thump and it powered on and stayed on. Everyone was duly impressed. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/19 "2010-05-13T19:05:09Z")
I used to have a 1990 Volvo 240 whose O/D would disable itself randomly. The only way to remedy this was to whack the top of the dash. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283/20 "2010-05-13T19:13:04Z")
The optical drive on my xbox 360 is going out. It refuses to read disks. 3 solid, swift whacks on top of the optical drive, timed properly while it’s spinning up (about 3 seconds after the tray is flush with the system) work 80% of the time (the first time, and 80% the 2nd, etc), as such I see no need to spend 99 dollars sending it off to microshit getting it repaired. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-different-kinds-of-electronics-can-be-fixed-by-smacking-them/539283.md?page=2)