FIX CMOS battery on Pavilion 15-ak049tx

My old HP Pavilion gaming laptop 15-ak049tx kept displaying bootup error "CMOS Reset (502) The CMOS checksum is invalid". Another symptom is the Windows Time/Date is always off.

It is likely that the CMOS battery is flat.

You should download the "HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook - Maintenance and Service Guide.pdf" guide from the official HP website, I followed the guide to remove all the screws. I'm using an old computer screwdriver set "JK-6089-A" that I bought from Challenger many years ago.

But I still cannot pry open the cover, I kept at it not knowing if I should pry it as hard as possible - until I found two hidden screws (cover by stickers). Remove these hidden screws, and it should be "easy" to pry it out, with a small flat screw driver. 

The HP Pavilion 15-ak049tx uses a CR2032 3V battery, luckily I had one spare. I bought a few to power my Red-Dot sight years ago from Shopee. It seem to still work.

FIX Ektorp sofa inner covers

I bought a Ikea Ektorp sofa after seeing its "10 year warranty" label. It took only 2 years for the cushion's inner white covers to start to tear . The cover is probably made from "non-woven polypropylene" a clothlike plastic material that I feel should not be used in sofa, because it disintegrates after a couple of years. I called Ikea for an exchange but was told that the "10 year warranty" only covers the sofa frame. 

This post is about fixing/ repairing the inner white covers. At first I used masking tape (see photo below) to cover up the small tear, but on the 3rd year more just keep popping up. 

Looking to recycle items in the home, we picked a unwanted Ikea lacy curtain sheet as a cover for the cushion, folded it and sewed it up, see photo below.

This repair is "good" for only a few more years and you really should buy a new sofa soon. My sofa was placed indoors away from any direct sunlight yet the "non-woven polypropylene" inner cushion cover starts to tear after 2 years. I managed to use this sofa for another 4 years before abandoning it after the frame's inner covers also starts to peel off (see photo below), it is just too much work (and money) to fix it further. You could cover the whole sofa with more natural and long lasting fabric like cotton (a crop that uses a lot of water), but the plastic cover (non-woven polypropylene) will still be underneath it. It is probably disintegrating into micro-plastics that could slip through the cotton cover. As the fan blows air around the living room, I imagine the micro-plastics might even go airborne? 

The external covers for this sofa is sold separately - I bought two sets of external covers so that I can wash and change them often. These covers are very sturdy (seems to be made from polyester rather than non-woven polypropylene) and will likely last for 10 years. 

Giving customer a 10 year warranty that covers only the sofa frame, implies that the designers already knew that the cushions and inner covers, will not last for 10 years. I also can't seem to find any search results about sewing torn covers for Ektorp, this may suggest that no one has ever used it for a full 10 years? If I'm wrong, and you have used it for 10 years with little or no repairs, please do let me know.

It is the first and last time I bought an Ektorp. Nowadays whenever I buy a sofa, I will examine the covers' materials closely, and will not buy sofa with "non-woven polypropylene". 

FIX broken telescopic rod antenna on pocket radio

The antenna tip on my Panasonic RF-P50D pocket radio broke off (accidentally sat on it), exposing a hole in the antenna rod, with sharp edges. This post is about fixing/ repairing the hole with sharp edges, see photo below. 

I happened to have a screw that seems to fit the hole's width of that specific segment of the telescopic rod antenna, that broke off. This is pure dumb luck; I cannot remember where did this screw come from. You should try to get a screw that allows some rotation into the hole, I only got about 1/4 of a rotation, it fits tightly such that to remove it I would need to use a piler, can't do it with my finger grip strength. If you can't find such a screw, I reckon you can try the small screws used for mounting hard disk drives inside computer towers. If the screw is too loose, you can consider applying a bit of super glue when the rod is fully extended. Don't put too much glue, in case when it dries up, the antenna rod cannot be fully retracted. 

With the screw tightly in place, I can pull/ push it to extend/ retract the telescopic rod without worrying about the sharp edges, see photo below.

If your telescopic rod antenna is totally broken into pieces, you can also purchase the entire antenna rod at online shopping websites like Shopee and Lazada, see screenshots below.

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FIX diy magnetic mosquito insect net screen

My first purchase of DIY magnetic mosquito insect net screen was around 2013; it lasted a long time. My second purchase had problems - the 3M double-sided tape was not sticking well, even after I cleaned, window frame surface with ethanol before applying the 3M double-side tape. This post is about fixing/ repairing the DIY magnetic insect net screen that keeps peeling off. To fix this, our options are (1) buy a new magnetic screen set to redo everything, (2) buy a roll of 3M weather-resistant double-sided tape and redo the taping ourselves.  

This post is about option (2) buying a whole roll of weather-resistant 3M double-sided tape, so if I tape it wrong, I can redo the taping again since I have a whole roll :)  

It took me a while to identify/ guess the 3M double-sided tape used by the DIY magnetic insect screen seller is probably "3M55280", see photo below. Strangely I can't find even find this model on the official www.3m.com.sg, and had to get it from overseas sellers from sites such as Lazada, Qoo10, Shopee. According to some online seller's specs, it is supposed to be water-proof, and is able to withstand temperature of 80℃. 

Another magnetic insect screen seller uses "3M9495LE/ 3M300LSE" for their magnetic strip, see photo below.

I bought both to try out, and "3M55280" seems to be better. Before reapplying the double-sided tape, I clean floor first to remove any dust. When sticking the double-side tape to the magnetic strip, rest both the roll and the strip on the floor, such that the magnetic strip is "standing upwards", see photo below, so that we can get a better (it won't be prefect) alignment.  

When storing the double-sided tape roll, I will place a piece of plastic sheet on both sides of the roll, so that the sides do not pick up dust overtime. Hope this helps.

 

BUY stainless steel ware, check for black residue

When buying brand new stainless steel kitchenware (e.g. pot, pans) I found out there is this black residue that is not visible to the naked. Nowadays I always do 2 different checks before buying any stainless steel ware e.g. wok, bowl, plate, kettle, spoon, water bottle, lunch box, etc.

1) First check, wipe the stainless steel ware's surface with a white tissue paper, and check if you can see any black residue on the tissue. The photo below shows a stainless steel lunch box purchased from Lazada, from a China seller that has no ratings. Just one hard wipe on its seemingly shiny surface, and the black residue can be seen on the tissue.

2) Second check, wipe the stainless steel ware's edges, especially if it has "folded edges" (the photo below shows the Ikea's Blanda Blank bowl). The "folded edges' is highlighted with the green arrow, the black residue is highlighted in the green circle. Now, if I see any black residue from the "folded edges", I may or may not buy this item, depending on - will the food come into contact with the folded edge at any stage of food preparation?

A closer look at the black residue

I was surprised that for many years, Google search returned only 1 result when you enter the term "stainless steel has black residue". Maybe nobody thought it was a big deal, maybe nobody noticed. Some online users suggested it is "carbon residual", "chromium rust", "polishing oil", but there is no way to tell for sure without sending it to a lab (I can't afford this).

Using the Endo stainless steel "Apple" Bento box (see photo below) as an example to take a closer look. The "bowl" and "cover" passed the 1st check, the "plate insert" did not, I tried to clean the plate's edges, because it does comes into contact with food - when I put hot food into the bowl, the steam would raise up, get trapped at, and condensed at the plate insert's edges, this condensed water will touch the black residue & flow back into the hot food - was my logic.

I poured and soaked the plate in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can see the black residue starting to come off in tiny bits, highlighted by the green circles.

I also used a toothpick to scrap into the folded edges, took the plate out of the boiling water, wipe it with a tissue - and the black residue is still there.

I used my fingers to pick up some of the black residue, then rub it. It smudges and felt like oil. Maybe it's harmless in the short term, but there is no way for us to know without lab testing. And I'm not sure manufacturers really care about people's health, e.g. Subway has been adding Azodicarbonamide into their bread for years, until consumers bring it to attention.

In the end I still use the Endo Bento box, but without the "plate insert".

How to get rid of stainless steel black residue

I did not find a effective way. I have tried washing with dish washing liquid more than once, scrubbing it with a sponge, pouring boiling water over it, nothing cleans it up completely, one tissue wipe later and it will show up again. Based on my own experience, even stainless steel ware from big name companies fails this simple tissue wipe test.

Some online users has suggest using "Bar Keepers Friend" a type of powder metal polish, some suggested boiling vinegar and water, it worked for some folks but not the others, because everyone has stainless steel wares from different manufacturers, who may use different materials. Since I now "wipe before I buy", I did not get to test out these 2 suggestions.

List of stainless steel wares that passed at least the 1st wipe test

These are items I have either purchased for my own use, or I gave it a wipe while shopping at the departmental store (but did not buy as some are too expensive). Maybe it's useful if you intend to buy them online, given the lockdown / circuit breaker closed most departmental stores. Do note manufacturing practices may change (cut cost, outsourcing), so this list may not be 100% accurate.

• Zebra 14 cm Mug with Lid
• Zebra Whistle Kettle Prima 2.5L
• Zebra Smart Whistling Kettle 3.5L
• Zebra oval lunch box 16cm
• WMF Select it! 30cm Wok with glass lid
• WMF Herb/ Tea Infuser ball
• Takahi Energy-Saving Thermal Cooker with Warmer 22.L+0.8L
• Philips Viva Collection Kettle 1.7L with Keep Warm Function HD9316
• Endo "Apple" Bento Lunch Box
• Fox Run Stainless Steel Popsicle Mold, Set of 6, Silver (from Amazon)
• AiYoo Three Sections Round Divided Dinner Plate Set of 2 (from Amazon)
• 3 level dish rack, with 3 trays (from Ezbuy), the translation is not very good - 304 bowl rack drain rack drying set table dishes, dish tray supplies storage box kitchen shelf 3 floor

All reviews are true, I'm not affiliated with any any entity, nor get payment in any shape or form, indirectly/ directly.

FIX casement window leaking through wall

A few years after replacing the casement windows, the window's wall starts to leak water whenever there is heavy rain, see photo below. This post is about fixing/ repairing the casement window leak.

Eventually the occasional leak will cause the paint to peel.

Checking the outside of the window, I saw that the side with the leak, has a gap between the casement window frame and the concrete wall. If it's hard to stretch out your head and look, use a hand held mirror to check. Or a camera to take photos. Be careful not to drop the mirror or camera.

Compared with the side with no leaks, there are no gaps - the photo below shows the paint covering the casement frame and concrete wall.

Assuming the gap is the problem, I bought a tube of silicone and gun (about $8) to cover the gap. Before starting:

• Check the weather forecast. I always try to let silicone dry for 24 hours.
• Wipe the surface with a moist rag, I use an expandable old sock with holes, use and throw it away. Let it dry out for a while.
• I used a wooden ice cream stick to try to spread out the silicone.

After application, the problem has ceased. From the photo below showing the uneven silicone application, you can see I'm no craftsman :) 

If your casement window is leaking, according to this forum's post, there could be a few other reasons. This other web page has a diagram showing the casement window structure and how the leak might flow. Might be useful.

BUY an old water tap key

The water tap key commonly sold (see picture below) in most hardware stores do not fit some water taps found in old HDB flats.

The following photo shows a typical water tap found in old HDB flats.

After much searching, I finally found an old water tap key that fits. It is hollow in the middle.

The old water tap key allows the tap's shaft to go through it. Some filing of the shaft might be required to ensure the key is able to grip the shaft.

The shop that I got it from is "Ng Hoe Hardware & Paints Shop" at Jurong East Street 24. It is probably the only shop in Singapore that still sells this type of water tap key.