u/MissionTroll404

Hi guys, I got this beauty for €40. It came with a 128GB Samsung 830 EVO, but I had a 256GB 850 EVO lying around, so I swapped that in and installed Linux Mint.

This thing still had its original thermal paste. It had apparently never been taken apart before either, since the screws had no visible wear. After about an hour of work, I managed to increase CPU performance by around 40% and reduce temperatures by 15–20°C.

Unfortunately, the plastic above the CPU fan, around the volume buttons, is now slightly lifted by about 1 mm. It didn't fit back perfectly and I have no idea why, but I decided to leave it alone instead of opening the laptop again and risking breaking something.

The original 56.2 Wh battery somehow still lasts up to 1.5 hours with mixed use and reports 98% health.

Overall, even small things like Bluetooth, the fingerprint scanner, sleep mode, the silly keyboard light, and all the status indicator LEDs work perfectly. I'm amazed by how nice this thing feels to use compared to the IdeaPad Gaming 3 I had and eventually got rid of because it was utter crap. It's insane that they were made by the same company.

The worst thing about this laptop is the horrible 1366×768 TN panel. Unfortunately, mine doesn't have the 1600×900 display. This is probably the worst laptop screen I have ever laid eyes on.

I actually want to use this machine, and I want to upgrade it, especially the display, but financially it makes absolutely no sense. I could have bought a second hand T470p for €150 with a 2K IPS display and much better performance.

I could also buy a parts-only 1600×900 panel T420 for 25-30 Euros and steal its display, but that would still be an old TN panel. So I am asking for advice: does it make any sense to spend around €100 on improving the display of a €40 laptop?

I also tried using my Samsung Tab S7+ as an external monitor. Unfortunately, SuperDisplay doesn't work on Linux, and the Linux-compatible screen-streaming methods I tried are so CPU-intensive that they overwhelm the poor 2nd-gen i5.

And thanks to the new EU import charges, ordering upgrade parts from China has become even less attractive.

I have told my mom to not do this before but she does not listen anyway. I am thinking of throwing everything to trash instead of them being gradually destroyed to pieces. I can not even care anymore. These things take hours to put together and paint then get manhandled anyway.

My untested antique bazaar find Leica II works! So happy to see the negatives come out without any major issues. Seems like some shots were underexposed, or cine film weirdness, I am not sure. Wanted to share the results.

This Junghans pocket watch defeated me, I spend +5 hours taking it apart and cleaning it to end up worse.

It ran badly when I bought it. Very low amplitude, around 2 minutes slow per day on the desk, which was honestly not terrible, but it stopped when I tried carrying it in my pocket. So I opened it up thinking maybe it just needed cleaning/oiling.

What I found:

- The train runs freely without the pallet fork.

- The balance moves freely without the fork.

- The pallet fork itself also moves freely.

But when I install the small metal bridge that holds the upper pivot of the pallet fork, the whole escapement starts rubbing/seizing. If that bridge is removed, the watch wants to run. If I put it back, the balance gets very high friction and it stops working.

The fork itself seems fine. I do not think the fork is the problem. It skips to the next position when I bump it as intended.

My current theory is that the lower balance staff pivot may be broken, or damaged even though it looks fine with naked eye. So the balance may be sitting too low, and then it rubs against the pallet fork bridge when everything is assembled.

That would also explain why the watch only ran face up before. In any other position, the balance/escapement was probably rubbing and losing all power. It still works face up if I un-tighten the screw that holds the balance in place and give it a good shake.

I got too angry at one point and even sanded the top of the pallet bridge, which obviously did not fix anything.

This is the second vintage watch with fucked up escapement I had so I am very upset. Sorry for the long rant, it is 2AM and I failed.

Hi guys. I was at some point (like a year ago) really into watch repair. I bought a lot of tools. I even "build" a wristwatch around Seiko parts from China. I took apart a Seagull ST3620 movement and put it back together, I was really hyped. I wanted to get some pocket watches to work on and learn but was not able to find any for a reasonable cost. Eventually I lost interest as I often do... But I always loved pocket watches, years ago my dad bought a cheap quartz one for me which kept dying and I non-ironically took that to high-school back then.

Last week I sold my Moebius oil set (It was sitting unused, with various small quantities of lubricant and grease bottles). 3 days ago I found these watches for cheap and they were already running. I got the no name one for 5 Euros and the Junghans one for 10 Euros. I know they are pretty worthless. I now only have Moebius 8000 and applied it sparingly on the pivots of the Junghans one without properly disassembling or cleaning it. I can see they both have cheap movements and the no name on has basically no jewels at all and someone pushed the regulator all the way to positive speed. They both have very low amplitude, I can tell by just looking.

Anyhow I want to throw a chain on the Junghans one and carry it around because I find the ticking sounds pretty charming. It loses 2 minutes in 24 hours on my desk. I was curious if anyone can make any sense of the markings inside the watch case. I guess it indicates November 1974 on one of them 11/74N. 3rd image is the Junghans one last image is the no brand one for reference.

It would be also nice if someone can tell: Is there any danger from the lume material of the Junghans and the broken glass. I am guessing it is not old enough to have thorium or something radioactive right? I guess it is pretty illogical to try to replace that cracked glass as well. Oh well, maybe I give the other one to my cousin since he also likes pocket watches.

I visited Karlshorst Antique bazaar in Berlin. I usually do not bother with antique bazaars anymore because everything they sell is overpriced nowadays. Anyway, I saw this next to a Sony A7s. Seller had various random stuff like game consoles etc. I did asks the price of some other stuff as well to not look too suspicious.

I asked the price of the camera (I just pointed to it without mentioning Leica lol) and the guy asked for 200 Euros. I thought about it for a while. I have never held a Leica before so I did not know how to test it properly. I am an analog photography nerd but I never bothered to look for a Leica since they are very expensive.

Asked a friend and he said it was very early model and somewhat valuable if working. I wound the shutter and it did fire so I decided to gamble on it.

I paid 160 Euros for it. At home, I was able to confirm shutter fires and responds to changing the shutter speed, lens focuses and rangefinder is also responding at least. I could not remove the leather case, the tripod mount screw is stuck and I am not going to force it. I think it needs a CLA. I am too excited but I will stop messing with it and take it to the Leica store maybe to ask about it.