Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Fixing The Coffee Grinder: Why Not?

The Once and Future
Coffee Grinder
Yesterday the coffee grinder stopped working. This was a small crisis because, you know: COFFEE!
Coffee grinding by
the complete idiot!
I got by in the short run by using a hammer (see right)  but I immediately assumed that the the long-run solution was to get another grinder.
Then I realized: since the one I had was broken, I couldn't make it worse by trying to fix it!
This turned out to be really easy. As I describe the process, I'm leaving out the many times I unplugged the gadget. I just don't think it's smart to tinker with something that's plugged in, but it's hard to test when it's not.
At the bottom, remove screws. For this, I used my handy cordless drill, although a hand screwdriver would've worked too. After I removed the 1st screw completely, I realized it might be easier to keep the other one slightly threaded in the baseplate.
That screw in the middle? I spun it around a lot, to now effect; it's merely connected to the motor shaft and it turned out not to be part of the disassembly I needed.
Taking it apart was easy.
Look over the gadget. Nothing was obviously wrong (there were no apparently broken parts) so I had to figure out how the switch worked. Tracing the way the electricity flowed, I saw the flat plunger, when depressed against the force of a spring, would bring the copper ends of the circuits into touching. I plugged it in, brought the contacts to touch, and the motor spun! I could now grind coffee by holding it in two hands - not optimal - but at least had confidence that the motor was o.k. - there was probably just a switch issue.
Inside is not that complicated...
I wasted some time misunderstanding which bits of coppery alloy were actually the contacts, buy eventually I notices that one of them was slightly bent - probably by years of my mashing the button. I bent it a little in the right way, and then put the parts loosely into place. It worked!
Reassembly was the most complicated part. Trying to get all the bits to line up so nothing runs into anything else took a while, as anyone who's done a puzzle will appreciate - it's a 3-D puzzle with strange shapes! Eventually I got the baseplate screwed back on and ran another test. Success!
 Now, we could have just thrown this item out and bought a new one. I see
...reassembly: not so simple!
these for sale at about $25. Repairing saved me a bit of money and also gave me the good feeling of not having been wasteful.
The next time a little gadget of yours stops working, think about repair instead of repurchase. It's a little bit of money saved, and it's a fun challenge.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

4freeCLE: Free CLE Webcasts & Events! November 17, 2013

4freeCLE: Free CLE Webcasts & Events!
November 17, 2013
Webcasts - November
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Earn CLE Anywhere!
Webcasts - December
CLE State-by-State

Each of these programs can earn you credit, at no cost, in the state in which it is listed. 
In some cases, the programs require that attorneys attending apply for credit via reciprocity or other rules; check with the credit-granting authority in your state.


Alabama

Alaska

Free CLE Arizona
Arizona

Arkansas

CaliforniaFree CLE California

Free CLE - ColoradoColorado

Connecticut
Connecticut does not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. Any of the programs may be of interest to Connecticut lawyers, including the free webcasts above.


Delaware

District of Columbia
DC does not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. The webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed there.

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Michigan, Maryland + Massachusetts
Michigan, Maryland & Massachusetts do not have a mandatory CLE requirement at this time. The webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed in there.

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey
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See Also: Guide to Free CLE/New Jersey - Includes on-demand CLE!

New Mexico

Free CLE - New York
New York
See Also:
  • Guide to Free CLE/New York - includes AV CLE!
  • According to New York's Approved Jurisdiction Policy, programs in the following states may earn New York attorneys credit: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia & Wisconsin.

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Dakota 
South Dakota does not have a mandatory CLE requirement; the webcasts and other programs listed above may be of interest to lawyers licensed there.

South Carolina

Tennessee

TexasFree CLE - Texas
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See Also: Guide to Free CLE in Texas - Includes AV CLE.

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Virgin Islands

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin


Wyoming


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