Via Reddit

There’s something to be said for the unconventional approaches to troubleshooting tech issues. Just because you have an instruction manual telling you to do things one way, doesn’t mean that you could save a ton of money by taking your own route. These instances of ingenious tech solutions to irritating problems are certainly in a league of their own.

1. “I didn’t have an ethernet cord long enough so I used the air vent as a shortcut.”

u/atomicdragon136/via reddit.com

2. “Wanted to use an old phone as a second display, but it was getting too toasty for my liking. Old heatsink to the rescue.”

u/savvysillybug/via reddit.com

3. “Printer says ink is too low but there’s quite a bit of ink left. So I tape over the sensor.”

u/atomicdragon136/via reddit.com

4. “A PC builder’s life isn’t complete without an SSD taped to the back of the case.”

u/spiritleader7/via reddit.com

5. “Made a motor brush and brush spring out of a battery and a beer can because replacement is $300.”

u/vividtell1613/via reddit.com

6. “This atrocity fixed my overheating issue.”

u/massiveremote2046/via reddit.com

7. “Phone was heating up when gaming.”

u/iamloesss/via reddit.com

8. “Had an important test in university and solar only would have been too risky to run the calculator.”

u/nv1t/via reddit.com

9. “I made an iPhone 13 mini to work with external batteries.”

u/eddnor/via reddit.com

10. “I broke my LCD 1 hour before my class. Only had a fried ThinkPad x250 laying around.”

u/decentcow2080/via reddit.com

11. “Yes, there’s a built in fan now.”

u/tttecapsulelover/via reddit.com

12. “To block IR signals from getting to my Apple TV.”

u/naieradk/via reddit.com

13. “Gen 1 Chromecast with mod still going strong.”

u/banielbow/via reddit.com

14. “Powering on a very old laptop without the original adapter.”

u/lxde0992/via reddit.com

15. “No more with the proprietary batteries.”

u/montythegreat10/via reddit.com

16. “My 10 meter USB C charging cable made out of three wire mains cable.”

u/gotasium/via reddit.com

17. “This is the final iteration of the USB, I swear.”

u/tttecapsuletime/via reddit.com

18. “It was overheating, alright.”

u/luckybor/via reddit.com

19. “My cheap SSD was stopping being recognized and I noticed it was really hot, now it’s working fine.”

u/digiop/via reddit.com

20. “Cooling the power brick that is powering the peltier module cause it’s getting slightly too hot to be comfortable.”

u/ttecapsuleforever/via reddit.com

Meet the Writer

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.