Defective Electronics: The Art and Science of Field Destroying Defective Electronics
Why Destroy AV Equipment Instead of Return?
Since we install a reasonable amount of electronics, we occasionally have something which needs to be destroyed rather than shipped back. Sometimes, it isn't worthwhile to ship an item back to be repaired, or it may not be repairable. Some things, such as this battery back-up/surge suppressor, are simply too large and heavy to ship back. To verify there is a defective product and they aren't being defrauded, the parent company asks us to field destroy or decommission the faulty piece. This prevents the device from being resold if it isn't actually defective.
- Non-repairable Items: the return process is redundant and a waste of resources
- Prohibitive Shipping Costs: too large and heavy, making the cost of shipping them back impractical
- Fraud Prevention: destroy the defective item to prove it's genuinely unusable
Our Creative Destruction Methods
Decommissioning can be fun, especially attempting to find new, interesting, and creative ways to make this happen. Here are a few methods we've employed:
The Jeep and Subwoofer Incident
One of our first attempts at decommissioning involved a subwoofer. The initial plan was to crush it by parking my Jeep on top of it. Surprisingly, the subwoofer's internal bracing was too robust, thwarting our efforts. We then moved on to sectioning it with a chainsaw to weaken its structure, but this too failed to achieve the desired outcome. Finally, a simple solution proved effective: lifting it high and letting gravity do the work. Although our initial attempts were unsuccessful, the final method delivered the results we needed.
Sparks Fly with the Chopsaw
Another memorable decommissioning involved volume controls which needed to be destroyed. For this, we employed a metal cutting chopsaw. Cutting these controls in half was not only effective but visually impressive. The sparks flew during the cutting process and added a dramatic flair which we all enjoyed.
The Latest Adventure with a Battery Back-Up
Most recently, a defective battery back-up/surge suppressor failed during its warranty period, and they asked us to render it useless.
Hmmm, how can I do it this time?
I'm always ready to use my Jeep for something, but I already tried the "slow roll." I wanted some diversity. How about a faster drive-over? To be environmentally conscious, I removed the internal batteries first and then reassembled the unit. Battery back-ups contain one or more internal sealed lead/acid batteries (think car batteries, but much smaller, sealed so the acid doesn't leak out).
This product contained 2 of these small batteries which we removed prior to destruction. After prepping this little black box, I placed it in the street, set up some video recording devices (cell phones) and drove over at a slow speed.
4 times. Both directions. Crushing results.
As we expected, it was a successful field destruction (but I expected the same when I attempted to kill the subwoofers; they were more challenging than I expected). To complete the process, I needed to clean up my mess, take the necessary "after" photos for proof, and return them to the manufacturer. Once the manufacturer had the proof, they would send us a new unit under warranty.
Join Us in the Fun
We hope you find this kind of fun, maybe to break up a mundane day, or just to live vicariously through us. We love to share some of the things we get to see the insides of, play with, and sometimes destroy.
Hope it's not just me who finds this kind of stuff entertaining!
AV Sales and Installation: Pinellas County, areas of West Hillsborough and West Pasco
If you need some electronics installed which still work, give us a call! If anything we sell fails within the warranty period, we will handle the paperwork to get you rolling again. Who knows, maybe we can make another video! If you have any ideas we deem reasonable and interesting, let us know, we will consider this for our next destructive video!
