So I have this 2010 mac mini.
I carefully downloaded the 'how to replace the hard drive' pdf with pics.
I decided to take my time doing it.
The logic board has sockets, that the various sensors and such snap into (they pry up, not pull out). Successfully removing the connector requires a fine touch, and a glued in place socket.
Unfortunately, the glue had aged or been eaten away or something on the fan connector.. and up came the entire socket, pins and all.
I successfully did the HD swap. But no fan.
So I went online and found 'how to re-solder the fan.'
Seeing that I needed tools and skill I didn't possess. I laid down my torx driver, and went to bed, hoping that a friend of mine might be able to save me.
I went to my friend Wayne.
Wayne is an electronics engineer turn missionary. His specialty is radio tech, and he's one of a dying breed of electronic repairmen. He took one look at the tiny soldering joints, the 0.015" solder points and said 'oh yeah, I can do this.'
When Wayne says that, you can take it to the bank. He's one of those guys who takes the time to do something right. Everything he does, he does completely. He even put epoxy on the bottom of the socket to make sure it doesn't pry up again.
(not that I'm ever going inside that computer again).
When I popped that socket I gasped. And my only thought was 'well either that was just a $700 mistake (new logic board) or, Wayne can save me for pennies'.
Wayne saved me, and it costs next to nothing.
The electronic engineer/tinkerer... the guy who can get down and dirty with capacitors and soldering irons. The guys who time and time again save us from expensive and time consuming repairs are an awesome bunch of guys. But they are a dying breed.
When I first got here, we had at least 3 such people on this center. Three people who could fix a microwave, repair a power supply, or put a new motor in your fridge.
They were all over 50 when I got here.
Now there is one left, and his name is Wayne. But Wayne won't be around forever.
And then, our only recourse will be to keep more spares on hand, wait months to order repair parts. Because no young people are becoming electrical engineers turn missionaries. ALL the guys in the past who have come to do this job, have had white hair.
We need some more white haired guys to come do these things! It is an awesome skill set to have on a remote mission field.
Wayne has saved me personally and professionally so many times I can't count. He has literally helped hundreds of people with his skill set, simply by being on the mission field. He has repaired the X-ray machine for the clinic, radios for remote translators, laptops, solar panels, kitchen appliances, you name it. If you plug it in, he's fixed it.
Here is a frequent scenario.
A power surge happens, a Bible translator sitting at his desk hears a 'pop!' and realizes his laptop no longer has power. He packs it all up, goes to see Wayne. (Or the repair guys at the repair dept. which more often than not, is Wayne alone, but sometimes is some of the Papua New Guineans that Wayne has helped to train.) Wayne takes the laptop, opens up the power supply, finds a burned out capacitor or something, removes it, replaces it with a spare piece he has kept in stock... and the laptop is back and working that same day, and the translator is translating again that same day. Out of pocket expense, a few pennies for the capacitor.
This is a gross simplification of what Wayne (and his ilk) do. It's a tremendously busy and complex job that he does. Without people like Wayne, that translator would have to wait weeks for a replacement power supply.
So what happens when the Waynes (electrical engineers) stop coming to PNG? A lot of things get thrown away that could be repaired. They get replaced. It means that translator will have to carry a few spare power supplies with him wherever he goes 'just in case'. It means that moment where I 'gasped' and went to bed didn't have the 'saved by the bell' relief moment at the other end.
The stuff that Wayne has his hands in, fixing and repairing during work hours. AND THEN all the things he does in his personal time, fixing items for people who simply do not have the money to buy new ones (we're missionaries!)....
(here's Wayne repairing a boat console)
You're starting to see why people like Wayne are so useful here.
To you, and me, that pile of broken electronics is little more than junk. To people like Wayne, that pile of junk is spare parts that could mean the difference between spending hundreds of dollars, and spending pennies.
God can use every skill set to further His kingdom. Some skill sets are becoming more and more rare. I seriously do not know what is going to happen when we're devoid of anyone like Wayne. I expect a lot of things are going to break, and in our customary fashion, we'll get by and make due. But some of us will remember the times fondly, when we could get things fixed, and we'll sigh and wonder 'what is Wayne doing now?' If we truly run out of people with skills like Wayne, the collective electrical and electronic components will shudder in fear and pray they never die.
If you're an electrical engineer, and thinking about missions, I can tell you personally, you will be so useful where we live. Because we don't live in a country with electronic stores or repair shops, and it takes weeks to get parts from outside the country. If you're looking to be loved, and valued... and maybe even a little over-worked... come to PNG!
