Andrew's Electronics

05/23/2026

I will be checking out VCFSW this coming weekend and as such, the shop will be closed from the 27th through the 1st of June.

I won't have a table this year but perhaps next year I will have some cool stuff to sell. Wanna go? Go here:

At VCF Southwest you can expect to see, experience, and get hands on with a wide range of vintage technology from the early days of computing into the 2000s

03/03/2026

The backlog is clearing and I'm back on social media! My primary telephone is temporarily offline due to it going missing at a restaurant and being subsequently disabled. Please use my secondary line at 3252732205 until further notice.

12/26/2024

Well, now that ShankMods' absolutely incredible rescue of what is possibly the last Sony KX-45ED1 / PVM-4300 on Earth has made me famous, it's time for the FAQ for all my new customers!

Q: What are your hours?
A: Most Friday and Saturday evenings from 4PM to midnight by appointment only.

Q: Why the limited hours?
A: Andrew's Electronics is a part time enterprise. My main job is at a large cloud infrastructure provider.

Q: Where are you located?
A: I have two locations, one at my house in Abilene and at a friend's place in Chico (~1hr NW of Fort Worth). Call 325-370-4404 for details. The address Yelp keeps putting back has been defunct for nearly a decade.

Q: I don't live in the DFW or Big Country area. Can I ship it in?
A: Yes, but you need to contact me beforehand so I know what to expect and when and so I can ensure that there's room in the repair queue for you. I also need to instruct you on how to pack it so it won't get completely ruined on the way. I have served customers as far away as Sweden!

Q: How many employees do you have?
A: It's just me but sometimes well qualified friends join in on the fun.

Q: Do you specialize in Trinitrons?
A: No, I'm primarily into the audio side of A/V but I have fixed quite a few including my own PVM-1953MD and countless PC monitors.

Q: OK, so you don't specialize in Trinitrons. What IS your specialty? A: I specialize in Japanese audio gear from 1970-2000 with a secondary focus in home microcomputers including the IBM PC and compatibles, 68k Macintosh and the Apple II. I even dabble in SGI.

Q: Can you fix my TV?
A: Probably....if it's worth repair. Most defective LCD TVs are best recycled due to low replacement costs and huge advances in tech, but your high end CRT or Plasma is welcome here.

Q: Can you fix my PC/Stereo/other widget?
A: Probably. Call me so we can discuss your repair needs!

Q: How much will it cost to perform a given task on a given piece of equipment?
A: Due to the large variety of problems that can affect your devices and the even larger variety of such devices, estimates are on a case-by-case basis and require in person diagnostics. Sometimes I can give a very rough estimate over the phone, but that shouldn't be considered a quote and actual repair costs will likely vary once formal diagnostics have been done.

Q:What's your minimum bench fee?
A: $75 which includes diagnostics on most devices and the first 30 minutes of actual repair labor.

Q: What happens if you can't fix it? Am I out $75?
A: NO! If I cannot fix it, I don't charge the diags fee. Andrew's Electronics doesn't operate like the US healthcare system; I won't kick you when you're down like that.

Q: You can fix it but informed me it's a NER (Non Economical Repair). Am I out my $75?
A: NO! If I decline a repair job for any reason or advise the customer against it and you decline before work starts, there is no charge. Most NERs are identifiable on first sight. Basically, if you can replace it for $75 or not much more, it's probably a NER.

Q: You told me it's a NER but I *LIKE* it and I want it fixed anyway. Do I pay the bench fee?
A: Yes, but if its a quick fix, that may very well be your total bill!

Q: You can fix it, but I changed my mind and *I* don't want it fixed anymore. Do I get my diags fee back?
A: Unfortunately, no. I used to refund it in all cases including cancellations but this resulted in widespread abuse of the policy so I had to protect my shop from that. If I think it has useful parts or I can resell it if its fixed, we may be able to make a deal that reduces or eliminates your monetary expense.

Q: How long will it take to fix my equipment?
A: It depends on several factors including availability of parts, shop load (ie, your place in the queue), and the complexity of the repairs you need. Restorations/rebuilds of gear are extremely time consuming and have to be handled at reduced priority to allow the shop to continue to process repairs as well. Most repairs are turned around in 2-6 weeks while most full restorations take several months to clear the queue.

Q: Do you sell new or used equipment?
A: I occasionally have used equipment for sale but equipment sales are not my primary focus.

Q: Do you sell parts?
A: If I have a huge number of something or it can be ordered in, sure, but you might get it faster from Mouser or Digikey. If it's an old discontinued part I need to complete repairs that I otherwise could not, then no, I hoard those like a dragon hoards gold. (I have some STK modules. I don't sell them outside of a repair!)

Q: I have parts inventory. Will you buy it?
A: Possibly! Contact me, let's make a deal.

Q: I have equipment I don't want. Do you buy it?
A: Maybe. It has to be something I can make money on once it's been fixed up to my standards. Contact me.

Q: I have an old computer I want recycled. Do you do this in an environmentally responsible manner?
A: YES! We do it in the best way...we fix up that old computer for vintage video gaming or use it for parts. Anything left over is sent to a licensed recycler.

Q: What payment methods do you accept?
A: Cash or Paypal.

02/25/2023

NOTICE TO PEOPLE INQUIRING ABOUT PHONES OR PHONE ACCESSORIES:

There is apparently another entity also named Andrew's Electronics that does phones, and if you've come here looking to resolve an issue with them, be advised that you have the wrong contact info.

This is a stereo repair shop with a secondary emphasis on historical and high end PCs.

I *do not* sell, service or support mobile phones in any way. I also do not sell phone parts, phone accessories or any phone-adjacent hardware, software or services of any kind.

05/10/2021

Everyone's gear is OK but ALL work processing is going to be super slow until further notice due to a power outage caused by squirrels in my attic.

Power that would normally be reserved for lab use is being rerouted to other portions of the house that are completely dark using a convention center's worth of portable cords off of the lab's main UPS. Power tests of amplifiers of any consequential size cannot be performed at this time because those are super power hungry and I might have to plastic wrap my instruments and your gear depending on how wild the construction gets.

01/13/2021

This is a friendly reminder to back up your computer, phone and cloud drives.

Bad things eventually happen to good computers, phones and clouds and sometimes those bad things are destructive to data. Be prepared with at least one local backup. A local backup is one made to a device that is in your physical possession such as an external hard drive or USB stick.

If you have never backed up, now would be an excellent time to do so. You might not get a second chance, don't delay. Backup now!

I recommend backing up individual files anytime you create data you do not want to lose and backing up your whole device at least monthly.

And now I'm going to tell you some tips on how to do it like a pro.....

After you're done backing up, be sure to unplug your backup device to protect it from accidental deletion, malware and power surges. Place the device in a safe, clean and dry location, ideally not in the same room as your computer. Storing the device in the opposite end of the building is best as it affords a greater chance of one of your copies being intact if disaster strikes your home or business.

Ideally, at least one offsite backup should also be made in case your backup device is destroyed or otherwise lost in a disaster. Your offsite backup can be things such as a different cloud service than the one you use most often or even additional physical copies stored in a secure location outside of your home or business if the data is critical. Safe deposit boxes are great locations to stash a backup hard drive for mission critical data or those priceless family photos.

If theft of data is a concern, you can use encryption software to encrypt either individual files or the full disk. Use a strong password but *do not* forget it, otherwise you'll lose access to the encrypted data forever. Writing down the password naturally weakens security but you could place the password in a safe or at a safe deposit box at your bank as a compromise.

Most commercial fire safes are NOT rated to store computer media. Special media safes that keep the temperature and humidity to acceptable levels for electronics are available but they are very costly. These safes are made with fire protection in mind; if you need robust unauthorized access protection, encrypt the data as the locks on these safes are easily forced or picked. For most users, an offsite backup is a better choice than a media safe and for small numbers of drives, less costly.

For long term archival of more than a few years, use optical media such as a writeable DVD or even magnetic archival media like LTO tape if you have huge amounts of data to archive. Flash memory, such as the kind in USB sticks, is subject to bit fade over time and mechanical hard drives can lock up if left unpowered for a long time.

Choosing the right optical media is vital. Write once media lasts considerably longer than rewriteable media and there are even special ultra durable archival discs available such as M Disc DVDs that can in theory last a century. Burning an M Disc DVD does require an M Disc capable burner but the disc can be read in any DVD drive once burned. If you want one installed in your PC, give me a call! All Andrew's Electronics PCs made within the last 4 years with an optical drive are M Disc capable. M Disc BD-ROM is also available.

As new media types come along, you should periodically transfer your old backups to the new media types as they become popular. This not only staves off time related errors like bit fade, it ensures that you have a copy of the data in a form most likely to be compatible with whatever modern computers will be using in the future. Case in point: Just think about those backups people made in the 80s on 5.25" floppies! If they're not already gone due to bit rot, they certainly require some fancy footwork involving old computers connected to new ones to retrieve. If they had periodically transferred that data from 5.25 floppies, to 3.5" floppies and then to CD and then to a USB drive over the years, they could have avoided all that. If kept up, this method of repeated backups to ever newer media types can be a viable archival strategy. This method is used at Andrew's Electronics in conjunction with optical media for select items.

12/26/2020

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Andrew's Electronics...and my lab assistants!

12/20/2020

It's a bit late for this PSA, but it would be a pity to go through all of this social distancing and mask wearing only to become victim to something as lame as a house fire due to faulty Christmas lights.

As you're decking the halls this season, I encourage you to inspect your Christmas lights for damage, use safe wiring practices and only buy good quality lights. That means only buying your lights from reputable merchants and ensuring that they've been certified by an independent safety testing lab like UL, CSA or Intertek ETL. Be safe, buy real! https://besafebuyreal.ul.org/

This example is from the UK, but shoddy lights such as the ones in this video are making their way to our shores as well. The plug is different, but the scam is the same and just as dangerous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtFqdPbqItY

PS: Don't forget to check your smoke detectors and water your tree if you have a real one. A dry tree ignites very easily can become engulfed in flames in *seconds*. For more holiday safety tips, visit esfi.org. https://www.esfi.org/resource/in-the-right-light-decorate-your-home-safely-during-the-holidays-567

Infographic How to Spot Counterfeit Products Online SVG Annual World Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign Infographic What You Need to Know About Water Filters Infographic 5 Ways to Avoid Counterfeits Action Send a Message to Your Elected Officials Infographic How to Stay Safe When Streaming Online Be Safe....

08/19/2020

Due to a vexatious number of robocalls, I am now requiring all AE patrons leave a voicemail or text message with the make and model of their equipment and the issue that needs to be resolved to receive a reply back.

About 80% of the calls hitting my phone right now are spam and calling every number back is making this worse.

06/14/2020

Here's why I don't sell those $200 "cloud" Windows laptops to customers or recommend them to anyone.

The PC this screenshot came from has a fresh copy of Windows 10 and is only about a year old but yet it takes all it can give just to process the monthly Patch Tuesday updates. You're basically getting a laptop with a 4 year old smartphone's worth of computing power trying to run full blown desktop Windows. You're gonna have a bad time.

When updates are not running, the whole experience is still a sad, laggy mess. The poor hunk of junk can't even run Zoom well.

Specs: Celeron N3050 1.6GHz dual core, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage. After Windows is installed, you've got about 6GB of local storage before you're so low on space that you're jeopardizing the operation of the system as a whole. Folks, my laptop in 2006 had a CPU of roughly the same performance, 2GB RAM, 100GB of storage, and ran Windows XP. We've moved on.

They come with an Office 365 trial which gives you 1TB of cloud storage but this requires a constant high speed internet connection to use and goes p**f if you don't pay up at the end of the trial. Get a recent-ish used PC or spend the extra $100 to get something that wasn't considered junk 10 years ago.