From: Frank Gruendel (newtontalk_at_pda-soft.de)
Date: Sat Jun 26 2004 - 16:30:33 PDT
> who here is going to take apart newtons for those of us not
> willing to totally dissasemble their newts and put it in the
> new case
Me, and probably a couple of other people out there.
> and how much will this cost?
Since along with a complete test this is a procedure that takes
3-4 hours, I'd consider something in the range of 25...35 Euros
fair. With the current exchange rate this should be around
30...40 USD.
> we cant have someone rebuilding newtons for free.
We can, if someone wants to spend the time and take the risk. But
I doubt you'll find someone like that ;-)
> now i know frank can and will but then i have to figure in
> the cost to ship it to and from him.
It might make sense if people ship their Newtons in the same
package. This isn't that unlikely because if this project is
ever done I think there are many people out there who would want
this done.
> now the next thing is what happens if its put in the new case
> and it doesnt work correctly?
In that case you wouldn't get it back in that case. I'd put it
back into the old case. No Newton leaves my premises that hasn't
passed all tests, and many on this list will confirm that there
are many of these...
However, I don't think this would be likely. Before I would even
contemplate offering a service like that I would expect to be given
the chance to review everything throroughly and at leisure. And
if the case is good enough to risk offering such a service, I don't
think there'd be many problems with it.
> one of my fears about opening my newt now.
It's not that difficult. And there's always your friendly neighborhood
Frank who will probably be able to help you if you kill something
or can't get it reassembled properly ;-)
> so lets say its done for $50 to swap the case
Well, if you insist, $50 would be ok, too ;-)
> lets say $20 s/h both ways to the person if they are stateside,
> more if its goin to frank.
Shipping to the US would be (because the German postal system is
incredibly simple and easy to understand)
a) 13,85 Euro (padded letter, not insured, surface delivery)
b) Same as a, but insured. Plus 1 Euro for each 102 Euro insurance sum
c) 23,85 Euro ((padded letter, not insured, air mail delivery)
d) Same as c, but insured. Plus 1 Euro for each 102 Euro insurance sum
e) 16,15 Euro (well-padded box, not insured, surface mail)
f) 27,05 Euro (well-padded box, not insured, air mail)
24,85 Euro (well-padded box, not insured, air mail)
g) 32,85 Euro (well-padded box, insured with approx. 60 Euro, surface mail)
h) 47,85 Euro (well-padded box, insured with 500 Euro, air mail)
One Euro is currently about 1.20 USD.
> then there is the time without the newton lets say a 2 weeks, longer
> if its goin to frank and his crazy postal lady.
Air mail usually takes between 5 and 10 days. Most times it takes about
a week.
> and lets range the cases at $175 -250.
If they were $250, only a lunatic would start this project because the up
front cost would be way too high. Just my humble and unimportant opinion.
> yes i know most of us have backup newts but not everyone does.
This is something that can be handled. Methinks that I could send people
a working and tested 2100 in a clear case even BEFORE they send theirs my
way. Of course it would be more expensive (like 100 USD or so), I'd refund
the difference as soon as their Newton arrives on my workbench.
> but just like when i owned my motorcylce i took it to the pros to have
> them change oil, brake pads and tires. i just feel more comfortable
> letting someone who has done this before do it rather then take a chance
> and mess up myself.
Ermmm... I once watched some BMW "pros" trying to remove a coil from
my motorcycle's generator using a chisel and a hammer. Because they weren't
aware of the trick needed for removing the flywheel, which would have
allowed them to remove the coil using a plain ol' screwdriver.
My respect for "pros", especially those in garages, has been slightly
dented ever after.
You wouldn't believe how many TV sets I have fixed for less than the cost
of a bottle of beer because their owners were told by the service
technicians that the picture tube was dead. Which it was in no case,
this is just a convenient way to make people buy a new TV set since
the picture tube is by far the most expensive part in a TV set.
This, although it allowed me to finance parts of my studies, hasn't
exactly increased my trust in "pros", either...
Cheers
Frank
-- Newton Software and Hardware at http://www.pda-soft.de
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