Technological “emergencies” are often much simpler than they seem. And sometimes the simplest solution of all (or the one that feels most instinctive) is to switch to “parent mode”, which is to say that it sucks with the remote control easily and elegant until it works again.
We at Lifehacker are just as mortal and we are as fed up with technology as anyone else. Take senior health editor Beth Skwarecki, who shared with me the time she learned how to fix the fuse box in her old car with a kick. Or there’s writer Stephen Johnson, who once had a battering ram that didn’t start until he opened the hood and cracked it with a hammer. (Supposedly, it really impressed people that he could open the hood and start his car.) Then we have our resident expert, senior technology editor Jake Peterson, who is often frustrated with his command, such as you.
This is why old-fashioned violence is sometimes an effective way to get your electronic devices working again.
It’s called percussion maintenance and it works (maybe)
While the idea of cracking technology evokes an image of my father hitting the top of a TV with his fist clenched, there is some reason for anger. The fantastic term for this method is known as “percussive maintenance”. According to Techopedia, in IT, percussion maintenance is “the art of shaking, hitting, or hitting something to make it work.”
Sometimes the impact on the physical hardware is enough to fix the malfunction. That’s why this technique works for a battery-powered remote control or for old devices with parts that may be misaligned or corroded.
Then, for a battery-powered device, you can probably achieve the same effect by rolling the batteries in their housings or simply removing them and putting them back on.
Percussion maintenance has an official tone, but that doesn’t mean professionals respect it. Many IT professionals see this approach as more emotional than rational. And yet, for many electronic devices … there is a non-zero chance that percussion maintenance will work.
Touch, don’t hit
The key to maintaining percussion is to remain delicate with the force you apply. PopSci explains that “a good shot can temporarily fix an intermittent connection, but it’s risky.” Don’t become an emotional caveman and expect your technology to work magically again.
This logic is why you should never try percussion maintenance on something like your smartphone. Your phone will not respond well to sudden impacts, and there is a risk of serious damage to the internal components of the device. Think about it, when was the last time you saw someone toss their phone into the room with the goal of making it work better?
Percussive maintenance has the potential to work when a device has moving parts such as gears (which could have become jammed) or perhaps a loose cable that could temporarily reconnect the circuit after a solid tap.
Takeaway food
There is a certain logic in hitting certain appliances in order to impact them so that they work again. However, the emotional benefit could outweigh the rationality of this technique. Plus, the risk of hitting your devices can outweigh the potential reward in one fell swoop. Ultimately, true “percussive maintenance” is best left to professionals.