I seem to spend a lot of time fixing Yamahas

"UserNotFound" (jalopnik2)
04/08/2020 at 15:50 • Filed to: Audiolopnik, Yamaha, Overnight Engineering

Watchlopnikers, look away now!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

My YZF-R6, my RGX-120D, and my RBX375 have all gone through some level of repair and/or modifications during their time in my care. Now it’s time for my HPH-PRO400s to go under the knife.

It all started when I wore them constantly for years and then they went and broke. Unfortunately the combination of my fat head and their use of plastic-as-a-spring was too much and it fractured at a critical point. The strap held on by a sliver for a couple of weeks with the help of some gaffer tape, but eventually it split completely.

Great sounding cans suffering sub-optimal structural design. (Yes, the YouTuber-Approved Certified Good Content Mat™ is back!)

Now, I’m not one to throw things away prematurely. I’m also one who, when I find something I like, I hold on to it until I die or it crumbles apart so far beyond the point of repair that I give up. So far I haven’t died, and the headphones were still electrically connected, so I figured I could have a go at fixing them.

I wasn’t in the mood to do any plastic welding (nor do I have the equipment) and I wasn’t confident that I’d be able to disassemble them far enough to make a support that goes inside the core of the head strap. Luckily I have a large collection of very small screws, some scrap aluminum, and a workshop. I decided to fabricobble a bolted-on plate to tie the halves together.

I’m not a hoarder YOU’RE a hoarder ...

The first attempt, while admirable, worked about as well as I’d hoped it wouldn’t - not at all. It successfully clamped the halves together but wasn’t nearly stiff enough to keep the strap from bending. To the bench vise!

Getting that steampunk vibe, but lacking the intended structural integrity.

I folded the brace down the middle, filed down the corners, and gently beat it in to a slight curve.

Second moment of inertia for the win!

Much better! It’s not the prettiest but neither am I so who’s to judge? I’m happy to say my headphones are back in service and work pretty well. Just in time to work from home where I can play music out loud without needing headphones!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and wash your hands!

DISCUSSION (16)

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 15:57

Very nice!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 15:59

That’s some good work right there! Take that planned obsolescence !

UserNotFound > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/08/2020 at 16:06

“ Planned obsolescence” sounds more like “challenge accepted” in my book XD

Snuze: Needs another Swede > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 16:06

Kinja'd!!!

Why Hello, fellow Marylander!

Nice job on the headphone repair!

UserNotFound > Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/08/2020 at 16:13

Hi there!

You’ll like this one even more:

Kinja'd!!!

That hat is from the 2015 or 2018 (I forget which year we did the hats) Baja SAE Maryland that I volunteered at down at Budd’s Creek.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 16:17

Only Yamaha I fix has a 760cc dual carb 2 stroke in it.

1996 Yamaha WaveRaider 760

Chariotoflove > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 16:17

“Properly Fixed”. Nice work.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > UserNotFound
04/08/2020 at 16:22

Nice! I had a pair of Densos do that about six months into my ownership. I, however, opted for the “lose hours of my life to fighting with ‘ customer service’ and then throw the headphones away in disgust” route.

UserNotFound > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
04/08/2020 at 16:27

I can’t even remember how long ago I bought theses but it was when I had Facebook so at least a couple years ...

I was originally going to replace them but then I remembered how much good heaphones cost so I decided to just try to fix them. Worst case I break them irreparably and then buy something else that fits better.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > UserNotFound
04/09/2020 at 07:49

I volunteered at the 2015 Baja SAE at Budd’ s Creek, and I never got a hat, so probably 2018? I worked the obstacle course the first day, and the second day for endurance they stuck me way out on the back side, a little bit before the entrance to the oval track. I was on the Formula team at UMD, I never did Baja, so that was a first for me and it was a lot of fun!

Love the garage shot , that’s awesome. And the jeep looks nice !

UserNotFound > Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/09/2020 at 08:22

Well, I was an organizer (which is the word I was reaching for yesterday but couldn’t remember so I went with volunteer XD) , so maybe it was just organiz ers that got the hats? I designed and ran maneuverability (is that what you mean by obstacle course? or do you mean S & T [suspension and traction]? ) both years.

By the way we’re back on the schedule for 2021. Looks like it’s going to be an every-3-years event!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > UserNotFound
04/09/2020 at 09:01

Might be - I was just a volunteer and only got a t-shirt, which I still wear.

I guess it was maneuverability. I couldn’t remember the actual name, but it was the “road” course that was run for time, but had various things to traverse on the way - logs of various sizes and in different positions, washboards, etc. My favorite was at the very end, just before the finish, was a giant monster truck tire (or tires) about half buried.

One of the first drivers on the course was flying down the final stretch and decided to hit the tire obstacle “Full Send” and the baja buggy went up, rotated 90 degrees and went straight up into the air, and then fell straight back down, ass end into the tires, and then bounced to the ground. I can say now it was hysterical because nobody was hurt.

I missed 2018 but if you need 2021 volunteers, I’m game. Heck, put the word out on Oppo, there’s a few of us in the MD/DC/VA area.

UserNotFound > Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/09/2020 at 09:14

Okay yeah that’s S&T - that’s the biggest car breaker of dynamic day.

They’re doing virtual competitions this year so 2021 will be the first year where we’ll see a bunch more 4WD cars so that should be really interesting. They’re mandating 4WD for 2022 (originally 2021 but everything just got bumped up by a year). Teams that compete in 2021 with 4WD have the chance for bonus points. Now that everybody has an extra year to develop, we might see a pretty crazy competition in 2021. I’m looking forward to it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > UserNotFound
04/09/2020 at 09:56

It was fun, I enjoyed it. It also gave me the hots to build my own buggy, which maybe will happen one day, after I finish about a million other projects. I’ve got a little Honda 250 Nighthawk engine - twin cylinder, 20 HP, 5 speed trans - that would be a hoot.

Why the mandate on 4WD? I seem to recall it was an option, but I don’t think many teams were using it. Are they still using the same spec engines? It was a 9.5 HP Briggs, right? That doesn’t seem like a lot of engine to have to push a 4WD buggy - you’ve got more friction losses AND more weight and complexity. But it does sound like an interesting engineering challenge, should be fun to see what the teams come up with.

UserNotFound > Snuze: Needs another Swede
04/09/2020 at 10:41

Yeah it’s still the same spec engine. I think it’s a Vanguard now - Briggs retired that motor and farmed it out or something.

The stated reason for 4WD is to align with the off- road industry where 4WD is much more common (which is arguable, depending on what segment we’re looking at).

The real reason is to shake things up. Some people high up were getting frustrated that the cars were getting “ over-optimized” , especially at the big schools.

I think there are some ways to implement 4WD pretty cleverly (technically the rules allow for all wheel drive - it doesn’t have to be full time) without too much weight or drag penalty and still get the traction advantage. Eager to see what the teams come up with.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > UserNotFound
04/09/2020 at 11:49

I understand shaking things up but I worry that it’s going to hurt the smaller schools/teams.

I’ve often wondered why SAE won’t adopt a class system - Aero and Non-aero for Formula, and now they could do 2WD and 4WD for Baja. That way smaller schools can focus on chassis design and making the most of their powertrain which would allow them to be competitive against similar designs, while big schools are free to use their resources as they see fit.

Regardless, I think this exciting. I’d like to see what shows up at Budd’ s Creek in 2021!