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    Simple As Pushing Here, Right?

People sometimes demonstrate how tapping some spot on their gear causes a problem to start or stop.  They might wonder, "Won't this repair be simple since I've already showed you where the problem is?"

First of all, simple is a word you shouldn't use near a repair technician.  It's the "So Easy A Caveman Can Do It" faux pas.  Another thing not to say is, "I'd do It myself but I don't have a soldering iron."  Soldering irons cost about 5 bucks.

Getting back to the question though, consider the executive desk toy called Newton's Cradle.  You strike one ball and a distant ball moves, though everything in-between stays put.

In this way, when you tap on an electronics chassis, every distant circuit board, part, and wire can get rattled.  Intermittent problems can be microscopic and are often the most difficult to track down, even with a feather touch.

In addition, mundane difficulties occur during any job.  Stripped or rusted hardware, tricky sub-assemblies, and bad design or engineering can all take additional caveman-hours.

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