cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/15232893

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating tractor manufacturer John Deere over long standing allegations that Deere makes its farm equipment hard to repair. The investigation has been ongoing since 2021, and we know more about it now thanks to a court filing made public on Thursday.

The stated purpose of the FTC’s [investigation] is ‘[t]o determine whether Deere & Company, or any other person, has engaged in or is engaging in unfair, deceptive, anticompetitive, collusive, coercive, predatory, exploitative, or exclusionary acts or practices in or affecting commerce related to the repair of agricultural equipment in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act

John Deere has been notorious for years for making its farm equipment hard to repair. Much like today’s cars, John Deere’s farm equipment comes with a lot of computers. When something simple in one of its tractors or threshers breaks, a farmer can’t just fix it themselves. Even if the farmer has the technical and mechanical know-how to make a simple repair, they often have to return to the manufacturer at great expense. Why? The on-board computers brick the machines until a certified Deere technician flips a switch.

Farmers have been complaining about this for years and Deere has repeatedly promised to make its tractors easier to repair. It lied. John Deere equipment was so hard to repair that it led to an explosion in the used tractor market. Old farm equipment made before the advent of onboard computing sold for a pretty penny because it was easier to repair.

In 2022, a group of farmers filed a class action lawsuit against John Deere and accused it of running a repair monopoly. Deere, of course, attempted to get the case dismissed but failed.

Chief among Deere’s promises was that it would provide farmers and independent repair shops with the equipment and documentation they needed to repair their equipment. The promises of the memorandum have not come to pass. Senator Elizabeth Warren called Deere out in a letter about all of this on October 2. “Rather than uphold their end of the bargain, John Deere has provided impaired tools and inadequate disclosures,” Warren said in the letter.

Hey all.

Sorry if this isn't the place to ask, but this appears to be the community best suited for this kind of question from what I can gather.

I recently bought a breadmaker at the thrift shop for cheap. While I initially was worried that it didn't work as intended when the piece that would turn the kneading paddle didn't move from the start as expected, I found a video for another breadmaker in the same product series, and discovered that it simply takes some time to start the kneading portion as it undergoes a pre-heat step beforehand.

While I've tested and seen that the breadmaker itself works, the one thing preventing me from operating it is the fact that it lacks a kneading paddle. This is the first time I've purchased a breadmaker, and as such, I'm a little lost as to how to get my breadmaker operating as intended with a new paddle. I would order from the manufacturer, though the issue with that is that my model breadmaker is fairly old, with the instructional video for it having been ripped from VHS and dated as being from 2000.

I do not want to throw this thing out. I would much rather get a new paddle as this thing seems to work like a charm 24 years later, and I am trying to be more environmentally conscious by purchasing second-hand goods as well as minimizing the amount that I throw out.

Unsure if it will do anything to help, but the model breadmaker is a Black & Decker All-In-One-Deluxe Automatic Breadmaker, Cat.No. B1640, Type 1. Any and all help is appreciated in advance.

I’m planning to buy my first car, but I’m seeing a lot of brands implementing policies that seem to take advantage of their customers. Things like requiring extra subscriptions for basic features, tracking driving habits, and forcing unnecessary data collection have me worried. Are there any car brands out there that don’t engage in these types of anti-consumer practices? I’m looking for a reliable company that respects its customers in the long run. Any advice would be appreciated!

Warren recently sent a letter to John Deere CEO John May, asserting that the company is "evading" its obligations to comply with federal laws and respect customers' rights. According to Warren, John Deere is failing to provide farmers with the necessary tools to properly repair their agricultural equipment and is allegedly violating the Clean Air Act in the process.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/22922783

Does anyone know of a mouse that can be used wireless, with a replaceable battery and that can be connected to the PC via USB-C to recharge the battery? Obtainable in Europe.

The reasoning is that I do not want to get into the situation where I do not have a charged replacement battery at hand and am therefore unable to use the mouse.

Currently I am using a mouse without a replaceable battery which got so old that the battery only holds for 1-2 hours without being connected to the cable.

I know I could simply go with a wired mouse, however, I like the cleanliness of minimal cables on my desk. Thanks for suggestions.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/22378382

Following today's launch of the new iPhone 16 models, Apple has shared repair manuals for the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The repair manuals provide technical instructions on replacing genuine Apple parts in the ‌iPhone 16‌ models, and Apple says the information is intended for "individual technicians" that have the "knowledge, experience, and tools" that are necessary to repair electronic devices.

Last March Oregon became the seventh state to pass “right to repair” legislation making it easier, cheaper, and more convenient to repair technology you own. The bill’s passage came on the heels of legislation passed in Massachusetts (in 2012 and 2020), Colorado (in 2022 and 2023), New York (2023), Minnesota, Maine and California. All told, 30 states are considering such bills in 2024.

• The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) examined 21 different mainstream tech devices subject to New York's recently passed electronics Right to Repair law, and found mixed results:

  • 9 devices earned A's or B's (including all smartphones)
  • 3 products received D's
  • 6 popular mainstream devices earned F's

• The devices that fared poorly, like the HP Spectre Fold laptop, Canon EOS r100 camera, and Apple Vision Pro/Meta Quest 3 VR headsets, usually lacked spare parts or useful repair manuals.

• While New York's law requires manufacturers to provide tools, manuals, and parts for affordable, easy repair, PIRG says the law has been watered down with loopholes, and there has been no enforcement action taken despite numerous companies failing to comply.

• The cellphone sector has made significant strides in repairability, but other sectors like VR headsets and cameras still have major issues.

• 30 states are considering "right to repair" legislation in 2024, but these bills are at risk of being weakened by industry lobbyists.

I stripped this screw in my laptop and as such can't open the back cover to replace parts.

Things I've tried: -Different size/type screwdrivers -Rubber band -Hammer -Hot glue gun

Edit: got it unsuck. Thanks everyone for the advice

EDIT: I believe I found the answer, it's something turned by this: https://ctatools.com/products/5065

Found some trash on the street that i'd like to take apart, but this screw is in my way.

It's like a hex bolt, but with 5 sides, and rounded (a bit like flower petals).

Here's another picture from the top:

I tried turning it with various tools (hard to get pliars in unfortunately), no success so far. The material is very soft, which doesn't help..

It turned out really nice. Looks like the void extended our wrench a bit, but I think that's fine, it kind of looks like lightning.

Thanks to @krusty@feddit.it, @coke38@lemmy.world, @Deebster@programming.dev, @Ethanol@pawb.social, and @user224@lemmy.sdf.org for helping, and thanks to anyone else I missed.

Edit 3: I've got a base down now, here's link if you can help out. https://canvas.fediverse.events/#x=819&y=76&zoom=8&tu=https%3A%2F%2Fmiro.medium.com%2Fv2%2Fresize%3Afit%3A750%2Fformat%3Awebp%2F1*edo5pVW4hzkNw0s6JCAdMw.jpeg&tw=55&tx=788&ty=55&ts=ONE_TO_ONE

Lemmy canvas is live, would we like to try and build something? The right to repair logo would be cool, but I don't know how well it'd show up as pixel art.

https://canvas.fediverse.events/?a

He's the logo link https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/format:webp/1*edo5pVW4hzkNw0s6JCAdMw.jpeg

Maybe we could go close to solarpunk on the middle left? They seem close thematically.

Edit: here's a location I think will work well, just south west of solarpunk. https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/format:webp/1*edo5pVW4hzkNw0s6JCAdMw.jpeg ~~Width=55 x=80 y=209~~ see below You can use the template by clicking on setting on the canvas.

Edit 2: I'm looking for a new location

Let's try width=55 x=788 y=55, I'm working on outlining it.

Hi,

I got an old DVR that I would like to use.

Unfortunately on the device itself, no brand, no model name !?

Any idea how can I find any documentation ?

Thanks.

I have a Pixel 4a (with Calyx) for a few years already (start of 2021) and it's still going great. The battery is okay. Everything works nice. It's smooth. It runs everything perfectly fine.

This makes me glad to see that hardware wise this phone was really built to last, I can't even count how many times I dropped it so hard that I was scared to see the damage (which was always either nothing or a broken screen protector)

But software wise I'm screwed as security updates are already gone from Google and I only get the extended support from Calyx which will also end soon.

Now I'm forced to choose between having a phone that is insecure or buying a new one.

So thanks Google for the high quality hardware, but what's up with this software planned obsolescence??

I know this isn't exactly right to repair, but it also kind of is because if Google decided to ditch the 4a, they should be forced to open source the software so that the public can actually repair it.

I'm sure that some of their latest updates can be modified slightly to work for the 4a, but they don't care and for them this is a win-win since they don't have to maintian support and they get new customers who would otherwise be satisfied with an "old" phone.

What happened to the days when an old phone meant a phone that was already crumbling to pieces, and not a fully functional computer that is slightly older then a toddler?

'The car companies want to put small guy out of business.'

A leaked "independent" repair shop contract shows that Samsung requires them to give Samsung the name, contact information, phone identifier, and customer complaint details of everyone who gets their phone repaired at these shops,

Stunningly, it also requires these nominally independent shops to “immediately disassemble” any phones that customers have brought them that have been previously repaired with aftermarket or third-party parts and to “immediately notify” Samsung

It's the second in a row news about Samsung acting agsunst the customers right to repair, showing how much we need good right to repair laws.

As revealed by iFixit, Samsung collaboration never worked well, with parts that were too expensive, and/or glued together (like a battery+screen replacement!)

Moreover Samsung never really tried to make their designs more repairable.

ifixit blog post is full of episodes, like when Samsung and iFixit announced an upcycle program, and then Samsung disappeared.

Ok, Samsung is cleared not interested in making their product repairable.

Basic blender went bad (motor ran but spindle wasn't rotating). I wanted to disassemble to see if it could be repaired. Three of the four screws were Phillips head. I had to cut the casing open in order to discover why I couldn't unscrew the fourth. It was a slotted spanner.

OnStar reports location and speed data to the car manufacturer. Sometimes they will sell this data to insurance companies to raise your premium, as several news stores pointed out a few weeks ago. I couldn't really find an advantage to OnStar, (I have my phone to call emergency services) so I disabled it by pulling it's fuse.

For my 2019 bolt, it's f31 in the instrument panel fuse box, just down and to the left of the steering wheel. The fuse box cover comes off when you pull it hard from the bottom.

I was able to find which fuse went to OnStar in the owners manual and labeled on the inside of the fuse box cover. You should be able to find it for your model car there too if it uses OnStar.

I did have the casualty of my speaker for calls and texts. I'm not able to use it right now. I'll see if I can dig in and reconnect it somehow, but we'll see.

Who knows that other into they're snitching back to GM, or what they could do in the future, so I recommend disconnecting it. Good luck!

Oregon has officially become the seventh state (behind New York, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota) to pass “right to repair” legislation, making it easier and m…

I’ve just watched the video. I find it pretty outrageous. The word about it should spread.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/15970180

I dropped my launch edition steam deck last night on carpet and while all the buttons still worked- something was rattling inside of it. After I opened it up I discovered a missing chunk of plastic from the R2 trigger, that piece presses against another to keep the button from over articulating. I suspect this trigger absorbed most of the impact, there was no other visible damage.

Of course I was upset that I broke it, but so very pleasantly surprised to find ifixit had the trigger in stock and reasonably priced. This availability made me love the deck even more, and really the fact valve made these parts available places the deck above any other competition in my mind.

This machine is built to last, I am so excited to get it fixed and get back to gaming.