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Yet Another Gift Chat and an Automatic Firefox
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Then I connected the rest of my mom's basic setup -- stereo receiver, CD changer and tape deck. Naturally, three devices needed eight cables: one pair of RCA cables to connect changer and receiver, two pairs to connect tape deck and receiver.
When I flipped on the receiver and CD changer to play a disc, however, the speakers remained silent but the receiver's display only lit up with one word: "PROTECT." Huh? Then I noticed that the volume was set almost at 11, stupidly decided this was some well-meaning warning put in by Sony to stop customers from detonating their eardrums, and spun the volume down to a reasonable level.
I pressed play on the CD changer again ... and heard maybe three seconds of music before the receiver's display flashed brightly, then died.
The receiver refused to turn on again. An overdue glance at the "Troubleshooting" pages of the manual informed me that the "PROTECT" message had reported a short circuit that the receiver was protecting itself against. Apparently, that protection was only good for one try. (Perhaps a more strongly phrased warning, like "SHORT CIRCUIT. SHUT OFF AND REWIRE NOW" would have helped.)
Mom may get a new receiver this Christmas. (Unfortunately, nobody seems to make a receiver-plus-CD-changer hybrid for living rooms, so I can't even simplify her setup in the bargain.) Or the old one may be fixable:
I took the case off the receiver and quickly found what looks like a blown fuse -- but it's mounted on the underside of a separate circuit board, requiring further disassembly before this 50-cent part can be replaced. Mom says her electrician is good at detail work; I hope that's true.
Oh, and the cable TV? Cablevision had granted itself a spectacularly imprecise eight-hour window -- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.! -- to set up service, but its installer still didn't arrive until around 6:30.
Well, at least my mom can watch TV now. I suppose I should be glad that I didn't try to set up her VCR.
Questions? Comments? Send them to rob@twp.com.
