Volunteer

Educational workshop

Our events are educational workshops for all ages and experience. But, we're not a free repair shop!

Our mission is to help people learn how to use basic tools to diagnose and safely repair their broken items and become better consumers by choosing repairable products. We share a concern for the environment and effective use of our resources.

What happens at  Boulder U-Fix-It Clinic event?

• Setup:
  Volunteers arrive before the scheduled participants show up.
  We setup the workspace with our toolboxes and our supplies.
  New volunteers  chat with  long-term volunteers about how this whole thing works and check out the tools and supplies available.
  Then we gather together for an update on anything new happening with the Boulder U-Fix-It Clinic -- upcoming events, new tools and supplies, ...
  We also share any recent repair stories with each other.

• Clinic:
  Participants arrive for their reserved time slot, check-in with the front desk  volunteer, and are introduced to the repair coaches.
  They are assigned to a coach -- hopefully we are well organized and we have a coach and work area for each participant.

  • The fix-it clinic conversation
    Be sure to introduce yourself! (You should be wearing an official Boulder U-Fix-It Clinic nametag.)
    Remember the name of the participant so you can use their name throughout the session.
    We've found that having this question/answer dialog before digging into the diagnosis is very helpful and can save a lot of time!

    • What was it like when it worked?

    • What happened when it stopped working?

    • What have you done since then?

  • Diagnosis and Repair

    • The  repair coach and participant work together to  figure out what to look for first, how to take apart the item,  look for  service manuals and repair guides  online, etc.
      Each workspace has  a toolbox with hand tools,  multimeter, soldering iron,  ...

    • We have  2 large rollable carts with  more tools and supplies.

    • Stumped?  Seek the  assistance of other repair coaches. Sometime participants know how to fix other participants items!

    • Need a  part?
      If a defective part is identified  that we don't have in our supplies,  we encourage the participant to obtain the part after the clinic and  complete the repair on their own.  Take photos of the disassembled item to aid in reassembly. Sometimes, it's reasonable for the participant to go to a local hardware store, purchase the part, and complete the repair during their time slot. Or, they may choose to attend the next clinic if they need help. 

  • Completion

    • Since we have assigned time slots, it's important for participants to  free up  the workspace at the end of their assigned time.
      Be sure to take pictures of the  disassembled  item, zooming in on the problem if possible. Include the participant in the photo if they agree to this.
      Our photo collection on http://boulderufixitclinic.org is a useful tool for others interested in repair clinics.

    • Check-out. The repair coach can choose to escort the participant to the front desk to complete the check-out form and say goodbye.
      Sometimes, participants are interested in contacting repair coaches after the clinic. That's OK, but it's up to you.  

• Cleanup

  • Help cleanup the workspace by putting tools and supplies back into their boxes. Throw away trash and cleanup anything needed.

  • Be sure to say goodbye to your fellow volunteers! We all look forward to seeing each other at our next event.

Safety

There's nothing more important than safety in our repair clinics!

• Use safety glasses when soldering, filing, cutting, etc.

• Be careful around high voltages. Before plugging in a device, be sure that everything is stable and secure so that no one can inadvertently come in contact with AC. This is especially important with devices with motors (fans, mixers, blenders, leaf blowers, ...)

• Discharge capacitors before inspecting a circuit. Especially for microwave ovens. See:
  https://www.boulderufixitclinic.org/repair-resources ... Microwave Oven Diagnosis and Repair (Google Doc)

• Replace fuses, temperature sensors, thermal fuses, etc. with the correct part. Resist the urge to replace it with the incorrect part we have in our supplies just to get the the device working.

• Use safe practices for repairing power cords. Use strong solder joints and heat-shrink tubing. Electrical tape is not a safe fix!

More info:

• • Fixit Clinic: Volunteer

  • https://www.repaircafe.org/en/join/become-a-volunteer/

  • Repair guides:

    • http://ifixit.com

    • http://boulderufixitclinic.org/resources