Meta-Troubleshooting Big Concept 3

Intermittent Problems: Faith & Spirituality enter the process.

The worst possible troubleshooting scenario is the problem that comes and goes. It works sometime, but every 20th time or so it fails. This is where the quick-test is going to be repeated a lot, maybe press a suspected loose component this way, test; press on it that way, test. Sometimes just testing over and over to get a sense of just how intermittent the problem is, keeping track of how many times it fails on a small piece of paper can help discover a pattern of failure. One more thing to hope for is that the stress of repeated testing puts it over the edge and causes a hard fault. Most intermittent problems are caused by something loose, dirty or hot. Wiggle, clean and cool anything that can be. Consider static electricity, radio waves, or big appliances cutting in or out and causing electrical noise. Then consider karma, your past lives, and the free floating will of Jesus Christ. The Ghost in the machine. Gremlins.

Intermittent problems can go on for years. You must think beyond the broken thing and analyse the environment. Can it be taken somewhere else and tested? Environmental factors like humidity can screw up a photocopy machine. Insects can nest in the cozy warm circuits. Maybe the sun shines directly on the thing for a few hours - all factors must be considered. Smell it. Listen to it. Feel it. Think.