Okay, so this mark 10 thing started acting up big time yesterday. You know, that little counter I use for measuring stuff in the workshop? Suddenly throwing out “7 10” errors like confetti. Totally useless. Figured I’d crack it open myself before shelling out for a new one.
The First Move: Power Cycle Blues
Right, first thing anyone does. I yanked out the batteries. Left them out for a good five minutes while I stared at the thing, hoping maybe it’d fix itself just by feeling my annoyance. Spoiler: it didn’t. Slammed the batteries back in, powered it on. Bam. Same blinking “7 10”. Okay, so deeper dive needed.
Cracking the Case (Literally)
Grabbed my tiny screwdriver set. This mark 10 has those teeny Phillips screws holding the back on. Unscrewed ’em carefully, didn’t wanna strip the heads. Popped the back cover off. First thing I saw? Looked like some kind of tiny factory. Circuit board, wires, the readout screen.
- Checkpoint One: Battery Terminals. Poked ’em gently with my finger. No wiggle, seemed solid. Used a cotton swab dipped in a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol I had lying around. Gave ’em a quick swab to clear any gunk. Blew on it lightly to dry. Nothing obvious.
- Checkpoint Two: Obvious Dirt Invasion. Leaned in real close. Peered at the screen connectors where it plugs into the circuit board. Saw… bingo. Tiny specks of what looked like metal shavings? Like super fine dust. Probably from grinding something nearby. Could that be the culprit?
The Suspicious Dust Attack
Okay, seemed plausible. Those little metal bits might be shorting things out where they shouldn’t be. Found my can of compressed air – the kind for keyboards. Gave the whole inside a really good blast, especially around that screen connector area and any obvious contact points. Blew dust out like a champ. Made sure to hold the air can upright so no liquid shot out, just air.
While I had it open, I gently pressed down on all the chips and connectors on the circuit board. Sometimes stuff just comes loose over time, right? Just pressed firmly everywhere. Didn’t hear any cracks, which was good.
The Moment of Truth
Snapped the back cover back on, screwed the tiny screws back in. Didn’t even bother being gentle now, just snugged ’em up. Slammed the batteries back in with maybe a bit too much force. Held my breath. Pressed the power button.
Silence. No weird beeps. The screen flickered to life… normal display! No “7 10” in sight! Tried the measurement function a few times. Worked perfectly, just like before it went nuts.
Success (For Now)
Honestly, felt pretty smug. Turns out the fancy “7 10” error message was probably just my mark 10 choking on workshop dust all along. A couple of minutes of blowing it out saved me a bunch of cash and hassle. Easy win! Gotta remember to keep this thing covered better or moved away from the grinder next time.
