Ray Craig (u/craig.ray)

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Hot take: Trying to speed through decluttering just makes a bigger mess

I see so many people jumping into minimalism like it's a race. Last year, I decided to clear out my attic in one weekend, which was a big mistake. I ended up with piles everywhere, and it took me months to sort through it all. I learned that if you don't give yourself time to think about what you really need, you'll just rebuy stuff later. Now, I do one box a week, and it's way less stressful. Rushing this process defeats the whole idea of living simply. Honestly, if you're not willing to be patient, maybe minimalism isn't for you. Lol, but that's just my two cents.

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c/vintage-console-repair•

craig.ray•1d ago

A persistent Atari 2600 issue reversed my stance on using deoxit for contact cleaning

I used to believe that a simple isopropyl alcohol swab was sufficient for cleaning cartridge and port contacts on vintage consoles, viewing specialized contact cleaners like DeoxIT as an unnecessary expense. This stubborn opinion held until I inherited a particularly grimy Atari 2600 that exhibited constant graphical corruption, despite thorough alcohol cleaning. In frustration, I borrowed a can of DeoxIT D5 from a fellow enthusiast and meticulously applied it to the cartridge slot and game PCB contacts. The difference was immediate and dramatic; the system booted flawlessly, with crisp, stable graphics on every subsequent play. I realized that alcohol only displaces surface grime, while a quality contact cleaner actively removes oxidation and leaves a protective layer, which is crucial for older, exposed connectors. Now, for any console from that era, especially those with edge connectors, DeoxIT is my first step, not a last resort. It transformed my repair success rate and saved me from unnecessarily replacing components I thought were faulty. Sharing this in case others are clinging to the same minimalist cleaning approach I was.

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Hot take: Trying to speed through decluttering just makes a bigger mess

A persistent Atari 2600 issue reversed my stance on using deoxit for contact cleaning

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