JungleBiker

33 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

In the OP, you said "They said they could fix it if I paid for a new mainboard, >20,000 baht." And now we appear to have jumped to "The machine is already fixed" ???

There seems to be something missing here. Are we to assume then that you authorised the shop to go ahead and do this job? And now post-authorisation you don't want to pay for a job you authorised? The time to have had that dispute was prior to the job being done, not afterwards if that was how it panned out. Maybe we need a little extra clarification on the timeline?

Yes, that is what they said at the time they informed me the mainboard was dead. 

Yes, I believe it is fixed now. 

I am not having a dispute.

I am trying to find out if the shop is justified in asking me to pay 20,000 baht before I pay 20,000 baht.  

3 hours ago, chrisinth said:

JungleBiker, I know I am not being helpful here, but the below screen is the first page I came to regarding batteries for MacBooks. Even with a two year old model, it would be no where near 13,000 Baht.

 

When you contact Apple (Thailand) I would certainly mention what you were asked to pay for this.

 

I don't know if it makes a difference  but my MacBook is a MacBook, not a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

12,000 baht was for the battery and 1,000 baht for the service to replace the battery.

21 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

Ho ho ho. Many Thai businesses will go to extreme lengths to avoid liability and paying out for anything. This seems to be a good example.
 

Yes, that is how it appears to me.

If I took a car to have a battery changed and while it was in the garage somebody accidentally smashed the windscreen, I don't think I would be expected to pay for a new windscreen. 

My understanding about fixing laptops is that you have to be very careful not to touch the wrong part because it could cause a short-circuit or static electricity could damage something. So it seems very probable to me that the repair technician made a mistake. It cannot be disputed that the mainboard failure occured while the machine was in their hands, during the period when the old battery was removed and the new battery was installed. 

3 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

 

OK, I think you now have 4 choices: either pay the company asking 20k or take it to an Apple service centre, or another non-Apple shop, or bin it. My original suggestion assumed you have lost confidence in the shop currently holding the machine and maybe wary now of using any non-Apple shops. You are probably too far in plus the machine too recent to bin it. I recall having a Lenovo Thinkpad giving me problems just 2 years after purchase. One initial repair job and the problem returned. Complain to the shop who had fixed it? No. P/E it (ie dumped it)

I meant what would I ask the Apple service centre to do? The machine is already fixed. Do you mean I should ask the shop, that is holding my MacBook and is waiting for me to pay the >20,000 baht, to remove the new working mainboard (or whatever the correct technical term is) and reinstall the damaged part? And then take it to the Apple Service Centre and pay them >20,000 baht to fix it? I'm not sure what that would achieve. 

10 minutes ago, zoza said:

my next move would be to contact Apple. 

I am trying to do that but I am in Laos not Thailand.

I called one international toll free number and I think I was probably talking to someone in Singapore. 

They told me to contact Apple in Thailand. 

I tried to find a way to contact Apple in Thailand. They don't have any email addresses. The toll free number they provide can only be used inside Thailand. 

I usually visit Thailand once a month during a weekend and then the Thailand HQ is closed. 

3 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

Yes these things do happen, & I would be PO on hearing 20,000 (practically a new computer )

Keep in mind that I had already paid 13,000 baht for the new battery (that I have not yet had a chance to use because the laptop is still in their shop waiting for me to pay the >20,000 baht). 

12 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

Cannot prove either way. Next step take it to Apple service centre.

How would that help?

I took my >2 year old MacBook to a service centre (not Apple but an authorised dealer in NE Thailand) to have the battery replaced. 

They did "a diagnostic" before the battery swap.

I understand that this involved linking my MacBook to a computer in the US (or somewhere) that is able to identify any problems. 

No problems were identified. 

Indeed, before I handed my machine to the service centre, it had been working normally apart from the battery only lasting an hour or so. 

The battery was changed. 

The laptop could not be started (by the service guys). 

They put my old battery back into the machine, to check if the new battery might be a dud. But it still did not start up.

Eventually, it was concluded that the mainboard had failed. 

They said they could fix it if I paid for a new mainboard, >20,000 baht. 

I said that since my MacBook was working normally before I handed it over and it passed the diagnostic, then they must have damaged it while installing the new battery. 

They said no, the mainboard must have already been failing before the battery swap and the diagnostic did not go deep enough to detect the problem. 

Is their explanation plausible or not? 

How would you handle this problem? 

Thanks.

5 hours ago, Confuscious said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but, to my knowledge, the car in the picture isn't doing anything wrong.
In the picture (a dotted line + a straight line) it is allowed to cross the line from the left to the right but not from the right to the left.
Or not?
Strange rules.

This is a still photo, not a video, and you are making the assumption that the car straddling the lines was moving forwards. It may have been reversing! 

8 hours ago, masuk said:

I was amazed when I first came to Asia, to see rainwater falling off roofs and into footings, foundations, gardens.  It causes a lot of damage, apart from soaking anyone trying to make a dash in the rain to get inside.    False economy in my opinion.

But during the heavy downpours you can get here in the tropics, isn't there a risk that the gutters will overflow and the water damage the fascia behind the gutter? 

12 hours ago, masterpasser said:

Absolutely don't need rebar. 

Reinforcement serves no purpose unless the concrete is subject to bending and the associated tensile stresses .

Steel reinforcement only necessary for suspended slabs - Gatwick airport  concrete runway is un- reinforced how do I know ? I was an engineer that worked on it.

Its all about ensuring the founding layer is compacted properly  - All the soft spots should be  dug out and replaced with quality backfill. 

Then a layer of  compacted hardcore or crushed rock.

Normal top shelf construction would require a layer of dry lean concrete next.

Then the paving quality concrete would be cast in panels , laid to falls.

Fully loaded 747's have land on this slab construction since the 70's.

The OP will also need to make his drive wider to park a 747.

5 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

The worst problem is corruption, due to the low pay

versus the daily temptations of easy extra cash money. They still have a difficult job

of dealing with the thieves and other low lifes they see every day.

Corruption is a crime. Corrupt police are criminals. They are worse than the low life you talk about. 

18 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

Most likely bags of cheap clothing that they export back to Africa.    Not everyone from Africa is a drug dealer.

Sorry, Sean, I did not see your post until mine was posted. Great minds think alike! 

15 minutes ago, captspectre said:

looks like the thai did put his hand on the guys chest, and stand in front of him. the American did not appear to hit the thai, he just threw him to the ground. 

 

And it appears the "broken arm" (if broken, because you can't believe everything you read) happened due the Thai guy falling heavily onto his own arm. Not due to a blow inflicted by the American guy (which is what you might think from reading the article). 

Like others have said, CCTV clips from other cameras showing what happened before the attack should be released. 

Thanks guys. I will try to get more information but probably won't take it any further. 

Hi KS, 

Attached is a photo of the hours. I think the first vertical white line is the edge of the reel, not a one. 

I have also attached more photos of the tractor, including the clutch area, so that perhaps you or one of the other guys and can say if you think this machine is worth fixing or not. Perhaps it is "too far gone"?

My feeling now is that it could be a very time consuming project and I don't have a lot of time. 

JB. 

8 hours ago, cooked said:

depends on the seed. Thanks for the correction

Actually, now I see that I made a mistake.

200kg of the varieties I mentioned would be enough for more like 20 hectares not 10 hectares. 

On 18/01/2018 at 8:49 AM, khwaibah said:

We tried them down her in Surin and they went tits up.

The fruit in Dumbfalang's photos look like tits down! 

On 08/04/2018 at 5:16 PM, bilal said:

im looking for grass seeds for garden and public parks..  the grass will be used in pakistan... they have 4 seasons there ...

 

i checked US has alot of grass suppliers but im not sure if can visit them at the moment....

 

incase you know any other country in this asian region that can supply good variety of grass seeds.

 

 

I would agree with Cooked that you should look in Pakistan or India first. 

"4 seasons" is not enough information. You need to know the climatic variables and soil type. The people in Pakistan should be able to say what species/variety is required. I am sure the turf industry is already well established there. 

On 08/04/2018 at 5:14 PM, cooked said:

This has been a topic before. The guy to contact is Michael Hare on this forum.

Anyway. 200Kg? At 20 gm / M2 that's 10 000M2. Blimey. 

200kg of a forage grass seed like Mulato II or Mombassa Guinea would be enough for 10 hectares, with 1 hectare being 10,000m2. So ten times what you suggested. (And 10 hectares being 62.5 rai). 

On 02/04/2018 at 2:19 AM, The manic said:

Bilberries are the English equivalent of blueberries. They may be worth exploring. 

I did already consider this. They need some chilling. You would have to grow the plants in pots and then put them in the cold store for a minimum period in order to get them to flower. I have this approach in mind for some other temperate fruits that are better known in this part of the world. 

On 09/04/2018 at 4:53 AM, Fulvio65 said:

Hi,

 

can you explain me what is the "evergreen system", does it fit with other kind of plants ?
I made some unsuccessfully experiments with figs in Prachuap area, after a couple of seasons the plants become weak and die.
Any chance to grow up blueberries in such a hot region ?

 

Many thanks 

 

Blueberries normally go dormant in the winter. In the evergreen system you don't let them go dormant. This is achieved by a combination of a suitable variety, growing in a suitable climate, hard pruning and fertiliser, particularly nitrogen to promote vigorous new growth after each fruiting cycle.

I was told that the location of the Boonrawd blueberry trial was on the warm side; not cool enough. Better to plant at a higher altitude. 

Where I am here in Laos, at over 1,200m above sea level, is better. (Though here, as in Chiang Rai, I will need to cover the crop with a plastic roof to keep the foliage dry during the rainy season). So if you are talking about a lowland area then I would say, "there is no chance to grow blueberries in a hot region". Unless you want to grow in an air conditioned environment and then it would be very expensive and probably not viable unless you were getting crazy prices for your fruit. A company in Japan is growing strawberries indoors using LEDs anf full climate control but they are getting many dollars per fruit in the high-priced Japanse gift market. 

On 08/04/2018 at 5:39 PM, farmerjo said:

It's got 2 spools.

Thanks for confirming that FJ. 

On 08/04/2018 at 5:39 PM, farmerjo said:

If the engine is out it could be for a number of reasons.

 

So i would think that tractor has a transmission problem rather than engine if it's been apart a long time.

I will see if I can find out from the owner why the tractor is out of order and why the engine is missing.

By the way, the owner belongs to the same corporate group that used to sponser Everton FC! 

On 08/04/2018 at 9:22 PM, kickstart said:

I have said before labor is not so dear in Thailand if you found a second-hand engine, strip it down and rebuild it , you would almost have a new engine, would be cheaper than importing one from the UK.

 

Thanks KS. Knowing that does make it tempting to give it a go. I'm interested to do it as much for the challenge and fun as for finding a machine to do some farming work. I mean, even if I get another tractor to run the spreader, I still like the idea of getting an old British tractor here in Laos up and running again. Something to be proud of!  

On 08/04/2018 at 9:22 PM, kickstart said:

Just curious did you notice how many hours were on the clock, (if it had one, and it was working).

I'll take a look next time I pass by and let you know later. 

On 10/04/2018 at 12:23 PM, kickstart said:

Thay said that they have all the bits, ie rings, pistons, to rebuild a 7740 engine.

these old Ford's are not a problem. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

It's good to know that. I did surf the web and found a quite a few sites that offer a range of parts for 7740's, including not just engine parts and other mechanical parts, but also stuff like glass for the doors/windows, door handles, mirrors, etc, etc. So it could be an interesting project, like restoring a vintage car but in this case it would be a tractor, and it could be put to use on the farm. I think this 7740 does qualify as a being a vintage tractor!