"Wow!" Several students exclaimed in amazement when they heard Xu Shuai say that what they were holding were computers. To be honest, they had all heard of such things, but had never seen them before.

Now that they've seen the real thing, even a broken one, they're amazed. Isn't this just a TV with a horizontal radio? They just need to paint it. "Is this thing some kind of cheap knockoff?" some even thought.

"Are you two making fun of me?" Teacher Gao said, glancing at him.

"No, Teacher Gao, really no," Xing Baohua hurriedly said, placing the computer on the repair table. He then noticed Xu Shuai moving the monitor over and setting it down as well.

As he spoke, Xing Baohua really didn't want this Mr. Gao to take action. A hardware engineer by training, couldn't he repair this old relic? Complete computer systems were readily available, and spare parts were easy to find. As long as the core components weren't broken, Xing Baohua was confident he could get the computer running.

"You're not kidding me. What are you going to do with this thing? We can fix some household appliances, but this is high-tech. If you hadn't told me it was a computer, I really wouldn't have known what it was. Besides, I've never used it before. I don't even know what to do if it breaks. You brought it here for me to fix?" Teacher Gao said with a bad expression. "Furthermore, where did this thing come from?"

"There's a problem with the factory today. I was thinking, we have some electronic components here that might come in handy, I can fix it myself," Xing Baohua said.

"You think you can handle this? This is a computer, I heard it's very expensive. Are you just going to let your factory ruin it like this?" Teacher Gao asked incredulously.

“I can do it, really, I really can,” Xing Baohua said.

"What's your name again?" Teacher Gao asked, pointing at Xing Baohua.

"Xing Baohua," Xu Shuai answered quickly.

"Oh, I remember now. It's been three months since the start of the semester, and I can count the number of times you've come to my class on one hand. You haven't come to a single in-person teaching session. Tell me, can you really fix this stuff?" Teacher Gao continued, pointing at Xing Baohua.

"Yes, it really is. You'll see if you don't believe me." As he spoke, Xing Baohua went to find a screwdriver. He really didn't have the time to argue with this teacher.

“Alright, I’ll watch you fix it. Classmates, let’s see how high-tech fixes things. It’ll make us look good when we talk about it later. If we ever run into the same problem, we’ll have to pay extra. After all, it’s high-tech stuff; we can’t let them fix it if it’s not high-quality,” Teacher Gao said.

At this point, Xing Baohua stopped talking and instead seriously examined the machine on the table. Based on his experience in the factory's computer room, he concluded that the main unit was probably fine; the monitor was the problem. The source of the smoke was either the circuit board or the high-voltage transformer. As for the picture tube, it would also smoke, but the probability of it exploding was very high.

They quickly removed the back cover of the display screen, and sure enough, they saw the high-voltage transformer with burn marks.

The circuit board also had burn marks. After looking at it for a while, Xing Baohua figured out where the problem was after a little thought.

Voltage was unstable back then, and those who could afford it would buy a voltage stabilizer to keep the line voltage stable and prevent their appliances from burning out. After-sales service was terrible back then. Most people didn't bother with after-sales service; they just went to appliance repair shops and paid a small fee to fix it.

In the 1980s and 1990s, appliance repairmen made a lot of money.

Logically, a computer room should have a voltage regulator. We've already installed temperature control and dust removal systems, and you even have to wear shoe covers to enter. We've invested in such meticulous systems, yet we're still missing a voltage regulator. Never mind that for now, let's fix the monitor first, and then test the computer later.

Xing Baohua's biggest worry was that the computer itself might malfunction, which would be a real hassle. His only consolation was that the power supply was reliable; if something burned out, it would burn out first. As long as the motherboard and chips were fine, the power supply and other components were relatively easy to repair.

Find a high-voltage transformer; these are interchangeable with televisions, and repair shops have all models, both domestic and imported. Use toilet paper to absorb the water stains, then dry them with a hairdryer.

Xing Baohua's classmate helped with this task. While he was doing this, Xing Baohua disassembled the circuit board and began to use a multimeter to measure components, resistors, etc.

"I haven't held a soldering iron for years, and my hands are still a bit unsteady," Xing Baohua thought to himself. Before he traveled to this era, he used to play with soldering irons when he was studying in college. Back then, he did everything himself, building computers, Raspberry Pis, and even assembling an iPhone 6s.

I asked Teacher Gao if he had any of the parts that I removed with the soldering iron. And also, this one.

Teacher Gao didn't say anything, he just watched Xing Baohua work. He understood the structure of the monitor at a glance, someone who had repaired dozens of TVs would not understand it.

He gave a look to the student standing next to him who was craning his neck to see, and told him to go get the parts for Xing Baohua.

Half an hour later, Xing Baohua replaced all the parts, then measured them again with a multimeter. Finding nothing wrong, he powered it on and measured again. The indicator light lit up normally. The screen had no static, but a calm, fluorescent glow.

"Let me change the channel," Teacher Gao said.

"It can't be tuned; it lacks an analog signal transducer and signal amplifier, as well as a frequency modulator. There's also no separate power supply system. It's essentially a display device without the television function. It's mainly used in conjunction with a computer host. Conversely, a television can be converted into a monitor, but the frequency needs to be refreshed in Hertz. Otherwise, prolonged viewing will damage your eyes," Xing Baohua explained.

"Then plug it into the computer and let me take a look," Teacher Gao said.

Actually, Teacher Gao had already changed his opinion of Xing Baohua. This student had a solid foundation, a high level of proficiency and mastery of repair techniques, and was also very cautious. He must have learned from a master craftsman before. That's why he didn't come to class often. He understood the technical theory; what was the point of listening to lectures? As for hands-on practical learning, his skill was evident from his repeated measurements with a multimeter.

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