Chris Ham, Computers, Electrical
Repair Cafes: Capital Region
I met Computer Repair Coach Chris Ham at one of my first cafes as RCHV coordinator and what struck me most was his set up; it was unlike anything I’d ever seen at a repair cafe before. It includes a large but portable computer screen tucked into to a pegboard box with an impressive number of cables going every which way. So it was with some consternation that I recently learned that he was relocating for work away from Dutchess County where he had long been a fixture at the Pleasant Valley, Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park Repair Cafés. But it seems Dutchess County’s loss is the Capital Region’s gain as Chris relocated to the Albany area--which is still within RCHV’s coverage area!
I actually didn’t know until I wrote up this profile that Chris also fixes more than computers. He says, “If it has a battery, plug, and/or a screen, I’ve probably had one at my table. From coffee makers to computers, telephones to toasters, vegetable steamers to VCRs, I'm always up for a surprise!” For work, Chris is a controls engineer, which he roughly translates for us as "a guy who programs machines in factories,” a job he really loves. And like all of our coaches, he also really loves fixing things. He was first introduced to the Repair Cafe movement back in 2014 when he was asked to help out with the first Rhinebeck Repair Café, and he’s been repairing ever since. “Even during my time in Utica for college, I'd make the hour drive over to Syracuse for their Repair Cafes to get my fix!”
Chris says he especially enjoys fixing video game consoles and performing 'non-critical' data recovery. Conjuring up lost photos or documents from an 'empty' SD card, a defiant old laptop, water-logged phone or pile of floppy disks is particularly satisfying (and yes, those are all actual success stories of his!) But his favorite fixes are those that pull in several repair coaches for multi-disciplinary problems such as old VCRs, TVs and radios and even the occasionally challenging vacuum. “One time, 3-4 of us coaches teamed up for a Power Wheels ride-on car for children. 90% of the battle requiring our combined efforts was just getting to the problem part inside the 'kid-proof' plastic exterior!”
Chris only very recently moved to Albany (and in fact actually commuted back for the recent Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie cafes) so he’s still getting acquainted with the Capital Region cafes, but you can expect to see him at one soon; “I've been to the Wynantskill and Clifton Park Repair Cafes and hope to become a regular at those and others nearby.”
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