Fixing technology requires unlocking parts of your brain most people rarely use.

What are your tricks to repairing tricky technological gear? One guy recently shared a wild solution some of his colleagues passed onto him. Here are the details.

The Coffee Stir Stick Solution

A few years ago, we had a network printer that simply refused to power on.

Its fans would whir for a moment before just powering off.

I ran through every troubleshooting step I could think of as a junior analyst.

Sometimes printers are simply an enigma.

Out of options, I asked my co-workers.

They all grinned.

They asked each other, “Is it time?”

Well that sounds ominous.

My senior analyst gestured for me to follow them into the break room, where they calmly grabbed a coffee stir stick.

They led me back to the printer that was causing me grief and confidently shoved the stir stick into the back of the machine.

While having it in, they pressed and held the power button.

How did they discover this would work in the first place?

The printer sprang to life and they pulled the stir stick out with the biggest grin I have ever seen them wear.

Apparently, it was a known issue with that model of printer that the fan may need to be interrupted to allow the printer to power on.

Anyways… If you see someone in IT walking around with a spatula or something, assume they’re gonna cook up some magical spell to fix an issue.

It’s these kinds of life hacks that make the internet worthwhile. Let’s see how the Reddit community chimed in.

Some immediately tried to diagnose the problem.

Others shared similar stories.

One person had a particularly interesting technique.

Another cited professional advice.

But one person wasn’t amused.

All tech support folks need this level of ingenuity.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.