What Is Percussive Maintenance?

Percussive maintenance, also known as "rapid rectification of malfunction" or "banging the crap out of it," is a technique that involves using a bit of elbow grease and a solid object, like a hammer, to fix something that has stopped working. It's like giving a stubborn machine a slight tap or a whack in the hopes that it'll start working again. It's a bit like when you're trying to start a fire, and you give the firewood a tremendous whack to loosen up the bark, or when you're trying to get ketchup out of a bottle, and you give it a good thump on the bottom. It's that same principle but applied to technology. The technical term for this would be "mechanical shock," a short duration (typically milliseconds) force applied to a device to induce a temporary malfunction, hoping that the shock will cause the device to reset or realign itself to function correctly. Some people might say that percussive maintenance is nothing more than a Hail Mary pass, but the truth is, it can work. It's not a guaranteed fix, but it's worth a shot, especially if you're in a pinch and don't have the time or resources to troubleshoot the problem more traditionally. It's not just limited to mechanical devices, however. Percussive maintenance can be used on software too. For example, if your computer is frozen, giving it a good thump on the side can sometimes cause it to unfreeze and continue working. It's not recommended as a first line of defense for troubleshooting, but it could be a last resort when all other options have been exhausted. For example, you should always try troubleshooting the problem by checking connections, restarting the device, and running diagnostic tests before resorting to percussive maintenance. But, if you find yourself in a situation where you're out of options, give percussive maintenance a try. You might be surprised at how well it works. The old saying goes, "when in doubt, give it a whack." In short, Percussive maintenance is a technique of using force to fix something that has stopped working. It involves giving a device a good thump or a whack in the hopes that it'll start working again. It's not a guaranteed fix, but it's worth a shot if all other options have been exhausted. The technical term for this would be "mechanical shock", a short-duration force applied to a device to induce a temporary malfunction, hoping that the shock will cause the device to reset or realign itself to function correctly.