As much as we rely on machines and technology these days, there is a common bond between almost all machines of our daily lives: At some point they are going to screw up. So what do most people instinctively do when a piece of equipment messes up?

We smack it. Almost miraculously, more times than not, this is the fix.

“Percussive Maintenance”, is also known as “Impact Calibration”, “Mechanical Agitation”, or even the “the Fonzarelli Fix”. No matter what you call kinetic forms of re-adjustment, there is actually a scientific reason that it works. According to Mack Blakely, executive director of the National Electronics Service Dealers Association: “In the old days, devices had a lot of mechanical stuff in ’em, and you could jar something back in place.” Blakely, who has been an electrical engineer for almost 50 years, explains that when it comes to electronics, “A solder connection might reconnect, but it probably wouldn’t be long before it would be acting up again. A few well-placed taps may identify a weak connection on a printed circuit board. The word ‘tap’ is important, it’s not ‘hit;’ it’s ‘tap.’”.

The scientific/mechanical definition of ‘hit’ versus ‘tap’ is up to the operator’s discretion.

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