Scavenging for goodies - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: WBB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2012, 03:13:44 am
content: Was going through some old headend gear to see what goodies I could find for the junk box. This will be boring for most, I was just surprised to find all the shiny copper shielding as most use some type of tin type stuff. Just thought I would share.Shiny Stuff...

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2012, 02:45:35 pm
content: no its not boring i do it everytime. let me guess, that transformer can cost $30 cheapest last time i checked in local eeshop. those caps!, if i'm not mistaken i saw very thin coax cables (probably with its micro plugin connector), that very hard to find here! or even in ebay. look out for power bjt or mosfet, and opamps, some logic chips. open those shiny shielding you may find adjustable inductors or caps, at worst you will find specific logic/peculiar asics inside which will only prove useful later (not now).

author: nukie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2012, 03:00:30 pm
content: do it many times over and you end up with a gold bar. this is whats happening to the world of electronics recycling.

author: WBB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 12:30:04 am
content: Cool. I have an 800sq/ft building packed with this stuff. Need to get rid of some of it. It's all obsolete, pretty much useless for its intended purpose. Hated to just scrap it so I thought I would go through and see if there were any goodies to be had.The mini coax is mostly hardwired, a few of the crappy slip on connectors here and there. Some of them have 2-3 meters of the stuff crammed in them. A few 78xx & 79xx regulators in each as well. Most of the transformers are in the 20v-35v range, probably excellent for linear power supplies. The one pictured just has a metal strip for a heat sink but some of the different models have really nice finned heat sinks as well. A lot of the ICs I have no clue what they are yet, but there are several op amps of different types, FM receivers, audio amplifiers and I'm sure many other useful things.The battery caught me by surprise. Not exactly the coin cell I'm used to seeing.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 09:47:54 am
content: Quotedamnit! just whats needed for dual rail psu. i searched 79XX in my junk to death with no success.

author: wkb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 10:03:45 am
content: Quote from: WBB on March 04, 2012, 12:30:04 amIs the mini coax teflon insulated? Hams might like that, especially if it has (say) SMA connectors crimped to it.Oh, and the bulk copper strips are worth something these days, with copper prices what they are!

author: WBB
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 02:31:36 pm
content: I'm not sure what the dielectric material is in the coax yet, could be teflon, or not. The only connectors on it are the cheap crappy slip on type, nothing anyone who cared would reuse. The copper was the reason for posting the pics. All the bottom of the barrel, as cheap as possible, shielding that's used in most products these days. It was surprising to see copper shielding and a lot of it. The use of the "bulkheads" to pass wires through the shielding between the Rx & Tx sections was nice too.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 06:00:52 pm
content: What did this do? If it is telecoms gear there might be a market for it outside the USA. Otherwise there are likely to be some quality opamps and such on the boards, and there will be other usable components. Capacitors will be worth reusing, as they are likely to be best quality units. If you have the time the copper will be worth stripping out as scrap. Otherwise if they have to be scrapped ( for other reasons like export restrictions) use a pickaxe to punch a hole in each board before you place in a container for recycling.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 04, 2012, 09:48:04 pm
content: Quote from: wkb on March 04, 2012, 10:03:45 am£ 3.00 last time i cashed copper in. if I take wire with insulation on it I get £0.90 per Kg so worth stripping it.