Expensive test gear is not out of reach to the young student/ high schooler. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Mcfly
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 04:29:23 am
content: I have had an amazing experience today with my school. I have emailed my principle about the oscilloscopes i have found sitting in a back hallway at my school just sitting there! The school is to be torn down for a new campus next year, and i asked if they could be donated to me to advance my education. He said yes! They were just to be scrapped anyway. So anyone else out there who is like me. Dont be hesitant to make emails, calls, and confront your teachers about matters like these. Its worthwhile to go out and get involved.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 04:32:09 am
content: Quote from: Mcfly on June 30, 2012, 04:29:23 amhehe, good way to word itThat's great, what specs are they?Did you get anything high spec?Yeah, it's always a good idea to ask about stuff like that. Companies don't look at goods the same way we do.They don't see a piece of test equipment worth $X they see an asset with a depreciated value of $Y.Once the depreciated value gets to zero it's not worth anything to them.

author: Mcfly
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 04:52:00 am
content: Well said. I have two Hitachi 40 mhz two channel V-422 scopes. They don't have any of the bells and whistles the other ones have. But it is a good beginners scope. Maybe the only scope i would need as a hobbyist. I checked them out, and they look in cal. The knobs on it are fantastic! Much cooler than the soft buttons we have today.

author: Mcfly
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 04:55:30 am
content: If anyone lives near Seattle Washington and wants the other oscilloscope, email me. Baldwin.Garrett@yahoo.com

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 05:38:16 am
content: Quote from: Psi on June 30, 2012, 04:32:09 amAlways keep a regular eye on the company/school/university dumpster!Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 05:40:19 am
content: Quote from: Mcfly on June 30, 2012, 04:55:30 amThat's good karma!Dave.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 07:50:04 am
content: QuoteIt's also a good idea to let it be generally known that you're interested in such stuff.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 08:47:11 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 30, 2012, 05:40:19 amwas going to say the same myself, if their all being tipped get them out of their and rehomed. It is amazing the pollution we could avoid by reusing old stuff to stop it causing polution and the unneccesary manufacture of "new" goods.That is what freegle / freecycle is all about.

author: Short Circuit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 09:23:45 am
content: Not at scope scale, but yes, I happened to be around during the yearly lab cleanups. Parts, smaller test equipment (got me one of these big analog multimeters with a 4-5" scale), and more important; a friendly relation with the teachers and lab crew. Helps to get rid of official lab hours

author: Mint.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 09:35:57 am
content: Quote from: Simon on June 30, 2012, 08:47:11 amI've signed up for freecycle and I receive daily emails about new offers. Sadly I haven't seen much electronics not to mention any scopes

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 30, 2012, 09:46:03 am
content: Well no its more household items. I got me a slide projector and digital projector off it

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2012, 09:29:41 pm
content: We had a general cleanup at work last year and I got some nice old voltmeter using nixie tubes for display. Also a lot of old computer hardware (fans, radiators etc.), cables and electronic parts. Unfortunately I was too slow to save a large lab PSU made in Poland, they're becoming quite rare and I wanted to at least preserve it.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2012, 04:46:23 am
content: I had a summer job at Hazeltine (back in the day!) One day they said, "Bill, we know you're interested in parts, and they're throwing out some wirewrap panels (over there) - are you interested?" Hell yeah; I figure the value of those panels was far larger than my salary for the entire summer... (Just for the panels; not counting that they were full of 4000 series CMOS that was generally useful, and not counting the design and labor that had gone into making them whatever they were before they became "trash.")Freecycle has been mixed for me. I got no takers for a working HP2600 color laser printer (with no toner), which theoretically would have been good for parts, for example. (a full set of toner cartridges costs more than a new printer.)

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 02, 2012, 05:07:50 pm
content: yea we have problems too with no shows but then I get no shows on ebay too for household stuff that is being collected.