Finding broken stuff to repair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: Belrmar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 10:41:49 am
content: I have benn basically repairing everything i could on my home but i have ran out of stuff to repair, any ideas about how to find interesting vingate/ not super complex stuff on the internet?

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 10:50:24 am
content: Ebay. Pick a category that looks interesting, and check the box "for parts or not working".Be sure never to pay anything close to the price of working equipment. A lot of sellers have a bizarre idea that something which is broken is always "an easy fix for someone who knows what they're doing", and is "therefore" worth close to the same price as if it were working.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 11:31:03 am
content: Ask your family, friends and neighbors. Open a repair shop. Join a repair café.

author: anachrocomputer
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 12:04:56 pm
content: Ask at your local Hackspace or Makerspace. At Bristol Hackspace, we sometimes get donations of partially-working electronic gear, such as BBC Micros with smoking capacitors, or scopes with shorted tantalums.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 01:10:22 pm
content: Quote from: anachrocomputer on December 10, 2017, 12:04:56 pmYes, one of us really ought to get around to replacing the dry PSU electrolytic on the dual-beamstorage scope, theTektronixTelequipment DM63I may even have a spare cap and adaptor PCB, if there isn't a suitable substitute in the crates.The symptom is pretty obvious: there's a 25Hz ripple in the beam's brightness!

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 02:48:10 pm
content: Did you tried to visit a repair café ?You will have a lot of fun and help to reduce the global warming.https://repaircafe.org/es/You will find repair cafés at these locations:Repair Café Asturias (Oviedo)Lata de Zincc/Julian Cañedo, 4OVIEDORepair Café MadridMediaLab PradoCalle Alameda 15MadridRepair Café ToledoCentro Comercial Zoco Europa, Planta 2, Asociación Emerge ToledoCalle Viena 2ToledoRepair Café ZaragozaEn La Vía Láctea. C/ Doctor Palomar, 25.Zaragoza

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2017, 04:19:42 pm
content: If you want stuff for free (or at least really cheap), try the local junkyard or E-waste center. Tube up to the 80s are the best canditates (few ASICs or SMD). Also, physical condition != functionality!If you want to go extreme...https://www.youtube.com/user/shango066don't remove the dirt or weeds...

author: daybyter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2017, 12:09:31 am
content: I'm jealous...I have so much broken stuff here...

author: Belrmar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2017, 06:57:39 pm
content: Quote from: oldway on December 10, 2017, 02:48:10 pmTx for the info

author: Chris56000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2017, 07:54:45 pm
content: Hi!I wish I could get into all those university lab Clearout/skip finds/giveaways everybody else seems to get!Even looking at "for parts or not working" is no guarantee you'll pick up something at a fair price, more and more wassocks with more credit–card than common sense are starting lousy "bid–wars" on things and even bits of junk in cosmetically very poor condition are starting to change hands for well into three figures, which is frankly just ridiculous!US Vendors in particular use the nastiest trick in common use, a very reasonable "buy it now price", but they bung £700 on the postage!Any suggestions for obtaining reasonably priced T & M in the UK for repair or parts only welcomed!

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 11, 2017, 09:08:58 pm
content: QuoteOur community college has tons of old junk lying around. They never seem to want to get rid of it though, but I told them if they ever do to contact me.

author: AllTheGearNoIdea
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 11, 2017, 09:32:37 pm
content: Have children. Most of your treasured irreplaceable items will be permanently damaged within months. Happy days!

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2017, 05:53:24 am
content: Quote from: AllTheGearNoIdea on December 11, 2017, 09:32:37 pmThat's what cages are for.