Scavenging Repurposing Recycling...  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: KG7AMV
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:54:09 am
content: Anyone else scavenge parts from old electronics. I know it is time consuming..For computer mother boards I have a 500 degree digital griddle drilled to standard patterns and have standoffs to bolt the board down and the temp probe is modified to stick on the top of the board.Turn it on bring it to solder melting temp and start pulling parts seems to work for most boards i have striped. The time consuming part is measuring and checking parts after removal. Seems to work better then a heat gun.I have fixed a few LCD's, car stereo's and other electronic with scavenged parts. Low ESR Caps can be had this way for next to nothing some E-shops will give you dead mobo's, phones, car amps, etc for free.Latest fix was a 42" LCD TV Free on Craigslist found a Mother Board and a few other boards at goodwill outlet with 10 nice Panasonic & Rubycon Caps with the value I needed cost me 1.37 to fix the TV and loaded a few parts drawers. It can become an addiction and kind of meditating measuring and sorting the parts.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:05:23 am
content: Same basic thing here.Spare time, watching TV in the office, except I use an old electric skillet turned up to about 300F-400F depending, hot air deflectors and standoffs on the PCB, along with a hot-air gun to heat/remove the individual components I'm interested in, rather than heating the whole thing up to melt the solder.BUT, I don't reuse those particular parts when I fixing something for somebody, unless it's a friend or for my own uses. Too much risk in reusing parts, future failures, etc. Too much liability when you're in business.

author: KG7AMV
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:16:33 am
content: Personal use only for myself.. electric skillet = griddle

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 11:30:38 pm
content: I think every real electronic hobbyist ends up with a "junkbox" of discarded boards, old projects, etc. I have a couple milkcrates full of boards pulled from discarded TVs, VCRs, stereos, computer junk, test gear, etc. But I generally don't spend a lot of time desoldering, testing, and sorting parts from them until I need something in particular. I just go through the boards as needed looking for whatever I need.I also avoid using scavenged parts for repairs done for other people, or in projects done for hire. Not worth the hassle.

author: briselec
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2014, 11:28:31 am
content: I strip things down to the boards, have a look over them so I know what chips and components are on them then they go in to one of the large containers I keep them all in till the day I need something off one of them.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2014, 03:03:44 pm
content: Usually I keep power semiconductors, inductors, especially ferrite and iron powder toroids, transformers and expensive or rare stuff for repairs, projects and breadboarding.