Any worth or usefulness before scrapping?  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: donkey77
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 05:15:27 pm
content: Hi, I'm trying to have a good clear out and make some space. I've got a fair few pcb's from industrial printing machines, some faulty, some fully working. I doubt I'll ever actually sell or need any in my day to day work and I'm not sure there's a market on eBay either. Attached are some sample photos, does anything jump out to anyone component wise that would be useful to salvage before they end up in the big silicon/frp scrap yard in the sky?

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 05:25:16 pm
content: If you have a heat gun, grab the connectors off it. Giant connectors may come in handy one day. I'd also take any metal off of it, and plop it in a scrap pile. You never know when you may need bits of metal for something like an odd case mount or the like. Besides that I can't see much.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 05:34:17 pm
content: Grab the RECOM 2.2W isolated 5V DC - 5V DC converters.

author: Messtechniker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 05:44:28 pm
content: Those standoffs may be useful some day.I give all dead motherboards and PCBs the heat gun treatmentto collect: connector sockets, quartzes, jumper pins, heat sinks(no longer any more, as I don't need so many), LEDs,those low ESR capacitors (used after testing of course)Great stuff for mucking around and oneoffs I personally use.I also reuse stripped ATX power supply enclosures. Saves me doingsome metal work since the mains power socket is already there.The PCB mounting holes are also very welcome. Also the metal is not that thickAnd these enclosures are neatly stackable since their size is standardised.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 09:54:45 pm
content: Check the brands of the electrolytic caps, if they're good grab those. By the look of the PCBs quality, they will be.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 10:10:01 pm
content: I'd keep the boards as is or bin them. There is no use taking the components off without having an immediate use for them.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 11:01:21 pm
content: Quote from: donkey77 on August 26, 2017, 05:15:27 pmYou'd be surprised...Google the manufacturer/model numbers and see if there are discussion forums etc. on which you could find potential buyers just looking for spares or actually repairing their machines.Many years ago I missed the opportunity to buy, at scrap prices, fully working parts for equipment that might've made me $50K+ several years later.

author: tpowell1830
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2017, 11:31:40 pm
content: If you are just trying to make room and are throwing them out regardless then I would grab the large caps and test them, plus the heatsinks, connectors, DC to DC converter, what look like inductors and inline resistor packs? as well. However, if you don't need to chunk them, then I would keep them as is in storage. You can always pull a part if needed for a project, you know what you have.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2017, 03:14:56 pm
content: If you are using hot air to pull off parts take the tantalum caps off as well, and drop in a bag of random caps. You always find a need to put in some extra capacitance in some place, and these are perfect for random values. Take those solder in fuses as well, useful on boards that blow them on a fault. Also grab all cerdip chips.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2017, 03:32:13 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on August 26, 2017, 10:28:39 pmI use a similar approach these days. Way too much stuff!There's no use in hoarding old electronics with some vague hope of using 100s of $ of tools to save a 0.25$ component that may not work and you have no data for.