Salvaging used components - Good idea?

[gary350]

Pick of the day 6 Road Mart TVs and 3 computer monitors. I removed all the circuit boards from 5 TVs and 3 monitors yesterday after lunch. The monitors have better parts than the TVs. It only takes about 15 minutes to remove the circuit boards and place the trash on the street for city pick up today. This time I am being very selective, I'm only looking for mosfets, voltage regulators, power resistors, large capacitors, variable resistors, heat sinks, chokes, transformers. The small resistors are staying on the boards this time if I need one I will remove it when it is needed. The best source of parts are the small PC boards that plug onto the end of the picture tubes they have several power resistors, mosfets and voltage regulators. I have a good size box of hook up wire too. TV #6 is small 24" and it works, I will use it for the home security monitor. The oldest TV is dated 1986 it had the best parts of all.

The recycle truck that picks up organic stuff came by early about 7 am. The recycle truck that picks up wood and furniture is picking up on out street now. The recycle truck that pics up TVs, used paint, use oil, chemical, etc will pick up after lunch.

I found 3 more TVs in the street today but I dont not pick them up. I think I have enough parts. Next time I need a part and dont have it then I will be wishing I had picked up more TVs. I would much rather pull a used part form a storage box than wait a week for a new part to arrive in the mail.

**broken link removed**

 

[Honduras]

We aren't allowed to put computer parts out for garbage collection. I have 6 Sun Sparcstations I need to get rid of. No way to do it.

 

[dr pepper]

That doesnt sound too selective, good you are scrounging.

Where I work we are not allowed to take scrap gear home, thats why there is stuff in the skip that looks complete, I take the board out pull out all the goodies with a hot air gun and bird beaks, then put the board back in and put it back together, I'm thinking one day they'll pull something out of the skip and plug it in to see if it'll work.

 

[audioguru]

I worked at a place that destroyed all good old stuff. Whenever I got a hint that something became obsolete and was ready to be destroyed then I grabbed it and hid it so that I could take it later.

I used to take electronic items from the curb but they are not allowed to go into garbage anymore. I wonder what they do with them. They don't recycle them. Nobody gets paid to take them apart.

 

[upand_at_them]

Nasty trash (like stuff that contains lead) is often sent to poor countries.

 

[Overclocked]

We aren't allowed to put computer parts out for garbage collection. I have 6 Sun Sparcstations I need to get rid of. No way to do it.

Mine some virtual coins!

I actually recently cleared my stock of components Ive salvaged and overstock (I still have it-I posted it on FB under free stuff. I really dont want good stuff to be thrown out ). My reason being is that I will never use them. I have enough transistors and FETs to last me a while. Inductors I usually keep though. With recent scrap prices being high, people go around collecting scrap, so anything good usually gets taken by people looking to make quick cash. I still have a ton of dead hard drives that I want to use the platters for, and for the magnets.

 

[dr pepper]

There has been times when I have used components I have salvaged that are just not possible to get, very satisfying, also good when you use a couple of items that would have cost 10 quid or more.

 

[gary350]

DateLine TV show about 4 years ago said, old electronics like monitors and TVs go to places like India. They take them apart and recycle the plastic, glass, steel, aluminum, copper, etc. The rest is burned and the metal is salvaged from the burn pile. They said, a lot of these people die before they reach the age of 30 from the toxic smoke.

Yes I end up with parts I dont want too. I sell some stuff I dont want on ebay. 100 pack assortment of misc electrolitic capacitors. 10 pack assortment of aluminum heat sinks. I listed $5 assortment pack with $3 postage hoping it will sell I refuse to throw it in the trash just because I dont need it. I would give it away free if I could but I cant pay people to take it with ebay fees, paypal fees, postage, packing, etc. I think I have things no one will want like 15 flyback transformers.

 

[dr pepper]

I have a box of flybacks too, including a couple of triple o/p ones.