I love finding old electronics equipment and stripping out the components and parts. I recently got a panasonic hifi (tuner - double tape - record player) that someone had thrown out and wanted to strip the stuff out of it. But I plugged it in and it works perfectly, and I don't want to take it apart now lol.
a trick that someone told me once when opening electronics is to press the on button(or switch) after it's been unplugged to discharge the caps, and just to be sure you can bridge the 2 pins of a capacitor before touching it with a screwdriver or something!
I normally use a 100 ohm resistor glued in a plastic stick for big high voltage electrolytic capacitors. Same that I use to discharge capacitors when testing an amp. Just to play safe.
I love your videos, man. You really make all of this stuff understandable for a beginner. Dig it. Please continue with all of these videos. I wish you success!
It's great fun, learning experience, the results, and re-utilization of stuff headed to the land fill. And the most important is just experiment. I have a big pile of many boards. thanks.
Lol, I liked the warning about stored energy in capacitors at the beginning of this tutorial. If only I had known about that 25 years ago, when I first dug into a 50w guitar amp, and one of the caps discharged on my hand. Before then, I'd only been shocked by turning on an ungrounded lamp in a flooded basement (120v here in the U.S.), and it was a heck of a lot stronger than any shock that I've gotten from a 120v mains powered lamp or improperly grounded amp! I don't remember what model it was, but a friend of mine had a 4x10 fender combo amp, whose ground prong had broken off of the plug, and he had one hand on the strings, and touched a steel pole supporting a beam in my basement, and got a pretty good shock.. nothing terrible, sometimes we'd do it purposely for a laugh! But for real, some of those large caps are NO JOKE!
great video. I understand residual energy danger so no worries there. however I'm new to pedal building and I find your videos to be a great place for information so many thanks to you for taking the time to do what you do.
I remember boards like that. I was a radio and tv engineer for over 40 years. I still build things from scrap yet. Mind you, check on Ebay first before you pull it apart, it might be worth something.
I have an 120 watt amp head road kill with built in fx crunch flanger distortion clean reverb chorous powers on no sound omg I don't think we are related
You know my wife has never seen Johnny Dangerously. I tried to make that reference with her and it went over her head. I was shocked to find she has never seen it.
My idea for wanting to salvage is to just make some weird pedals for myself. I have money to buy components but I also want to just use some old stuff to see if it sounds different or anything like that, just for the fun of it. Instead of throwing it all away.
Hi DIY, I salvage lots of parts, mostly heat sinks, transistors, pots etc.. You can use WD-40 on the pots to re-lube the phenolic material, and, they will usually work good. They shrink when they dry out. Sorry bro, it's Micro Farad if it's uF. Be good, C.
I like to salvage components, because that way I can get some that might be hard/impossible to order in small quantities. Another thing is that I can pay 10 times more to get things delivered less than a week, or wait a month and pay 10 times less. Or check my pile of circuitry and get it instantly free (if lucky that is). Couple of dollars isn't that much, until you've done it 50 times and realize you've spent 100$ instead of 10. I personally love to loot caps, because they're relaxing to desolder and you always need them anyway, the condition is always a mystery, but usually they're just fine. The most important reasonmight be, that you find some "weird" components you wouldn't order otherwise and get to play with them. And they're free so no harm in breaking/burning them while trying. And reverse engineering stuff teaches always something if you pay attention =) Anyway nice vid, enjoy watchin people take stuff apart.
I just started doing this stuff in the past year, and realized I had half a dozen record players, and 8 tracks from the 60s, and 70s just laying here............I was originally just after caps for my guitar, but then slowly realized the more I learned that I had a TREASURE trove of germanium transistors......I had even broken a couple before I realized what they were....lol
I scavenged about 10 of my fathers broken battery radios. I found a couple of jrc4558 lots of germanium diodes and some interesting transistors, some darlingtons and some fets. Once i dismantle a very old gadget ( from the times of black and white tvs) and found 3 tubes inside, realtively the same size of a 12ax7 or smaller. Never tested it, though, because the names/numbers were faded, but was a nice feeling discover some good stuff.
Good tips. I pulled apart a couple of DVD players, just because I had the time, and they weren't working. Didn't find too much that was interesting, but kept some stuff just for the hell of it. Not sure if I'll use it in any builds though, but it was fun.
I've actually zapped myself with 300uF cap salvaged from old film camera. The cap was used to trigger the flash. Feeling was nothing compared to wall wart but still not the most pleasant.
The main reason why I harvest parts is that they are perfectly useful, and anything that I can do to reduce e-waste from getting to a landfill is a service to society as a whole.
For scratchy pots in old equipment you can spray them with WD-40 it refreshes the lubrication in the pots and protects and cleans the surface contacts . It can bring back some pretty old pots to usable condition . Just set them on a paper towel to absorb the excess for a few minutes after you spray them and your good to go . you can also spray them in place on the equipment like old fuzz boxes with scratchy pots you just have to be careful of over spray .
I left word with all the pawn shops in the area & on craigslist that I will pay $20 for dead pedals. I get the boxes and most of the parts for my projects, or I merely fix something simple and resell them for more projects. Highly recommended.
moste pawn shops are on line and sell broken stuff on ebay and get more some time then one fixed because all us geeks out biding for it wich just tells pawnshops to stick it on ebay if don't sell then call fred
Another reason to salvage parts is in case if you want to modify your pedal. You can buy the components cheap but the shipping cost eventually can get annoying.
Could you do something on the difference between HiFi/Audiophile quality components vs. standard and what to look for regarding quality? Some of these boutique components are really starting to catch my eye with the way they advertise, but I'm not sure how much difference it would actually make. I'm fine paying a bit more for good resistors and caps, but if it isn't worth it, may as well save the money for more pedals.
I’m very new to electronics. You say that a B and an A, let’s you know whether a pot is linear or analog, I didn’t know that. So, the A is obviously for analog but does that mean that the B stand for linear? Also, I’ve heard that in audio applications logarithmic caps are sometimes used, how are those marked, what letter should I expect to find? Please let me know. I want to learn more about this stuff. Thank you kindly
So, in the world of potentiometers, they typically come in one of three flavors of "taper". You have the linear taper, which can be identified as a "B" on most pots. This means as you turn the knob, the resistance changes evenly across every turn, or linearly. You have the audio taper, also known as a logarithmic taper, which can be identified as an "A" on most pots. You usually see this used on volume knobs for guitar pedals. The taper slumps down as you approach the "noon" position. The third common taper is the reverse audio, or reverse logarithmic taper, which can be identified as a "C" on most pots. I typically see these on some modulation LFO controls. The taper bumps up as you approach the "noon" position of the pot. There is another odd-ball taper, the "W" taper, which is indicated with a "W". You might run into this if you build a Tubescreamer clone, as their tone-knob was originally a potentiometer with this taper. Trimmer pots tend to be linear, so they don't bare any markings. If you are curious about more info on tapers, this site should help: islproducts.com/design-note/potentiometer-taper/ As of markings, on 16mm pots, like in this photo here: guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/potentiometers/ you can see the center one has a marking of B250K, which indicates it is a potentiometer with 250K resistance and has a linear taper (because of the B). On 9mm pots, like in this photo here: erthenvar.myshopify.com/products/smooth-shaft-vertical-pot you can see it has a marking of B100K, which indicates it is a potentiometer with 100K resistance and has a linear taper as well.
@@erikvincent5846 Sorry for the ridiculously late reply, ‘been CRAZY busy at work. Thank you so much for your reply, it is so detailed and complete, I will absolutely check out these sites you mention. Thank you very kindly, sincerely. Be safe mate. Cheers!
I'm so excited! I bought a 10 minute boost and chime amp a couple of days ago and went to jaycar to get some components for them, this video would have been helpful had I seen it, either way though I can't wait to get these kits!
***** Sweet! I've made the 10min / 7 min kits as easy as possible to assemble so im hoping it all went together without much hassle (which it sounds like it did)?
The 10 minute boost has come together relatively easily, it sound great and works perfectly but the chime amp is proving a little more difficult. I think my problem is that I'm using electrolytic capacitors for both c1 and c2 so I'll try switch out c1 and it'll hopefully work.
***** That could be the problem. Most of the confusion with this project is in the ground wiring. Make sure you haven't connected the speaker negative output to circuit ground. Its different and needs to be separated. Also check for solder bridges around the FET pads. I made those pads tight (noob error).
Better safer than sorry. always remember to disconnect batteries,drain the power, make sure everything is unplugged and turned off .one of the scariest mistakes i made was cutting the power supply with scissors and they melted.
Can you make a video with some tips on desoldering components? That always beat my ass because sometimes i cannot pull out parts like potentiometers or ICs
Gabriel Molina they make kits for that. Basically if u have a soldering gun and hemostats youre good to go. I clip the hemostats to the component heat the connection with the gun solder side up the weight of the hemos pulls it right from the board 98% of the time
Got any ideas for salvageable parts from a Johnson Viking Messenger 1 CB radio? It's loaded with vintage components and tubes! Also has a Mallory 12 V. vibrator.
i just use a basic flat head screwdriver, across the terminals on the capacitors for the 220 v electric motor that runs a compressor at the body shop i work in and so far i'm not too dead yet,,, so just discharge the caps and you're ok
Or, you salvaging parts (like me) from old tv-s, phones, remote controls, PC-s, all kind of players etc, when is nearest store to buy any el. parts and components literally 100 miles away from you 👍😂
i have old cccp radio and i don't know wtf any stuff is inside how to know wtf is it i already opened it but it still working? i would be weary happy if you reply!
speaking of capacitors... does physical size matter when changing them? I removed an old but working "22uf 400v 105c" from an adapter for a router... my laptop's charger has a bloated cap with the same rating and its small and fat.. The one i removed is tall and slightly slim.. Am I good?
Hit local surplus stores. I found boxes of can caps, Sprague capacitors of every value, every other component besides the known tubes to do anything audio related. And the caps, resistors and tubes are super cheap.
speaking of capacitors... does physical size matter when changing them? I removed an old but working "22uf 400v 105c" from an adapter for a router... my laptop's charger has a bloated cap with the same rating and its small and fat.. The one i removed is tall and slightly slim.. Am I good?
TEAM NO MONEY AND LOTS OF TIME!!!
no money and no time
Team No money and lots of time seems perfect for virus social separation time
I love finding old electronics equipment and stripping out the components and parts.
I recently got a panasonic hifi (tuner - double tape - record player) that someone had thrown out and wanted to strip the stuff out of it. But I plugged it in and it works perfectly, and I don't want to take it apart now lol.
a trick that someone told me once when opening electronics is to press the on button(or switch) after it's been unplugged to discharge the caps, and just to be sure you can bridge the 2 pins of a capacitor before touching it with a screwdriver or something!
Do. Not. Lick. Them.
I normally use a 100 ohm resistor glued in a plastic stick for big high voltage electrolytic capacitors. Same that I use to discharge capacitors when testing an amp. Just to play safe.
I love your videos, man. You really make all of this stuff understandable for a beginner. Dig it. Please continue with all of these videos. I wish you success!
It's great fun, learning experience, the results, and re-utilization of stuff headed to the land fill.
And the most important is just experiment. I have a big pile of many boards. thanks.
2sc828 is a great sounding transistor. It's used in the original shin ei superfuzz
4:15 yes! There are 3 of these in my U1095 super fuzz
Lol, I liked the warning about stored energy in capacitors at the beginning of this tutorial. If only I had known about that 25 years ago, when I first dug into a 50w guitar amp, and one of the caps discharged on my hand. Before then, I'd only been shocked by turning on an ungrounded lamp in a flooded basement (120v here in the U.S.), and it was a heck of a lot stronger than any shock that I've gotten from a 120v mains powered lamp or improperly grounded amp! I don't remember what model it was, but a friend of mine had a 4x10 fender combo amp, whose ground prong had broken off of the plug, and he had one hand on the strings, and touched a steel pole supporting a beam in my basement, and got a pretty good shock.. nothing terrible, sometimes we'd do it purposely for a laugh! But for real, some of those large caps are NO JOKE!
That's how people die haha
great video. I understand residual energy danger so no worries there. however I'm new to pedal building and I find your videos to be a great place for information so many thanks to you for taking the time to do what you do.
Great vid, an even greater appearance by your son! What a charmer!
Thanks Tim he always upstages me :)
I remember boards like that. I was a radio and tv engineer for over 40 years. I still build things from scrap yet. Mind you, check on Ebay first before you pull it apart, it might be worth something.
I opened a 120 watt amp head once...Once.
I have an 120 watt amp head road kill with built in fx crunch flanger distortion clean reverb chorous powers on no sound omg I don't think we are related
You know my wife has never seen Johnny Dangerously. I tried to make that reference with her and it went over her head. I was shocked to find she has never seen it.
Opened a 240 watt amp once, turned my finger white, after a few dates it blistered and pealed
Did we need to hear that?
My idea for wanting to salvage is to just make some weird pedals for myself. I have money to buy components but I also want to just use some old stuff to see if it sounds different or anything like that, just for the fun of it. Instead of throwing it all away.
Hi DIY, I salvage lots of parts, mostly heat sinks, transistors, pots etc.. You can use WD-40 on the pots to re-lube the phenolic material, and, they will usually work good. They shrink when they dry out. Sorry bro, it's Micro Farad if it's uF. Be good, C.
*Opens a 1.5v disposable camera and touches capacitor.
"FACKING SHEEEIT"!
good point cameras being an exception
*Touches contacts of energized relay 24V and then deenergizes it.*
Even fucking worse.
Yeah ive actually utilized them for that before
I’ve done that. Haha!
Ouch, that's why they tell you not to open them.
I like to salvage components, because that way I can get some that might be hard/impossible to order in small quantities. Another thing is that I can pay 10 times more to get things delivered less than a week, or wait a month and pay 10 times less. Or check my pile of circuitry and get it instantly free (if lucky that is). Couple of dollars isn't that much, until you've done it 50 times and realize you've spent 100$ instead of 10. I personally love to loot caps, because they're relaxing to desolder and you always need them anyway, the condition is always a mystery, but usually they're just fine.
The most important reasonmight be, that you find some "weird" components you wouldn't order otherwise and get to play with them. And they're free so no harm in breaking/burning them while trying. And reverse engineering stuff teaches always something if you pay attention =)
Anyway nice vid, enjoy watchin people take stuff apart.
I just started doing this stuff in the past year, and realized I had half a dozen record players, and 8 tracks from the 60s, and 70s just laying here............I was originally just after caps for my guitar, but then slowly realized the more I learned that I had a TREASURE trove of germanium transistors......I had even broken a couple before I realized what they were....lol
omg nice
I scavenged about 10 of my fathers broken battery radios. I found a couple of jrc4558 lots of germanium diodes and some interesting transistors, some darlingtons and some fets. Once i dismantle a very old gadget ( from the times of black and white tvs) and found 3 tubes inside, realtively the same size of a 12ax7 or smaller. Never tested it, though, because the names/numbers were faded, but was a nice feeling discover some good stuff.
Good tips. I pulled apart a couple of DVD players, just because I had the time, and they weren't working. Didn't find too much that was interesting, but kept some stuff just for the hell of it. Not sure if I'll use it in any builds though, but it was fun.
I do the same thing :) I just like to tear apart some old stuff whether I will use it in the future or not :D
I've actually zapped myself with 300uF cap salvaged from old film camera. The cap was used to trigger the flash. Feeling was nothing compared to wall wart but still not the most pleasant.
In a TV, keep in mind that the big imaging tube is also kind of a capacitor, and may hold up to 40kv for as much as months.
The main reason why I harvest parts is that they are perfectly useful, and anything that I can do to reduce e-waste from getting to a landfill is a service to society as a whole.
I might try taking apart an old radio so I can try to find parts, I imagine I should be able to find some good parts in it.
Great and helpful video. Thank you! I was hoping you could tell me what that delicious tremolo-like effect was in the beginning of the video.
He hasn't told anyone who has asked yet.
For scratchy pots in old equipment you can spray them with WD-40 it refreshes the lubrication in the pots and protects and cleans the surface contacts . It can bring back some pretty old pots to usable condition . Just set them on a paper towel to absorb the excess for a few minutes after you spray them and your good to go . you can also spray them in place on the equipment like old fuzz boxes with scratchy pots you just have to be careful of over spray .
That's when I'm opening something that's been plugged in recently citizens I use rubber gloves
That ferrite rod you mentioned can be used to build a kick ass SMPS to power up a real pedal tube!
Oh sensei your baby looks so adorable! Nice Video by the way!
I left word with all the pawn shops in the area & on craigslist that I will pay $20 for dead pedals. I get the boxes and most of the parts for my projects, or I merely fix something simple and resell them for more projects. Highly recommended.
moste pawn shops are on line and sell broken stuff on ebay and get more some time then one fixed because all us geeks out biding for it wich just tells pawnshops to stick it on ebay if don't sell then call fred
Another reason to salvage parts is in case if you want to modify your pedal. You can buy the components cheap but the shipping cost eventually can get annoying.
I like to just lick the caps. It's kinda like Russian roulette. Haven't got bit yet.
I have enough money to buy pre built pedals but do to my 1/8th SEMITE heritage I prefer to hone my skills building from scratch !! 😊
Could you do something on the difference between HiFi/Audiophile quality components vs. standard and what to look for regarding quality? Some of these boutique components are really starting to catch my eye with the way they advertise, but I'm not sure how much difference it would actually make. I'm fine paying a bit more for good resistors and caps, but if it isn't worth it, may as well save the money for more pedals.
I like to use components I scavenge from crashed star cruisers.... if I don't trade them for portions
Next video is a low parts count build from only salvaged parts.
I’m very new to electronics. You say that a B and an A, let’s you know whether a pot is linear or analog, I didn’t know that. So, the A is obviously for analog but does that mean that the B stand for linear? Also, I’ve heard that in audio applications logarithmic caps are sometimes used, how are those marked, what letter should I expect to find? Please let me know. I want to learn more about this stuff. Thank you kindly
So, in the world of potentiometers, they typically come in one of three flavors of "taper". You have the linear taper, which can be identified as a "B" on most pots. This means as you turn the knob, the resistance changes evenly across every turn, or linearly. You have the audio taper, also known as a logarithmic taper, which can be identified as an "A" on most pots. You usually see this used on volume knobs for guitar pedals. The taper slumps down as you approach the "noon" position. The third common taper is the reverse audio, or reverse logarithmic taper, which can be identified as a "C" on most pots. I typically see these on some modulation LFO controls. The taper bumps up as you approach the "noon" position of the pot.
There is another odd-ball taper, the "W" taper, which is indicated with a "W". You might run into this if you build a Tubescreamer clone, as their tone-knob was originally a potentiometer with this taper.
Trimmer pots tend to be linear, so they don't bare any markings.
If you are curious about more info on tapers, this site should help: islproducts.com/design-note/potentiometer-taper/
As of markings, on 16mm pots, like in this photo here: guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/potentiometers/ you can see the center one has a marking of B250K, which indicates it is a potentiometer with 250K resistance and has a linear taper (because of the B).
On 9mm pots, like in this photo here: erthenvar.myshopify.com/products/smooth-shaft-vertical-pot you can see it has a marking of B100K, which indicates it is a potentiometer with 100K resistance and has a linear taper as well.
@@erikvincent5846 Sorry for the ridiculously late reply, ‘been CRAZY busy at work. Thank you so much for your reply, it is so detailed and complete, I will absolutely check out these sites you mention. Thank you very kindly, sincerely. Be safe mate. Cheers!
@@maxwarfield6699 no prob. I just started a new job last month too, so I totally understand the crazy busy part.
I'm so excited! I bought a 10 minute boost and chime amp a couple of days ago and went to jaycar to get some components for them, this video would have been helpful had I seen it, either way though I can't wait to get these kits!
Thanks Dezweenace, hoping the kits arrive in a timely manner!
The kits arrived today and I've got the 10 minute boost working. It sounds great!
***** Sweet! I've made the 10min / 7 min kits as easy as possible to assemble so im hoping it all went together without much hassle (which it sounds like it did)?
The 10 minute boost has come together relatively easily, it sound great and works perfectly but the chime amp is proving a little more difficult. I think my problem is that I'm using electrolytic capacitors for both c1 and c2 so I'll try switch out c1 and it'll hopefully work.
***** That could be the problem. Most of the confusion with this project is in the ground wiring. Make sure you haven't connected the speaker negative output to circuit ground. Its different and needs to be separated. Also check for solder bridges around the FET pads. I made those pads tight (noob error).
Better safer than sorry.
always remember to disconnect batteries,drain the power, make sure everything is unplugged and turned off .one of the scariest mistakes i made was cutting the power supply with scissors and they melted.
Can you make a video with some tips on desoldering components?
That always beat my ass because sometimes i cannot pull out parts like potentiometers or ICs
Gabriel Molina they make kits for that. Basically if u have a soldering gun and hemostats youre good to go. I clip the hemostats to the component heat the connection with the gun solder side up the weight of the hemos pulls it right from the board 98% of the time
lot's of good stuff (except for the weird mystery goo?) in marital aid's!!!
Got any ideas for salvageable parts from a Johnson Viking Messenger 1 CB radio? It's loaded with vintage components and tubes! Also has a Mallory 12 V. vibrator.
i just use a basic flat head screwdriver, across the terminals on the capacitors for the 220 v electric motor that runs a compressor at the body shop i work in and so far i'm not too dead yet,,, so just discharge the caps and you're ok
Be sure to not use a metal handed screwdriver 😂
could use ferrite rods for wah inductors maybe ?
Is there any one site that has a list of typical components for a newbie like me to go off of as far as cap, resistor value's and the likes?
whats the best resoure for finding whether what ive salvaged are useful for pedals
Awwwww! So cute.
Thanks Paul. Apparently he looks ALOT like me when I was young. Not sure what happened when I got older...? lol
:) They say the same thing about my son.
Will computer PC mother's boards have good part s for pedals
Or, you salvaging parts (like me) from old tv-s, phones, remote controls, PC-s, all kind of players etc, when is nearest store to buy any el. parts and components literally 100 miles away from you 👍😂
I just referb the old stereos and stuff and sell it on E-Bay and THEN buy parts for projects!
I know a good source for transistors among other vintage components :p I'll let you all know in the AM ;)
RobTapps88 is it day yet?
@@Empyrean55 2 years later. the AM still eludes us.
ferrite rods are good to make chokes to make a joules thief
i have built my radio transmitter. i wanna try guitar pedal.
i have old cccp radio and i don't know wtf any stuff is inside how to know wtf is it i already opened it but it still working? i would be weary happy if you reply!
speaking of capacitors... does physical size matter when changing them? I removed an old but working "22uf 400v 105c" from an adapter for a router... my laptop's charger has a bloated cap with the same rating and its small and fat.. The one i removed is tall and slightly slim.. Am I good?
You should probably use a new one but as long as it's the same type and same capacitance but has the same voltage rating or higher your good.
Ｎice contents for me
do you know of anywhere you can salvage 1/4 inch (6.35mm) jack sockets?
Old stereos will have a 1/4" jack for headphones.
It’ll be cheaper to just buy them, you can get a dozen for like $2.
My inverter shock gun runs on 9V battery
Can't buy pots in the usa for 50 cents. I haven't found any.
you can buy a pack of 10 for like 2,50€ on ebay
Hit local surplus stores. I found boxes of can caps, Sprague capacitors of every value, every other component besides the known tubes to do anything audio related. And the caps, resistors and tubes are super cheap.
I got zapped in by a NZ socket I was plugging a plug in and was touching the metal bit NOT A NICE SENSATION
SMD stands no match to a nice heat Gun easy peasey Japanesey.
mhmm they look like chiclets ,why do i want to eat these.hahaha
Just learn how to discharge the caps
Um 🤔
Omgggggg!! Shorten you videos dude!!
speaking of capacitors... does physical size matter when changing them? I removed an old but working "22uf 400v 105c" from an adapter for a router... my laptop's charger has a bloated cap with the same rating and its small and fat.. The one i removed is tall and slightly slim.. Am I good?
It should not, as long as the voltage rating is the same or greater.