Salvaging electrolytic capacitors might be a good idea when we intend to use them for personal electronic projects that will only be used for a few years but I often restore synthesizers from the 80s and the most common failure are the electrolytic capacitors followed by coin cell batteries. That’s why I just use high quality electrolytic capacitors bought new from a reputable distributor. When you make a repair and expect it to last several decades, you have to understand that these parts have a limited shelf life and service life. For other types of capacitors like film capacitors that tends to be on the expensive side there’s no problems re-using them.
In my (in comparison: very limited) experience in repairing vintage (80s/90s) audio equipment, capacitors are rarely the part that has failed, even after decades of use. I agree: it would be better for longevity to use brand new ones, but for the sake of having replacement parts at hand on literally zero budget... (Usually I just need to replace 1~3 to get something working again) . I feel like I'm not taking too much risks... (The salvaged capacitors are also higher grade / japanese made, whereas the ones that have blown on the apparatus I'm attempting to fix, aren't.) Also, I've tried to buy packs of "commonly used" resistors and so on. But they are only 'common' in DIY projects it seems. Having a selection of 10, 100, 220, 330x 1k, 2k, 5k, 10k, 100k, 1M ohms... ..and then needing 4.7k, 2.8k, etc. Resistors are not the best example, but you understand my problem, right? Components are only cheap when you buy in bulk. (Because a €0,50 high quality capacitor + €3,- shipping, is in effect a €3,50 capacitor. And if I buy a selection of caps I don't need, then I've just bought a selection of very ineffective paper weights ;) Anyways - I see your point; 100%. But I think more professional people (like yourself) wouldn't resort to salvaging components anyway - you have a reputation to uphold, clients to keep happy, your business' good name, etc
Because you said “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” My brother goes to the electronics bin every week where you can dispose of electronics. He always gets something out of it... Smart TVs from 30 to 50 inches where only the backlight, so that the screen is bright, needs to be replaced. Costs around €30-50. Great stereo systems where only one fuse is blown or the potentiometer needs to be replaced. Lots of stuff like that. Compressor, vacuum cleaner for hundreds of euros... All the things people throw away just because they think a repair would be too expensive or that it is even though you only have to replace a single, almost insignificant part.... Smart TVs, PCs, stereo systems, cordless drills, etc. Everything is repaired and sold on eBay. Or passed on to the family. Depending on who wants or needs what. Just awesome!
i do a little trash diving, got an industrial vacuum, sony boombox tape recorder and a new condition crt tv. all working though the vacuum needs a new switch
I live in the southeast of the US and I do this about once a week when I have free time too. Except for tvs I'd say the majority of things are 100% functional. It's astounding. I've got multiple AX routers, mesh systems, and high and AC routers, numerous sound bars, Dyson vacuums, a set of police radar systems, all sorts of stuff. Pretty much anything you'd go to best buy to get. I don't even test things when I'm there. On average they're probably 3 to 4 times more likely to be fine than not.
A repair might be too expensive specially if the owner plants to upgrade, however to recycle and repairing yourself is an incredibly satisfying activity. Reject garbage and disposal and embrace recycling.
The nuts and bolts salvage is extremely useful. I have learned over the years that it’s not very useful to just put them in a container, because you really don’t know what you have available for your next project. I 3D printed (you can buy) different screw and bolt measurement tools and separated my reclaimed hardware into small ziplock bags (from the post office) with printed labels showing size and length. It’s saved me money and time.
Yeah, one of the best things I ever did was to buy a few different sizes of small ziplock bags (2x2, 2x3, 3x4 inch, they come in packs of 100 or 200 each) off of Amazon. They've even got white label areas across the front for writing what's in them. And pulling screws is worthwhile, but the real gold is in the nuts. If you find anything with a screw and a nut, definitely keep both. (I did go out and buy a pack of 6-32 and M3 nuts, actually, because those screws are so common in a lot of this stuff, but rarely have matching nuts)
For me, parts that I trust I can sort into bins marked for the part type, but other parts and odd parts I just put into one box and when I’m hard up for something I don’t have its great to look there. I have the same type of tester he showed using to test capacitors and man, I love that it is so easy now to test specs.
4:37 Those are vacuum fluorescent displays. I always salvage them. They are not too difficult to drive and produce a nice glow as they are essentially a form of triode tube.
Back when the big plasma to led TV shift was taking place I found so many plasma TVs on the curb. I'd always scoop them up. Most times the TV didn't work but I really liked the selection of transformers available during that transition.
I've been in the tech industry for decades. As time has gone on, I have assembled what I call the "magic box". Doesn't matter what you need, look in the magic box and you WILL find it.😊
Always separate waste electronics into modules before considering individual components. You can use a 12V audio system and USB hub from an old monitor as-is. Same goes for internal power supplies and their interference filters, any daughterboards/expansion cards and CRT monitor modules in door video phones.
Personally, I find it easier to keep the whole board and then salvage at a later date - context is often a big clue to what a part is when trying to identify it. For professional work, I think it only makes sense to use parts you can but new - otherwise you can end up with a design you can't take to higher volume.
Very good advice, nice to see this information in our throw away society. I have been in electronics for over 60 years & have been doing what you describe most of this time
What he said also applies to VFDs, just remember that they need lots of power and high voltage, they can be worn and often have weird driving chips. The exception in displays are segmented LED ones (especially if they have symbols you’d like to use), which can often be driven with an MCU, SIPO register etc. Also remember: Character LCDs are very cheap and easy to drive. However, only take them if they have their typical daughterboard or a labeled serial cable connecting them to the PCB: if their controller is part of the main PCB, you'd have to cut it and figure out the pinout, which cannot be justified given their $3 cost. And of course, rare but old and simple displays (nixie, numitron, projection, any electromechanical ones, small Watchman CRT monitor modules) are very useful for an unusual form of visual output for some microcontroller project.
@@urnoob5528 VFDs are not too rare nor antique, and they suffer from burn-in. If they mostly have segments that are useless to you or they’re too worn, why bother? However, standard ones like 7-seg, 14-seg and 5x7 are keepers. CRTs are also display technology and you don't need to take all of them, especially not color ones. However, a complete functional TV or professional video monitor, especially Trinitron, is usually worth it unless it has burn-in. Only oscilloscope and antique CRTs are worth keeping as loose components (unless you plan to do a tube swap), not giant (>20”) color ones.
You did not mention the batteries in disposible VAPES ...... these litter the towns and roadsides .... the batteries are Lithium -ion and are FULLY rechargeable ( 4v2 max ! ! ) .... these can be used to replace ( HORRID LEAKY ALKALINE CELLS ) in small LED torches that use 3 to 4v5 Volts ( they do NOT leak fluids ) and many other projects ...... DAVE™🛑
It's good to see that there are still folks out there who prefer to salvage components when possible. Takes me back to my younger days in this hobby when parts were a lot harder to get and much more expensive.
I am more of the "keep the board and take the components off as I need them" mentality. Low power resistors are very cheap so I just buy them new. However...there always comes a day when I am building a circuit and I don't have the value I need in stock, so then those old circuit boards become an "electronics shop in a bin". Quicker to scour some old boards and lift that component you need than make a trip to the nearest Jaycar, about 30 kilometres from where I live. Yes, the exotic components are great fun and sometimes quite useful. LF transformers, wall wart PSUs (switchmode or Iron core) always worth hanging on to and often get used up on projects, even if just converting a commercial something that's battery operated to powered by the line source. Old inverters and UPS units are a fantastic source of high power MOSFETs. Some even have assemblies on heatsinks that you can de-solder and lift right out and use in your project. Even the boards themselves. Maybe not so much with modern multilayer PCBs, but the older single sided boards, once stripped of components can be used to build a new project on. There are two ways to go about this. a) Lift all the tracks off, they come off pretty easily when heated with an iron, then drill new holes to accommodate the new components as necessary. And just wire up point to point below, just like simple punched protoype board. b) If your project and the donor board has relatively simple traces, you can even adapt those to connect your new circuit. Sometimes you might need to break a track and drill additional holes etc.
For SMT ICs: it's good to run it under microscope and grab all names, then list all of them in some sort of document with source board identification. This allows you to quickly perform a search through your entire inventory of PCBs to check if you already have one. Then hot air can do a quick job if needed. (Recently did that to repair a broken 20W battery lamp of a friend with TP4056 I just ran out of, but had old breakout board with broken USB connector and working IC). For electrolytic caps: I desolder only things with quality comparable to Rubycon and use it only when I don't have new ones, becuase I f-d up calculations :D The things I love to take are crystal oscillators. Old quality is way better than new ones. Also opamps, but only ones that are audio-grade (even if I'm mostly prototyping diagnostic devices rather than audio equipment, but those op-amps are sometimes life-savers). Then it goes with CuAl - if it has copper or aluminum in it, it's probably worth salvaging (transformers, chokes, inductors, radiators etc.) I rarely salvage device chassis/box. Mostly if it's a flat steel surface (can be used as raw material to fabricate something else) or plastic (dumping that into "recycle" bin, waiting to get a shredder and pellet extruder).
I usually blast boards with a heat gun then knock out the parts, or pull out with a pliers. If low value parts happen to fall out, I still keep them. Even ICs that I know I will never use, or data sheets are unavailable, I still keep them since they look cool and they don't take up much space. For plastic parts like connectors, I hand desolder them before using the heat gun. I always test and keep good electrolytic capacitors since many times faulty devices are due to bad electrolytics and it's a pain to go buy replacements, and it's too expensive to buy them new in bulk.
Great video. One mans trash is another mans treasure. That's totally right, I have saved many circuit boards many years. I have at least two moving boxes filled with different circuit boards, because u never know when u need some components for other projects. And u also saving some money by doing this.
despite not really understanding any of the concepts, i'll subscribe and comment to help you maintain the algorithms favor. i also watched the video in it's entirety, so there's that.
Regarding toroid cores, there's a caveat: Most cores are designed for the 150 kHz frequencies that are found in switching supplies, while others are used for audio frequencies. If you're using them for RF, you may not have good results. Fortunately, there are cheap instruments (the NanoVNA) you can use to characterize your salvaged components.
Connectors. IEC power connectors are very useful, and screw-type wire-to-board are very re-usable. I just got a lifetime supply of PCB-mounted BNC connectors from a salvaged DVR. I never re-use electrolytic caps because I have no way of knowing how much thermal or voltage shock they have endured. Boards with SMT devices are great for practicing soldering/desoldering skills.
during the covid shutdown i would spend 8-10 hr a day just going through a huge mess of old circuit boards I had, desoldering most of the same stuff you mentioned as worth saving. i really gave my TS100 a run for its money for a few months. At least now i have a closet thats only half full of stuff. Lol
For capacitors, resistors and so on, I tend to only salvage "exotics ones" like high voltage capacitors or 10W ceramic resistors. The rest are so cheap that it doesn't really worth it to salvage it. For connectors, I always salvage them since these can be quite expensive depending on the type ... and it's also generic and really versatile (nothing prevent you to use a DB9 connector for something else than Serial Port for exemple). For ICs, well, I tend to not salvage them unless they are really generic ones (things like CD4017 or flash memory).
This. There's no point in salvaging jellybean parts. They're cheap as dirt to buy new, and at least you'll have the legs intact, giving you more mounting options in your own circuits. They're simply not worth the time, effort and electricity.
Good points. To top this off if our country does not get it self back together in a useful way, we will have to get our electronic components from other places, that used to be trash. Also in some cases some components are no longer made especially things for vacuum tube units, certain number transistors, etc.... Also most do not know this, but transistors in general can be used anywhere as a replacement as long as their current carrying is enough and their type MosFet, regular, Darlington, PNP, or NPN is the right type. Yes some are made for certain frequencies or used in certain places but if the things I mentioned match or are better then original the thing can work.
Pro tip: DO NOT remove cables as shown at @2:50. Always prise the socket housing up using the plug itself, NEVER by the cables. This will weaken or break the cable away from its crimp.
A bit of a tall order, since a good majority of these style of connectors are difficult to get a grip on the housing without resorting to making a custom connector puller of sorts…
World rally in the arcade was a standing wheel controlled game with a high and low gear shifter I think. What I remember is the wheel would spin infinitely when you cornered. I suspect there was a hall effect or digital encoder to one wire serial protocol for input. It was super fun but hard
I teach three courses in electronics and one in electrical appliances. I always teach my students how to recover electronic material from discarded plates or thrown away, more than 90% of them are operational. Greetings from Mar del Plata. Arg
I only keep specialized parts that I know I will not be able to buy. However I strip video cameras etc for the screws, you will find it incredibly difficult to by screws less that 2mm, I do also separate small screws into metric and imperial, US screws NC, NF are virtually impossible to get in New Zealand in smaller sizes. I too keep some wire, especially the fine stuff in quality Japanese or scientific stuff. I have also built up a stock of wired plugs and sockets, there are 100's but its nice to be able to connect to something rather than having to probe pins.
Since I don't have that much space, I save usable components by cutting the PCB with a tin scissor, just around the component. I don't have to desolder directly. In this way, everything just fits in a single plastic box. Sometimes on a rainy Sunday I take out this box and test them in circuit for ESR, and if all tracks are disconnected from other components I even test for Farads if they are in the tolerance rate. Of course, I throw away the cheap Chinese ones.
Thanks for the information! I'm not a advanced electronics repair guy but a simple tinkerer, I partly collected a lot of old and damaged electronics because I tried to see if there was any value different metals. There's a scrapper from Australia that I've learned a lot from, but over in Sweden we don't have any place willing to buy whole PCBs or parts. But at least now I know a few things to save.
We used to call it un-solder. We used to use what was called a solder sipper. A rubber ball shape after heating the solder, you simply place the tube next to it and release the bulb. the solder was sucked up.
i still have a turkey baster like solder sucker i got from radio shack a long time ago... not as effective as spring driven suckers in clearing solder but they did work and you could just squeeze them without having to reload the spring with a larger sucker making you put the iron down or being hasty with it and shooting little bits of solder from the end of the suckers all over not thinking about the clearing rod pushing out any solder from the tip as you slam it on your chest to prime again because you are in a hurry and holding a hot iron.
Glad to know I'm not the only one that hoards scrap electronics, lol. For us over in the USA, I always save all the fasteners because most of them are metric.
I have 2 projects on my channel where I use old cases. My 20 amp linear DC 13.8V PSU for my shack is in an old PC case and used 2 rewound microwave xformers and my straight key "keyer" for my Hermes Lite II SDR is in an old remote extender plastic case, This was a great video.
I agree, take only stuff that you need or may need and stuff that are rare and/or expensive. I salvage capacitors, resistors, diodes, transistors, logic IC's and opamps, also power amplifiers. However, many modules that I find over the years are just well usable as they are (some rectifiers with filters, some AF power amplifiers) and I keep them like that, many are used already in my projects. Transformers are always a keep, I used many low power 6V, 9V or 12V transformers to power some test instruments instead using a SMPS or battery with boost converter, because I have a clean and isolated power source. I found that old transistors (form before 2000 or with known brand markings) are better than modern ones, same for opamps. Even some stuff that you do not regularly use can be useful and needed after you throw it away (I used few PCI slots to make a back plane for an audio amplifier after I throwed away few broken motherboards with ISA slots that had have been better than the PCI ones) I built two linear power supply kits few years ago and powered with a salvaged 2x(12+12) transformer I made a symetric linear power supply for audio projects in my lab; one of them I built with salvaged components, (ICs, transisistors, resistors, capacitors) and the other with supplied components. Now, the one with original components is 15% off than the one built with salvaged components that works as in the first day. Same with a fairy complex signal generator that I built for myself, using salvaged components is more stable than one that I built for a friend with new components he bought from Aliexpress or amazon in bulk.
I desolder everything. Including chips and bga parts and smd parts and just everything like ports a tht components because its fun and a lot of microcontrollers are reprogrammable for use in projects
Except by the fact you won't use most of the chips because they are very specif, you probably won't find info about it, and would be a lot easier and faster (and even cheaper because time is money) to work with what you know. I used to salvage a lot of components but some stuff are just not worth it
I like to salvage fans, stepper motors and DC motors and 8 ohm speakers. Even microservos if they are in an old robot or toy. Big caps are always handy for audio speakers and induction coils for the same. I also grab mechanical switches and dials and sliders (rheostats?). All good stuff. Great video.
Great stuff, visit the salvage/ recycling centre once a week. BTW , those 5volt power supplies can be used to power valve rectifiers on old radios or Instrument amps. Thanks. Remind the folks to keep pliers and a small screwdriver handy for pulling/unscrewing parts out of old equipment.
I find turning the CB component side facing down over a biscuit tin or equivalent get a small gas blow lamp heat up the solder side components fall off the CB very eastly
I have been doing this for many years. I build my own R/C equipment and repair antique equipment. I salvage lots of diodes as Bonner Digimites use a lot of them and they go bad a lot. I salvage motors and gears out old toys. I have gotten servo chips out of toys like teddy ruxpin.
Personally, I wouldn't bother salvaging electrolytic caps from anything older than a few years, especially if they were used in power supplies or anything else with a high current load. Those little component testers often don't report ESR accurately if they report it at all. You could be dropping an old, electrically leaky cap in your brand-new project and not even realize it.
exactly, i agree! I would salvage transformers for example because there are 99% they are good but quite expensive new and very rare components, apart from that I wouldn't bother. i tried a few times and while desoldering some chips I broke it , the same with transistors so if something is very cheap I wouldn't even bother.
a yes i do love using old tvs and transformer for my deadlift training, good video its always exciting finding some odd device and taking it apart to see whats inside and what can be used, i prefer switches and relays, they can be always usefull
Nice video! Taking apart faulty devices is also very educational. When observing you can training how to take apart and learn about (common) constructions, smart and clever methods to save some screws or buttons, components you didn't know ever existed (by looking up the part number for a datasheet) and so on. I also have a pile with plastic parts, nice buttons, (chrome) decorations, display windows, panels (can be used with CNC), front panels, feet, screw posts (with correspondng screws) or other parts that isn't easy to print with a 3D printer. Especially screwposts are very handy when you frequently mod or extend a device/case and need some mounting construction. Using glue is ugly but glueing screwpost makes it possible to screw in a pcb or other component easily and you can remove/replace it.
If you find something with a programmable micro controller, these are always worth taking, firstly they'll be programmed, so if you're repairing the same device, that is highly valuable, and if not, you can re-program them for other jobs.
The main components which can be very expensive and which I always salvage, whether I need them or not, is the IGB-Transistor, mainly found inside power inverters and induction hods.
Aged components are exceedingly expensive to buy and used for audio, medical, space and military equipment. For a very long time, I have sold old and verified components for exceptionally good money.
When he's talking about LCD displays, he's showing neon displays and the display on the top. I know what the Device was I forgot the name, but it is AC. D. Player. Slash DVD player. meant for vans or vehicles. The bottom one. looks like it went to a stereo set.
Omg thanks for the video. I like salvaging big flat screens off Craigslist and the boards I don't use and never will I always wanted to scrap the good components but I'm just learning about tech and don't know what to take. I figured I'd just take them all but meh
A professional print shop near me throws out those Canon print cartridges that have tons of sensors, screws, gears, steel shafts, bearing and components on them. I always grab them. I can’t believe a $500 consumable part gets disposed of rather than recycled by Canon.
I leave everything on the boards. I have an online database, where I hack the most viable components in. I give every board a number to find it afterwards. When I need something, I first search the DB, and if it's not in there I buy it new.
3:20 I have a question i haven't been able to get an answer for. Im in the process of building an axial flux generator, I've basically everything done, ive just to make the serpentine coils, i have a few extension cords ive stipped to the copper. My question is, can they be used to make the serpentine coils or does it need to be "enameled magnet wire" Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If we don't have scarcity of spaces we can always keep electronics and other technological products. Theses are best engagement of time and learning differentiated latest version of technology.
I had some PSU and LCd monitors pcbs lying around. And i was about to buy some optocouplers for a IoT project. Then I remembered the box with the parts and there it was, an ELI87 Ooptocouoler ready to enjoy a second chance in its life.
Salvaging the pwm signal ic that drive the mosfet of pwr supply is a great asset to replace in other supplies during repairs and projects.! though they are the most rare component that can be found good in smaller pwr supply's 😢
To be honest, I usually don't bother with most capacitors or resistors unless they are a special/unusual type (for example, class X/Y caps, or high power resistors), because there are just so many different possible values for them that the odds that I'll need that exact value at some later date are relatively low, so I'd prefer to just buy exactly what i need when I need it. I especially usually avoid electrolytic caps because it is so easy for them to turn out to be bad anyway (even if they're not completely bad, they have a tendency to "drift" or develop high ESR over time, so I generally prefer using new ones).. I do keep an eye out for particularly large-value or high-voltage caps, though, especially if they're in an unusually small package (i.e. supercapacitors). I will also sometimes pull any small through-hole bypass caps off of old discrete electronics boards, because when you're working with that sort of thing, you need a lot of them (and they're pretty much all interchangeable for that purpose). I do usually pull things like diodes (and bridge rectifiers, etc), too, because they are often more flexible in what kind you can use where, and having a small variety of them on hand can sometimes be useful, particularly the higher-power versions. I also always pull any power cord sockets (e.g. C8, C14, etc), because I've always got a ton of cords for them and they're a great way to supply AC power to anything I'm building that needs it. I usually only pull other kinds of sockets if they match up to something else I'm pulling (i.e. there's a module I'm keeping intact which has a particular cable attached, so I grab the socket it plugs into too), or if they're a really common type I expect to easily find other things which will match with (e.g. PCIe power connectors, etc). Otherwise I don't bother because they're often a real pain to get off without damaging them, and who knows whether I'll ever have anything to plug into them...
I was fortunate to get to scavenge from a vacuum spark sintering machine from a metallurgy lab, and the other equipment too before it was scrapped, found some amazing transformers in the sintering machines spark source, a 25kv coiled core with some strange red bitumen like coating, its gotta be from the 80’s , im still working on firing it up as soon as I figure it out, regular wave inputs get little effect but the pulse when tapping it on a battery gets a crack of a discharge. Not sure what class of transformer it is, the internet is not helpful regarding its identification. Got a beautiful induction coil setup from inside a sampling type of machine, big amplifier tube, many fantastic capacitors to suit, a few proper spark gaps, some of the most boring looking machines have the coolest parts
I used to remove almost every component, but then buying the same stuff because I wanted to be sure the components would last. Donated most of my stash to a local makerspace last year. I don't make lots of experimental stuff, I only repair when needed. Keeping everything is a good thing as long as it isn't hoarding shit that does not get used again ever... Same with silicone vs vinyl wire. Small lengths of silicone wire? Sure. Vinyl though, nope.
Anything with spooled magnet wire i keep, not a shred of copper slips through the cracks, if its conmon transformers il strip em and add the metal to my pile. The pcb mounting thingys that ne555 type chips plug into i use often, made a habit of setting every gold plated pin aside to be harvested oneday when i feel like doing chemistry again. The 1kv and up ceramic caps i keep, enclosures i keep, plugs, bizarre components i keep, 12v relays , fasteners as you say. Potentiometers and any other variable components, antennas of all kinds, rectifiers that can take abuse, any vacuum tubes or bulbs besides common ones
I wouldn't waste my time on small capacitors(low voltage, low capacity); they cost 3-5 cents each, and they are often already half dead by the time you desolder them of an old PCB.
I have a question for you sir i have many car amps and power bricks but dont always fix them as my knowledge is quite small compared to peoples like yourself how did you learn so much and get into it
The "LCD's" you showed, are not LDC's at all. They're a different (and often more superior) style of display, called a VFD (vacuum fluorescent display). They're basically like if you made a display out of a neon sign. They can withstand an insane amount of temperature, have a perfect 180 degree viewing angle, are bright, and exceptionally responsive. I always save these, because they are a very cool, and somewhat rare piece of old display tech, that is not too difficult to drive. As I said, they are rare, but some are multi colored, and some have cool graphics on them. Most commonly found in audio equipment. If you don't have the driving circuit, they're very easy to figure out the wiring of, and can easily be multiplexed.
surface mount components are the easiest things to salvage. just heat up the whole board and smack it against a hard surface or scrape them off. hundreds of useful components salvaged with a few seconds of actual effort.
I've used them with the diodes for building 60Hz voltage multipliers to get to 10s of kv while using the MOT itself as the AC source. Don't forget to use a snubbing resistor to soften the current spikes if it sparks over otherwise the diodes will fry.
another consideration is the collapse of supply chains because of war, etc. Anyone who has watched Soylent Green can see some things that are cheap today may be like gold in the future
I imagine a day, when either crowd sourced or via AI assistance, a comprehensive repository of diagrams/data-sheets will become easily available, where components & sections can be defined, maybe a circuit board has a section that can be cut off & soldered with key inputs/outputs to a personal project to serve that modular function…
I always find interesting things in trash. I found a 90s pc last night. Some of this motherboard capacitors are dead, i Hope to replace It from another found TV or similar boards! If not, i Will buy it
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Salvaging electrolytic capacitors might be a good idea when we intend to use them for personal electronic projects that will only be used for a few years but I often restore synthesizers from the 80s and the most common failure are the electrolytic capacitors followed by coin cell batteries. That’s why I just use high quality electrolytic capacitors bought new from a reputable distributor. When you make a repair and expect it to last several decades, you have to understand that these parts have a limited shelf life and service life. For other types of capacitors like film capacitors that tends to be on the expensive side there’s no problems re-using them.
Ah, a fellow synth restorer! Good point about the capacitors. I must have hundreds in the trash bin.
In my (in comparison: very limited) experience in repairing vintage (80s/90s) audio equipment, capacitors are rarely the part that has failed, even after decades of use.
I agree: it would be better for longevity to use brand new ones, but for the sake of having replacement parts at hand on literally zero budget...
(Usually I just need to replace 1~3 to get something working again)
. I feel like I'm not taking too much risks...
(The salvaged capacitors are also higher grade / japanese made, whereas the ones that have blown on the apparatus I'm attempting to fix, aren't.)
Also, I've tried to buy packs of "commonly used" resistors and so on.
But they are only 'common' in DIY projects it seems.
Having a selection of 10, 100, 220, 330x 1k, 2k, 5k, 10k, 100k, 1M ohms...
..and then needing 4.7k, 2.8k, etc.
Resistors are not the best example, but you understand my problem, right?
Components are only cheap when you buy in bulk. (Because a €0,50 high quality capacitor + €3,- shipping, is in effect a €3,50 capacitor.
And if I buy a selection of caps I don't need, then I've just bought a selection of very ineffective paper weights ;)
Anyways - I see your point; 100%.
But I think more professional people (like yourself) wouldn't resort to salvaging components anyway - you have a reputation to uphold, clients to keep happy, your business' good name, etc
@@iggysixx 80/90s is mostly power supply capacitors. But boy oh boy early 2000s Roland and Ensoniq are literal capacitor grave yards.
What brand and make did you find to be of the best quality
@@nikolaivasilev7371 I mostly use Panasonic. Würth, Nichicon and Vishay are very good too.
Because you said “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” My brother goes to the electronics bin every week where you can dispose of electronics. He always gets something out of it... Smart TVs from 30 to 50 inches where only the backlight, so that the screen is bright, needs to be replaced. Costs around €30-50. Great stereo systems where only one fuse is blown or the potentiometer needs to be replaced. Lots of stuff like that. Compressor, vacuum cleaner for hundreds of euros... All the things people throw away just because they think a repair would be too expensive or that it is even though you only have to replace a single, almost insignificant part.... Smart TVs, PCs, stereo systems, cordless drills, etc. Everything is repaired and sold on eBay. Or passed on to the family. Depending on who wants or needs what. Just awesome!
lol. thats great !!!
The electronics bin near me has been locked up :( they apparently don't like recyclers anymore
i do a little trash diving, got an industrial vacuum, sony boombox tape recorder and a new condition crt tv. all working though the vacuum needs a new switch
I live in the southeast of the US and I do this about once a week when I have free time too. Except for tvs I'd say the majority of things are 100% functional. It's astounding. I've got multiple AX routers, mesh systems, and high and AC routers, numerous sound bars, Dyson vacuums, a set of police radar systems, all sorts of stuff. Pretty much anything you'd go to best buy to get. I don't even test things when I'm there. On average they're probably 3 to 4 times more likely to be fine than not.
A repair might be too expensive specially if the owner plants to upgrade, however to recycle and repairing yourself is an incredibly satisfying activity.
Reject garbage and disposal and embrace recycling.
The nuts and bolts salvage is extremely useful. I have learned over the years that it’s not very useful to just put them in a container, because you really don’t know what you have available for your next project. I 3D printed (you can buy) different screw and bolt measurement tools and separated my reclaimed hardware into small ziplock bags (from the post office) with printed labels showing size and length. It’s saved me money and time.
Yeah, one of the best things I ever did was to buy a few different sizes of small ziplock bags (2x2, 2x3, 3x4 inch, they come in packs of 100 or 200 each) off of Amazon. They've even got white label areas across the front for writing what's in them.
And pulling screws is worthwhile, but the real gold is in the nuts. If you find anything with a screw and a nut, definitely keep both. (I did go out and buy a pack of 6-32 and M3 nuts, actually, because those screws are so common in a lot of this stuff, but rarely have matching nuts)
For me, parts that I trust I can sort into bins marked for the part type, but other parts and odd parts I just put into one box and when I’m hard up for something I don’t have its great to look there. I have the same type of tester he showed using to test capacitors and man, I love that it is so easy now to test specs.
I like switches and buttons. You can do a lot with an antique switch
:)
4:37 Those are vacuum fluorescent displays. I always salvage them. They are not too difficult to drive and produce a nice glow as they are essentially a form of triode tube.
As a interesting, lots of older industrustrial microcontrollers had built in VFD driver circuitry.
You are right of course. They can also be used in a triode form to make some radio receivers.
@@ChrisWright7701 And audio amps too, I have video on that
Plus, they're quite pricey to buy new
Yup, always always always save anything that has a gas or vacuum tube in my opinion.
Back when the big plasma to led TV shift was taking place I found so many plasma TVs on the curb. I'd always scoop them up. Most times the TV didn't work but I really liked the selection of transformers available during that transition.
Yeah, there was a time I would salvage everything....until I run out of room at home, lol. Its also interesting to see how different appliances work.
I've been in the tech industry for decades.
As time has gone on, I have assembled what I call the "magic box".
Doesn't matter what you need, look in the magic box and you WILL find it.😊
It'll just take a solid 15min to find it
I label mine “last chance desperate box”
You shouldn't desolder anything until you need the part. Keep the pcbs in a box.
Easier to find the part.
If you enjoy wasting your space for piles of useless pcb...
Always separate waste electronics into modules before considering individual components. You can use a 12V audio system and USB hub from an old monitor as-is. Same goes for internal power supplies and their interference filters, any daughterboards/expansion cards and CRT monitor modules in door video phones.
Personally, I find it easier to keep the whole board and then salvage at a later date - context is often a big clue to what a part is when trying to identify it.
For professional work, I think it only makes sense to use parts you can but new - otherwise you can end up with a design you can't take to higher volume.
Yeah, i agree.
I used to do this but run out of space😂
I agree. Too much work to strip a board.
And the reliability of older desoldered parts.
rat pack?
One thing i save are the little electromechanical relays from discarded microwave control boards. They come in handy for all kinds of stuff.
those things are awesome! ever since i've started disassembling microwaves i have always taken those off. idk what i would do without them!
Very good advice, nice to see this information in our throw away society. I have been in electronics for over 60 years & have been doing what you describe most of this time
I imagine time must move differently in there
The things you called LCDs are actually vacuum florescent displays. Mini vacuum tubes. ❤
What he said also applies to VFDs, just remember that they need lots of power and high voltage, they can be worn and often have weird driving chips.
The exception in displays are segmented LED ones (especially if they have symbols you’d like to use), which can often be driven with an MCU, SIPO register etc. Also remember: Character LCDs are very cheap and easy to drive. However, only take them if they have their typical daughterboard or a labeled serial cable connecting them to the PCB: if their controller is part of the main PCB, you'd have to cut it and figure out the pinout, which cannot be justified given their $3 cost.
And of course, rare but old and simple displays (nixie, numitron, projection, any electromechanical ones, small Watchman CRT monitor modules) are very useful for an unusual form of visual output for some microcontroller project.
@@vaclavtrpisovskyanything other than lcd or led is a must simply because they are expensive and or an antique
@@urnoob5528 VFDs are not too rare nor antique, and they suffer from burn-in. If they mostly have segments that are useless to you or they’re too worn, why bother? However, standard ones like 7-seg, 14-seg and 5x7 are keepers.
CRTs are also display technology and you don't need to take all of them, especially not color ones. However, a complete functional TV or professional video monitor, especially Trinitron, is usually worth it unless it has burn-in. Only oscilloscope and antique CRTs are worth keeping as loose components (unless you plan to do a tube swap), not giant (>20”) color ones.
You did not mention the batteries in disposible VAPES ...... these litter the towns and roadsides .... the batteries are Lithium -ion and are FULLY rechargeable ( 4v2 max ! ! ) .... these can be used to replace ( HORRID LEAKY ALKALINE CELLS ) in small LED torches that use 3 to 4v5 Volts ( they do NOT leak fluids ) and many other projects ...... DAVE™🛑
Big Clive has a great series of videos on that!
It's good to see that there are still folks out there who prefer to salvage components when possible.
Takes me back to my younger days in this hobby when parts were a lot harder to get and much more expensive.
I am more of the "keep the board and take the components off as I need them" mentality. Low power resistors are very cheap so I just buy them new. However...there always comes a day when I am building a circuit and I don't have the value I need in stock, so then those old circuit boards become an "electronics shop in a bin". Quicker to scour some old boards and lift that component you need than make a trip to the nearest Jaycar, about 30 kilometres from where I live.
Yes, the exotic components are great fun and sometimes quite useful. LF transformers, wall wart PSUs (switchmode or Iron core) always worth hanging on to and often get used up on projects, even if just converting a commercial something that's battery operated to powered by the line source.
Old inverters and UPS units are a fantastic source of high power MOSFETs. Some even have assemblies on heatsinks that you can de-solder and lift right out and use in your project.
Even the boards themselves. Maybe not so much with modern multilayer PCBs, but the older single sided boards, once stripped of components can be used to build a new project on. There are two ways to go about this. a) Lift all the tracks off, they come off pretty easily when heated with an iron, then drill new holes to accommodate the new components as necessary. And just wire up point to point below, just like simple punched protoype board. b) If your project and the donor board has relatively simple traces, you can even adapt those to connect your new circuit. Sometimes you might need to break a track and drill additional holes etc.
For SMT ICs: it's good to run it under microscope and grab all names, then list all of them in some sort of document with source board identification. This allows you to quickly perform a search through your entire inventory of PCBs to check if you already have one. Then hot air can do a quick job if needed. (Recently did that to repair a broken 20W battery lamp of a friend with TP4056 I just ran out of, but had old breakout board with broken USB connector and working IC).
For electrolytic caps: I desolder only things with quality comparable to Rubycon and use it only when I don't have new ones, becuase I f-d up calculations :D
The things I love to take are crystal oscillators. Old quality is way better than new ones. Also opamps, but only ones that are audio-grade (even if I'm mostly prototyping diagnostic devices rather than audio equipment, but those op-amps are sometimes life-savers). Then it goes with CuAl - if it has copper or aluminum in it, it's probably worth salvaging (transformers, chokes, inductors, radiators etc.)
I rarely salvage device chassis/box. Mostly if it's a flat steel surface (can be used as raw material to fabricate something else) or plastic (dumping that into "recycle" bin, waiting to get a shredder and pellet extruder).
You're a legend ❤... Your strategies convenient and feasible to work.
I usually blast boards with a heat gun then knock out the parts, or pull out with a pliers. If low value parts happen to fall out, I still keep them. Even ICs that I know I will never use, or data sheets are unavailable, I still keep them since they look cool and they don't take up much space. For plastic parts like connectors, I hand desolder them before using the heat gun. I always test and keep good electrolytic capacitors since many times faulty devices are due to bad electrolytics and it's a pain to go buy replacements, and it's too expensive to buy them new in bulk.
Great video. One mans trash is another mans treasure. That's totally right, I have saved many circuit boards many years. I have at least two moving boxes filled with different circuit boards, because u never know when u need some components for other projects. And u also saving some money by doing this.
despite not really understanding any of the concepts, i'll subscribe and comment to help you maintain the algorithms favor. i also watched the video in it's entirety, so there's that.
Thanks for these advice, you can add to the list optocoupleur, encoder, hd44780 lcd, précision resistor, old nokia lcd, stepper motor etc.
Thanks for the tips. Theres just too many good parts. Optocouplers are one I will remember coz i need those.
Regarding toroid cores, there's a caveat: Most cores are designed for the 150 kHz frequencies that are found in switching supplies, while others are used for audio frequencies. If you're using them for RF, you may not have good results. Fortunately, there are cheap instruments (the NanoVNA) you can use to characterize your salvaged components.
Connectors. IEC power connectors are very useful, and screw-type wire-to-board are very re-usable. I just got a lifetime supply of PCB-mounted BNC connectors from a salvaged DVR.
I never re-use electrolytic caps because I have no way of knowing how much thermal or voltage shock they have endured.
Boards with SMT devices are great for practicing soldering/desoldering skills.
You can always test the capacitors if you have the tools. If they are still performing to the rated specs then they're probably okay.
I like to salvage shift registers and multiplexers as they are useful for Microcontroller projects
Good point. What types of trash parts do you find shift registers in ?
Bulkhead connectors, terminal blocks and such are good to salvage also.
during the covid shutdown i would spend 8-10 hr a day just going through a huge mess of old circuit boards I had, desoldering most of the same stuff you mentioned as worth saving. i really gave my TS100 a run for its money for a few months. At least now i have a closet thats only half full of stuff. Lol
For capacitors, resistors and so on, I tend to only salvage "exotics ones" like high voltage capacitors or 10W ceramic resistors. The rest are so cheap that it doesn't really worth it to salvage it.
For connectors, I always salvage them since these can be quite expensive depending on the type ... and it's also generic and really versatile (nothing prevent you to use a DB9 connector for something else than Serial Port for exemple).
For ICs, well, I tend to not salvage them unless they are really generic ones (things like CD4017 or flash memory).
This. There's no point in salvaging jellybean parts. They're cheap as dirt to buy new, and at least you'll have the legs intact, giving you more mounting options in your own circuits. They're simply not worth the time, effort and electricity.
Heck yes. There needs to be wayyyyy more content regarding parts salvaging.
Good points. To top this off if our country does not get it self back together in a useful way, we will have to get our electronic components from other places, that used to be trash. Also in some cases some components are no longer made especially things for vacuum tube units, certain number transistors, etc.... Also most do not know this, but transistors in general can be used anywhere as a replacement as long as their current carrying is enough and their type MosFet, regular, Darlington, PNP, or NPN is the right type. Yes some are made for certain frequencies or used in certain places but if the things I mentioned match or are better then original the thing can work.
Pro tip: DO NOT remove cables as shown at @2:50. Always prise the socket housing up using the plug itself, NEVER by the cables. This will weaken or break the cable away from its crimp.
good tip . thanks
A bit of a tall order, since a good majority of these style of connectors are difficult to get a grip on the housing without resorting to making a custom connector puller of sorts…
Actually, desolder the socket too and keep it with the cable as it may come in handy
@@VeniceInventors Yep. Waste nothing. I keep a component box and a materials box of plastic, metal and wood.
World rally in the arcade was a standing wheel controlled game with a high and low gear shifter I think. What I remember is the wheel would spin infinitely when you cornered. I suspect there was a hall effect or digital encoder to one wire serial protocol for input. It was super fun but hard
7:46 "Even if you don't need a new large transformer, they're also great for weight training".
Who says an electronics nerd doesn't have muscles!
Big transformers are good to rewind to use as power or output transformer for valve circuit,
Awesome advice that I completely agree with! I love doing curls with MOTs
Yeah got to keep shocking the muscle ;)
Gives new meaning to power lifting 😂
Working out with an old scope. 😂😂😂😂😂
I teach three courses in electronics and one in electrical appliances. I always teach my students how to recover electronic material from discarded plates or thrown away, more than 90% of them are operational. Greetings from Mar del Plata. Arg
Hey man! Pretty interesting! I'd lovce to see a video of reusing transformers. Like disassembly rewinding, rebuilding
I only keep specialized parts that I know I will not be able to buy. However I strip video cameras etc for the screws, you will find it incredibly difficult to by screws less that 2mm, I do also separate small screws into metric and imperial, US screws NC, NF are virtually impossible to get in New Zealand in smaller sizes. I too keep some wire, especially the fine stuff in quality Japanese or scientific stuff. I have also built up a stock of wired plugs and sockets, there are 100's but its nice to be able to connect to something rather than having to probe pins.
Since I don't have that much space, I save usable components by cutting the PCB with a tin scissor, just around the component. I don't have to desolder directly. In this way, everything just fits in a single plastic box.
Sometimes on a rainy Sunday I take out this box and test them in circuit for ESR, and if all tracks are disconnected from other components I even test for Farads if they are in the tolerance rate. Of course, I throw away the cheap Chinese ones.
Thanks for the information! I'm not a advanced electronics repair guy but a simple tinkerer, I partly collected a lot of old and damaged electronics because I tried to see if there was any value different metals. There's a scrapper from Australia that I've learned a lot from, but over in Sweden we don't have any place willing to buy whole PCBs or parts. But at least now I know a few things to save.
We used to call it un-solder. We used to use what was called a solder sipper. A rubber ball shape after heating the solder, you simply place the tube next to it and release the bulb. the solder was sucked up.
i still have a turkey baster like solder sucker i got from radio shack a long time ago... not as effective as spring driven suckers in clearing solder but they did work and you could just squeeze them without having to reload the spring with a larger sucker making you put the iron down or being hasty with it and shooting little bits of solder from the end of the suckers all over not thinking about the clearing rod pushing out any solder from the tip as you slam it on your chest to prime again because you are in a hurry and holding a hot iron.
Glad to know I'm not the only one that hoards scrap electronics, lol. For us over in the USA, I always save all the fasteners because most of them are metric.
I have 2 projects on my channel where I use old cases. My 20 amp linear DC 13.8V PSU for my shack is in an old PC case and used 2 rewound microwave xformers and my straight key "keyer" for my Hermes Lite II SDR is in an old remote extender plastic case, This was a great video.
I agree, take only stuff that you need or may need and stuff that are rare and/or expensive. I salvage capacitors, resistors, diodes, transistors, logic IC's and opamps, also power amplifiers. However, many modules that I find over the years are just well usable as they are (some rectifiers with filters, some AF power amplifiers) and I keep them like that, many are used already in my projects. Transformers are always a keep, I used many low power 6V, 9V or 12V transformers to power some test instruments instead using a SMPS or battery with boost converter, because I have a clean and isolated power source. I found that old transistors (form before 2000 or with known brand markings) are better than modern ones, same for opamps. Even some stuff that you do not regularly use can be useful and needed after you throw it away (I used few PCI slots to make a back plane for an audio amplifier after I throwed away few broken motherboards with ISA slots that had have been better than the PCI ones)
I built two linear power supply kits few years ago and powered with a salvaged 2x(12+12) transformer I made a symetric linear power supply for audio projects in my lab; one of them I built with salvaged components, (ICs, transisistors, resistors, capacitors) and the other with supplied components. Now, the one with original components is 15% off than the one built with salvaged components that works as in the first day. Same with a fairy complex signal generator that I built for myself, using salvaged components is more stable than one that I built for a friend with new components he bought from Aliexpress or amazon in bulk.
I desolder everything. Including chips and bga parts and smd parts and just everything like ports a tht components because its fun and a lot of microcontrollers are reprogrammable for use in projects
Except by the fact you won't use most of the chips because they are very specif, you probably won't find info about it, and would be a lot easier and faster (and even cheaper because time is money) to work with what you know. I used to salvage a lot of components but some stuff are just not worth it
I like to salvage fans, stepper motors and DC motors and 8 ohm speakers. Even microservos if they are in an old robot or toy. Big caps are always handy for audio speakers and induction coils for the same. I also grab mechanical switches and dials and sliders (rheostats?). All good stuff. Great video.
Great stuff, visit the salvage/ recycling centre once a week. BTW , those 5volt power supplies can be used to power valve rectifiers on old radios or Instrument amps. Thanks. Remind the folks to keep pliers and a small screwdriver handy for pulling/unscrewing parts out of old equipment.
I find turning the CB component side facing down over a biscuit tin or equivalent get a small gas blow lamp heat up the solder side components fall off the CB very eastly
Thanks a lot
4:37 but this is not an LCD this is a VFD screen
I have been doing this for many years. I build my own R/C equipment and repair antique equipment. I salvage lots of diodes as Bonner Digimites use a lot of them and they go bad a lot. I salvage motors and gears out old toys. I have gotten servo chips out of toys like teddy ruxpin.
Personally, I wouldn't bother salvaging electrolytic caps from anything older than a few years, especially if they were used in power supplies or anything else with a high current load. Those little component testers often don't report ESR accurately if they report it at all. You could be dropping an old, electrically leaky cap in your brand-new project and not even realize it.
exactly, i agree! I would salvage transformers for example because there are 99% they are good but quite expensive new and very rare components, apart from that I wouldn't bother. i tried a few times and while desoldering some chips I broke it , the same with transistors so if something is very cheap I wouldn't even bother.
a yes i do love using old tvs and transformer for my deadlift training, good video its always exciting finding some odd device and taking it apart to see whats inside and what can be used, i prefer switches and relays, they can be always usefull
Nice video! Taking apart faulty devices is also very educational. When observing you can training how to take apart and learn about (common) constructions, smart and clever methods to save some screws or buttons, components you didn't know ever existed (by looking up the part number for a datasheet) and so on. I also have a pile with plastic parts, nice buttons, (chrome) decorations, display windows, panels (can be used with CNC), front panels, feet, screw posts (with correspondng screws) or other parts that isn't easy to print with a 3D printer. Especially screwposts are very handy when you frequently mod or extend a device/case and need some mounting construction. Using glue is ugly but glueing screwpost makes it possible to screw in a pcb or other component easily and you can remove/replace it.
If you find something with a programmable micro controller, these are always worth taking, firstly they'll be programmed, so if you're repairing the same device, that is highly valuable, and if not, you can re-program them for other jobs.
So i'm not the only one that keeps this stuff ! 🤫
The main components which can be very expensive and which I always salvage, whether I need them or not, is the IGB-Transistor, mainly found inside power inverters and induction hods.
Just scraped an old Plasma TV last night. The number of beefy IGBTs was AWESOME. I will definitely keep my eye out for these in the future.
Great video, not directly related but do you plan to make a video about winding of smps transformer?
I have used 50Hz transformers for physio after breaking my wrist! Sharp edges though - I padded it in a hat I had handy.
Aged components are exceedingly expensive to buy and used for audio, medical, space and military equipment.
For a very long time, I have sold old and verified components for exceptionally good money.
When he's talking about LCD displays, he's showing neon displays and the display on the top. I know what the Device was I forgot the name, but it is AC. D. Player. Slash DVD player. meant for vans or vehicles. The bottom one. looks like it went to a stereo set.
Omg thanks for the video. I like salvaging big flat screens off Craigslist and the boards I don't use and never will I always wanted to scrap the good components but I'm just learning about tech and don't know what to take. I figured I'd just take them all but meh
6:45 those transformers are /not/ from a plasma TV! - They are for the CCFL backlight of a LCD-TV. Why doesn't the images and text correspond?
A professional print shop near me throws out those Canon print cartridges that have tons of sensors, screws, gears, steel shafts, bearing and components on them. I always grab them. I can’t believe a $500 consumable part gets disposed of rather than recycled by Canon.
Very good video, liked & subscribed, good luck
Thanks for the sub :)
I leave everything on the boards. I have an online database, where I hack the most viable components in. I give every board a number to find it afterwards. When I need something, I first search the DB, and if it's not in there I buy it new.
3:20 I have a question i haven't been able to get an answer for.
Im in the process of building an axial flux generator, I've basically everything done, ive just to make the serpentine coils, i have a few extension cords ive stipped to the copper. My question is, can they be used to make the serpentine coils or does it need to be "enameled magnet wire"
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Very helpful! Thank you!
glad you liked it
If we don't have scarcity of spaces we can always keep electronics and other technological products. Theses are best engagement of time and learning differentiated latest version of technology.
I had some PSU and LCd monitors pcbs lying around. And i was about to buy some optocouplers for a IoT project. Then I remembered the box with the parts and there it was, an ELI87 Ooptocouoler ready to enjoy a second chance in its life.
Salvaging the pwm signal ic that drive the mosfet of pwr supply is a great asset to replace in other supplies during repairs and projects.! though they are the most rare component that can be found good in smaller pwr supply's 😢
I am a compulsive hoarder and I work at a tech company. I should not have watched this video.
Have you really been uploading only 4 months and have over 1K subs? That seems awesome!
Well yeah.... Is it a lot?
@@ElectricMonkeyBrain Depends. I've seen that YT algorithm likes you, take it when you have your chance.
This video is full of treasures ❤
I save the plastic shell from any powersupply I'm tossing. They are great for little projects.
Excellent. Please keep this up. 👍👍👍
To be honest, I usually don't bother with most capacitors or resistors unless they are a special/unusual type (for example, class X/Y caps, or high power resistors), because there are just so many different possible values for them that the odds that I'll need that exact value at some later date are relatively low, so I'd prefer to just buy exactly what i need when I need it. I especially usually avoid electrolytic caps because it is so easy for them to turn out to be bad anyway (even if they're not completely bad, they have a tendency to "drift" or develop high ESR over time, so I generally prefer using new ones)..
I do keep an eye out for particularly large-value or high-voltage caps, though, especially if they're in an unusually small package (i.e. supercapacitors). I will also sometimes pull any small through-hole bypass caps off of old discrete electronics boards, because when you're working with that sort of thing, you need a lot of them (and they're pretty much all interchangeable for that purpose).
I do usually pull things like diodes (and bridge rectifiers, etc), too, because they are often more flexible in what kind you can use where, and having a small variety of them on hand can sometimes be useful, particularly the higher-power versions.
I also always pull any power cord sockets (e.g. C8, C14, etc), because I've always got a ton of cords for them and they're a great way to supply AC power to anything I'm building that needs it.
I usually only pull other kinds of sockets if they match up to something else I'm pulling (i.e. there's a module I'm keeping intact which has a particular cable attached, so I grab the socket it plugs into too), or if they're a really common type I expect to easily find other things which will match with (e.g. PCIe power connectors, etc). Otherwise I don't bother because they're often a real pain to get off without damaging them, and who knows whether I'll ever have anything to plug into them...
Unfortunate more communities don’t have a shared “hacker” space, fabrication/tinker shops, or at least a robust community to swap & share…
Hi just sub’d to your channel, great video mate, great instructions also, cheers. 🤙🏼🇦🇺
Joe from Australia 🤙🏼🇦🇺
Thanks for the sub!
This was very informative.
Thank You😎👍
I was fortunate to get to scavenge from a vacuum spark sintering machine from a metallurgy lab, and the other equipment too before it was scrapped, found some amazing transformers in the sintering machines spark source, a 25kv coiled core with some strange red bitumen like coating, its gotta be from the 80’s , im still working on firing it up as soon as I figure it out, regular wave inputs get little effect but the pulse when tapping it on a battery gets a crack of a discharge. Not sure what class of transformer it is, the internet is not helpful regarding its identification.
Got a beautiful induction coil setup from inside a sampling type of machine, big amplifier tube, many fantastic capacitors to suit, a few proper spark gaps, some of the most boring looking machines have the coolest parts
I used to remove almost every component, but then buying the same stuff because I wanted to be sure the components would last. Donated most of my stash to a local makerspace last year.
I don't make lots of experimental stuff, I only repair when needed. Keeping everything is a good thing as long as it isn't hoarding shit that does not get used again ever...
Same with silicone vs vinyl wire. Small lengths of silicone wire? Sure. Vinyl though, nope.
Great Video!
But those werent LCDs, they were VFDs (Vacuum Fluorescent Display)
One was vacuum fluorescent, the other was plasma.
I want to add, save TO-3 packaged stuff. Used to be cheap, now kinda expensive and hard to get sometimes.
General rule of thumb keep all the heavy stuff😃
Anything with spooled magnet wire i keep, not a shred of copper slips through the cracks, if its conmon transformers il strip em and add the metal to my pile. The pcb mounting thingys that ne555 type chips plug into i use often, made a habit of setting every gold plated pin aside to be harvested oneday when i feel like doing chemistry again. The 1kv and up ceramic caps i keep, enclosures i keep, plugs, bizarre components i keep, 12v relays , fasteners as you say. Potentiometers and any other variable components, antennas of all kinds, rectifiers that can take abuse, any vacuum tubes or bulbs besides common ones
4:35 I don't wanna be the nerd but those are actually vacuum fluorescent displays
All of it. I might need it before I die, er, well, probably not, but you never know!
I have saved one big 5A transformer ,I use it quite often as a paperweight and dumbell😂
I wouldn't waste my time on small capacitors(low voltage, low capacity); they cost 3-5 cents each, and they are often already half dead by the time you desolder them of an old PCB.
I have a question for you sir i have many car amps and power bricks but dont always fix them as my knowledge is quite small compared to peoples like yourself how did you learn so much and get into it
The "LCD's" you showed, are not LDC's at all. They're a different (and often more superior) style of display, called a VFD (vacuum fluorescent display). They're basically like if you made a display out of a neon sign. They can withstand an insane amount of temperature, have a perfect 180 degree viewing angle, are bright, and exceptionally responsive. I always save these, because they are a very cool, and somewhat rare piece of old display tech, that is not too difficult to drive. As I said, they are rare, but some are multi colored, and some have cool graphics on them. Most commonly found in audio equipment. If you don't have the driving circuit, they're very easy to figure out the wiring of, and can easily be multiplexed.
I find wire is a good score. if yyou buy cheap Chinese flexable copper wire its often rubbish that wont soldier. Good pointers and advise.
surface mount components are the easiest things to salvage. just heat up the whole board and smack it against a hard surface or scrape them off. hundreds of useful components salvaged with a few seconds of actual effort.
Lovely salvage all😊you have a great Channel
Thanks :)
This is a beautiful video, thank you
What use might you have for microwave capacitors??🤔🤔
I've used them with the diodes for building 60Hz voltage multipliers to get to 10s of kv while using the MOT itself as the AC source. Don't forget to use a snubbing resistor to soften the current spikes if it sparks over otherwise the diodes will fry.
HV power supply perhaps?
I found a nearly brand new high end HP laser printer in the trash. Hardly used and works fine. $800 retail.
4:36 these are actually not lcd (liquid crystal display) these are vfd (vacuum fluorescent display)
another consideration is the collapse of supply chains because of war, etc. Anyone who has watched Soylent Green can see some things that are cheap today may be like gold in the future
I imagine a day, when either crowd sourced or via AI assistance, a comprehensive repository of diagrams/data-sheets will become easily available, where components & sections can be defined, maybe a circuit board has a section that can be cut off & soldered with key inputs/outputs to a personal project to serve that modular function…
I always find interesting things in trash. I found a 90s pc last night. Some of this motherboard capacitors are dead, i Hope to replace It from another found TV or similar boards! If not, i Will buy it
I got lots of funky ICs while stealing from junkyard
You make it look so easy 😅