Most amazing dumpster dive ever!!!!

[dangus]

Not actually a dumpster, but around here some people believe in allowing natural forces to reclaim discarded materials. In other words, they drive into the woods on old logging roads and dump stuff because they don't want to pay the fees at the garbage dump.

I rescued a Sony SA-WG99 powered subwoofer that was sitting beside a power line trail yesterday. It had been there long enough for a few beetles and a slug to move in, but the 8" woofer is intact, and the particle board cabinet hasn't turned into porridge. I found a service manual online; the amp module is a Sanyo STK404-130S on +/- 51.6V rails. In this application it's rated 150W/6 ohms/10% THD. (Replacement modules (if I need one) are less than $10 at Pacific Semiconductor; there's a pin-compatible -140S with a higher wattage rating.) While the power supply isn't impressive, the protection circuits control an output relay and a cooling fan, which is more sophistication than I expected.

Once it has dried out, I'll smoke test. If working, I'll see if it's good enough for a "better than nothing" surround system. Maybe I'll add a way to bypass the input bandpass filter to allow full range or at least a lower cutoff, and a jack or binding posts to allow using a separate sub cabinet, replace the 1N5402 rectifiers with a '2502 bridge, and add more filter caps. I could end up with a complete, if not matching, 5.1 set of speakers for under $40. ($25 Mission fronts, $6 Energy rears, $5 Energy center, and a free sub.)

There were a couple of soggy 3-way Sears speakers there too, with intact rubber surrounds. I'll go back with a knife and save those.

Just about every bike ride I've done in the woods around here, I find something "useful".

[poynton]

Looks like the local bears dump other stuff in the woods......



.

[trondareo]

Found a Telequipment scope in a dumpster the other day, I cleaned it out and fired it up with some apprehension. No reason to worry. It works fine!

[mpmarino]

.....and meanwhile at the crunchville dump.

[Magura]

Originally Posted by mpmarino

.....and meanwhile at the crunchville dump.

Mr. Margarine

What won't the highly esteemed Mrs. Margarine think?


Magura

[jkeny]

About 2 years ago, over the course of about 2 weeks, I "recovered" from my local recycling centre:
- a fully working Rogers Cadet II integrated tube amplifier (ECL86 tubes)
- a Rega Planar 2 & 3 turntable (with glass platter)
- Three fully working Samson 550 watt solid state power amplifiers

Haven't paid a visit to them since - It gives me a queasy feeling to think of all the good equipment which is going to a dump or scrappage . The staff in the recycling centre were not very pleased with me but I consider this "purist" recycling so they weren't going to try wrenching these items from my grasp.

Since then I have been given
- a number of (3 or 4) working oscilloscopes (10Mhz - 20MHz)
- and working pro audio & video equipment
- a couple of large UPS units
from the media department & electrical dept of the college I work in (like the thread starter). Most of these I have distributed to the 3 fellow DIYers in Ireland (that I know of)

[mpmarino]

Originally Posted by Magura

Mr. Margarine

What won't the highly esteemed Mrs. Margarine think?


Magura

There is always full support as long as the operative word is 'free'.

This is quite an impressive sounding receiver, it really is.

just listeing to some classic rock on the tuner, as I wash and wax the truck on this unusually nice November day here in crunchville......

[gain-wire]

Originally Posted by rdf

Since we're swapping illnesses, we recently did another house cleaning at work. I just couldn't toss these out. On the left three or four dozen 10K ohm linear conductive plastic faders w/ audio taper, mostly Penny & Giles. On the right, two transformers with a 12b4A for scale. The smaller is from a Bell/Nortel ring supply; Teflon leads, 18-0-18 @ 5.5 amp per side, telephone service rating. On the right, same voltage but unknown current from an 50 watt FM exctier. I'm guessing higher than 5.5 amps.

Holy cow! That's not trash?! Thats not even close to being slightly obsolete? I mean WTF?! It's a good thing you saved those (faders mostly, but the transformers are pretty impressive too). Wehre do you work, who what kind of company throws P&G faders away?

OW

[rdf]

Broadcast radio, they were stripped from a couple consoles headed to recycle. Couldn't give them away. It's the norm in the industry.

[jackinnj]

Picked this up on Wednesday afternoon -- power cord had been snipped, but all the tubes are there:



More pix here:
http://www.tech-diy.com/TubeDesigns/...2/Pilot602.htm