Funny how stuff we did as little kids sticks with us. Keep diving AND sharing.
I do still use them occasionally for playing CDs with a pair of 1970s speakers.
The scrap man had unbolted the projector units from the tops but left the amplifier units as they were contaminated with copper.
Nobody wanted valve amps in the 1980s but once digital audio came along the wait for them to warm up became shorter than the time a CD player takes to find the first track.
If you are quick enough to get a CD in the first few seconds of the first track just fades in nicely.
They have a good home.
As school kids, we had to walk past the local TV repair shop on the way home. Soon found there was a huge electronic junk pile out back waiting for the garbage truck (late 60's so no dumpsters yet). We would take stuff home, like a TV chassis and then spend weeks cutting out all the resistors, capacitors, pots, tubes, etc. just to ID and learn about components. I was in my first year of electricity class at school then, later took electronics in college and spent my entire life working in the electronics industry. Sometimes wonder if a subconscious career decision was formed because of that junk pile.....
There's been a few good garbage finds for me...
A Yorkville bass amp with a blown speaker.
A bass guitar with no strings.
A tube console stereo.
A 46" Sony Bravia LCD TV with wall mount bracket (probably the best find).
I found a Yamaha guitar in a hard case last month, too.
I found a pair of Boston Acoustics speakers once, too... Gave them to a friend.
A Yorkville bass amp with a blown speaker.
A bass guitar with no strings.
A tube console stereo.
A 46" Sony Bravia LCD TV with wall mount bracket (probably the best find).
I found a Yamaha guitar in a hard case last month, too.
I found a pair of Boston Acoustics speakers once, too... Gave them to a friend.
I found a Dynaco ST70 and PAS3 on top of the dumpster in NYC. Sold the ST70 which had the Audio Research conversion.
Got a Pilot 620 out of the dumpster in Millburn NJ -- it finally wore out with the tube filament winding of the transformers shot. I salvaged the output transformers.
When my sons were little, we would to to the Millburn Dump on Saturdays -- they got a traffic light, a tricycle, a turntable, red wagon and several speakers including Advent and Braun.
Got a Pilot 620 out of the dumpster in Millburn NJ -- it finally wore out with the tube filament winding of the transformers shot. I salvaged the output transformers.
When my sons were little, we would to to the Millburn Dump on Saturdays -- they got a traffic light, a tricycle, a turntable, red wagon and several speakers including Advent and Braun.
I have never bought gear. I traded a broken RC car (that I got for free) for my first hifi gear, pioneer cs99a. After a while one crossover melted (literally) I traded the pioneers for a lot of fisher gear and a Sony esd1000. Lots of free stuff and trades over the years, just b4 the plague I scored some functional curbside AR-90 which are slated for a pro-street resto-mod...but the top of the mountain CL give away, pristine fully functional parasound a52 with c2 preamp for free. Hunting was better pre-pandemic, very black and white, gear was either very valuable or worthless. Now everyone is trying to get 1000$ for broken toasters
I think my subconscious career decision came at age 4 or 5 when the paper clip met the wall outlet. The junkpiles just fed my habit. Who would have thought that a paper clip could lead to a 41 year electrical engineering career.
You bet! Always!
Yamaha CR2020 - 5 euros fleamarket
Teac V-3000 tapedeck dumpster
two Pioneer sc450
Kenwood receiver, Nikko NR1415, Klippo Lawnmover, several NADs Several recordplayers ( incl Thorens 160, Technics 1200) Denon pma1060, Sharp Optonica 2121H etc etc. And loads of speakers. Battery charger/jumpstarter ... all too much get thrown away in working (or so) order. Miele coffeemachine.
Last time I jumped in a dumpster there was already someone in there. She said not in my dumpster you don't.
Those dives made life time memories for your family. Glad I initiated a new topic that most can partake in. Post more stuff that has broad appeal. Thanks all participants.! Michael
Might King you as shameless diver so far, awesome digging. Keep it up and have No Pride ! post a new category others might participate in? Michael coffee anyone?
First find first conquers.. Never over look a hopefully empty dumpster. Could get really dirty in there, maybe even fun dirty?
Amongst other things:
- Onkyo AV receiver with one stuck button (source FM), so after I unstuck I found the surround mode does not work properly, but the main is fine when driven direct.
- 1 x Dali and 2 x Telefunken subwoofers, forking fine, only the Dali needed new caps in the PSU (old ones leaked and dry).
- Pair of Wharfedale bookshelves with smashed aluminium tweeters, but worked fine after I found one was disconnected as someone dropped the box (had to rework the box).
- Latest find is pair of unbranded (obviously manufactured) boxes with Audax HD24B45 midbasses and HD 12 x 9 D25 tweeters (one tweeter is gone). If someone can help me to identify these I would appreciate.
Attachments
only part of the list of finds but top of the pile...
on separate occasions,
Thorens TD150 mk1 ...working but in need of restoration
and the Holy Grail
LS3/5a Chartwell 15 ohm....working....no sh!t..
on separate occasions,
Thorens TD150 mk1 ...working but in need of restoration
and the Holy Grail
LS3/5a Chartwell 15 ohm....working....no sh!t..
Unfortunately the rules of engagement have changed a lot in 60 years. Most large businesses and stores have their dumpsters inside their complex behind a wall or fence. Attempting to "dive" is considered trespassing, and every business or store has cameras now. The trash dump no longer allows "shopping" due to risk of injury and the associated liability. Even the automotive junkyards are picky about letting you walk the yard by yourself.
When I lived in Florida, I took some dead computers and electronics to the local city's recycling center. Someone had previously dropped off a 60's vintage Fender guitar amp. The operator would not give or sell it to me, it had to be destroyed as it contained "hazardous" material. His boss agreed with him. I asked him if he would condemn a 1964 Ford Mustang to the crusher (crushing old cars was popular at the time) and he replied, "of course not, the Mustang is a classic." So is the 60's Fender, but he would not relent.
The official policy at Goodwill and many thrift stores is also to send "unusable" electronics stuff to the recycler. The organ that I found was sold as "Furniture" only as the tag clearly stated. The electronics "had been disabled" by cutting off the electrical cord. I paid for it and returned two later with a van to retrieve it. The guy that helped me stuff it in the van told me that he didn't cut the cord, and that the organ actually worked.
A couple of friends gave me a professional dumpster diving certificate. I earned it while traveling/sailing the European countries. Qualifying for that document started only about 30 years ago, unlike the real pros here, 60 years(?) ago..... I also have seen the rejected/recycle opportunities dry up with most dumpsters being locked up. Not only liabilities but also scavengers leaving huge messes may have contributed to this change. I have a half a room of parts removed from retrieved equipment. Once while visiting a small town I came upon a huge dumpster, 8ft tall outside a bank center. They must have been doing a complete makeover as I climb into the dumpster and struck gold. A complete communication change over resulting in an electronic smorgasbord.
The best experience wasn't really a dumpster dive. While visiting a university, I enquired about vacuum tubes as I had been doing in all the little repair shops during my travels. "Do you have any old or used tubes?". They took me to a basement vault open the door, "take what you want and please close the door when you leave". Really? Yep, E188cc Siemens, ECC88 Telefunken, Philips (holand), EF86 Telefunken and a host of signal types. I once had a repair shop advise me, if you take one, you must take them all. On the other side of the spectrum, a shop said, OH, should of been here a few weeks ago. We took all the tube outside and threw them against the wall to hear them POP! All of us divers have loads of stories...,
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
The best experience wasn't really a dumpster dive. While visiting a university, I enquired about vacuum tubes as I had been doing in all the little repair shops during my travels. "Do you have any old or used tubes?". They took me to a basement vault open the door, "take what you want and please close the door when you leave". Really? Yep, E188cc Siemens, ECC88 Telefunken, Philips (holand), EF86 Telefunken and a host of signal types. I once had a repair shop advise me, if you take one, you must take them all. On the other side of the spectrum, a shop said, OH, should of been here a few weeks ago. We took all the tube outside and threw them against the wall to hear them POP! All of us divers have loads of stories...,
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
This is very true. My town used to let us take items from the electronic recycling center but not anymore ... because now they sell it to the big recycling companies to make money. And technically it's even illegal to take something from the curb that was put out for pick up. As soon as it's at the curb, it belongs to the town. Now people put stuff out in the middle of the front yard with a big "FREE" sign and the stuff is gone in no time. I always thought re-use was better than recycling, but it's all about the $ now.