Yes I had the same experience in Ireland's so called "recycling" centers (I found out that they sell the computer equipment to a company who strips them down & sells memory & HDD back to the public 🙂). It's disgraceful what ends up in landfill - look at the battery desulfanation thread here to revive most of your batteries!
So, I just bring something to be recyled & load up when the staff are doing something else.
Reviving an old thread with the following (headed for the bin) find.
An induction hob, broken, but full of parts.
As it was, I had no use for it, so I opened it up, and got a 10A@230V rectifier, some kind of transistor (pretty big, 0.75"x0.5"), a toroid thing, and a 4.7uF cap at 400V, and a heatsink (smallish, but looks cool). The best bit was the centrifugal fan, which is very quiet, but shifts some serious air for a 2" thing.
An induction hob, broken, but full of parts.
As it was, I had no use for it, so I opened it up, and got a 10A@230V rectifier, some kind of transistor (pretty big, 0.75"x0.5"), a toroid thing, and a 4.7uF cap at 400V, and a heatsink (smallish, but looks cool). The best bit was the centrifugal fan, which is very quiet, but shifts some serious air for a 2" thing.
a dual 505-2 turntable. cardridge was fried, but everything else in perfect state!
now next to my trusty sony ps-11
now next to my trusty sony ps-11
I picked up a Dell 2.4 GHz P4, 256 ram, 40 gig HD, and another Dell with a 2.4 GHz celeron, 256 ram, 40 gig HD. Both computers work fine. The CD drive on one of them was stuck, but that shouldn't be a reason to get rid of the computer. I don't know.
Of course it's a reason .. several in fact
ONLY a P4
ONLY 2.4GHz
ONLY 256 Ram
ONLY 40 Gig
as well as the stuck drive tray !!!!!!
Useless for anything (well, playing games anyway !!!)
People who throw stuff like this away are eco - criminals who only like the newest and biggest - easy prey for the salesmen at "World of Computer-Madness" or whatever.
Andy
PS ... I had a computer shop for 8 years. Every week I had little old ladies coming in for a computer at a reasonable price to send email and type letters. They came to me after visiting the superstore in town to be told they needed to spend thousands on something they did not require.
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I'm not gonna reveal the location of this dumpster -- but I identify this as 50 ohm ultra-low noise #8 AWG Navigation System "wire".
I'm gonna have to search for a while to find BNC connectors (not triax) of the same dimensions.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I'm gonna have to search for a while to find BNC connectors (not triax) of the same dimensions.
my friend is a scrapper, and actually legally gets stuff from the university of toronto (they save stuff for him) then if the stuff is cool i get it instead of the scrap yard.
yesterday he brought me 3 giant pieces of 1/2" aluminum 2 are 12 x 28 inches and one is 15 x 33 inches.
also this
and this
and this
and this motor
yesterday he brought me 3 giant pieces of 1/2" aluminum 2 are 12 x 28 inches and one is 15 x 33 inches.
also this
and this
and this
and this motor
This thread looks to have gotten a little old but I'm new here and wanted to brag about my dumpster finds.
My best by far was a Marantz 3200/140 preamp/amp combo i pulled out of a high school dumpster. Best sounding amplifier I have ever heard. Only issue was that one unit didnt have a fuse in it for some reason. I replaced the fuse expecting it not to work and the entire thing worked perfectly. Unfortunately at the time I was hurting for cash and sold the pair for $400 🙁
A year later I came across a pair of Electro-Voice SH15-2 horn loaded stage speakers in the same dumpster. I don't drive by that place without looking in the dumpster anymore.
More recently I pulled a samson servo 200 amplifier that I repaired successfully with a $5 relay
also a samson servo 550 amplifier that I am currently in the process of replacing a vented cap
My best by far was a Marantz 3200/140 preamp/amp combo i pulled out of a high school dumpster. Best sounding amplifier I have ever heard. Only issue was that one unit didnt have a fuse in it for some reason. I replaced the fuse expecting it not to work and the entire thing worked perfectly. Unfortunately at the time I was hurting for cash and sold the pair for $400 🙁
A year later I came across a pair of Electro-Voice SH15-2 horn loaded stage speakers in the same dumpster. I don't drive by that place without looking in the dumpster anymore.
More recently I pulled a samson servo 200 amplifier that I repaired successfully with a $5 relay
also a samson servo 550 amplifier that I am currently in the process of replacing a vented cap
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I rescued a Sony SA-WG99 powered subwoofer that was sitting beside a power line trail yesterday. ....
Hello, new here with a question: I found the same Sony at a transfer station, but it makes a disturbing humming sound. Sound like a grounding problem. I think it cannot be normal. How is yours?
Hello, new here with a question: I found the same Sony at a transfer station, but it makes a disturbing humming sound. Sound like a grounding problem. I think it cannot be normal. How is yours?
Yesterday, I found a Quintessence preamp in the trash. The plug had been replaced and I had to figure out how to take it apart. Removed the knobs, faceplate and the pull the chassis back out of the metal box. The only thing that looked wrong was the power cable wires were mixed around. Hot wire from plug was white and hooked to the neutral on the preamp. Switched them around, brought it up slowly on the variac while watching for magic smoke. Didn't see any magic smoke, so hooked it up to an amplifier and iPod. This preamp sounds really good, especially since it was free. I can see how someone hooked up the plug incorrectly since the white wire is actually the hot wire...
Best I can do was a trio of Dongan Buck/boost 120/12 60A TxF that were used as a 3-phase setup. They were wet, so a coworker took them home, separated them into singles, dried them out, and since I helped retrieve them from the dumpster I got to keep a single.
I've run car amps on it before with added rectification and caps, and it's a beast!
Later,
Wolf
I've run car amps on it before with added rectification and caps, and it's a beast!
Later,
Wolf
Today I had quite some luck at the scrap yard. I've been going there to get rid of some scrap metal and empty glass bottles. As usual, I lifted the electronics waste dumpster's lid. Immediately my calibrated eyes espyed two giant rows of black fins! So I asked one of the workers if I could get my hands on both units. This is what I salvaged:
1st item was an almost empty 19" frame with a 300 x 200 x 82 heat sink at it's back. It appears to be the remainders of a SS transmitter. As I dismantled it at home, I found some strange note on the electronic's lid. So I proceeded after submerging the unit under water. I guess that beryllium oxide are those white heat sinkung washers? I still have to get those tensioning wedges out of the sink.
To be followed!
1st item was an almost empty 19" frame with a 300 x 200 x 82 heat sink at it's back. It appears to be the remainders of a SS transmitter. As I dismantled it at home, I found some strange note on the electronic's lid. So I proceeded after submerging the unit under water. I guess that beryllium oxide are those white heat sinkung washers? I still have to get those tensioning wedges out of the sink.
To be followed!
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2nd item was a photovoltaic inverter. It's heatsink measures 300 x 425 x 40 mm! After opening the two lids, one after the other, I found some rather valuable parts inside (look at those 'lytics!), and I also found the reason why it has been discarded. Two power transistors had literally exploded!
I'm after those heat sinks primarily, as I'd have to pay at least one hundred € if I'd buy sinks of those monstrous dimensions, I guess.
Honeybadger, there's something waiting for you!
Best regards!
I'm after those heat sinks primarily, as I'd have to pay at least one hundred € if I'd buy sinks of those monstrous dimensions, I guess.
Honeybadger, there's something waiting for you!
Best regards!
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The shiny gold colored bases on the RF power transistors contain BeO2, and there is often a BeO2 shim inside the transistors between the die and the base. The parts themselves are usually harmless unless filed, sanded, or ground. BeO2 powder is toxic and a known carcinogen.
While not exactly a dumpster find, I picked up a 2.5 kilowatt RF power amp from an MRI machine for about $40 at a ham radio show, stripped it for the RF parts that I wanted, and then sold the heatsink for more than I paid for the whole thing to a guy building a BIG class A audio amp.
