Awesome part find...

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twizted
 
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Awesome part find...

Post by twizted »

So I work at a computer repair shop and we have a LOT of components go to the recyclers on a regular basis so me being a scavenger this is an awesome way to find interesting bits of tech and discrete components to re-purpose...

Today I found some nice super tiny relays on a ASUS PCIe 1x sound card that was the victim of a liquid spill. I tested the replays and they seem to still be in working order so I snagged them off the PCB as well as the 3.5mm audio jacks which are now resting comfortably in a sonic bath...

I took a pic with them in between the grips of my flush cuts so you can get some idea of the size of the component.

Here is the datasheet if your interested... http://www.worldproducts.com/pdfs/uc2ud2.pdf
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sensor geek
 
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Re: Awesome part find...

Post by sensor geek »

It's always nice to see re-use, and the bit about the ultrasonic cleaner is interesting. When it makes economic sense to have piles of mismatched parts for experimentation, your method is a good one, although a bit tedious. Many years ago I used to salvage them from a similar source, however in a less discriminating way: A torch to the back side of the board while trying not to overheat and release a toxic cloud, then slam the PCB upside-down on the edge of a 2x4.

Loose parts from the PCB hit the work bench nicely desoldered from the board. Presto! A pile of parts. And to appease my masochistic side, on recoil the molten solder from the back side of the PCB often hit (and stuck to) the ceiling or rained down on my head. Oh, good times.. Note that I didn't say it was a "smarter" way, just less discriminating. Sure had a lot of parts, and it helped me refine my Eagle library part-making skills to the point that it's just routine now to make a lib for any oddball parts laying around.

There's a possible benefit to your employer with this routine - recycling centers usually charge by the type of device or by the cubic foot. For our office it is something like $10/monitor, $8/CPU box/ $10/printer, etc. If you remove all of the PCBs from the devices, the plastic and metal can be recycled in the normal trash stream and the PCBs and LCD panels are often accepted for free at the recycling centers since they don't fit a pre-defined printer/CPU/monitor definition. I disassemble everything for this reason alone, but no longer salvage parts unless there's something particularly appealing for a current project.

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twizted
 
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Re: Awesome part find...

Post by twizted »

The cleaning was just to get off any excess "blah" from the liquid spill which appeared to have been coffee, coke or some other acidic liquid...

I generally do not pull parts unless they are unique or interesting in some way as I use to do it a LOT and I have drawers full of stuff already lol...
I can remember using a paint removing hot HOT air gun back in the say when I would strip whole PC motherboards to nothing but not days I use my controlled hot air reworking station so I don't cause damage and I don't release toxic muck into the air...

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twizted
 
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Re: Awesome part find...

Post by twizted »

Oh, forgot to mention in that same "dive" I also found a 24C08W 8Kbit I2C EEPROM :)

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