Recycling caps from circuit boards - does anybody else here do this?

[Terry F.]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

 

[N Cook]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

Productivity increases (and obsessiveness) if you use a hot air gun to
desolder things.
I salvage all HV, many very small or many squat format caps, any unusual
format pots, switches, knobs , but mainly ICs, sorted on leading 3 digits
once a year, if I get time, now how sad is that?

 

[James Sweet]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

I keep a box of scrapped boards around to pull parts when I need to try to
get something going NOW, and sometimes that includes caps, but given the
choice I always use new lytics and I always check used ones with an ESR
meter before reusing.

 

[Arfa Daily]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

Show me the true professional on here who doesn't. Like James, I keep a
scrap box (in ham radio circles, it's called "The Junk Box" and stuff built
from it is called "Junk Box Construction") and use parts culled from it,
regularly. I don't pre-remove the parts that 'might' be useful. Just remove
stuff, as it's needed.

Arfa

 

[Ian Manners]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

Caps, switchs, sockets, IC's, larger resistors, HT's Displays etc etc
etc
I use to do that, boxes, tin cans, antistat IC sheets all chookers but
then I got divorced, that cured that )

Cheers
Ian Manners

 

[William Sommerwerck]

What's wrong with recycling components? Why spend money for new ones when
you can pull good ones off old equipment?

 

[b]

What's wrong with recycling components? Why spend money for new ones when
you can pull good ones off old equipment?

exactly. I have boxes, mostly of of old tv chassis and monitor
chassis. when that gets into overspill, i usually remove:
-switches
-larger or odd value electrolytics
-polyester film and other types of small non electrolytic caps
-bridge rectifiers
-regulators
-some ICS
-some resistors. especially over 1/2watt.
-knobs and push switches
-LOPT /flyback transformers.

I don't usually bother with:
-caps with next to no 'legs' - if the leads are too short you can't
reuse them easily. same goes for resistors and diodes. they're common
anyway so i don't bother much.
-most caps that are in hot-running areas like power supplies and
deflection as they have usually had a hard life.
-common value caps rated less than 105º-especially if they're under
25v

on the whole, i have found motherboards to be the least satisfying for
recouping bits, everything is soldered hard up to the board.
old printer power supplies and monitors are usually good for bits.

 

[Jim Yanik]

Show me the true professional on here who doesn't. Like James, I keep
a scrap box (in ham radio circles, it's called "The Junk Box" and
stuff built from it is called "Junk Box Construction") and use parts
culled from it, regularly. I don't pre-remove the parts that 'might'
be useful. Just remove stuff, as it's needed.

Arfa

At TEK,I built a 2213 from boards and parts that other techs gave up on and
threw away.
Got a free "B-grade" CRT from the head of CRT manufacturing,had to spend
about $50 on a few new parts.

 

[radiosrfun]

At TEK,I built a 2213 from boards and parts that other techs gave up on
and
threw away.
Got a free "B-grade" CRT from the head of CRT manufacturing,had to spend
about $50 on a few new parts.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

I remove any "good" or at least "thought" to be good parts which can be done
as quickly as possible without being destroyed in the process. I do so from
most any item. I've got parts from many older AM/FM radios - 2 way radios -
CBs, etc. The "ONLY" way I use to "repair" is if the part is no longer
available otherwise - to replace "new". The "majority" of parts are used for
my own use - building items to serve me on the bench. I've built some basic
equipment from scratch parts out of junked items - which has saved me lots
of time.

Saving parts isn't so bad - you're recycling - those which can be used. AND
some day - they may dry up! Look at it positively - "not" negatively.

 

[[email protected]]

I remove any "good" or at least "thought" to be good parts which can be done
as quickly as possible without being destroyed in the process. I do so from
most any item. I've got parts from many older AM/FM radios - 2 way radios -
CBs, etc. The "ONLY" way I use to "repair" is if the part is no longer
available otherwise - to replace "new". The "majority" of parts are used for
my own use - building items to serve me on the bench. I've built some basic
equipment from scratch parts out of junked items - which has saved me lots
of time.

Saving parts isn't so bad - you're recycling - those which can be used. AND
some day - they may dry up! Look at it positively - "not"

negatively.

Good grief not small electrolytics !! We buy those in 1000 lot to
repair the old Sony and Panasonic gear. SMT 'lytics are the WORST. The
old US built gear (Ampex notably) has nearly no issues with caps. We
do keep 'donor' machines for the hard to get or oddball parts.

GG

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

I always remove potentially useful and hard-to-get components from
scrap PCBs before junking them. That includes HV ceramic,
polypropylene, silver mica, and metallised film caps. In fact I find
it hard to throw anything away.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Jerry]

At TEK,I built a 2213 from boards and parts that other techs gave up on and
threw away.

For some reason this reminded me of the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at
a Time".

http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/o/onepieceatatime.shtml

Jerry

 

[JeffM]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair,
I find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use
(just using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive).
Is anyone else here this sad?

A great number of the people here repair stuff as a profession.
Using scavenged parts in a customer's gear
without alerting him to what you are doing
is fodder for some consumer advocate to jump on you with both feet.

That said, most customers contacted say something like
"Why are you bothering me with the details? Just fix it."

I like the notion of components that have proven themselves.
A modern instrument can sort out the junkers.
....and there's no guarantee that a newly manufactured item
will perform better than the tried-and-true one;
the old one may have been the best of its lot
and the "mint' one the worst of its lot.

 

[James Sweet]

A great number of the people here repair stuff as a profession.
Using scavenged parts in a customer's gear
without alerting him to what you are doing
is fodder for some consumer advocate to jump on you with both feet.

On the relatively rare occasion that I repair something for money, I inform
the person if I use any used parts, and I don't charge for the used parts.
I've never had someone request to pay for new parts instead.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

negatively.

Good grief not small electrolytics !! We buy those in 1000 lot to
repair the old Sony and Panasonic gear. SMT 'lytics are the WORST. The
old US built gear (Ampex notably) has nearly no issues with caps. We
do keep 'donor' machines for the hard to get or oddball parts.

At the very least, any salvaged electrolytics should be tested for
ESR and uF value. And of course that they haven't pre-exploded or
leaked.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Leonard Caillouet]

A great number of the people here repair stuff as a profession.
Using scavenged parts in a customer's gear
without alerting him to what you are doing
is fodder for some consumer advocate to jump on you with both feet.

That said, most customers contacted say something like
"Why are you bothering me with the details? Just fix it."

I like the notion of components that have proven themselves.
A modern instrument can sort out the junkers.
...and there's no guarantee that a newly manufactured item
will perform better than the tried-and-true one;
the old one may have been the best of its lot
and the "mint' one the worst of its lot.

Some parts are reasonable to re-use, some not. Electrolytics are not
something that I like to pull, unless the value or size is something really
odd and I can't get it other ways. ANY time we put a used part in a
customer unit we clearly state this and make sure that they understand that
if the part fails and we have to buy a replacement they pay the difference
or if it is not available, there is no refund on the repair. We do this,
but sometimes it makes sense if the customer is in a hurry and the part is
not in stock, or for cost reasons. We calculate the cost of the new part
and sell used parts for half price. The bottom line is that we won't do it
without good reason and we let the customer make the decision.

Leonard

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

In fact I find
it hard to throw anything away.

And when you do, a short time later you have a use for a part on that
board you've been hoarding for years and finally threw out a couple days
ago.

You get up to go and retrieve it from the bin, only to see the bin wagon
disappearing around the corner.

BTDTGTTS.

 

[Eeyore]

Instead of throwing away old circuit boards which are beyond repair, I
find myself removing the caps etc for possible future re-use (just
using a soldering iron, as wick is quite expensive). Is anyone else
here this sad?

Electrolytic caps have a 'service lifetime' that depends on temperature
and ripple current. It may be unwise to re-use these as they may be on the
way out.

Graham

 

[Andy Cuffe]

Electrolytic caps have a 'service lifetime' that depends on temperature
and ripple current. It may be unwise to re-use these as they may be on the
way out.

Graham

I would trust a good 10 year old cap more than some of the junk modern
caps I'm seeing in everything. These caps often explode after less
than a year. While nothing beats a brand new high quality cap, and
ESR meter will weed out ones that are on their way out.
Andy Cuffe

[email protected]

 

[Franc Zabkar]

And when you do, a short time later you have a use for a part on that
board you've been hoarding for years and finally threw out a couple days
ago.

You get up to go and retrieve it from the bin, only to see the bin wagon
disappearing around the corner.

BTDTGTTS.

I had to repair a friend's 38 (?) year old stove. It needed a
rewirable fuse block such as was common in old meter boxes but which
could no longer be purchased anywhere. Naturally I had just thrown a
bunch of them away after hanging on to them for several years.
Fortunately I was able to locate a discarded stove (different make) at
the local dump (aka recycling depot) and it just happened to have two
of these fuses in almost off-the-shelf condition. It cost me $3 for
the pair.

- Franc Zabkar