BY JULIAN EDGAR Top Ten ‘Top of the hit list ‘ACH month I discuss what good parts you can get out of most jscarded consumer goods. One month I might tackle a VCR (one of my absolute favourites to salvage parts from!); another month I might show you what you oan got out of a broadmakor or hair trimmer: But what about looking at it from the other end of things — examining the components you should always collect, irrespective of the itom you're salvaging the parts from? In a way it’s even more useful to highlight those parts you should always grab, because then it doesn’t matter what you're disassombling. With this in mind, I would like to offer my ‘top ton’ saloction of parts/items that take priority for the ‘salvage it” troatment 1. Knobs. ‘Whenover you see a piece of equip. mont with quality knobs on it, grab them! It takes literally seconds to pull knobs off and it makes such a differ- ence when you're building a project if you can just go to your storage drawers and immediately lay your Parts — mt Www jullanedgar.com — % * Pe hands on a knob that's just porfoct for the application. It's also intorest'ng sorting through different knobs and feeling the way in which they work somo knobs (og ‘an amplifier volume control) needs to be largo and smoothly contoured; others (like the adjustment knob on ‘am electronic thermostat) need to be small and much batter shaped to suit Singers and fino adjustment. 2, Switches A switch is one type of electronic component that doesn't go out of date, Overthe yoars, I've collected switches from VCRs (miniature pushbuttons off their PCBs), from photocopiers {tho aviteh that deaotivatos tho powor when the lid is raised is usually a very heavy-duty pushbutton), and from olectric typewriters (typically tho main on/off switch is a quality push-ft rocker design). From amplifiers, I go for the input selection multi-pole rotary switch: and from VCRs, the contactless Hall ffect switches often used on the vid. eo drum chassis, From older washing machines, I keep the very sensitive pressure switch and from miscella neous heavy-duty equipment, high current solid-state switches. All are useful —and even botter, easy to use, wn" ‘Whenever you see any discarded pieces of equipment with quality knobs on it, grab them! 46 A.switch comes in all disguises and is one electronic ‘component that doesn't go out of date Everyday Practical Electronics, November 20103. Cable clamps, mounts and holders Whenover you run wires or cables inside a piece of equipment, thare's a noed to hold them in placs. (Well 1 guoss there often isn’t actually ‘a noed’, but for good appearance, serv- fcing and safety, you should always corral wien.) ° Inside commercial equipment you'll find the full gamut of cable and ‘wire holders — bendy insulated metal strips, steol clamps, plastic clamps, clamps that pop into chassis holes, and clamps that hold mains-power cables. Its always worth collecting these clamps, mounts and holders, 4, Fuses Fuses are another example of a component that doesn't date ~a 50- year old glass fuse and fuscholder aro just as usoful today as back then. ‘As amatier of course, I collect fuses from all sorts of equipment — and if the fuscholder is oither an inline or easily removed chassis mount Avsigie, Tuullvet thhuse tou. ‘You can also obtain very useful fusible links from ear fuse and relay boxes, and much industrial equip- ment contains rasettable circuit break- ors. [also collect the two different sizes of blade fuso used in vehicles. With only half an eye being kept out, it’s not at all hard to collect enough fuses that you'll never need to buy ono again — or spond the time travelling to the shop to buy that required obscure value. 5. Relays Relays are extraordinarily useful — rugged (basically impossible to blow up unloss you do something really stupid!), universal within voltage and current restraints, and easy to wire into place. An enormous range of oquipment and appliances has rolays inside — you can easily collect one from even moderately complex bits of gear you salvage. Relays (and many other parts) can be removed from PC boards quickly and effortlessly by using a heat gun aimed at the solder side of the board and plucking out the relays with Iong-nosed pliers. [remember pick- ing up an ABS (anti-lock braking) controller from a car and realising with joy that it contained no less than six small, high curront 12V relays! Whenever you run wires or cables around the housing of your project, ihe altaye a ned to bold ers i place. Well, theres a grand selection Sf cable and wire holders inside onumereial equipment just veiling 0 bbe reeyeled” Fuses are anothoi example of a tints leat nen: Te. too hard to collect enough fuses from ‘dumped’ equipment to never have to buy another one again Relays are extraordinarily useful, easy to wire into placo and often found in ‘even moderately complexpieces of gear ‘The idea of salvaging LEDs can seem silly ~ why bother when they are so Cheap? First, it easy to ‘salvage ones that you cannot purchaso easily from shops. Second, using a heat-gun ond lang-nosed pllers, i takes aitnost np tim to salvage doce of LED Everyday Practical Electronics, November 2010 6. LEDs The idea of salvaging LEDs from wuipment can seem silly — why both: when LED: are so cheap now? There are two answers to that question. Firat, i's easy to salvage LEDs that you cannot readily buy in shops — ‘surfaco mount, thoso with odd lens shapes (og long rectangular), and LEDs with unusual colours. Second, using the heat-gun-and-pliers ap’ proach mentioned earlier, it takes almost no time to salvage dozens of LEDs. Often in projects I'll use shop bought LEDs, but nearly as fre. quently, I'll want something out of tho ordinary and reach for my little drawers of salvaged LEDs. 7. Plugs and Sockets If you're trying to find the right plug for a socket (og aDC socket that requires the correct mains adaptor) a visit to an electronic supplier is, ‘most often required. But if, on the thar hand, yon'ra hnilding a pi of equipment and need a similar function low voltage DC plug-and. sookot combination, it's often much easier and cheaper to use some that you've salvaged. For example, [often use RCA-style plugs as low voltage DC power connce- tions—they’re polarioed. non-shorting, handle reasonable current ~ and you ‘ean salvage RCA phono sockets from any audio or video consumer item that’s been thrown away. And the plugs? They're almost a often dis- carded on audio interlink cables! ‘The range and combinations of plugs and sockets seems to be endless, and you will certainly need to build up a largestock oftheseif you're into project building 478, Heatsinks Hoatsinks are available in dis- carded goods in a huge range of sizes — from small ‘tab’ style ones in power supplies to large heatsinks in audio amplifiers, and avery sizo in between. When building projects it pays to have a large variety of heatsinks on hand. That’s because there is often not only a requirement for hoat han- dling, but also physical requirements fs to size and shape. © x Heatsinks are available in discarded goods in a huge range of sizes — from Small vab' style ones in power supplies to large heatsinks in audio amplifiers oO = \ ee “Many items people throw away contain electiemetars om salllow-vlage ‘andsteppermotortypestolarger mains. powered washing tachine motors ® ze Coolingfansinsideredundantequi saeereriesner eee =weteene 48 In Store So you're a dyed-in-the-wool salvager, grabbing discarded items ‘and pulling them apart with dedica- tion. Now, what Jo you do with the accumulated bits? Its a vital quastion, because it the components are’ not sorted ‘and stored in a logical way, you will never use them. Don't believe me? Well, imagine what its like if you just put all the salvaged parts in a big box. You're working on a project, ‘and you need a knob. You look at the big box — wich you remember ‘contains some knobs — and then say: ‘Nah, its easier if just go to a shop and buy a knob—much simpler than trawling through that damn box of junk’ Contrast that with an arrangement like the one outlined here. You want ‘a big knob? Literally two seconds later you can be examining four di ferent designs of big knobs. ‘You want a switch? Will that be rocker, toggle, slide or miniature Pushbutton, sir? Again, with or- {ganisation, its @ two-second job to home-in on the right drawer. Sorting your parts has another advantage: it shows you what you For example, space might be tight inone direction, or the flat mounting surface on which the components are tobe mounted might need to be a cer- tain shape. [collect all heatsinks that Tcome across ~ and they're among my ‘most-utilised’ salvaged parts. 9. Small Motors Many items that people throw away contain electric motors. Broad- ‘makers uso mains powered universal carbon brush-type electric. motors: olectric typowritero, printers and fax machines use slepper motors; and VCRs contain small low-voltage brushed motors. And, of course, washing machines and other laxgor goods contain mains-powered induc- tion motors. I tend to collect just the following types of motors: small low-voltage brushod (good for making fans and kids’ toys), and large and small stepper motors (good for robot model railways and hand-cranked generator projects). Motors (of an Sort) that can be removed complete ‘are missing, andthe parts youneed 10 look-out for, In short, invest in sets of litle drawers, compartmentalised plastic axes that used to eontain fishing gear — anything lke that. And these. drawers? Unbelievably, they were ‘on thair way to the local rubbish tip and needed only a clean and new labels before being put to good use. with reduction geartrains are al- ways useful. Incidentally, unwanted stepper motors (especially in larger size and in matched pairs) can normally be sold for decent money on eBay. 10. Fans Cooling fans inside discarded equip- ment come in all shapes and sizes. PCetyle fans can be found in PCs(!) and photocopiers. Fans with remov- able blades can be salvaged. from miorowave ovens (but only open a microwave if you know exactly what you are doing — they oan be very dan: ‘gerous), whilo ‘squirrel-cage’ fans aro ‘used in much industrial equipment as ‘well as some types of domestic heaters. Fans are typically either mains- powored or 12V or 24V DC. (Note the 2AV fans will still work on 12V, just rotating more slowly, and quieter.) I use a squirrel cage fan in my home- built audio amplifier (much quieter than a typical PC fan), and a PC fan to cool a battery charger made from salvaged parts EPE Everyday Practical Electronics, November 2010