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Whats the most useful item you've salvaged?

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aonomus

Sat Mar 21 2009, 08:30PM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

Sadly I haven't salvaged very much of note despite my large collection of crap. Probably the best unique thing is a nice heavy duty SMPS out of a oldschool Bay Networks token ring hub...

I think that if/when I get the chance, I should try dumpster diving around my uni...

Conundrum

Sat Mar 21 2009, 09:08PM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

Mind the Unisecure (aka Rentacops), they bite!
Once nearly got nailed for salvaging a battery module from a dumped fluorescent fitting- even though I had permission I still got told off because they "had never heard of it"... grr.

The amateur radio club made a "skip fishing" rod for this very reason :)

-A

Nik

Sat Mar 21 2009, 09:22PM

Registered Member #53 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:31AM
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 638

2 15/30 NSTs
1 17/10 NST
14 or so microwaves

All of which have been used to power various projects.

Weston

Sat Mar 21 2009, 09:49PM

Registered Member #1316 Joined: Thu Feb 14 2008, 03:35AM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 365

One person gave me an oscilloscope, volt meter, two lab power supplies, a frequency generator, and a organized cabinet of a few hundred 7400 series logic chips. A different person gave me an old tube amp that contained 5 12aux7 telefunken tubes. Another person gave me 5 huge organized part cabinets with capacitors, resistors, and semiconductors. I got almost all of my lab equipment for free

Renesis

Sat Mar 21 2009, 11:38PM

Registered Member #2028 Joined: Mon Mar 16 2009, 08:13PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 319

I got a big, almost new mig welder from a guy for free. He thought it was busted, but he had just been running it on a 16 amp fuse. I run it on a 32 amp fuse, and it works like a charm. I almost feel kinda bad about it... Almost.

+ A 7,5kW air compressor, a 70hp industrial diesel engine, a whole buch of relays and contactors and so on. Dumpster diving is phun :)

Mads Barnkob

Sat Mar 21 2009, 11:48PM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

25 Microwave ovens :)

...

Sun Mar 22 2009, 08:12PM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

I inherited Wayne's gaage, that had a few kw worth of NSTs, caps of all sorts, some N2 tea lasers, 30lbs of flybacks a few tesla coil secondaries a few tools, even a small subwoofer, etc

At the UCSB junk table I have scored a 1u rackmout server (which is gong to be a new project case), a hotplate, a ultrsonic parts cleaner, a constant current power supply, a phase angle 0-50v 5a power supply (designed for powering electromagnets), countless computer power supplies, a few assorted smps/linear open frame power supplies, a stabilised HeNe laser (had a fried transistor in its psu), a water cooled tec coldplate, about 50lbs of assorted aluminum stock, a some precisions stages, assorted computer parts, etc

From various companies that my father has worked for we have ended up with about 100lbs of precison optical tables, stages, motorized micrometers, a HeNe lab style laser, glue dispenser system, some high vac equipment, tens of pounds of swagelock/etc fittings, tens of nice german modular switches, 500lbs or so of 5x 6awg cord, assorted tools, power supplies, etc, etc we also got a 7hp natural gas/propane generator for them for $40

As far as salvaging, I got soem awesome ferrite transformers and high RMS current caps, heatsinks, litz wire out of the psu for my VersaPulse laser (that wouldn't turn on without the rest of the motherboard), a few hv suppleis from plasma globes, laser diodes and dichrotic mirrors out of dvd/hd-dvd roms, transformers, etc, etc, etc

Dr. Dark Current

Sun Mar 22 2009, 08:31PM

Registered Member #152 Joined: Sun Feb 12 2006, 03:36PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 3384

Unlike a lot of you here, I haven't really found/salvaged anything valuable, the most valuable things probably being two old microwave ovens.
I did, however, get 5 boxes of various old electronic components from my father's friend, who was giving them away.
The most unexpected find in one of those boxes, were 10 identical flyback secondaries for tube TV's, in new condition! However most of them are damaged in some way now, as the HV lead was badly secured to them. They should be possible to repair but so far I wasn't bothered.
There also were loads of of large relays and contactors, potentiometers/trimmers and old metalised paper caps, and two 15kV 390p foil caps (another unexpected find).

Most of my other components are from old TVs/monitors and photocopier PSUs (my father works with these).

hotcrazyfruit

Mon Mar 23 2009, 02:08AM

banned on 5/26/2009
Registered Member #1877 Joined: Mon Dec 22 2008, 02:03AM
Location:
Posts: 147

A 27 inch TV from a junk yard. worked perfectly, only i had to carry it several hundred yards

Kolas

Mon Mar 23 2009, 04:46AM

Registered Member #102 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:15PM
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 169

6696A : Retrieved from a 3 phase induction heater.
I also salvaged the tube stand/water jacket, filament transformer, capacitor bank, grid resistor network, and 3 phase full wave rectifier.

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