Author Topic: Identifying pcb and help with what is worth salvaging or tossing  (Read 1614 times)

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Offline SeaofdepTopic starter

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Hi, I have a Box of random main boards, power boards , optocoupler sensors ,etc(I believe camera boards) ...  I noticed the Atmega64 micro-controller and  was wondering if anyone can help with what exactly are they used for or any info.. should I store them or trash them . Being a newbie Im still in that get excited on any circuitry stage and need tips on what to toss or not lol thank you


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Offline SeaofdepTopic starter

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Re: Identifying pcb and help with what is worth salvaging or tossing
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2017, 01:47:21 am »



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Online Ian.M

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Re: Identifying pcb and help with what is worth salvaging or tossing
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2017, 02:02:35 am »
If you've got the space, make a list of the larger chips and any part that catches your eye on each board,  number the back of each board with a marker pen so you have a board ID for the list, and if possible note on the list what the board is out of and what the fault was, then store them without stripping the parts.

Reason:  Many of the parts will need support components e.g an oscillator crystal for a MCU that are already conveniently grouped on the board.  If you strip the parts before you need them, it costs you time and money (due to wear and tear on your desoldering equipment), support components are likely to be missed or get lost and the chances of it sitting in a draw gathering dust till your estate sale* are >90%

However you do need to limit your scrap board storage to avoid falling into the pitfall of hoarding.   e.g. one box for 'virgin' boards, and one for partially stripped boards. When a box is full nothing more gets kept until you make space for it. When a board has had most of the nice stuff stripped, or you need the space, be ruthless and dispose of it as eWaste. (Possibly after salvaging any remaining high value parts that you anticipate using within a year)

* Don't leave your friends/relatives/executor the task of finding good homes for a collection like this: https://www.eevblog.com/2015/04/26/eevblog-737-worlds-biggest-collection-of-electronics-components/
« Last Edit: August 20, 2017, 02:07:07 am by Ian.M »
 
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Offline SeaofdepTopic starter

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Re: Identifying pcb and help with what is worth salvaging or tossing
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2017, 02:55:56 am »
If you've got the space, make a list of the larger chips and any part that catches your eye on each board,  number the back of each board with a marker pen so you have a board ID for the list, and if possible note on the list what the board is out of and what the fault was, then store them without stripping the parts.

Thank you for the advice , definitely need to go get myself a notebook and a label maker


  These items looked really good to pass up and there was 2 camera modules one of which i do not know how to connect and the other was missing some cables and lens (parts in box) but managed to get it working , so far things seem to be in working condition...  at the beginning of this stepping stone< i have plenty of space with only  a half drawer full. every circuit looks interesting and needs dissecting lol


Salvaging parts can be fun just don't bury yourself with it.


yeah things can get carried away very easily, 1 leads to 100000s ha and my gf will kill me if i clutter and hoard (ocd)

i absolutely need the desoldering/rework practice

Thank you guys< i really appreciate the help  :-+
 

Offline SeaofdepTopic starter

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Re: Identifying pcb and help with what is worth salvaging or tossing
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2017, 02:57:16 am »
haha maybe i should take a step back and figure out this quoting thing first
 


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