Wanted: Any cheap equipment or parts for a student

[Brumby]

The reason you are getting such a positive reception is because of your approach.

You have been courteous, your requests have been very modest and you have shown a level of skill, ingenuity and drive which most, if not all, members here will want to encourage.  Some will be in a position to provide some quite tangible encouragement.  Some will have years of invaluable experience which they will freely share.  Others can offer encouragement, provide feedback and share their experiences.

You haven't come in with a demanding tone (and, believe me, there are some that have been quite outrageously so).  You haven't approached with an air of 'entitlement' - something which annoys those of us who have had to earn their stripes.  You haven't come across as having high expectations.


If these attributes are typical of the person you are, you will be welcome here for a very long time.

(Every now and then, just keep us in the loop with the things you are doing ... ok?)

[Mr. Scram]

I'm really moved by all the help you guys have given. I never expected such a out pour of support from the community. I came in brand new to the forum and everyone welcomed me with such open arms and help. All of you guys get a official seal of awesomeness because your all awesomely awesome. Because of amazing generosity I am able to set up a real work bench that will allow me to dive so much deeper into electronics I already have so many projects planned that ill post for all of you guys to see It would be incredibly awkward for this introvert to deny someone who offered me help ^^' so to avoid that im just making this post letting everyone know I'm all set. Again thank you guys so much!

The world really isn't such a bad place. Don't let a few bad people in your program fool you There will always be those that don't approve of what you do, what you have or what you are, but it's best to leave those people to themselves.

I'm looking forward to see what neat projects you come up with.

[Old Printer]

Since no one has mentioned it yet I will put out the Analog Discovery. It was designed with EE students in mind. They offer an educational discount, though not as substantial as it used to be, is still ok. The unit is a USB scope with a 20 Mhz bw, AWG with 10 Mhz bw, dual adjustable power supply, all of the voltages are limited to +/- 5V. It also has a logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer and network analyzer. Probably the best part is the advanced level of the software, usually the downfall of lower priced USB equipment. YouTube has many instructional videos on the AD, one of the best champions of it is a retired EE who goes by Tomtektest.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUEo3LPGD1gWfGJQoE0i1Gg
I am not current on the student prices as I paid full price ($279) for mine, but when you consider the variety of tool it contains, limited by the 10-20 Mhz bw & 5 V, I think it is a standout that you should be aware of. Best of luck with your studies.

[salvagedcircuitry]

Some colleges have dedicated "ewaste bins." These are 4x4x4ft 1in thick cardboard bins dedicated for electronics recycling which sit on top of wooden pallets that are removed every few weeks by recycling companies. You want to search around your college and see if there are ewaste locations. Your best chance of finding these are near loading docks on the backsides or sides of buildings. Study the exteriors of the buildings at your university and find where they offload stuff from trucks. This is where you want to look. I have found dozens of broken monitors, broken computers, broken printers, floor polishing machines, weird large electronic devices and even test equipment from time to time.

Some colleges are real sticklers about what they do with ewaste. Others have no policy. Sometimes when you ask management / staff about ewaste recycling you will get a a generic "ewaste is handled by a 3rd party company."
My alma mater had no policy on dumpster diving. When asked, most folks didn't know. I had to find the ewaste locations myself.
Sometimes they are near "battery recycling" locations. So if you want, try asking people where you can recycle old alkaline batteries properly, this may give you a lead.

I attached some images of what these areas may look like and some stuff I found.
I have also seen ewaste bins at other universities such as Cornell and WPI. I am sure other universities have them as well.

Good luck. Keep searching. Oh, and don't forget to bring some nitrile gloves, a backpack, and a multitool