General > General Technical Chat
preserve electronic devices
Bud:
Keep cables separate from devices, do not wrap around plastic cases , as was mentioned above they may cause plastic to melt chemically if they touch it for prolonged time.
Store stuff in a dark storage to reduce plastic yellowing.
I'd still not store stuff for years hermetically sealed, i'd let it vent once a year at least, things may get stinky.
DrG:
--- Quote from: Bud on October 25, 2020, 03:41:55 pm ---Keep cables separate from devices, do not wrap around plastic cases , as was mentioned above they may cause plastic to melt chemically if they touch it for prolonged time.
--- End quote ---
While I have my doubts as to the origination of the thread (and expect some plastic bag advert to show up at some time), there is some good information here and I wanted to show that the point quoted is accurate.
No, I did not use it as a holder for a soldering iron...I only wrapped a big heavy power cord around it and stored it that way for ~ 30-35 years. If seeing is believing, you can rest assured that the quoted tip can be believed.
free_electron:
put them in a stainless steel box, weld it shut and encase that in a few cubic meters of concrete. bury 6ft deep. together with all other 'old junk'.
Better tip : recycle them.
Sorry, couldn't resist. I don't understand this concept of wanting to keep old obsolete stuff. if i look in my neighbourhood many people have an old carcass of an old 69 chevy pickup truck or a 1953 cheville special that is rusted out , broken windows, motor completely bust. but they hang on to it for sentimental values and sit next to it, beer in hand , dreaming of restoring it.. then they pass away and the descendants have to deal with the cleanup. Their garage is full of old clothes that don't fit, old tv's they keep for .. well what ?
Give it up. it has had its life. let it go.
Syntax Error:
Depolimerization >:( Welcome to the tacky world of cassette deck drive belts.
In martime atmospheres, salt crystals can spontaneously grow and pit metal surfaces. Gadgets confined to the man shed will culture mold as fungal spores thrive on damp dust and other other organic coatings. Biology is what does for camera lenses and antique cellulose films. Termites love reverse engineering wooden wireless cases, and man sheds. Animal glues go nasty and might be harbouring the next pandemic. Random screwdriver experts in man sheds can cause irreparable damage to delicate electrical and mechanical parts. Resin bonded PCBs seem to dry out, becoming brittle and delaminate the copper tracks. Polystyrene packaging can yellow the plastic of your beloved antique games machine. Bakelite is technically a hazardous material (phenol-formaldehyde), and should be marked as such to comply with future health and safety hysteria. Really, other than making everything from quartz and gold, there's not a lot of our stuff that's future proof :-BROKE
bob91343:
One solution that has worked for me, which I didn't see mentioned here, is to inspect and exercise the item periodically. Electronic 'cobwebs' invade unused equipment eventually. Chemical migration, general corrosion, outgassing, and other inevitable evils can be interrupted in their progress if the equipment is taken out of storage periodically and used for a while, brought up to operating temperature, and then after cooling stored again.
One benefit of this approach is that if a problem appears it can be dealt with before it progresses to the point of permanent damage.
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