Odd/End Questions

These are a lot, feel free to skip over some. I just figured it would be easier to place them all in one post.


-What are you guys doing with your batteries from motherboards?

-What software are you using to test sector –errors for hard drives before resell?

-How do you inventory your hard drives/power supplies/memory before reselling (by brand or by size/output?)?



-How are you selling your digital cameras and PDAs? Breakdown or whole?

-What do you do with your special boards that you know retain higher value? Send pics to buyers?

-Are there any parts inside printers, aside from ink, that you check for resell before scrapping? Fuse elements? Etc.

-Is there a market for BIOS chips off of motherboards?

-In terms of reselling processors, do you typically resell duel core and up or do you ever check older processors for resell?

-How do you store your Memory, CPUs, Motherboards, etc for eventual resell?

cardboard boxes work too, and, although I don't recommend flaunting these to buyers, or even family for that matter, liqour boxes with their different sized inserts work especially well for accommodating various finger/add-in cards (PCI, ISA etc) They fit handily into the pockets, and the metal tab holds them up, and from the connectors you can easily distinguish what type it is.

I used to pick up boxes outside a local licquor/beer store to pack stuff in, they were free, easy, and convenient, they'd just set their empties out front on the sidewalk, take all you want. My sis and I were looking for something one day in my storage and she asks, what's with all the beer boxes?? (i at least generally took the liberty of picking the finer imported beers, crown royal boxes etc ; )

drop the coin/motherboard batteries off at best buy. when you walk in front entrance they have a container for batteries.

At my dayjob, they burn through cans of coffee like nobody's business. I've got them pretty well trained to save me all of the cans. I get about 3 or 4 a week, at least.

I use the cans in my shop to sort out little things... like screws, washers, staples/clips, etc. I throw mobo batteries (anything but LI-Ion or lead acid batteries, actually) in with this stuff. When a can gets full, I pitch it into a microwave carcass and call it shred. I don't get enough of those little batteries to make it worth giving up shop-space to store them separately.

Hey Wolf, those motherboard batteries are li-ion.

Looks like the cpu question got skipped. Well i can say on the dual and quad core cpus i get in scrap lots i do a thorough inspection on them, i look for damage / missing capacitors / chipped capacitors / heavy scratches on the connection surface, bent pins if it has pins. If it passes the inspection i wipe all of the thermal paste off with a paper towel then i clean the surfaces with rubbing alcohol and a soft cloth. Then i sort them out per model/part number and sell them on ebay. Over time i have developed relationships with several cpu buyers. Now all i have to do is make a list of what i have and email it to the buyers, see who offers the most and into the mail they go. I can tell you that my best find was 3 quad cores and about 50 dual cores in a mixed 50 pound cpu scrap lot. Due to my thorough inspection and cleaning process i have never had a cpu returned.

Originally Posted by happyscraper

Hey Wolf, those motherboard batteries are li-ion.

You know, you're right. I knew that, but I don't know why it never occurred to me when I've been prepping a mobo. Oh, well... I've probably only thrown a dozen in with shred. Not a huge loss, fortunately. I haven't gotten a ton of computers since I've started doing this.


I guess that's one more coffee can to find a place for...

Actually motherboard batteries are lithium batteries. The difference between that and lithium ion is that they are not recharageable. I dont think they sell at the same rate as lithium ion. I know for a fact lithium ion batteries have copper in them. I dont think the lithium button cells do.

Originally Posted by drozenski

The batteries from motherboads can explode and catch fire. Just an FYI for you guys holding them all touching in a coffee can.

i wonder if you put water in the can would it bother anything

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Not sure but water is a very good conductor.

make coffee!

Looks like ill be pouring water in coffee cans full of mobo batts in the morn.