Broken e-scrap?

Originally Posted by freonjoe

Most yards don't care if low grade boards are broken up.

In the end, the boards are ground up to reclaim all the "other PM's" that are still available on the board, so a break or two won't hurt anything.

I'd stay away from using a heat gun, #1 you don't want to be breathing a bunch of those fumes and #2 you'd probably use more electricity than what you'd recover.

I personally use a mini Dremel tool to remove any transformers and copper spools form low grade boards. works quite well and I don't have any broken pieces of boards laying around for the kids or the dogs to step on and get cut. However, when I first started dismantling boards I used a two pair of channel locks. 1 pair to hold the transformer or spool and the other to hold the board and just ripped them off. Either way, the E-Waste yard takes them with no questions asked.


IF you decide to use a roto-type tool like I do, make sure you are in a well ventilated area and wear at least a dust mask. I am sure solder dust can't be good for lungs. Oh, and eye protection is a MUST.

good warning. even just as a disclaimer.. i like to take my life in my hands, but its good to promote safety for those who dont know

Originally Posted by ggariepy

So it's fair to say that you can remove heatsinks, transformers, coils, etc., from the "low grade" boards inside CRT monitors without totally destroying the value of the "low grade" board itself? What about "high grade" boards?

I've been looking through SMF all day trying to figure this out, as I stripped down five monitors yesterday.

What about the ferrite cores of the monitor yokes? Is that material of interest to scrapyards? Or do I just toss it?

Finally, I'm seeing some braided silver metal material surrounding the CRT in a mesh. I thought it looked like aluminum wire, but I think I'm reading that this is in fact another copper alloy? If so, I may be throwing a bunch of copper out... :confused:

Any tips much appreciated. Reading and googling...reading and googling...but still not 100% where I want to be with my knowledge yet.

--Geoff

Dont just toss the ferrite, unless you mean tossing it into your shred pile.

Yeah, what I know is I'm not messing with Tvs anymore. Just doesn't seem to be enough return for the time invested to me. I know a lot of guys on here like them, maybe they have a better system, but I'm leaving those Tvs and monitors at the side of the road from now on.

Originally Posted by ggariepy

So it's fair to say that you can remove heatsinks, transformers, coils, etc., from the "low grade" boards inside CRT monitors without totally destroying the value of the "low grade" board itself? What about "high grade" boards?
I've been looking through SMF all day trying to figure this out, as I stripped down five monitors yesterday.
What about the ferrite cores of the monitor yokes? Is that material of interest to scrapyards? Or do I just toss it?
Finally, I'm seeing some braided silver metal material surrounding the CRT in a mesh. I thought it looked like aluminum wire, but I think I'm reading that this is in fact another copper alloy? If so, I may be throwing a bunch of copper out... :confused:

Any tips much appreciated. Reading and googling...reading and googling...but still not 100% where I want to be with my knowledge yet.

--Geoff

Your on the right track trying to find the proper answer. A lot of yards will buy the low grades for .05 to .20 a lb so some guys just throw them in the shred pile. I usually just pull the transformers, chokes and coils, heat sinks, and wire. And any gold legged transistors in older ones.

The ferrite core's always goes in the steel bucket.

The only things I pull off high grade boards is the usual (cpu, ram, cards, large heat sink,) or if there's something special your buyer wants removed. if you go jerking all kinds of stuff off then you have downgraded that board to a mid grade worth about .70 a lb.

The silver coated wire is tinned copper and the little clips are brass but my yard will take it as is, I don't have to clip them off.