Salvage electronics from analog TV

I found about a 25 inch analog TV by the dumpster.

I thought about salvaging parts from it.

I would need help discharging the large capacitor it has.

It's so heavy, it would take 2 to carry it.

Do you think it's worth the effort?

fixit7 said:

I found about a 25 inch analog TV by the dumpster.

I thought about salvaging parts from it.

I would need help discharging the large capacitor it has.

It's so heavy, it would take 2 to carry it.

Do you think it's worth the effort?

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NO!

Analog TVs should not be in a dumpster in the first place (in most cities). Someone put it there to avoid paying disposal fees. Once you take it out of the dumpster, it becomes yours and you will be obligated to pay the disposal fees (if applicable to your city/county/state. A recent fee for a friend's Sony Trinitron was $60. Good luck.

It may be fun to look inside, I must say, all the parts I ever pulled out of a TV are still sitting in a cardboard box next between the wall and my workbench - I know what is in there, I have just never needed it.

Thanks so much for informing me.

Texas requires TV makers to take back tvs. (2007)

I read that they contain several pounds of lead.

Not sure if enforcement is a top priority as I saw TVs at 2 dumpsters.

I am spreading the word about the law.

I agree with you and won't risk my back.

fixit7 said:

Texas requires TV makers to take back tvs. (2007)

I read that they contain several pounds of lead.

Not sure if enforcement is a top priority as I saw TVs at 2 dumpsters.

I agree with you and won't risk my back.

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Salvaging components can be a fun learning experience, especially when starting out, since there is so much to learn about them from their datasheets.... but actually identifying what type of xyz component you are looking at, learning how to differentiate which markings relate to the component class and individual type, instead of trying to find a datasheet for a seemingly-obscure part because you were searching the date code...

Discovering that device markings are restricted by limited real-estate as the sizes shrink - C1815 transistors do not show the full device label, which is 2SC1815.....3904 and 3906 transistors do not show the 2N, A13 transistors do not show the MPS......

Finding that some chips can perform pretty much the same function, but at quite different voltage ratings and ESD requirements due to their design process - cd40106 vs 74hc14 is an example......

Salvaging can also be a useful exercise in how to remove a component without causing damage to the PCB, if that is what you want to learn. The leads of IC's can be snipped, allowing the body to be removed, then the remaining pads cleaned up with flux and solder-wick, to allow a new IC to be installed.

If you just want that particular component, you could snip around it and break it away from the rest of the PCB and remove the remnants later, but if you want to be able to remove that component and be able to transplant it onto another PCB, more care is needed in order to prevent it being destroyed during the process. Solder-wick/solder-suckers are helpful tools in this instance. Heat-gunning the whole PCB to remove components might just result in what was a previously re-usable part now being unreliable. Generally, resistors/capacitors/diodes etc. might be ok to re-use, but IC's? Who wants to build a circuit comprising of a load of salvaged stuff and then spend a ridiculous amount of time debugging when it doesn't work as expected? That scrap was most-probably placed there because it did not work as expected..

Additionally, who wants to place the burden of an ever-increasing pile of crap that a future-widow has to dispose of, when that time comes?

Leave that TV in the dumpster and get new components which can be trusted.

I left the TV there. I also found some broken DVD players.

I could not remove any components even at the highest heat setting.

I tried with a few capacitors.

Cord was the only thing I removed.

fixit7 said:

Cord was the only thing I removed.

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Nuts and bolts are worth salvaging for DIY/electronics projects.

I have 100's of parts from salvaged Tv's & other stuff.
There was some scrap monitors where I work, I pulled out the boards & the rest went to the E waste collection guy.
High value caps and magnetic parts are a good score, I've learned a couple of things by looking at datasheets for Ic's in various bits of things.
There are various bits in a Tv that hold a charge, one is the picture tube, there are similar things in other equipment too, if your unsure then dont go part mining.

Mickster said:

future-widow

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Hum, that is an optimistic reference. For the past 30-years, I've been calling my spouse, "my first wife". In another 15 or 20-years, I might feel like things are stable enough to start using that "future widow" moniker.

They say that women live longer than men and my wife is less than 2 years younger than I am.
I have smoked cigarettes heavily - 30+ a day at the peak - for more than half of my life (quit for good in 2014) and definitely drank my share as well, whilst she has been the health-conscious one..... pretty sure that barring any accidents, she is very likely to outlive me.

I have a significant amount of stuff which has been salvaged. The whole gamut of jellybean parts in TH and SMD packages, IC's in TH and SMD packages, transformers, relays, PSU's, wall-warts, gaming handsets such as the Wii controllers because they will be useful for some kind of IMU-related project some day, bell wire in different gauges, lengths of solid and stranded ethernet cabling, fire alarm system cabling, loops of different coax cabling, copper tube in different diameters for that 137 MHz QFH antenna I have not yet got around to building, IEC cords and sockets, fig-8 cables and sockets, speakers, monitors, keyboards, and a whole host of other crap kept to hand, just-in-case....

If we are to be honest, 99% of the crap we salvage is not likely to be used in our lifetime, and also not in the lifetime of the 'lucky recipient' of a house-clearance, or estate-sale. They will just do the same as we do....have it to hand, but probably never use it.

I have given instructions that the test equipment and tools should be sold for the best price after I am gone, but everything else should go to anyone who is willing to take it, first price offered and FOC if they don't offer. If there are no takers, it all goes to the dump.

Whittling down the crap-pile as we get up in age is probably the best thing we can do for our wives. They are not going to get all sentimental and reminisce about how we did a great job of removing those relays, because "they are getting rare these days and I might need one 15 years from now".

I'm glad I read the whole long post because this gem at the end sums it all up pretty well.

Mickster said:

They [our wives] are not going to get all sentimental and reminisce about how we did a great job of removing those relays,

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The price is pretty reasonable.

Best Buy
Products we recycle for a $25 fee per item:
Limit two TVs per household per day.

fixit7 said:

The price is pretty reasonable.

Best Buy
Products we recycle for a $25 fee per item:
Limit two TVs per household per day.

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That is their advertisement but when we showed up we got, "we only take TVs on Fridays". We showed up Friday, and got, "our manager is not in right now, he needs to approve all TVs". I hope you have better luck.

It makes no difference if TV is analog or digital it still has good parts. HV Capacitor will auto discharge in about 1 day. I have stripped about 20 old TVs and several computer monitors for parts they are loaded with parts of lots of projects. Several types of capacitors, electrolytic, HV, ceramic, film, etc. Aluminum heat sinks all sizes and shapes. Mosfets, voltage regulators, bridge rectifiers, audio amplifier ICs, diodes, zenors, resistors from 1/8w up to 10w. Lots of hook up wire all sizes & colors. Transformers, chokes, coils. Buy a $25 LCR meter test your parts before you use them. Good used parts can save you lots of money and you always have parts available to build last minute projects. After TV is taken apart it is easy to recycle, glass, plastic, metal, circuits boards, etc. Newer flat screen TVs have surface mount parts nothing much to save and use to build projects with. Truth is a good supply of parts on hand makes it easy to build many projects then you only need to buy a few key items to complete the circuit but the biggest majority of your parts collection will never be used but it is all required to have on hand to make sure you have lots of free parts to use for building projects. My collection of parts is about 30 glass quart mason jars on shelves very easy to see and use and does not take up much space.

How do you recycle glass that has lead in it?


It turns out that the glass in a CRT contains a lot of lead. A big CRT can contain up to 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) of lead. It is mixed into the glass for two reasons:

fixit7 said:

How do you recycle glass that has lead in it?

Why do CRT monitors contain lead?

Why do cathode ray tube computer screens contain lead? Learn about these older computer monitors and why you can't dispose of them in the trash.

computer.howstuffworks.com

It turns out that the glass in a CRT contains a lot of lead. A big CRT can contain up to 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) of lead. It is mixed into the glass for two reasons:

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The town where I live has several places around town for people to take their glass called, recycle centers it is country wide. 1 large metal dumpster is marked brown glass for beer bottles. Another dumpster is for wine bottles. Another dumpster is for clear or white glass throw CRT in this dumpster. When large dumpsters arrive at recycle center Mexicans sort the glass CRTs go into a special pile. Americans refuse to do this work no matter how much it pays. Mexicans do the work and never complain.

gary350 said:

Another dumpster is for clear or white glass throw CRT in this dumpster.

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Nooo!!!!

CRTs contain several seriously harmful substances - they should never go in general recycling, especially anything like glass that may end up in such as drinks bottles...

Most recycling centres have a separate area, container or facility of some sort specifically for TV or electronic gear recycling.

I will have to report him. Just kidding.

fixit7 said:

salvaging parts ............… Do you think it's worth the effort?

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When I started parting out TV sets they looked like this. Easy to cut out the parts and they had long leads.

Then this happened.


Then this happened.

I have not found a flat screen TV yet that is not all surface mount technology. I have hard enough time seeing these days and I need new glasses to see better. I still have 2 old 200 lb TVs that need parted out and 3 microwave ovens but I don't need any more parts. I need a microwave wave guide 30 ft long.