Scrapping old computer

[Tantalar]

I got an old 1993 computer from the dump. I busted that baby open and was curious to see what I could learn about scrapping computers. Our town dump has tons of them that people just bring there for the taking

I can tell pretty clearly where the gold plated pins are. They were the most obvious and even I could manage to find them!

I was curious as to if this has gold in it that's worth getting though... I was busting things apart and I guess its called the ISA slots,
PCI slots, and AGP slots. I noticed that they have what looks like gold plating on the edge but not completely covering the whole length of the small metal pins.

These things

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... Digon3.JPG


also should I be keeping the computer shell that is covered in paint or can I not sell that for scrap?

I noticed two different nuts and bolts on the inside of the computer. One was brass colored and one was probably steel. I am guessing they are brass and steel. I think ill probably keep both of them. What do you guys do with computers? I imagine theres lots of money to be made scrapping them if you can get them free.

[Dr. Cadmium]

There's lots of money in computers under limited circumstances. Yes, they contain gold - but in tiny amounts. Most of the time when I give people a semi-detailed explanation they come back with "that sounds like too much work," "that takes a long time," "that sounds really complicated" or some combination of those comments.

There's considerable money if:

1) You can get large quantities of them for free or a low price.

2) You know how to repair them.

3) You have sources to sell working units, working parts and refurbishable parts to.

4) You have sources to sell electronic scrap to and can meet their minium quantity requirements.

5) You can disassemble them quickly.

6) You don't mind the complexity. Example: holding on to some materials for a few years while you figure out exactly what they are and how much they're worth and try to accumulate large enough quantities to sell them.

7) You have ways to deal with ewaste (CRT monitors being the biggest issue).

As for those old ISA slots: how far you need to break any particular component down depends on who you're selling it to and for what purpose. Most of the time motherboards are sold with these slots intact. Before tearing anything down it's best to spend time figuring out where you're going to sell your scrap, asking how they classify materials and want them prepared and then determining if it's worth your time.

Empty computer cases are one of the few items you'll get from a computer tower that most scrap yards will buy. A lot of the other materials are more specialized.

Some computer towers use brass fittings to mount the motherboard to one side of the chassis. Test with a magnet.

[Tantalar]

cool thanks! Wow BIIIIGGG difference in technology from 1993-2003 hahahaa I just looked inside both years. I figure I can ebay a ton of stuff for sure.

[messymessy]

If you can get lots of free computers, it should be worth your time to scrap them. Don't tear apart individual components. Separate components into similar piles until you have enough to sell. The best components are RAM modules, motherboards and processors. Check ebay for prices.

It takes me about 1/2 hour to separate all the components and you should be able to net about $15 per computer.

[Tantalar]

ive picked off all the gold plated stuff as best as I could. Do you think I could sell the boards on ebay still? There is still lots of gold on it, just really tough to get to.

[mj74]

Your lucky that your town dump lets you take the computers. Here once it hits the ground it becomes the property of the dump,and nobody is allowed to take anything. If I was you I would get a truck,and go get them all!

[Tantalar]

lol I take at most only a few a week when I go for trash dumping but I make sure to search the trade in/swap shack for other things metal or of value