Dumpster Diving
Cheapskate Computing
Broam talks about how to obtain, clean, and rehabilitate computing equipment that others have thrown away, and shares a few stories.
Comments
Comment #1 posted on 2011-02-02T22:34:23Z by brother mouse
dived a bit
I found a PC one time; I gave it the hostname "catpee" and it was obvious why they threw it out. :-P I let it sit in the garage for about 6mos and the smell faded enough so I could stand to get near and clean it.
My favorite diving gear, in order of importance:
1. a willingness to leave the dumpster area as clean or cleaner than I found it.
2. One of those "handy grabber" things. I use a 48" Nifty Nabber (froogle search --http://goo.gl/Jlg4i ). I also have a 36" that I prefer for walking picks. The 48" is a little long but perfect for those picks wa-a-a-a-y in the dumpster.
3. A rubbermaid bin in my car stocked with: leather gloves for sharps, latex gloves for stickies. Messy stuff sits in the tub until I can get home and clean it out.
4. air compressor with blower attachment, as you point out. Blow all that dust and crud out.
Comment #2 posted on 2011-02-08T18:06:54Z by pokey
bring a flashlight
I'll only dive in computer recycle bins. It's much cleaner that way. I still consider it unsanitary, and treat it that for safety's sake, but its definitely cleaner.
I record all my HPRs on a mic that I salvaged, plugged into a sound card that I salvaged, in a computer that I salvaged, full of salvaged parts. So I can really relate to this episode. Good one, and thanks.
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