What Grade?

As far as scrap is concerned, what are motherboard, pci and isa cards classified as low or high scrap circuit board scrap?

What do some you guys guys do with the stuff that you dont refine... aka keyboards, mice, monitors and printers?

Sorry if this question is kinda silly, I am just starting my business and have most of what I going to do nailed down as far as processing the actual cpu tower. I see people selling all sort of scrap on www.recycle.net, but that seems like very high volume type stuff. Any input or ideas would be appreciated thanks.

The grades of the types of boards you mentioned vary greatly. Usually the old stuff is higher yield. Look around this site and you will find methods for dealing with various types of scrap. If you are dealing with smaller quantities, you might consider selling on ebay. People are paying top dollar for small lots of e-scrap.

basically what I have is a bunch of boards that the fingers and pins have been removed from. I cannot find any information about what to do with the boards afterwards.
I something about a scrap yards taking circuit boards and paying a small price for them.
My biggest dilemma is monitors. I will be getting a lot of approx 600 computers. I can only get the computers if I take the monitors as well. (stipulation of the company with the computers). WTF do I do with 600 monitors... yikes. I am hoping I can sell them to someone who deals with scrap working/non working monitors for a small profit.

You describe a common dilema. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to unload monitors. If you get a few tons together on skids, or fill a container, they are a commodity. If you sell them to unscrupulous brokers they will likely end up in some podunk country getting processed recklessley or picked apart by kids. If you recycle them responsibly, you pay for it.

Computer recyclers often charge a fee for monitors, like $5 apiece or by the pound. That is the only way to make it profitable for the small scale recycler. I just see it as a "cost of doing business". I'll pass up loads that are monitor heavy or, take some monitors as a favor if it's part of a merchantable load.

Who's got a good strategy for monitors?

It's a greedy, short-sighted fool who sneeks them into the landfill...

So if a person has the space save to them till you have a container full might be worth while. I found some ads that are paying $5 per monitor by the container load.
Wonder how many fit in a container?
I figure 36 on a pallet, 20 pallets per container... 720 monitors... wow.
720 x 5 = 3600 not bad if the buyer pays shipping.

There are plenty of non precious metals in a monitor that could make them worth the effort to recycle them. Just incase some people forgot, there could be a huge charge still in the tube. When I say huge, Im talking average of 30,000 volts. Some wire with gator clips and a large screwdriver with a 1/4 or 5/16 inch blade can be used to discharge the tube.

Anywho back to the monitor. The yoke is the copper basket on the neck of the tube and right now copper prices are fairly nice. There is also plenty of aluminum to take off the boards, the steel chassis is there for recycle and the deguasing coil I believe is also copper. The deguasing coild is the thick black wire that goes around the outside of the picture tube used to correct the colors when the monitor is first turned on. The fly back transformer is also full of copper but takes a little time to get open. There is lead that fills the vacuum hole in the tube. The most hazardous part is the phosphorus on the front of the screen. The glass can be recycled to an extent.

Its good for something to do when computers or other scrap just isnt there. I have nearly 300 monitors to go through myself, and just need to get them all organized before I start on them.

Hope this gives a little relief in the guilt of taking monitors.

I think I will just try selling them to a processor that will take the whole monitor. From what I gather getting rid of just the tube is very very difficult.

Banjags if you decide to take a stab at recycling monitor components I can give you a procedure on how to properly discharge the Tube and Flyback assembly so you don't electrocute yourself. I repair TV's, Stereo's, Computers, at the component level (circuit board repair). There can be much more then 30 000v of static electricity in a monitor so be careful. I'll post the procedure regardless at some point. It's fairly simple and I'm sure someone online laready has a tutorial.

Remeber that all capacitors can store energy for years and release it when you short them. This applies for any capacitors Be careful with large capacitors everyone.

until I get a much large storage space than my shed... I will be avoiding monitors as much as a can... In the next week or so I have have a machine shed that I may be able to rent out for storage. That would be catsass.

I knew someone must have a tutorial.

this is a great site I'm on. If remote links aren't allowed admins please remove.

http://www.techlore.com/article/16182/Getting-Started-to-Repair-Your-TV-Set----The-Ins-and-Outs/

This should get you started safely.

Where in Manitoba Are you I have a bunch of contacts there some might have storage since most are farmers and bushman.

Winnipeg. It would have to be close and very cheap or free to make it worth while. Preferrably east of city. Thanks Gotrek

banjags said:

Winnipeg. It would have to be close and very cheap or free to make it worth while. Preferrably east of city. Thanks Gotrek

Click to expand...

Ok I know a few boys near morden and around the whiteshell. In the city I'll ask but everyone need space there Real estates crazy.

oh oh morden.... most of my family is from that area. Those areas are too far. Let me know if you get anything.

banjags said:

oh oh morden.... most of my family is from that area. Those areas are too far. Let me know if you get anything.

Click to expand...

Will do.

you must be from the area. I stumbled across a post in winnipegheights forum with the username Gotrek when trying to find out where or what mont pubis is.

banjags said:

you must be from the area. I stumbled across a post in winnipegheights forum with the username Gotrek when trying to find out where or what mont pubis is.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah for sure. I'm in Winnipeg too (most of the time).

Ha I just googled you and found you know Benoit Morier (if your in the band the hummers) I went to school with him (not same year/class). Google tells all.


Hey if you're on heights send me a PM there's a group of us recycling PC's for charity maybe you'd want to help us out with that. Nothing in motion quite yet (time commitement) but talks are getting more serious. There's a bunch of us who do it individually but It's looking like we're going to get a charity together. Tthere's tons of need for older PC's

what charities do you have in mind? What kinda specs are you looking for.

I can't speak for the others. I currently use 386 and lower as spare electrical components (capacitors resistors etc) to fix circuit boards. 486 and higher are refurbished and given to families who need them. One guy is in contact with the united way and are on board to screen families and already have requests.

There is no plan at this point. Just talks that came out last month. I was looking for old x86's for parts.

Re-using is a better form of recycling but it's getting hard I see all these Pentium Pro chips being melted down and it makes me sad I've got tons of quad ppro CPU boards waiting for chips but their cost is out of my reach because of this new gold rush. Too bad because they still make great servers.

Either way this is getting off topic from the original thread send me a pm. I'll keep you up to date as things pan out.