Tool Tip: How to Salvage PCB Parts

If you're like me, you have a ton of PCBs laying around from things you've taken apart. Put them to good use and salvage the components from them.

Step 1: Stuff You'll be Using

You need:
Either a desoldering iron, a soldering iron and desoldering pump, or a soldering iron with desoldering wick or braid.
Solder (It helps, trust me)
Helping Hands (Optional)
Magnifying glass (Useful if you're desoldering surface mount components)
PCB Board to get components from
Water Bottles (Optional, but you'll need them if you're making the containers)

Comments

[samsao]

yes, good idea

[Zaen]

I do quite a bit of desoldering, and there I to things I want to suggest: 1. sometimes wedging a small screwdriver, or exacto-knife tip under the component you want while applying heat does a better job than pliers, especially if the leads are bent over. 2. when I do use pliers, I use a locking pair, that way I can let go of the pliers and free up my hands for holding the board and soldering iron. By the way, nice job!

[pfred2]

I mainly use a pick, or angled needle nosed pliers, roll them up for leverage, when I strip boards. I never use a soldering iron for component salvage. I hold the board itself with goose necked pump pliers over a pool of molten solder myself. I don't let go of my tools until the job is done.

[nullsmack]

How does this even work? Do you do this in a factory or something?

[pfred2]

I do it in my garage. Using this:

[ARJOON]

what the heck is that i have never seen such a thing

[pfred2]

It is called a solder pot. Now you have. It is also the tool I use for component salvage, having critically thought through the process. I've also used irons as well myself, and they are not the proper tool for the job. Maybe if parts only had one lead, or irons had more than one tip, but neither of those is often the case.

For all other situations the solder pot is the superior tool when it comes to the task of component salvage.

[1up]

Good tip! (# 1) I'll add that, giving you credit, of course.

[matroska]

Protip to add, based on experience:
If you want to salvage a large piece (like those IDE or those PCI-E connectors on old boards) and you do not have a desoldering iron, try using a heat gun and direct the heat so that the most pins are heated. Have the board attached firmly, upside down (components down, pins up) and using pliers, grab the components and pull it down slowly.

It may require patience though, since a heat gun does not heat as efficiently the solder as an iron does. However, once you are all setup, mass desoldering an old motherboard can go quite fast.

2nd Protip: For a workplace, I used a completely striped down computer case. I lay the board on the frame and arrange so that the component I want to extract is aligned with an opening (which there is everywhere when a case is striped down completely).

Good luck and have fun.

[matroska]

Holy cow, that's a great instructable! All instructable should be as concise and helpful as this one!

Thanks bro, I was looking precisely for a good technique on how to mass salvage PCB, which I too have lying around after dismantling just about everything.

I thought about putting the PCB in the oven, since the solder is eventually all molten, but then, how to get the components out, hmm, haven't figured out yet!

I prefer your way much better! +1

[katoplato]

Thanks for the "add a little more solder" tip. Worked a treat!

[NT86]

how to you figure out how many volts the LEDs run off without frying them

[mage]

use a mulitmeter

[Minifig666]

 In exactly what way do you use a multimeter?

[Derin]

all leds will work safely up to 3.3 volts,except the ones with built in resistors

[Patented]

Thx too! I was wondering how to know

[LOOK!!! something shiny!....ZAP!!]

I did not know about that, thanks for putting that on there (I really hate the smell of a fried LED)

[dagenius]

noxious.

[NT86]

lol

[Derin]

np,happy to help someone(at last)

[Minifig666]

 Warping an elastic band around the pliers then clipping them to the component leaves a had free to apply more solder to the joints if needed. Watch  your toes though my pliers have hit them once and it hurts quite a bit!

[hore]

can you tell me what did you do with the pcb board, or what people usually people do with the board , can it still be used .

[xboxzombie]

I just throw them out, but you can use them in some kind of art project or try to reuse them for small projects. Except you need to be really creative with cutting and soldering in jumpers, and the traces may not like being reused multiple times depending on how thin or how old the board is.

[hore]

how about project that involved electric with the board, making robot or something.or any electronic project.

[tater killer]

will step 3 work with transistors

[1up]

Probably not. You could, I guess, pull the outer two pins out, then heat the middle and pull it out, but that would bend the middle pin a lot and it may break.

[Derin]

I just put the iron in a way that heats all three pins at the same time.

[grodenbarg]

LOL, A blow torch set on low instead on of irons can get this job done really quickly, just be careful. ;)

[jamesyg]

great 'ible wish i read this before i went at it myself and caused countless burns. prob the best and safest way a+

[aqren550]

Another tip you probably should add is that when salvaging, the older the better. the older something electronic is, the bigger its components and thusly the easier it is to both get them off the board and the easier it is to use them after you do get them off

[xboxzombie]

True, except for the electrolytic caps. they begin to go out of tolerance after about 15-20 years depending on quality. not to mention the fact the newer electros are much smaller compared to similarly rated caps 20 years ago. Everything else is likely to be in good working order. And old PCBs dont have amy pesky SMD parts or lead free solder to cope with.

[raykholo]

instead of cutting water bottles, i use a combination of the really small plastic cups and some sauce cups i took from the cafe works perfectly, and i just took an entire printer apart , and they also keep everything organized... then i put all the containers in some empty rocher boxes, close the lid, and everything is perfect

[Derin]

Haha,I use sponges to clean my tip,NOT!Some acid flux does it real good.

[miqt]

so how do you know how much voltage to use on the small led's and such? do you just go by average, like 3.5 volts or something? or do you look it up or what? *this question is for anyone who knows :)*

[Jojo007407]

You can find a list here:
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/led.htm

[1up]

Clear LEDs are usually 3-3.3v, diffused usually 2.5-2.7v.

[miqt]

so if i were to have 10 led's, i could assume that i need like 30-33v ? and if i'm right with that, if i had exactly 30 volts with 10 led's, would i need a resistor (or multiple resistors?)....i think i may have a misconception about resistors :)...oh and since i'm on a newb asking spree lol i might as well throw this out there, what is the difference between parallel and in a series (i think that's what it's called)...how do they differ, and what is the difference of hooking them up? egh. i know....not really ready for ANY project yet :(

[adaminc]

This is probably a little late but there is a big difference in hooking up LEDs in series or parallel. In series, where you hook up the Anode(+) of one LED to the Cathode(-) of the next, the supply voltage needed is the sum of all the LEDs. So if you have 10 LEDs in series, and each one needs 1V, you need to supply 10V. But the current needed is only equal to 1 of the LEDs (Typical diffused Red LEDs are 20mA) In parallel, where you hook up the Anode(+) of one LED to the Anode(+) of the next LED (and Cathode(-) to Cathode(-)), the supply current needed is the sum of all the LEDs. So if you have the same 10 LEDs in parallel, and 1 LED needs 20mA to power it, 10 LEDs in parallel would need 200mA. But the voltage needed is only equal to 1 of the LEDs, so the supply would only need to be 1V. Regardless of how many LEDs you use, you will need to use resistors to limit the current to them. For pretty much most standard LEDs, the current rating is 20mA. You should check out www.allaboutcircuits.com Also, on standard through-hole LEDs, the cathode is the shorter lead.

[miqt]

ah, i see...that pretty much answers my question perfectly. so to make sure i understand, when you wire in parallel, you add up the current of however many led's you have, but only 1 consistent voltage (1 v or 3 v). but in a series, you just add up voltage.....i think i understand. thanks.

[fwfc4]

THANKS