How to Get FREE Electronic Parts!

The cost of buying electronic parts for our projects from Radio Shack or Maplin are quite expensive now days...
And most of us have a limited budget in buying stuff.

But...

If you know the secrets of how to get electronic parts for free, you could be saving your self hundreds of bucks!

Heres how...

Step 1: Free Samples

You probably have never notices this, but most manufactures and suppliers will give away free samples of their high quality electronic parts.

However, control your self! Don't ask for hundreds of components! No company will give you that much, just ask for a few.

Here is a list of some companies and manufactures that will give you some of their free samples...
Fairchild Semiconductor
Texas Instruments
STMicroelectronics
MARL
WIMA

For more information, check out this instructable! List Of **FREE STUFF** For your projects

Step 2: Talk!

Talk to the people you know well, like your family and friends if they have any electronic device they are going to throw out, they may be glad to give it to you.

I had successfully got two portable TV's and a radio boom box by simply talking!

Step 3: Computer Repair Stores

You can find pretty good stuff from the computer repair stores...

If you ask the manager nicely for blown electronic equipment like PSU's DVD/CD burners, they will usually give it to you.

If you do get a DVD/CD burner, you are very lucky...
Because inside a DVD/CD burner, it has a laser diode that cost several hundred bucks! With that laser, you can make a cool burning laser flashlight if you check out that amazing instructable!
Laser Flashlight Hack!!

I had successfully got a working 200 watts ATX power supply unit and converted into a lab power supply using help of those two instructables...
Convert an ATX Power Supply Into a Regular DC Power Supply!
ATX to Lab Bench Power Supply Conversion

Step 4: Disposable Flash Cameras

You can find disposable flash cameras at photo developing places that can be found in Wal-Mart or ASDA or other places like that.

If you ask the cashier or the manager nicely for disposable flash cameras, they are likely to give you a lot of cameras for free!
However some evil photo developing places will charge you for every camera you want...

With those cameras, you can do a lot of fun projects with them, and here is a list of instructables you should visit...
Coilgun Handgun
Disposable Camera Ring Flash
How to build a Taser for free!
Build a World's Smallest Electronic Shocker!

And they are many other great instructables you should check out...

---

What you can find in a flash camera are:

• 330v capacitor (that can cost a few dollars each if brought new.)
• Small inverter
• Trigger transformer
• NPN transistor(s)
• Small diode
• 400v film capacitor
• Resistors
• Xenon tube (the glass tube that makes a flash.)
• LED or neon bulb
• AA or AAA battery

You can find a lot of good stuff inside a camera.

Step 5: Trash Days

You can find some pretty good stuff during trash days by going for a walk or drive around...

I had found a still-working pressure washer that worth over £400 ($800)!! So keep your eyes peeled!

Step 6: Skips and Dumpsters

Almost like trash days, but you can get a lot more from skips and dumpsters...

Grab your tough protective clothing and gloves and go out for a drive and find those skips or dumpsters.

Try avoid skips or dumpsters that are filled with rotten foods or other disgusting stuff, because it smells bad and you may end up having some health problems...

Try grab some stuff that you can sell on ebay, car boot (trunk) sales, garage sales.... You can make a good chunk of change doing that.

Step 7: The End

I hope this helps you with some of your projects!

If you have any questions, or need help, or found an error, or anything, make a comment! ^{I like comments! :)}

Comments

[TheElectonicsDummy]

Another tip on free electronics is asking electronically c recycling centers politely for some broken or unwanted things.

[tovrea45]

I need a free AMD, Nvidia or Intel video card for my computer it has to be a low profile one as my computer is an HP slimline, quad core computer. Can you please tell me where i can get one of these for free? Thank you so very much

[the minecrafth]

Sorry bud thats not possible xD

[Bananagunz]

Are you kidding me? It's bad enough tons of people go grabbing up all the free electronic components they can without any intent of ever actually buying from the company after sampling the product, ruining it for the rest of us that utilized the samples for testing; like a sample is intended. You want a GPU, go buy one! You people are mixing up SAMPLE with a handout. When you go get ice cream and ask for a sample of a flavor you don't expect them yo hand you an entire cone for free(or you probably do), you get a small bit to test prior to settling on your purchase. That is a sample. Sure, you may try the product and realize its not what you thought and not make a purchase, but it's not some free giveaway. What you want is a handout. Something free with no intention of spending any money or otherwise ever doing anything to justify being given something, let alone something that isnt cheap...

[mike.blais2]

Be careful when requesting free that they don't nail you with a fee after it deliver. Some company use UPS, FedEx or DHL. These are great if you need something quickly, but in my case I don't need it quickly and it a free sample I don't care if it get lost in the mail, I just re-ask for it. Some people believe we should pay for sample, I say no. If you give sample away, it should be free including shipping charges. As a person who get these free sample shouldn't a profit on these free item. I believe they should be used to build prototype, that if you want sell thing. Myself, I want free sample just for myself.

[Bananagunz]

You're the reason companies started doing that sort of thing. People that "will just order another free one" with no intention of ever buying the part. Scumbag

[Vardhanbatavia007]

Can you tell me the exact link for free samples as on MARL and WIMA I cannot find free samples anywhere....please help if you found it

[Blackhoodhd]

I WANT FREE PC PARTS BY WRITING MY ADDRESS IN AND IT COMES :/

[3967]

that is how i got im my youth several xx-Kilgogramms (under 100kg i guess) of electronics. You can get everything exept small resistores. You can unsolder the 1/4Watt resistor too but they arent relly wrth the time, the bigger resistor(0,5W and up are worth). All otherparts are worth for desoldering. Rememer to periodicly open your window for fresh air if you desolder longer than 10 minutes since it can get unhealthy.

[thomcomstock]

Good comment. Thank nyou for the health tip. I have a tendency to forget such.

[3967]

I my youth i didn't know the solder aerosols are toxic, i experienced asthma like symptoms until i found out i need to open the window to refresh the air in the room atleast every 15mins. Another soloution would be a aircleaner. There are instructionables to for them. But to be safe i would recommend aircleaner+ hope the window, or doing the desoldering in outdoor. Another tip is using safety googles can't be wrong for 2 reasons. 1 the fumes are not only toxic they are irretating the eyes. 2. Some people manages to get soldering lead into the eyes (when its hot it can fly xD) greetings

[pucafanny]

Wtf. I've Fairchild semiconductor has been giving me the run around all morning. Then they ask for a corporate email for one sample.

[slanwar]

Most towns in New Jersey have a recycling yard which people dump TV's, computers and any electronic device they have at home.

[jdillon6]

Any suggestion where to get the following part? RS2004M, V822. This is needed as a replacement part in the circuit of a quartz electric heater. So of course it has to be "new" or at least tested to be in good working order. This is not for resale, it is a hobbyist project and believe me, I am using "safety first." The heater will not be used at all unless surrounded by heavy metal of the fireproof variety. Dismantling it revealed the heater was built using about 50 percent plastic. Far less plastic will be used in rebuilding the bracket holder/mount. Also I will seek to have it checked by a qualified electrician. So I just need the part. I am willing to find the part in old junked appliances that it would be used in, so if I know what appliances to look at, I might locate a good one at the local recycler (after asking permission first).

[WilliamD11]

This is totally true! I found a working computer in a dumpster!

[pulgasvestidas]

If you live in a college town then you know about all the amazing discarded stuff you can find during dorm move-out, otherwise known as 'hippie Christmas'!

[jack476]

If you're a student, a lot of manufacturers have discounts or special packages if you can get a professor to sign off saying it's for academic work. Some of them can be sticklers about that but many are happy to help you when they see you taking that initiative...got $100 off a myDAQ this way.

[Machine]

TVs are packed with reusable components. Harvest anything electronic from the throwouts (every two weeks here) and tear them down for the good bits inside which can include power transistors, DC motors, DC pumps, ICs, transformers large and small, inductors, high voltage and low voltage electrolytic capacitors, speakers, displays, buttons and switches and LEDs and lots more.

[nancyjohns]

Oh, also you can get ton of free stuff on craigslist.com

[nancyjohns]

Once, my neighbor was out of town and he got the inside of his house pretty much taken apart (every thing out of the house ect.) and EVERYTHING was in a dumpster on his driveway (they were just going to throw it all away!!!). So we got some pretty not-bad stuff.