TVs are a treasure trove of useful parts, and not just for electronics nerds like me.
Whenever my neighbors throw out a TV and I can get to it easily, I always take it back to my apartment and “digest” it, as I like to say. This applies to both CRT and flat-panel model, though what you get from each is different.
I have found:
- Power supplies. They tend to give out lots of useful voltages at a respectable current. The one I just dismantled gives out 12V, 24V, and 5V, and there’s a follow on board that boosts it much higher (300V or more) so that the backlights can be driven. YMMV depending on whether they’re LED or fluorescent backlights. Speaking of which…
- Lights. I’ve gotten fluorescent sticks AND led strips out of them, it just depends on the model.
- Each flat panel has diffuser panels that often survive a broken LCD screen unscathed. Those are incredibly useful if you’re doing light projects, I have several and will probably put them to use in different projects.
- Speakers. Maybe not the highest quality but speakers are always useful.
- Wifi modules - one tv I took apart had a standalone wifi module which can probably be used in different projects.
- components - If you don’t have a use for the boards themselves, they have some pretty high power transistors that can be salvaged and used for different projects. Also, transformers, capacitors, etc. Kind of a treasure trove.
- wires - wires are useful.
Old CRT tvs have their own fun…
- the flyback transformers can produce pretty high voltage at a relatively low current. Kind of like a poor man’s neon bulb transformer, if you drive it properly.
- lots of REALLY beefy components, some of which are in pretty tight tolerances, particularly in the output sections
- the tubes might be useful in certain circumstances but they cost money to recycle, so YMMV.
Now the one thing I would recommend you just recycle whole are microwaves. I salvage parts from them, but they’re dangerous, and best to just leave them alone unless you know what you’re doing. You can get pretty good scrap value from MOTs, though.
I always toss or recycle the parts I don’t need, because my thought is, no matter what, I’m still throwing out less than would have been thrown out if I hadn’t come around.
What do you like to salvage when you can?