Possible sources for LD's or just junk?

I had a "potential" realization while driving home tonight.

There's a local drop-off recycling center (it's just the dumpsters and bins for recyclables) behind a strip mall here that accepts cardboard, paper, batteries, glass, aluminum... and ELECTRONICS!

People can drop any electronics item off in this huge shipping container at this recycling drop-off area. I've seen TV's, VCR's, DVD players, telephones, answering machines, microwaves, computer monitors, printers, computers, etc etc etc...

Is this a potential gold mine for sources of laser diodes, like from the CD or DVD drives from computers? What about laser printers? What else might have a LD inside, ripe for harvesting? Or would this "pile" of electronics stuff just be a waste of time to look through, with the hopes of finding something useful?

I would think that if it's acceptable to drop items off for recycling, it would be acceptable to take some items out of the pile, too? Wouldn't you think? I'm not talking about loading my car full of stuff, but maybe a computer w/ a drive here and there occasionally wouldn't hurt?

If this is a possible source of LD sources for DIY projects, should I be looking for a specific "x" factor on the drives? What kind of drive has a non-IR LD? I think it's only DVD drives that have anything useful, right? I don't want just a CD burner drive, right?

I don't want to waste my time looking for stuff if nothing is of any value. On the other hand, if there is anything of possible value to a DIY laser enthusiast, I may have a gold mine here!

So, any of your thoughts on this potential "source" would be appreciated.

In many jurisdictions, the items in the dumpster are considered the property of the recycling company and removing them would constitute theft. You might be better off approaching the company and asking if it would be possible to get a few dvd burner drives, etc. Photocopiers and laser printers can have useful optics. Grab any broken LCD projectors, again good optics.

yeah I have to agree... People give the company their stuff for recycling but the company does sell it for scrap metal.. they could in theory sue you for loss of profit, theft ect. I would ask before I take anything.

BTW look for blu-ray drives, dvd drives and anything with optics like billg said!

Oh, well yeah, I should have clarified that I would make sure it's OK with the owners of the recycling bins if I grabbed some stuff. I know they keep the area under video surveillance, because a year ago when I moved, I had a TON of cardboard to drop off. I was there a while unloading it and tossing it into the dumpsters, and after a little while I had a security guard drive up in an SUV to "check" on me. We actually stood there chatting for 30 minutes after I emptied my minivan. LOL.

But I was planning on double-checking first. Sorry for the worries with legalities.

So, if I do get permission to grab a few things, I should go for:

Blu-Ray DVD drives
Regular DVD drives
Copiers
Laser printers

Thanks guys!

You can also pull some power supplies, fans, and heat sinks from the PCs.

Oh, yeah! Heat sinks and power! I might need those, too. Thanks!

NE time.

I would get some power supplys and fans! Also maybe some LED's if you see some nice ones.

I grabbed my current desk power supply from my school dumpster... along with my labbie-in-progress heatsink and fan. Unfortunately, the drive was not a DVD burner. And is dumpster diving really illegal? In montana, this small dumpster area always has 10+ people in it looking for stuff, maybe it's a public dumpster or something.

Flat bed scanners have several FS mirrors inside and old poliroid cameras too. PCs have a great PSs with several voltages to choose from- plus heatsinks and fans. Computer repair shops will often give you old burner drives etc. if you ask nice- and dc motors are in most everything --nice small ones inside some old 35mm cameras. Combo printer-scanners sometimes have a multi-sided mirrors mounted on a motor and driver board- makes a great liquid sky effect---If you have any spare time offer to volunteer your time at any non-profit thrift shop and you will get more stuff to harvest than you have time to do it(my problem at the moment) the list is endless!!!!!

ossumguywill said:

I grabbed my current desk power supply from my school dumpster... along with my labbie-in-progress heatsink and fan. Unfortunately, the drive was not a DVD burner. And is dumpster diving really illegal? In montana, this small dumpster area always has 10+ people in it looking for stuff, maybe it's a public dumpster or something.

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In some places it is. Some people are cocksuckers I guess. I remember last summer when gasoline was almost $5 a gallon here in NYC, people were stealing the oil from the dumpsters of fast food restaurants in order to convert it to bio-fuel. Before the economic crisis no one would have said anything about it, after all garbage is garbage. But since companies started to realize they could get $ for their waste they made a big stink about it. Gotta love the capitalist pigs over here in the US.

mfo said:

In some places it is. Some people are cocksuckers I guess. I remember last summer when gasoline was almost $5 a gallon here in NYC, people were stealing the oil from the dumpsters of fast food restaurants in order to convert it to bio-fuel. Before the economic crisis no one would have said anything about it, after all garbage is garbage. But since companies started to realize they could get $ for their waste they made a big stink about it. Gotta love the capitalist pigs over here in the US.

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lol, america f**k yeah.

the best thing you can do is make friend's with people @ the electronic recycle center's . i get 80% of my part's from them. . i also get old dvd drive's,power supply's and other stuff from a few local mom&pop computer store's.

Dont swear please oss. Use ******

Tech_Junkie said:

Dont swear please oss. Use ******

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there goes freedom of speech too.... lol j/k sorry fix'd

Thanks bro. We try to keep it somewhat clean. In real life I swear all the time.

In most states its illegal to dumpster dive, because it become a liability to the dumpster's owners if you get hurt. In the town I grew up in you cant even pick trash. Someone found a painting in the trash, and it was worth a few thousand dollars. The people who threw it out put up such a stink they made a law that no one can go though someones trash no matter where it is.