Why you should strip Power Supplies

Originally Posted by armygreywolf

I started with 216lbs (40 power supplies ranging from cheap dells to decent but too old to use ATX/ITX units from K7 machines and Pentiums)
My cost $65
Break Down time: 70 minutes (probably could go faster but it was cold and I warmed up my hands a few times, if your doing it inside you should take no more than a minute per with a yellow handled tin snips, screwgun, flathead screwdriver and mechanics gloves)

Shred: 131lbs: $.12/lb $15.72
Copper Wire: 17lbs: $.78/lb $13.26
#2 Copper: 21lbs: $2.70/lb $56.70
Aluminum Extrusion: 19lbs: $.61/lb $11.59
Copper Back Transistors: 2.1lbs $1.75/lb $3.67
ICs: 1lb $2.50/lb $2.50
EPROMS: 1lb $4.00/lb $4.00
Low Grade Boards (Depop) 22lbs $ .12/lb $2.64



$110.08
- $65
- 1 hour labor@ 10-12hr

I would love to know more of your methods. I broke down roughly 50 over the past two months as filler when I had nothing else to scrap. The case is easy to take off, but I would probably spend 5-10 minutes depopulating the board. Granted, I was watching TV at the time, but still I can't see myself doing a complete unit in 1 minute 45 seconds even with my full focus. Perhaps a factor slowing me down is that I do these in my living room, and don't want to break the boards inside my house. I'll probably be working these in as filler next winter.

My method is to use channel locks to pull off the transformers, and wire cutters to cut the wires. Usually the heat sinks have several transistors attached with a screw and a nut on the other side. Getting the needlenose to hold the nut sometimes requires popping off a big capacitor. Sometimes there's no other way to get a screwdriver to reach the head other than to break the board in half. Also, breaking down the transforming coils down to the bare copper takes time. Usually a tap with the sledge and pulling two ends with pliars does it - but probably 10 seconds per on those.

On your breakdown, My experience is 80% of the heatsinks I get are not extruded, they are the sheet of AL with several tabs cut and the tabs bent alternating ways. Also, how many transformers did you get out of this? Each one should have a few of the ones with yellow paper wrapping them, and those take forever to break down.