I just found this place near me that sell ex-corporate computers. It seems I could get a C2D for less than $200, with 1-2mb memory and at least 80gb hard drive. This is looking interesting. The company does sell P4s around $80 or higher, depending on system specs. I believe I read they offer at least 90 days warranty.

In Southern IL!

Thnx.

Computer repair centers can't replace a capacitor?

Hi,

Locally we had a recycle fair this weekend. Recyclers are not always willing to or have the abilities to diagnose problems thus the machines are stripped. Then the parts are recycled.

I will get some of those in bulk (pallets), then test & repair. Put those machines out to people who cannot afford to buy a new complete system. Sometimes I'll get my time out of it but most times it's granted to older people or kids to have a working system. Right now I've been limited because past accident that caused physical issues from performing at a bench.

Back into it, limited now!

My suggestion to the OP is check out the recyclers. If you have any electronic experience then that would be a plus. Sometimes you can get away with shot gunning parts for a system. It might be a PSU or just a capacitor on the MB. Sometimes a cleaning will get the system up an going. I've opened systems that look like a rats nest with so much lent, dirt & hair that stopped fans thus causing over heating then shutdown.

Most people place their systems on the floor and the intake of dirt. Without a regular maintenance schedule the system will eventually shutdown. Most people now treat systems as throw away or expendable. A good reason to purchase new for some. In these economical times more people are not always dropping money to replace the system but request maintenance & repair. The ones that can afford a machine will just junk a old system for a new one.

You should see what can be had for a few bucks and a little time on the bench to get one going again. $$$

+1 to onebuck above.

I've been given more machines than I can count by people who dont maintain the system, or better yet just get a new system when windows get bit-rot.

Depending on the setup, hat could be a good deal, or it could be not that good at all. You can build a new Core2Duo from newegg for not much more than that. $90 barebones system, $45-70 on a CPU, $15 (512MB)-$30 (1GB) on RAM, $35-40 (160GB+) on a HDD, $20 on a DVD-RW). Mind you that would be a pretty 'meh' system.

The places that sell 2nd hand systems have a very good idea of what a 'meh' new system would cost you, and price according to that.

The older (but still 'new') systems are sold on what you can get a newer system for as well...not much more could get a much newer AMD AM3 DDR3 system. $60 Athon II X2 CPU, $30 case + PSU, $50 motherboard, $15 (1GB)- $20 (2GB), same HDD and DVD prices.

I probably wont buy either of those new systems though.

You'd be surprised.

Since you can get pallets of x-corporate machines for very little (I've heard of people buying a pallet of 20-30 P4s for less than $150) a lot of places figure that its more cost effective to just throw away any machines with bad caps.

Of course, if you go into a computer repair show with a decent machine and ask them to replace a cap, they normally will, but its going to cost you. Probably 1-2 hrs worth of labour, which most places will charge you $100-200+ for, and maybe $10 in caps (those prices, like junkyard prices, will depend on who you are, what you look like, how busy they are and how much competition there is). Even then most of the repair places I've seen will, heh, 'encourage' you to get an new machine rather than repair.

Nope. I have allready 3 good LGA 775 / DDR2 boards that they threw cause of 1-5 bad capacitors. Took me 5 min + capacitors from another bad board to repair each

Not to mentoun one of them was thrown along with Pentium 4 CPU and intact 512 M ram

Hi,

Nice!

People just do not realize that things can be as simple as a part change. If your not handy with a solder iron and solder suck then do not attempt. You will probably damage the board or mask if the part is not removed properly. Make sure to not undersize the capacitor's working voltage or size.

Remember the new MB are multi-layer boards and through holes must be clean & clear to make a good solder joint through the board hole component contact.
Do not over use the the solder and be sure to have the proper solder gauge. Size will depend on your experience but .031in 21gauge 60/40 resin core will do. Most of the solder available today for use is low melting temp. Remember this is a electrical bond for the leads not mechanical. Some components have spacers for the leads while other do not. Very important! If you happen to damage the mask and use too much solder then you can short between contact pads.

Do not use that bulky Iron on it. Plus make sure it is a grounded unit. Low watt irons are not that expensive. You can buy some nice battery power units at a far cost if you want to make this type of repair. I have several but I like power controllable units for bench repairs.

Keep yourself, board & tools at the same ground potential or you will most likely damage components on the board. You will need to remove the motherboard from the chassis so be sure to work on the board grounded, plus you should be at the same potential. Don't wear your panty hose or that synthetic shirt/blouse/Lab coat.

Discharge your body using something metal to ground then connect that wrist strap. Especially if the humidity is low!

Happy hunting!

I'm surprised no one thinks ebay is a good place to look. 4 months ago I purchased a 2.8ghz P4 with 1gig ram, a DVD drive, and a working 40GB hard drive for $25, plus another $20 for shipping. It runs PCLinux like a champ, even with KDE and a boatload of apps.

I do in fact write a guide for this. Allready made the photos, will make it Creative Commons

Actually I recommend using a high powered iron 40 - 60 W. The conductor layers in the boardsink a lot of heat and freeze 25 W irons (I have 2 x 25 W irons so I use both together to melt the joints in those places)

Hi,

I really do not need that much power. I've got some good temperature controlled units(variable wide range) that work great. Not your average hobbyist type equipment but pro grade.

On occasion I need to set solder to joints that are really being difficult. That way you can get a even flow to get the lead out then clear the hole. Not much dissipated when done right. Irons that maintain the temp are the way to go if you ask me. My equipment is old but still does the job. I still have the first manual solder suck, can't get teflon tips for this model any longer so must be gentile. Manual suck is great when you have to be away from the bench. You can always try wick if that's the only thing you have. It's hard carrying the electronic suck around to bulky with pump and power unit. Stays on the bench, rather under the bench. Reminds me, I need to clear the bench again. Too much clutter.

I scooped up pounds of lead based solder for the shop, probably have at least 5 1# 21 gauge full rolls left. Smaller stuff is long gone so need to use the newer stuff.

Bench repair is art, not a lot of people are still doing chip level repairs. Some think surface mount is to hard. Not if you have the right equipment and experience! I need to be careful now since my asthma is bad, so I use a vent system (homebrew). Just a cage(box) with a fan pulling away resin and vapors. KISS! Interior collects contaminants to the surface as things cool. Just washable metal mesh filter to collect things that don't stay on surfaces thus protecting the fan. Wash the filter! If things get to bad then build another box. I thought about a charged particle box but that's on TODO list that is waaay to long already. Retirement is nice but too many things to get done!

My wife has decided that I'm having too much fun. So she is retiring this fall. We'll see?

It's good that you are writing a good tutorial/HOWTO.

I use the cheapest irons - simple heating element across mains voltage

To clean the holes i solder in a steel pin (one that does not solder well so it gets out easy to free the hole), then solder it out with very litle heat so that the solder is not liquid enough to close the hole

I find that solder wick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desolde...id#Solder_wick) is best for unsoldering components and removing unwanted solder.