>> The real long-term future of computing consists of figuring out how to make the best possible use we can out of the literal millions of devices which already exist.
You’re reading[^shortcut-print] *A Field Guide for Salvaging Sound Devices*. Here we'll explore the practical side of salvage computing: is it possible to *live off* (create with) electronic components salvaged in the wild? And what would such a practice entail?
Salvaging is the act of making use of computational resources that already exists, however, not in hardware stores or pre-filled webshop carts, but on landfills and hidden away in storage boxes. According to Jennifer Gabrys, salvaging is not just about re-using materials, but also about confronting the systems that created the waste in the first place. [@gabrysSalvage2012]. Because waste is not just that what is discarded[^discarded], but also about hazardous waste sites in Silicon Valley [@calmaWomenWhoMade2025]and in developing countries where to this date we in the Netherlands ship our waste to, about the waste that is created when creating new parts and components in said factories.
A big reason for this increasing amount of waste is, surprise surprise, the amount of technology that is being created. My *innovative* electric tooth has bluetooth. And with issues like a lack of repairability possibilities, topping it off with a sniff technological obsolescence, more on that later but it causes us to want shiny new instead of used and old, you’ll get an hazardous e-waste cocktail that is difficult to swallow.
[^discarded]: Een fact over hoeveel er weg wordt gegooid
This notion of buying new is visible in the DIY Synth community as well [^GAS]. When publishing about a project it’s common practice to share a pre-filled webshop cart along with the schematics, or even sold as a KIT[^KIT]. These pre-made lego-like sets not only causes us as students to buy new parts out of convenience, but by only publishing the *solution*, and not discussing the design process and it’s challenges, we are not developing the much needed problem solving skills [@CooperativeExperimentalismSharing]. To me, this goes against a core ethos of DIY, where you make with a limited budget and a lack of resources[@hertzArtDIYElectronics2023]. Because what if that one ultra important part is no longer produced?
<ins>Feedback: Leg dit uit voor de lezer, hoe verhoud jouw verhaal zich tot de 'systems that created the waste in the first place'? Dit kan terugkomen in je laatste hoofdstuk (reflectie)</ins>
This is where my interpretation of salvaging could come into play.
”Salvage computing believes that the end of a computer product’s lifecycle should be seen as a moment of celebration”[@lulinvegaHolisticApproachComputing]. Instead of noting down a time of death, the obsolete device could be the start of something new. Trough this thesis & project, I want to challenge my own idea that buying new hardware is quicker then salvaging for hardware. This thesis will be a field guide for the salvaging from- and reusing of abandoned/obsolete media, to create sound devices.
Within the DIY Sound community, DIWO workshops are a common way of sharing knowledge [@richardsDIYElectronicMusic2013], similarly to repair, which is a historically social activity, where skills are passed by the generations. Fixing your bike is a very dad type thing. By joining & hosting workshops and gatherings around repair and repurposing, I’ve noticed how empowering it can be to take back this autonomy. This guide itself is created during and around so-called *(un)repair nights[^unrepair-night]* at the klankschool[^about-klankschool]. I would really encourage you to do DIWO this guide too. The frustrating process that can be learning electronics is much better to manage when shared.
[^about-klankschool]:[klankschool](https://klank.school) is a Rotterdam based community of sound practitioners and amateur repair people.
[^tinkering-methodologies]: TODO: Tinkering methodologies is coming from “Zombie Media: Circuit Bending Media Archaeology into an Art Method” although I don’t really know what to add about that here, even though I do want to mention it.
On that note, I am by no means and expert in electronics. When I write about how things work, please take it with a grain of salt. It's 'my' logic, and i'm sure it's full of incorrect assumptions. If you have improvements, feel free to reach out, or create a pull request with your improvements.
<ins>Feedback: er staat nu nog niets over how to print</ins>
