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HTML
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<title>Index29 - 09 June 2025</title>
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<body>
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<main>
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<section>
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<section template-type="front">
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<section class="meta">
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<span data-generated-date>09 June 2025</span>
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<span data-publication-title>Index</span>
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</section>
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<header>
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<h2>A field guide to</h2>
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<h1>Salvaging Sound Devices</h1>
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<h5>Rosa Schuurmans</h5>
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</header>
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<footer>
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<p>
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Adviser: Marloes de Valk <br>
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Second Reader: Aymeric Mansoux <br>
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Word count: 7616 words
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</p>
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</footer>
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</section>
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<section template-type="chapter">
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<article>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="-1-intro.html">-1-intro.md</a></li>
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<li><a href="0-gather.html">0-gather.md</a></li>
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<li><a href="1-dismantling.html">1-dismantling.md</a></li>
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<li><a
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href="2-component-salvaging.html">2-component-salvaging.md</a></li>
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<li><a href="3-recipes.html">3-recipes.md</a></li>
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<li><a href="4-reflection.html">4-reflection.md</a></li>
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<li><a href="5-bib.md">5-bib.md</a></li>
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||
</ul>
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</article>
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</section>
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<section template-type="chapter">
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<article>
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<section class="meta">
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<span data-chapter-title>Introduction</span>
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</section>
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<header>
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<h1>Introduction</h1>
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||
</header>
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<blockquote>
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||
<blockquote>
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||
<p>The real long-term future of computing consists of figuring out how
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to make the best possible use we can out of the literal millions of
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devices which already exist.</p>
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</blockquote>
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||
</blockquote>
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||
<p><cite>(Solderpunk, 2020, Cited in de Valk, 2022) <span
|
||
style="display: none;"><span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="devalkSalvagedComputing2024">(de Valk,
|
||
2024)</span></span></cite></p>
|
||
<p>Beware! If you’ve picked up this publication expecting to learn how
|
||
to make a flawless, DAW-less, in tune and always working polysynth,
|
||
think again. However, if you, like me, are interested in making screamy,
|
||
dreamy, sound devices using components you can find <em>in the
|
||
wild</em>, you’ve come to the right place.</p>
|
||
<p>When I first read about salvage computing, I got very excited. Being
|
||
part of the DIY Sound community, as a sound practitioner and hardware
|
||
hacker, I’ve developed a growing discomfort with some aspects of the
|
||
practice. Within the DIY Sound community, DIWO workshops are a common
|
||
way of sharing knowledge <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="richardsDIYMakerCommunities2017">(Richards, 2017)</span>,
|
||
covering a wide range of topics, from the construction to bending and
|
||
hacking and live coding. Over the past few years, I’ve hosted workshops
|
||
around circuit bending<a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a> and LOFI sound devices in and around
|
||
Rotterdam. These workshops are meant as an accessible way to get people
|
||
tinkering with electronics, through something infinitely playful: making
|
||
instruments<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>In an ecosystem where a printer is only printing with a costly
|
||
subscription <a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>, disruptive products become obsolete
|
||
within a year<a href="#fn4" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>, fixing your own flat tires is
|
||
outsourced <a href="#fn5" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a> and some smartphones literally have
|
||
to be frozen to be able to replace the battery <a href="#fn6"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref6" role="doc-noteref"><sup>6</sup></a>,
|
||
it’s clear we’re no longer in charge of our own devices. Warranty-void
|
||
stickers and lengthy terms and conditions scare us into compliance.</p>
|
||
<p>First time soldering workshops can be very empowering in taking back
|
||
this autonomy by making (or breaking) a circuit together<a href="#fn7"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref7" role="doc-noteref"><sup>7</sup></a>.
|
||
They are a shared attempt to uncover some of the black boxes in our own
|
||
products <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012">(Hertz and Parikka,
|
||
2012)</span>. However, the toys and materials used in the workshops are
|
||
single-use <a href="#fn8" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref8"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>8</sup></a> and, with ease, thrown out
|
||
afterward. The carelessness notion creeps in that waste has no value,
|
||
and is easily replaceable, and broke my heart a bit, one workshop at a
|
||
time.</p>
|
||
<p>This is where the field guide comes into play: Can we shift the
|
||
practice of playful tinkering to acknowledge, rather than ignore, the
|
||
waste streams they are part of? Limiting ourselves to only use salvaged
|
||
components and discovering; is it possible to live off (create with)
|
||
electronic components salvaged in the wild? And what would such a
|
||
practice entail?</p>
|
||
<p>Because salvage is not just about reusing materials; but about
|
||
confronting the systems that create the waste in the first place. Not
|
||
only the obsolete media but also the by-product of the entire production
|
||
lifecycle of an electronic product; From the mining of minerals that
|
||
make up the hardware to the inevitable disposal site <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="gabrysSalvage2012">(Gabrys, 2012)</span>.
|
||
Since the rate at which waste is collected and recycled isn’t growing at
|
||
the same pace as our collective buying and production, the landfills
|
||
will continue to grow. Parikka even goes as far to say as that recycling
|
||
is ultimately “waste-trade”, where our abandoned devices are shipped
|
||
across the ocean <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="parikkaDustMatter2012">(Parikka, 2012)</span>.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="beyond-the-kit">Beyond the kit</h2>
|
||
<p>The preference for buying new is noticeable in the DIY synth
|
||
community as well. When publishing a project, it’s common to share a
|
||
pre-filled webshop cart along with the schematics or even sell it as a
|
||
pre-compiled kit<a href="#fn9" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref9"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>9</sup></a>. To me, this goes against the ethos
|
||
of DIY that resonates with me the most: making do with what you have,
|
||
with a focus on doing, and not the outcome <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="hertzArtDIYElectronics2023">(Hertz, 2023)</span>. Instead, a
|
||
whole market is created for Lego-like kits. These kits gloss over the
|
||
challenges and difficulties of creating sound devices, preventing the
|
||
development of much-needed problem-solving skills, and not actually
|
||
discovering anything new <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="CooperativeExperimentalismSharing">(Brown, Ferguson and
|
||
Bennett, 2019)</span>.</p>
|
||
<p>Instead, what you will learn to build using this guide is a starting
|
||
point. Small electronic circuits that produce sound on their own, but
|
||
can also be duplicated, manipulated, and modulated <a href="#fn10"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref10" role="doc-noteref"><sup>10</sup></a>,
|
||
while diving into the questions around the practice of salvaging. The
|
||
guide is tested, tinkered, and tweaked during (un)repair cafe evenings
|
||
at the Klankschool<a href="#fn11" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref11"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>11</sup></a>. In these hangouts we modify, hack
|
||
and repair devices together.</p>
|
||
<p>The guide is split up into the different stages of salvaging:</p>
|
||
<h4 id="gathering-hardware">1. Gathering hardware</h4>
|
||
<p><em>We trace where to find discarded electronics and how industry
|
||
practices shape what ends up in the trash.</em></p>
|
||
<h4 id="dismantling-devices">2. Dismantling devices</h4>
|
||
<p><em>Opening up devices to uncover design strategies that prevent
|
||
access</em></p>
|
||
<h4 id="components-to-salvage">3. Components to salvage</h4>
|
||
<p><em>Identifying and extracting useful components—motors, sensors,
|
||
chips, while diving deeper in their material.</em></p>
|
||
<h4 id="recipes-for-making">4. Recipes for making</h4>
|
||
<p><em>Methods for building sound devices.</em></p>
|
||
<h4 id="taking-inventory">5. Taking inventory</h4>
|
||
<p><em>Time to clean the workbench and reflect</em></p>
|
||
<p>Happy scavenging!</p>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/transistorOSC_white.webp" class="img--fullpage"
|
||
alt="A sound device" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">A sound device</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-CooperativeExperimentalismSharing" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Brown, A., Ferguson, J. and Bennett, A. (2019) <span>‘Cooperative
|
||
<span>Experimentalism</span>: <span>Sharing</span> to enhance electronic
|
||
media’</span>, in. <em>Proceedings of the <span>International
|
||
Symposium</span> on <span>Electronic Art</span>
|
||
(<span>ISEA2019</span>)</em>, pp. 480–483. Available at: <a
|
||
href="http://hdl.handle.net/10072/409917">http://hdl.handle.net/10072/409917</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-chokkattuWhatYourDefunct2025" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Chokkattu, J. (2025) <em>What to <span>Do With Your Defunct Humane Ai
|
||
Pin</span></em>. Wired. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://www.wired.com/story/what-to-do-with-your-humane-ai-pin/">https://www.wired.com/story/what-to-do-with-your-humane-ai-pin/</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 13 March 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-devalkSalvagedComputing2024" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
de Valk, M. (2024) <span>‘Salvaged computing’</span>, <em>Damaged
|
||
<span>Earth Catalog</span></em>. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://damaged.bleu255.com/Salvage_Computing">https://damaged.bleu255.com/Salvage_Computing</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-gabrysSalvage2012" class="csl-entry" role="listitem">
|
||
Gabrys, J. (2012) <span>‘Salvage’</span>, in <em>Depletion design: A
|
||
glossary of network ecologies</em>. Amsterdam: Institute of Network
|
||
Cultures (Theory on demand, 8). Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://issuu.com/instituteofnetworkcultures/docs/tod_8_depletion_design">https://issuu.com/instituteofnetworkcultures/docs/tod_8_depletion_design</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-hachmanNightmareRealHP2024" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Hachman, M. (2024) <em>The nightmare is real: <span>HP</span> makes
|
||
printing a monthly subscription</em>. PCWorld. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/2251993/the-nightmare-is-real-hp-makes-printing-a-subscription.html">https://www.pcworld.com/article/2251993/the-nightmare-is-real-hp-makes-printing-a-subscription.html</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 14 April 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-havardEssentialPhoneTeardown2017" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Havard, S. (2017) <em>Essential <span>Phone Teardown</span></em>.
|
||
iFixit. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Essential+Phone+Teardown/96764">https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Essential+Phone+Teardown/96764</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 14 April 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-hertzArtDIYElectronics2023" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Hertz, G. (2023) <em>Art + <span>DIY</span> electronics</em>. Cambridge,
|
||
Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Hertz, G. and Parikka, J. (2012) <span>‘Zombie media:
|
||
<span>Circuit</span> bending media archaeology into an art
|
||
method’</span>, <em>Leonardo</em>, 45(5), pp. 424–430. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438">https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-parikkaDustMatter2012" class="csl-entry" role="listitem">
|
||
Parikka, J. (2012) <span>‘Dust <span>Matter</span>’</span>, in Institute
|
||
of Network Cultures, <em>Depletion design: A glossary of network
|
||
ecologies</em>. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures (Theory on
|
||
demand, 8), pp. 53–57.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-richardsDIYMakerCommunities2017" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Richards, J. (2017) <span>‘<span>DIY</span> and <span>Maker
|
||
Communities</span> in <span>Electronic Music</span>’</span>, in J.
|
||
d’Escrivan and N. Collins (eds) <em>The <span>Cambridge Companion</span>
|
||
to <span>Electronic Music</span></em>. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge
|
||
University Press (Cambridge <span>Companions</span> to
|
||
<span>Music</span>), pp. 238–257. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316459874.015">https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316459874.015</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>the practice around hacking discarded toys to find sonic
|
||
potential through creating shorts, or sometimes literally bending the
|
||
circuit.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>Making instruments is an engaging way to learn about and
|
||
work with the flow of electricity.<a href="#fnref2"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>HP’s “all-inclusive” printers can only be used with an
|
||
active subscription <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="hachmanNightmareRealHP2024">(Hachman, 2024)</span>.<a
|
||
href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>Humane Inc. Ai Pin closed their servers within one year
|
||
after releasing their <em>A.I. Pin</em>. Now, you can only ask this
|
||
piece of hardware how many batteries it has left <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="chokkattuWhatYourDefunct2025">(Chokkattu, 2025)</span>.<a
|
||
href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>Swapfiets promote their bike subscriptions as “We give
|
||
you a bike that you never have to repair”.<a href="#fnref5"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn6"><p>The Nothing Phone scored a 1/10 in iFixit’s
|
||
repairability score <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="havardEssentialPhoneTeardown2017">(Havard, 2017)</span>.<a
|
||
href="#fnref6" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn7"><p>Especially during a <a
|
||
href="https://www.kunsthal.nl/nl/plan-je-bezoek/activiteiten/friday-night-live-operator/">workshop
|
||
in collaboration with the kunsthal</a>, where it was the first time
|
||
making a circuit for many attendees. It was great to see how people
|
||
without much electronics experience figured out circuit making and
|
||
playing, together.<a href="#fnref7" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn8"><p>and often require much preparation in terms of
|
||
collecting, transporting, repairing, testing, and cleaning.<a
|
||
href="#fnref8" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn9"><figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/bastl_kit.webp" alt="Kit from Bastl Instruments" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Kit from Bastl Instruments</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<a href="#fnref9" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></li>
|
||
<li id="fn10"><p><em>I am by no means an expert in electronics. This
|
||
guide represents my personal understanding of electronics, which, in no
|
||
doubt, contains incorrect assumptions or oversimplifications.</em><a
|
||
href="#fnref10" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn11"><p>Klankschool is a loose-knit group of sonic
|
||
practitioners based in Rotterdam who share a common interest in
|
||
performances, sound art, improvisation and noise. Everyone involved is a
|
||
teacher, student, musician, janitor and more. Check the <a
|
||
href="https://calendar.klank.school/">calendar</a> for the next event!<a
|
||
href="#fnref11" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--cover">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
<span data-chapter-title>Gathering hardware</span>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<h3>Chapter </h3>
|
||
<h1>Gathering hardware</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
<h1>Gathering hardware</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>When salvaging for parts, we are looking for abandoned hardware.
|
||
Hardware that is still fine on the inside but no longer considered as
|
||
functional by its previous owners<a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>. These devices can be a
|
||
literal goldmine of working parts that could be repurposed, as they
|
||
probably still function, it’s the stylistic obsolescence that is the
|
||
problem.</p>
|
||
<p>Remy & Huang argue that the core goals of ICT are simply
|
||
researching new technologies and selling more products <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="remyLimitsSustainableInteraction2015">(Remy
|
||
and Huang, 2015)</span>. To achieve the latter, manufacturers have
|
||
embraced structured obsolescence: the idea that a product has a limited
|
||
lifespan and ought to be consumed and upgraded within a few years <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="sterneOutTrashFuture2007">(Sterne,
|
||
2007)</span>. This strategy is embedded in the manufacturing, marketing
|
||
and even the naming of products <a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref2" role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>. It’s been embedded in
|
||
consumer culture since the late 19th century, originally invented as a
|
||
solution for overproduction <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012">(Hertz and Parikka,
|
||
2012)</span>. As a result, many devices have since been upgraded,
|
||
replaced, devalued, and thrown out, before ever reaching their full
|
||
potential <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="parksFallingApartElectronics2007">(Parks, 2007)</span>. It
|
||
is exactly these machines we are looking for. So, where to find
|
||
them?</p>
|
||
<p>I’ve identified 3 strategies for gathering electronic hardware.</p>
|
||
<h4 id="institutional-discards">1. Institutional discards</h4>
|
||
<p>Offices, schools, museums, or other companies often replace their
|
||
hardware every 5 years, whether it’s broken or not, due to tax
|
||
regulations<a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>. If electronics aren’t central to
|
||
their operations, their leftovers often gather dust. Keep your ears
|
||
open, utilize your network, these forgotten machines could be your best
|
||
source.</p>
|
||
<h4 id="browsing-the-streets">2. Browsing the streets</h4>
|
||
<p>I feel like good waste “comes to you”. Keep your eyes open, look
|
||
around. Actively going on waste walks has not paid off <a href="#fn4"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4" role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>.
|
||
Their chances depend heavily on local waste policies <a href="#fn5"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5" role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a> and
|
||
activities<a href="#fn6" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref6"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>6</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h4 id="donations-from-friends-family">3. Donations from friends &
|
||
family</h4>
|
||
<p>As you enthusiastically keep your friends & family in the loop
|
||
about your salvaging endeavors, you’ll notice the phenomenon of
|
||
donations. Since a sizeable portion of our replaced computing devices
|
||
still reside in our storage units, waiting to be of any value, most
|
||
would be happy to find such a good destination as you <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011">(Gabrys,
|
||
2011)</span>.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="infiltrating-the-waste-stream">Infiltrating the waste
|
||
stream</h2>
|
||
<p>My attempts to create a consistent waste-income through more official
|
||
routes have not been successful. These established waste streams, where
|
||
trash is being collected, organized, and processed in multiple
|
||
facilities, are difficult to trace. Rotterdam collects e-waste via
|
||
official centers and drop-off bins, usually placed inside supermarkets.
|
||
The emphasis is on bringing waste in. What happens after is vague and
|
||
leans heavily on a promise of a circular economy<a href="#fn7"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref7"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>7</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>Consumer devices can be returned to the manufacturer through
|
||
recycling programs. Here too, it’s unclear what exactly happens with the
|
||
returned devices, and the program is always part of a customer journey
|
||
<a href="#fn8" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref8"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>8</sup></a>. This relieves the consumer of the
|
||
disposal responsibility but keeps the cycle of buying new unaltered.</p>
|
||
<p>Trying to engage with these streams differently, by salvaging, not
|
||
just discarding, is nearly impossible. Access is tightly controlled.
|
||
Waste is only moved when it can be translated into monetary value, and
|
||
even then, only in bulk. Taking from recycling centers is prohibited;
|
||
solo salvaging has no place in this transaction<a href="#fn9"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref9"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>9</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="pick-your-battles">Pick your battles</h2>
|
||
<p>When inspecting a device for salvage possibilities, I try to imagine
|
||
what the inside of the device looks like. What kind of components might
|
||
I find? Are there any motors or moving parts? What kind of material is
|
||
the device made of? What time period does it come from? Which companies
|
||
manufactured the device and its parts? Is there an audio signal on the
|
||
inside? Do I see any use for it now?</p>
|
||
<p>If I don’t expect much, I’ll leave it for the next person to
|
||
salvage.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-fennisOntologyElectronicWaste2022" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Fennis, M. (2022) <span>‘Ontology <span>Of Electronic
|
||
Waste</span>’</span>. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://vigia.tech/1159-2/">https://vigia.tech/1159-2/</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Gabrys, J. (2011) <em>Digital <span>Rubbish</span>: <span>A Natural
|
||
History</span> of <span>Electronics</span></em>. University of Michigan
|
||
Press. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp">https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Hertz, G. and Parikka, J. (2012) <span>‘Zombie media:
|
||
<span>Circuit</span> bending media archaeology into an art
|
||
method’</span>, <em>Leonardo</em>, 45(5), pp. 424–430. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438">https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-parksFallingApartElectronics2007" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Parks, L. (2007) <span>‘Falling <span>Apart</span>: <span>Electronics
|
||
Salvaging</span> and the <span>Global Media Economy</span>’</span>, in
|
||
Acland, C. R., <em>Residual <span>Media</span></em>. Minneapolis:
|
||
University of Minnesota Press, pp. 32–47.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-remyLimitsSustainableInteraction2015" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Remy, C. and Huang, E.M. (2015) <span>‘Limits and sustainable
|
||
interaction design: Obsolescence in a future of collapse and resource
|
||
scarcity’</span>. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.5167/UZH-110997">https://doi.org/10.5167/UZH-110997</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-sterneOutTrashFuture2007" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Sterne, J. (2007) <span>‘Out <span>With</span> the <span>Trash</span>:
|
||
<span>On</span> the <span>Future</span> of <span>New
|
||
Technologies</span>’</span>, in C. Acland (ed.) <em>Residual
|
||
<span>Media</span></em>. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp.
|
||
16–31. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://sterneworks.org/OutwiththeTrash.pdf">https://sterneworks.org/OutwiththeTrash.pdf</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>The spectrum of “still fine” and “no longer deemed as
|
||
functional” is very wide; printers with discontinued cartridges, Blu-ray
|
||
players, an iPhone 8 with a bad battery, or Spotify’s “Car Thing.”<a
|
||
href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 12s, Dyson V12 Absolute. The
|
||
naming itself implies there’s a next version, making yours outdated by
|
||
default.<a href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>Business assets such as laptops and computers are given
|
||
a depreciation rate of 20%, implying a standard lifespan of 5 years for
|
||
tax purposes.<a href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>Artist Unbinair, who works with reverse-engineering
|
||
e-waste, points out that in the early 2000s, going on e-waste walks was
|
||
more beneficial. and squatter communities actively repaired and reused
|
||
these discarded devices. Now that e-waste is channeled into designated
|
||
recycling centers, the waste stream has become more concealed,
|
||
obstructing repair-based reuse <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="fennisOntologyElectronicWaste2022">(Fennis, 2022)</span>.<a
|
||
href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>The municipality waste guide website & app of
|
||
Rotterdam is not functioning and has not been updated since 2022.<a
|
||
href="#fnref5" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn6"><p>In Rotterdam, there are various WhatsApp & Facebook
|
||
groups exchanging geo locations for great trash.<a href="#fnref6"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn7"><p>A model where everything is recycled, nothing is wasted,
|
||
and new raw materials are never needed. A seductive but mostly mythical
|
||
narrative, that keeps consumers consuming.<a href="#fnref7"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn8"><p>For instance, Samsungs recycle program starts with “Step
|
||
1. Buy your new device with trade-in discount on samsung.com”.<a
|
||
href="#fnref8" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn9"><p>My attempts to establish a relationship with the thrift
|
||
shop failed. Out of pity I was allowed to snoop in their garbage bin
|
||
(which was locked away and filled with goodies). Their waste was already
|
||
part of a monetized system, and my presence didn’t fit.<a href="#fnref9"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--cover">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
<span data-chapter-title>Dismantling</span>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<h3>Chapter </h3>
|
||
<h1>Dismantling</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
<h1>Dismantling</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>Once you’ve found a piece of hardware, it’s time to start dismantling
|
||
the device. Let’s set up a workspace where you can easily move your
|
||
device around and keep track of small parts. To take the device apart,
|
||
we will need some tools. Which specifically differ a bit per device, but
|
||
this is what I have in my own toolkit:</p>
|
||
<h4 id="to-open-devices">To open devices</h4>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li>A set of screwdrivers with various bits and sizes <a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a></li>
|
||
<li>Plastic spudger or pick — <em>Used to pry open seams without
|
||
damaging the casing</em></li>
|
||
<li>Saw or utility knife - <em>cut through plastic cases or stubborn
|
||
sections</em></li>
|
||
<li>Flat pliers - <em>for heavy duty pulling</em></li>
|
||
<li>Drill - <em>to drill through stuck and damaged screws</em></li>
|
||
<li>Tweezers</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h4 id="for-salvaging-making">For salvaging & making</h4>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li>Multimeter — <em>Tests components for continuity, resistance, or
|
||
voltage</em></li>
|
||
<li>Soldering iron & solder</li>
|
||
<li>Desoldering pump</li>
|
||
<li>Solder wick</li>
|
||
<li>Flux</li>
|
||
<li>Alligator clips - <em>quickly make connections without
|
||
soldering</em></li>
|
||
<li>Thin copper wire<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a></li>
|
||
<li>Battery powered speakers for listening + audio cable</li>
|
||
<li>9V batteries</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/toolkit_edited.webp" class="img--fullpage"
|
||
alt="Create a toolkit that works for you!" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Create a toolkit that works for
|
||
you!</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<h2 id="opening-up">Opening up</h2>
|
||
<p>It’s not always clear where to start. Grabbing a heavy duty tool
|
||
immediately could result in permanent damage. It is better to start more
|
||
carefully. In some cases, product manufacturers provide service
|
||
manuals<a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>. But in most cases, we’re left to
|
||
figure it out ourselves. Fortunately, online communities like IFixIt
|
||
create their own teardown guides, that can sometimes give us a head
|
||
start.</p>
|
||
<p>Let’s take a look at the device. Can you spot any screws? They might
|
||
be hidden behind warranty stickers<a href="#fn4" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref4" role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a> or tucked away in
|
||
obscure corners. I find it helpful to follow the seams of the casing.
|
||
Especially with plastic enclosures, it’s not just screws—look for small
|
||
tabs or glue holding things together.</p>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/openingup.webp"
|
||
title="Following the seams of the device"
|
||
alt="Following the seams of the device" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Following the seams of the
|
||
device</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p>If you manage to create a small slit gap in a seam, insert a thin
|
||
plastic pic and carefully push it along the seam. There might be small
|
||
tabs holding the casing together. If the manufacturer really didn’t want
|
||
you to get in there, they’ve glued it all up, and it is impossible to
|
||
get in the device without causing permanent damage<a href="#fn5"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>Disassembly is really about patience and finding those small gaps in
|
||
the enclosures, pulling and pushing until you’ve dismantled the entire
|
||
device. Did you manage? Amazing! You’re now staring at the messy,
|
||
material reality of your device<a href="#fn6" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref6" role="doc-noteref"><sup>6</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="uncovering-black-boxes">Uncovering black boxes</h2>
|
||
<p>Through design choices like hiding screws, heat stakes<a href="#fn7"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref7" role="doc-noteref"><sup>7</sup></a>,
|
||
strong adhesive, and using various screw sizes, it becomes clear: the
|
||
manufacturer really does not want you in there. These are black boxes by
|
||
design, destined to become obsolete, as replacement parts are not
|
||
available, and critical components are not interchangeable. The only
|
||
option is to buy an entirely new product again.</p>
|
||
<p>The act of black boxing are an attempt to keep us unconsciously
|
||
incompetent, and increases the distance between the consumer and the
|
||
materiality of the device. The modern laptop is silent, not giving any
|
||
indication of whatever is happening on the inside, or its material
|
||
origins. It is only when something breaks, that their materiality
|
||
becomes a reality again <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012">(Hertz and Parikka,
|
||
2012)</span> <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="emersonSixDifficultInconvenient2021">(Emerson,
|
||
2021)</span>.</p>
|
||
<p>It is by opening the devices, however, that we can rediscover
|
||
materiality. Then it becomes clear that what may appear so robust,
|
||
seamless, and futuristic on the outside is fragile, breakable and almost
|
||
futile on the inside. With the Multimeter we can track the traces from
|
||
the speaker to the microchip to the microphone. Or is there something
|
||
else in between?</p>
|
||
<section id="discoveries-at-the-unrepair-cafe" class="image-list">
|
||
<h2>Discoveries at the (un)repair cafe</h2>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/angles_2_edited.webp"
|
||
alt="The PCB has used ribbon wires to make an angled connection. This makes disconnecting, and later putting it back, a difficult task" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">The PCB has used ribbon wires to make an
|
||
angled connection. This makes disconnecting, and later putting it back,
|
||
a difficult task</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/dismanteling_2.webp"
|
||
alt="This speaker had no visible screws on the outside. 4 screws where found removing glued on protective caps" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">This speaker had no visible screws on the
|
||
outside. 4 screws where found removing glued on protective
|
||
caps</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/dismanteling_edited_noise2.webp"
|
||
alt="The last screw was even better hidden. It was found behind a sticker labeling the two input ports of the device" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">The last screw was even better hidden. It
|
||
was found behind a sticker labeling the two input ports of the
|
||
device</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/obscure_labels.webp"
|
||
alt="Manufacturer deliberately obscured the label of this chip" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Manufacturer deliberately obscured the
|
||
label of this chip</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/smallscrews.webp"
|
||
alt="The camera contained a variety of screw sizes" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">The camera contained a variety of screw
|
||
sizes</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-aragonWarrantyVoidStickers2023" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Aragon, N. (2023) <em>Warranty <span>Void Stickers</span>:
|
||
<span>Are</span> they legal outside the <span>US</span>?</em> iFixit.
|
||
Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://www.ifixit.com/News/74736/warranty-void-stickers-are-illegal-in-the-us-what-about-elsewhere">https://www.ifixit.com/News/74736/warranty-void-stickers-are-illegal-in-the-us-what-about-elsewhere</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 20 April 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-emersonSixDifficultInconvenient2021" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Emerson, L. (2021) <em>Six (<span>Difficult</span> and
|
||
<span>Inconvenient</span>) <span>Values</span> to <span>Reclaim</span>
|
||
the <span>Future</span> with <span>Old Media</span></em>. Available at:
|
||
<a
|
||
href="https://loriemerson.net/2021/11/21/six-difficult-and-inconvenient-values-to-reclaim-the-future-with-old-media%ef%bf%bc/">https://loriemerson.net/2021/11/21/six-difficult-and-inconvenient-values-to-reclaim-the-future-with-old-media%ef%bf%bc/</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 5 January 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-hertzZombieMediaCircuit2012" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Hertz, G. and Parikka, J. (2012) <span>‘Zombie media:
|
||
<span>Circuit</span> bending media archaeology into an art
|
||
method’</span>, <em>Leonardo</em>, 45(5), pp. 424–430. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438">https://doi.org/10.1162/LEON_a_00438</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Apple designed their own <em>pentalobe</em> screws for
|
||
their products. When first released in 2009, no hardware store sold
|
||
these bits, locking you out of your device.<a href="#fnref1"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>These save you from stripping wires repeatedly. I found
|
||
mine cheaply in the model-making store.<a href="#fnref2"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>These manuals contain valuable information that can help
|
||
you to understand the device and to take it apart. <a
|
||
href="https://elektrotanya.com/panasonic_rs-768us.pdf/download.html#dl"><img
|
||
src="./chapters/trouble-shoot.png"
|
||
alt="This repair manual that passed the (un)Repair Cafe contains a schematic, disassembly information, parts list and multiple trouble shooting guides" /></a><a
|
||
href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>Warranty stickers seem intimidating but are not legally
|
||
binding, as warranties are dictated by consumer laws <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="aragonWarrantyVoidStickers2023">(Aragon,
|
||
2023)</span>.<a href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>A hot air gun could help to dissolve the glue, or you
|
||
could cut out the plastic using a knife or drill.<a href="#fnref5"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn6"><p>The inside can tell you more about the time the device
|
||
was made in. For instance, I mostly find aluminum and iron type
|
||
materials on the inside of older machines.<a href="#fnref6"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn7"><p>Plastic pins that are melted to hold parts in place.<a
|
||
href="#fnref7" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--cover">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
<span data-chapter-title>Components</span>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<h3>Chapter </h3>
|
||
<h1>Components</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
<h1>Components</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>Once you’ve broken your device down into its individual puzzle
|
||
pieces, we can zoom in on them more closely. Is there anything that
|
||
immediately sparks your interest? Did you already uncover unexpected
|
||
materials? Chances are you uncovered one or more Printed Circuit Boards
|
||
(PCBs), and—very generally speaking—some kind of input and output
|
||
components, all connected by several types of wire<a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>.
|
||
For example, inside a digital picture frame I found a power input, a
|
||
battery, a screen, speakers, a two-sided PCB, and an antenna.</p>
|
||
<p>PCBs are populated with either “through hole” (THT) or “surface
|
||
mount” (SMD) components. SMD components are very small and soldered
|
||
directly onto the board’s surface. Their size makes labels hard to read,
|
||
and they’re designed for automated assembly, making them impractical for
|
||
salvage<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>. That’s why I rarely salvage from
|
||
computer-type devices. These usually contain nothing but SMD components
|
||
and lack interesting interactions or mechanical parts.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="desoldering">Desoldering</h2>
|
||
<p>Desoldering components is generally more difficult than soldering and
|
||
requires patience and practice. Ironically, desoldering guns are much
|
||
more expensive than soldering irons, so here’s how I do it, without
|
||
one.</p>
|
||
<p>In a well-ventilated<a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a> room, heat up the blob of solder
|
||
that connects the component to the PCB using a soldering iron. After a
|
||
couple of seconds, you’ll notice the solder becomes liquid<a href="#fn4"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>Then, using tweezers or a plier, I carefully pull the leg out from
|
||
the backside of the board, and then do the same for the other legs. This
|
||
process can take somewhere between 10 seconds and 10 minutes and can be
|
||
both frustrating and meditative.</p>
|
||
<h2 id="common-components">Common components</h2>
|
||
<p>In the next few pages, I’ll briefly address some of the more common
|
||
components. If you want to know more about what each component
|
||
specifically does, I recommend Getting started in electronics <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="mimsGettingStartedElectronics1983">(Mims,
|
||
1983)</span>.</p>
|
||
<p>Many components, like transistors and chips, have datasheets
|
||
available online. You can usually find them by entering the part number,
|
||
often printed directly on the component<a href="#fn5"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5" role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a>,
|
||
into a search engine. While datasheets can be overwhelming and full of
|
||
technical jargon, they typically show a pinout, explaining what each leg
|
||
does, and a description of the component’s behavior.</p>
|
||
<p>In the next chapter, we’ll get into making with the salvaged
|
||
components. The recipes need some specific components, which are
|
||
highlighted below. It’s always wise to have some extra! Components might
|
||
break, speaking from experience, having to stop because you’ve run out
|
||
of working components, is very discouraging.</p>
|
||
<section id="overview-of-common-components" class="table-wide">
|
||
<h2>Overview of common components</h2>
|
||
<table>
|
||
<colgroup>
|
||
<col style="width: 15%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 11%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 28%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 20%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 24%" />
|
||
</colgroup>
|
||
<thead>
|
||
<tr class="header">
|
||
<th><strong>Name</strong></th>
|
||
<th><strong>Category</strong></th>
|
||
<th><strong>Description</strong></th>
|
||
<th><strong>Found in</strong></th>
|
||
<th><strong>Symbol</strong></th>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</thead>
|
||
<tbody>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>555 Timer</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>A small chip that generates pulses</td>
|
||
<td>Timers, LED dimmers</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Capacitor</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Capacitor</td>
|
||
<td>Store a voltage</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Capacitor-IEC-Polarized.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Coil</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Passive</td>
|
||
<td>These funky components can create sounds on their own</td>
|
||
<td>Transformers, relays, wireless charging</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Inductor-COM-Air.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Crystal Oscillator</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Passive</td>
|
||
<td>Generates a frequency that is often used as a clock</td>
|
||
<td>Devices that have processors</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Diode</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Passive</td>
|
||
<td>Forces current to flow in one direction</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Diode-COM-Standard.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Displays</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Output</td>
|
||
<td>Display information</td>
|
||
<td>Monitors, calculators, embedded systems</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>LED</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Output</td>
|
||
<td>Emit a small light</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Diode-COM-LED.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Logic chips</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>Create logic and switches</td>
|
||
<td>Computers, microcontrollers, control circuits</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>MOSFET</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>Not sure yet</td>
|
||
<td>Power supplies, motor control</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Magnet</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Misc</td>
|
||
<td>Electromagnetic applications, motors</td>
|
||
<td>Speakers, hard drives</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Microcontroller</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>Programmable chip, for example the ATmega328</td>
|
||
<td>Embedded systems, Arduino, automation</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Capacitor-IEC-Polarized.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Microphone</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Input</td>
|
||
<td>Record sound</td>
|
||
<td>Phones, vapes</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Audio-IEEE-Microphone.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Motor</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Output</td>
|
||
<td>Spins when a power is applied</td>
|
||
<td>Printers, blenders, vacuums</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>NPN Transistor</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Transistor</td>
|
||
<td>Amplification/switching</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Transistor-COM-BJT-NPN.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Op-Amp</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>Amplifying signals</td>
|
||
<td>Audio circuits, sensors, control systems</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/IC-COM-OpAmp.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>PNP Transistor</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Transistor</td>
|
||
<td>Amplification/switching</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Transistor-COM-BJT-PNP.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Piezo disc</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Ouput/Input</td>
|
||
<td>Records or creates vibrations</td>
|
||
<td>Buzzers, sensors</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Potentiometer</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Resistor</td>
|
||
<td>Limiting voltage through a knob</td>
|
||
<td>Volume knobs, light dimmers</td>
|
||
<td><img
|
||
src="./assets/schematics/Resistor-IEEE-Potentiometer.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Relay</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Switch</td>
|
||
<td>Switches power</td>
|
||
<td>Household appliances</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Relay-COM-COM-SPDT.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong><mark>Resistor</mark></strong></td>
|
||
<td>Resistor</td>
|
||
<td>Limiting voltage</td>
|
||
<td>Everywhere!</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Resistor-IEEE-Standard.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Speaker</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Ouput</td>
|
||
<td>Outputs sound</td>
|
||
<td>Toys, (portable) radios</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Audio-COM-Loudspeaker.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Switches & buttons</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Input</td>
|
||
<td>Interact with the device</td>
|
||
<td>Light switches, keyboards</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Switch-COM-SPST.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Thermistor</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Resistor</td>
|
||
<td>Limiting voltage dependent on temperature</td>
|
||
<td>Not sure yet</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Resistor-IEEE-Thermistor.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td><strong>Trimpots</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Resistor</td>
|
||
<td>Limit voltage through a small knob adjustable with a
|
||
screwdriver</td>
|
||
<td>Audio circuits, calibration devices</td>
|
||
<td><img src="./assets/schematics/Resistor-IEEE-Trimmer.svg" /></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td><strong>Voltage regulators</strong></td>
|
||
<td>Chip</td>
|
||
<td>Not sure yet</td>
|
||
<td>Power supplies, embedded systems</td>
|
||
<td></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</tbody>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-mimsGettingStartedElectronics1983" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Mims, F.M. (1983) <em>Getting started in electronics</em>. 4th edn.
|
||
Niles, Ill: Master Publishing.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Great for reuse as well!<a href="#fnref1"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>The biggest issue is the size of the legs, which are
|
||
impossible to solder without making your own PCB’s. I’ve made prototypes
|
||
with cutting the entire PCB, using conductive ink, copper tape and
|
||
charcoal pens. None of the strategies worked well<a href="#fnref2"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>whilst modern devices cannot contain lead anymore, older
|
||
solder will. Do not lick the PCB, clean your hands after and open a
|
||
window.<a href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>How fast this happens depends on the temperature of the
|
||
soldering iron and the melting point of the solder that is on the board.
|
||
If it won’t melt, adding a bit of your own solder helps.<a
|
||
href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>Since the manufacturer didn’t think you ever needed to
|
||
know which oddly specific chip you’re looking at, they sometimes
|
||
deliberately scratched it off.<a href="#fnref5" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="1">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="./components/Resistors.webp" alt="These resistors were salvaged from a Reel to Reel recorder" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>These resistors were salvaged from a Reel to Reel recorder</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Resistors</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h5>Also known as knob, pot, potentiometer, variable resistor, dial</h5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>You’ll find resistors in nearly every electronic device and
|
||
schematic. It’s useful to keep a wide range of values around, from
|
||
1Ω(ohm) up to 10 million Ω. Their colored bands indicate their value<a
|
||
href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>. In my experience, their values on
|
||
schematics are usually an indicator, and you can divert slightly without
|
||
too much impact on your project.</p>
|
||
<p>Variable resistors—like photoresistors and potentiometers—are
|
||
especially worth salvaging, along with their knobs<a href="#fn2"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2" role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>.
|
||
They can make your circuit interactive, by replacing fixed resistors
|
||
with variable ones. This is also a common circuit bending technique, as
|
||
with older toys the pitch of a sample is often regulated by a <em>pitch
|
||
transistor</em>, replacing this with a variable one allow you to control
|
||
the playback speed into drone like sonic realms<a href="#fn3"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="types-of-resistors">Types of resistors</h3>
|
||
<div class="table-inline">
|
||
<table>
|
||
<colgroup>
|
||
<col style="width: 23%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 76%" />
|
||
</colgroup>
|
||
<thead>
|
||
<tr class="header">
|
||
<th>Component</th>
|
||
<th>Description</th>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</thead>
|
||
<tbody>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Carbon or metal film resistor</td>
|
||
<td>Comes in different values, marked with color bands</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>Photoresistor</td>
|
||
<td>Changes resistance based on ambient light levels</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Potentiometer</td>
|
||
<td>A knob-controlled resistor</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>Stereo potentiometer</td>
|
||
<td>Controls two channels at once, often used for stereo audio</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Slide potentiometer</td>
|
||
<td>A slider-controlled resistor</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>Trim pot</td>
|
||
<td>A small, precise variable resistor you adjust with a screwdriver,
|
||
used for circuit calibration</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Thermistor</td>
|
||
<td>Changes resistance based on temperature</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</tbody>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Each color represents a number or a multiplier. A table
|
||
of this can be found online.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>I’ve found a lot of old gas stoves left out for trash
|
||
collection. They often have nice knobs, that can be pulled off without
|
||
need for tools.<a href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>With more modern toys, this is no longer the case,
|
||
lowering the number of mods you can do on a toy.<a href="#fnref3"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="1">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="./components/Capacitors.webp" alt="The various sizes of Capacitors" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>The various sizes of Capacitors</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Capacitors</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h5>Also known as cap, condenser</h5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>Capacitors come in all sizes. I’ve seen ones as big as a coffee cup,
|
||
and SMD types so small they’re barely visible. Like resistors, these
|
||
passive components appear in nearly all circuits and store limited
|
||
amounts of electricity. This is measured in farads (F).</p>
|
||
<div class="table-inline">
|
||
<table>
|
||
<thead>
|
||
<tr class="header">
|
||
<th>Capacitor Type</th>
|
||
<th>Typical Value Range</th>
|
||
<th>Polarized</th>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</thead>
|
||
<tbody>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Ceramic</td>
|
||
<td>1 pF – 100 nF</td>
|
||
<td>No</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>Electrolytic (Aluminum)</td>
|
||
<td>0.1 µF – 10,000 µF</td>
|
||
<td>Yes</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Film</td>
|
||
<td>1 nF – 10 µF</td>
|
||
<td>No</td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</tbody>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<h3 id="salvaging-capacitors-safely">Salvaging capacitors safely</h3>
|
||
<p>Capacitors store electricity even after power is cut. Touching a
|
||
charged one can shock you. Larger types, like those in camera flashes or
|
||
TVs, can store a dangerous amount. Always discharge big capacitors
|
||
before storing. I do this by shorting the legs with a screwdriver. This
|
||
may cause a small spark, as you’ve just created a short circuit.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="testing-capacitors">Testing capacitors</h3>
|
||
<p>Electrolytic capacitors don’t age well. Left unused, they have a
|
||
lifespan of 2 to 3 years <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="jangUnplannedObsolescenceHardware2017">(Jang <em>et
|
||
al.</em>, 2017)</span>. After that, they can leak, spreading a yellow
|
||
gooey material over the PCB, causing other connections to malfunction <a
|
||
href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>You can verify the capacitor’s capacitance with a multimeter. In
|
||
continuity mode, which beeps if there’s a connection, touch both legs of
|
||
the discharged capacitor with the probes. If you hear no sound, or a
|
||
continuous volume/pitch: the capacitor is dead. Otherwise, it’s
|
||
fine.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-jangUnplannedObsolescenceHardware2017" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Jang, E. <em>et al.</em> (2017) <span>‘Unplanned
|
||
<span>Obsolescence</span>: <span>Hardware</span> and <span>Software
|
||
After Collapse</span>’</span>, in <em>Proceedings of the 2017
|
||
<span>Workshop</span> on <span>Computing Within Limits</span></em>.
|
||
<em><span>LIMITS</span> ’17: <span>Workshop</span> on <span>Computing
|
||
Within Limits</span></em>, Santa Barbara California USA: ACM, pp.
|
||
93–101. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3080556.3080566">https://doi.org/10.1145/3080556.3080566</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Surprisingly, most of the capacitors that I’ve tested
|
||
(that didn’t visually leak) passed the test and were still usable, even
|
||
the electrolytic ones.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="1">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="./components/chips.webp" alt="A chip sooooo small the picture has to be blurry" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>A chip sooooo small the picture has to be blurry</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Chips</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h5>Also known as IC, Intergrated Circuit</h5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>Chips, or integrated circuits, are tiny black boxes packed with
|
||
microscopic components. You’ll find them on nearly every modern circuit
|
||
board. Some handle small, specific tasks, like controlling LEDs, while
|
||
others run full operating systems.</p>
|
||
<p>Don’t let the size fool you! The creation of a chip, from toxic
|
||
chemicals to the black container, involves around 300 steps, during
|
||
which 99% of material byproduct is discarded, creating hazardous waste
|
||
sites <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011">(Gabrys, 2011)</span>. So,
|
||
if there is one part worth salvaging, it’s this one.</p>
|
||
<p>Unfortunately, as modular as they might seem, reusing chips is not
|
||
plug ’n play. While some are common and well-documented<a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>,
|
||
most are obscured and specific. For instance, reusing the network chip
|
||
found in a USB phone can lead to a rabbit hole of reverse engineering.
|
||
And then you find another phone that has a slightly different chip, and
|
||
the process starts all over again.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="common-chips-to-look-out-for">Common chips to look out for</h3>
|
||
<div class="table-inline">
|
||
<table>
|
||
<colgroup>
|
||
<col style="width: 21%" />
|
||
<col style="width: 78%" />
|
||
</colgroup>
|
||
<thead>
|
||
<tr class="header">
|
||
<th>Component</th>
|
||
<th>Description</th>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</thead>
|
||
<tbody>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>555 Timer</td>
|
||
<td><em>This chip can generate audible pulses. This can be used as a
|
||
sound source on its own, or to trigger other circuits, or control
|
||
motors</em></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>Op-Amps (e.g., TL072, TL074, LM358)</td>
|
||
<td><em>Op-amps are used to amplify signals, and therefore used in loads
|
||
of sound-related applications.</em></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>CD40106</td>
|
||
<td><em>A Schmitt trigger inverter can generate audible frequencies that
|
||
can be tuned. They are often the core of oscillator
|
||
schematics.</em></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="even">
|
||
<td>CD4017</td>
|
||
<td><em>A Decade counter is often used for linear step
|
||
sequencers.</em></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
<tr class="odd">
|
||
<td>Microcontrollers</td>
|
||
<td><em>If you’re lucky, you can use the microcontroller to write your
|
||
own program.</em></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</tbody>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Gabrys, J. (2011) <em>Digital <span>Rubbish</span>: <span>A Natural
|
||
History</span> of <span>Electronics</span></em>. University of Michigan
|
||
Press. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp">https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>In the last 6 months of searching, I’ve found only a
|
||
couple of op-amps, one trigger inverter (that I blew by placing it
|
||
upside-down), and no 555 timers…<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="1">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="./components/inputoutput.webp" alt="A variety of input and output components" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>A variety of input and output components</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Inputs & outputs</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>Inputs and outputs are often the most visible parts of an electronic
|
||
device—and among the most accessible to salvage. They are the parts that
|
||
are most often visible on the outside and thus carry the cultural
|
||
context of the device. But this visibility is a double-edged sword: it
|
||
risks turning salvaging and recycling into solely aesthetic choices.</p>
|
||
<p>Recycling facilities, manufactures and product design universities
|
||
often tend to focus on recycling, when talking about reducing e-waste.
|
||
But among the levels of circularity reduce, reuse, repair, recycle,
|
||
refuse, recycling is the least effective. More than half of material is
|
||
lost when going through the recycling process and often involves
|
||
shipping waste to countries with cheaper labor costs and fewer
|
||
environmental regulations, resulting in toxic conditions for both
|
||
workers and the environment <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="ifixitRecyclingDestruction">(iFixit, no date)</span> <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011">(Gabrys,
|
||
2011)</span> <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="rouraCircularDigitalDevices2021">(Roura <em>et al.</em>,
|
||
2021)</span>. Shredding a device doesn’t just lose raw material; it
|
||
erases the labor, energy, and environmental costs embedded in its
|
||
original creation. And then a new device replaces it.</p>
|
||
<p>Instead of focusing on the visual esthetic that is visible on the
|
||
outside of the original device, I think it’s more interesting to focus
|
||
on what made the object the object. According to Richards, this
|
||
objecthood is the central theme of DIY/repurposing. Through hacking and
|
||
bending we can amplify certain properties of the object <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="richardsDIYMakerCommunities2017">(Richards,
|
||
2017)</span>. Turning a printer into a live coded instrument for
|
||
instance, amplifying the scratches a piece of stuck paper can make.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Gabrys, J. (2011) <em>Digital <span>Rubbish</span>: <span>A Natural
|
||
History</span> of <span>Electronics</span></em>. University of Michigan
|
||
Press. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp">https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-ifixitRecyclingDestruction" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
iFixit (no date) <em>Recycling is <span>Destruction</span></em>.
|
||
Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Recycling">https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Recycling</a>
|
||
(Accessed: 22 April 2025).
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-richardsDIYMakerCommunities2017" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Richards, J. (2017) <span>‘<span>DIY</span> and <span>Maker
|
||
Communities</span> in <span>Electronic Music</span>’</span>, in J.
|
||
d’Escrivan and N. Collins (eds) <em>The <span>Cambridge Companion</span>
|
||
to <span>Electronic Music</span></em>. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge
|
||
University Press (Cambridge <span>Companions</span> to
|
||
<span>Music</span>), pp. 238–257. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316459874.015">https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316459874.015</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-rouraCircularDigitalDevices2021" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Roura, M. <em>et al.</em> (2021) <span>‘Circular digital devices:
|
||
Lessons about the social and planetary boundaries’</span>, in
|
||
<em>Computing within <span>Limits</span></em>. <em>Seventh
|
||
<span>Workshop</span> on <span>Computing</span> within
|
||
<span>Limits</span> 2021</em>, LIMITS. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.21428/bf6fb269.3881c46e">https://doi.org/10.21428/bf6fb269.3881c46e</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="4">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="/components/PCB_1.webp" alt="PCB with labeled parts" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>PCB with labeled parts</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="1">
|
||
<img src="/components/PCB_2.webp" alt="Thicker and handdrawn traces" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>Thicker and handdrawn traces</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="2">
|
||
<img src="/components/pcb_3.webp" alt="Smaller components are difficult to desolder" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>Smaller components are difficult to desolder</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="3">
|
||
<img src="/components/ASN_with_blob.webp" alt="The blob cannot be removed" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>The blob cannot be removed</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>PCB (Printed Circuit Board)</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h5>Also known as Protoboard, breadboard, circuit</h5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>Printed Circuit Boards, or PCBs, are the panels on which the
|
||
electronic circuit is placed. Older boards often reveal hand-drawn
|
||
traces, which are much more fluid in design. With computerized PCB
|
||
design, those lines straightened out. Most PCBs are made from FR4 (glass
|
||
fiber and epoxy)<a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>The copper tracks on a PCB are usually covered with a green
|
||
protective layer, known as solder mask. Sand this off to expose the
|
||
copper underneath, ready to solder onto again.</p>
|
||
<p>Most boards are labeled. They can include a date, information about
|
||
connections, component numbering<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref2" role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>, and sometimes even
|
||
their values <a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>Not all PCBs follow the industrial template. Artists and other
|
||
tinkerers have come up with alternatives: the paper circuits of
|
||
Ciat-Lonbarde, or Dirty Electronics’ boards made from wood and nails.
|
||
These kinds of formats offer a more punk-diy way of publishing projects,
|
||
where the format is not set in stone. Paper can be cut, nails can be
|
||
moved, inviting a maker to explore the circuit more than just soldering
|
||
a pre-compiled kit <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="blasserStoresMall2015">(Blasser, 2015)</span> <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="richardsDIYElectronicMusic2013">(Richards,
|
||
2013)</span>.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="protective">Protective</h3>
|
||
<p>Did you spot “the Blob” on one of your PCB’s? The blob (fig 17) is
|
||
meant to protect certain bare parts of a PCB, but is also known as a
|
||
type of reverse engineering protection. Another method of protection is
|
||
applying a transparent layer across the entire board, preventing you
|
||
from poking around with a multimeter.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-blasserStoresMall2015" class="csl-entry" role="listitem">
|
||
Blasser, P. (2015) <em>Stores at the <span>Mall</span></em>. Wesleyan
|
||
University. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.2.84">https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.2.84</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-richardsDIYElectronicMusic2013" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Richards, J. (2013) <span>‘Beyond <span>DIY</span> in <span>Electronic
|
||
Music</span>’</span>, <em>Organised Sound</em>, 18(3), pp. 274–281.
|
||
Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771813000241">https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355771813000241</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Fiberglass is very strong, but can be sawn through. When
|
||
cutting, make sure you wear the right protection, microfibers can end up
|
||
anywhere.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>The schematic contains references to the component
|
||
number, helping with debugging.<a href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>Some devices take this idea further. The Korg Monotron
|
||
includes extra patch points directly on the board for DIY mods and
|
||
expansions.<a href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--image" data-length="1">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<figure class="" index="0">
|
||
<img src="./components/transistor.webp" alt="‘note to self, not sure all of these are transistors’" />
|
||
|
||
<figcaption>‘note to self, not sure all of these are transistors’</figcaption>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</figure>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Transistors</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h5>Also known as switch, BJT </h5>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>A transistor is a tiny switch that controls a large current with a
|
||
smaller one. Depending on its type, applying a small voltage to one leg
|
||
causes another to “open” or “close.” This way, transistors can amplify
|
||
signals or switch things on and off. You’ll find them near power
|
||
supplies, audio paths, and logic circuits. They are sometimes glued to a
|
||
heatsink to shed excess heat. They’re sensitive to ambient temperature,
|
||
which makes them interactive in sound devices <a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>The transistor is often seen as a turning point in computing history.
|
||
It replaced big and expensive vacuum tubes, paving the way for portable
|
||
radios, cheap toys, and eventually silicon chips. Theories like Moore’s
|
||
law<a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a> create an expectation of constant
|
||
upgrading, where your computer will be obsolete in two years’ time, and
|
||
the illusion of infinite growth.</p>
|
||
<p>This miniaturization of components did not result in more efficient
|
||
technology use. On the contrary, Jevons’ Paradox shows that increased
|
||
efficiency in the production process would lead to even more resource
|
||
consumption <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="remyLimitsSustainableInteraction2015">(Remy and Huang,
|
||
2015)</span> <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011">(Gabrys, 2011)</span> <span
|
||
class="citation" data-cites="parksFallingApartElectronics2007">(Parks,
|
||
2007)</span>.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-gabrysDigitalRubbishNatural2011" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Gabrys, J. (2011) <em>Digital <span>Rubbish</span>: <span>A Natural
|
||
History</span> of <span>Electronics</span></em>. University of Michigan
|
||
Press. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp">https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv65swcp</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-parksFallingApartElectronics2007" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Parks, L. (2007) <span>‘Falling <span>Apart</span>: <span>Electronics
|
||
Salvaging</span> and the <span>Global Media Economy</span>’</span>, in
|
||
Acland, C. R., <em>Residual <span>Media</span></em>. Minneapolis:
|
||
University of Minnesota Press, pp. 32–47.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-remyLimitsSustainableInteraction2015" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Remy, C. and Huang, E.M. (2015) <span>‘Limits and sustainable
|
||
interaction design: Obsolescence in a future of collapse and resource
|
||
scarcity’</span>. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.5167/UZH-110997">https://doi.org/10.5167/UZH-110997</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>In sound circuits, touching a transistor heats it up,
|
||
which can alter the sound.<a href="#fnref1" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>Moore’s Law is the prediction that the number of
|
||
transistors in an IC doubles every year. This plays into the idea that
|
||
you must upgrade your hardware every two years or you’ll be behind and
|
||
creates the illusion that innovation and development is endless.<a
|
||
href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<header class="page--cover">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
<span data-chapter-title>Recipes for reuse</span>
|
||
</section>
|
||
<h3>Chapter </h3>
|
||
<h1>Recipes for reuse</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<article>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
<h1>Recipes for reuse</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>Hopefully, you’ve salvaged a variety of components by now, and we can
|
||
start building sound with them. In this chapter you’ll find a bunch of
|
||
recipes; the starting points for sound devices. These modular recipes
|
||
can be used standalone or connected together into a bigger system. This
|
||
modularity makes problem-solving slightly easier<a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>,
|
||
and you can pick and choose your modules based on your salvaged
|
||
inventory.</p>
|
||
<p>Every recipe contains a paper circuit<a href="#fn2"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2" role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a> to
|
||
print. These circuits are the blueprint of your device, between a
|
||
schematic and an industrial PCB. The biggest advantage of using paper,
|
||
apart from being able to solder the connections of your components right
|
||
on top of the circuit, is that it is flexible. You can take notes, draw
|
||
lines, and adjust the schematic as you go.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="assembling-the-circuit">Assembling the circuit</h3>
|
||
<ol type="1">
|
||
<li>Cut out the circuit and fold it in half, creating a two-sided print
|
||
<a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>.</li>
|
||
<li>Gather the components listed in the “Bill of Materials” (BOM).</li>
|
||
<li>Populate the first components by pinning the legs through the paper
|
||
in their designated areas. Keep an eye on the orientation<a href="#fn4"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4" role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>.
|
||
Start small (resistors) then move to larger parts.</li>
|
||
<li>Create the connections according to the circuit by soldering the
|
||
legs together using (copper) wire.</li>
|
||
<li>Repeat until all components are in place!</li>
|
||
<li>Test & triple-check all connections <a href="#fn5"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a>.</li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
<p>There is no need to understand every single component on each recipe
|
||
<a href="#fn6" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref6"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>6</sup></a> but try to follow the connections on
|
||
the circuit. Which road is the audio signal taking? This will help you a
|
||
lot with troubleshooting.</p>
|
||
<p>!Safety notes!</p>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><strong>Audio can be surprisingly loud</strong>. Use small speakers
|
||
(never headphones! <a href="#fn7" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref7"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>7</sup></a>) you wouldn’t miss if they break and
|
||
keep your hand on the volume dial when plugging in your sound device for
|
||
the first time.</li>
|
||
<li><strong>Use batteries</strong>. Plugging into a wall (120V) can be
|
||
incredibly dangerous. Always unplug the power from the circuit when
|
||
making changes, to prevent shorts.</li>
|
||
<li><strong>Watch that smell</strong>. “Magic smoke” has a certain
|
||
smell. Unplug immediately when something smells/smokes!</li>
|
||
<li><strong>Two know more than one</strong>. If you’re not sure, invite
|
||
a friend and I’m sure you’ll figure it out together.</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h3 id="finding-recipes">Finding recipes</h3>
|
||
<p>The DIY synth community is not shy in sharing their schematics. There
|
||
are fantastic resources online, such as the Experimentalists Anonymous
|
||
DIY Archives the wiki, Music from Outer Space and Handmade Electronic
|
||
Music <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="collinsHandmadeElectronicMusic2009">(Collins, 2009)</span>.
|
||
However, finding resources using salvaged components can be tricky, as
|
||
our requirements are a bit different. Most schematics either contain 20+
|
||
components or require (specific) chips, which have proven to be
|
||
difficult to find. This limitation has been interesting, as it forces me
|
||
to experiment with smaller schematics. Turning the oscillators into
|
||
self-modulating instruments, by attaching them together using alligator
|
||
clips, actually helped me to learn more about electronics & sound
|
||
than any pre-made kit could ever do.</p>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="/chapters/croc.webp" class="img--fullpage"
|
||
alt="Combine multiple recipes to create a self-modulating glitch device!" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Combine multiple recipes to create a
|
||
self-modulating glitch device!</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-blasserStoresMall2015" class="csl-entry" role="listitem">
|
||
Blasser, P. (2015) <em>Stores at the <span>Mall</span></em>. Wesleyan
|
||
University. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.2.84">https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.2.84</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-collinsHandmadeElectronicMusic2009" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Collins, N. (2009) <em>Handmade electronic music: The art of hardware
|
||
hacking</em>. Second edition. New York: Routledge.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Still a headache! But now you only have to triple check
|
||
a handful of components, instead of 120.<a href="#fnref1"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>A method introduced by synthesizer builder Ciat
|
||
Lonbarde, who used paper circuits to distribute his circuits and ideas
|
||
for free <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="blasserStoresMall2015">(Blasser, 2015)</span>.<a
|
||
href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>printing on thicker paper is advised<a href="#fnref3"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>Some capacitors, LED’s and other components all have a
|
||
specific polarity/orientation.<a href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>With salvaged components you’ll have a limited supply.
|
||
Test to prevent component loss.<a href="#fnref5" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn6"><p>Rule #17 from Handmade Electronic Music states, “If it
|
||
sounds good and doesn’t smoke, don’t worry if you don’t understand it.”
|
||
<span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="collinsHandmadeElectronicMusic2009">(Collins,
|
||
2009)</span>.<a href="#fnref6" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn7"><p>Your hearing is precious, and accidentally blasting an
|
||
overpowered sinewave Through your ears can cause permanent damage.<a
|
||
href="#fnref7" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break-left ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Power Supply</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<p>Create a power supply for your future circuits</p>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>This circuit provides -9V<a href="#fn1" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>, 0V/Ground and +9V
|
||
outputs, by combining two 9V batteries. If your project requires it, you
|
||
can use any kind of battery instead of the 9V one, as long as they’re
|
||
two of the same <a href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<p>You could skip the capacitors and resistors and just connect the
|
||
batteries together. However, they help filter electrical spikes, making
|
||
the output smoother <a href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="./recipes/power-supply/powersupply.webp"
|
||
alt="Since this power supply will be used a lot, I made it a bit more permanent by glueing it to a piece of wood." />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Since this power supply will be used a
|
||
lot, I made it a bit more permanent by glueing it to a piece of
|
||
wood.</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<h4 id="testing">Testing</h4>
|
||
<p>Before plugging in the batteries, check your connections<a
|
||
href="#fn4" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>. When the batteries are plugged in,
|
||
your pins should read -9V and +9V<a href="#fn5" class="footnote-ref"
|
||
id="fnref5" role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h4 id="upgrade">Upgrade</h4>
|
||
<p>An upgrade that could be useful is adding a power switch and/or LED
|
||
to show if the power supply is active.</p>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>Some chips, mostly op-amps, require a negative voltage,
|
||
which does not come out of a battery by default.<a href="#fnref1"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>You can also get 18V: treat the -9V pin as 0V, making
|
||
the 9V pin 18V<a href="#fnref2" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><figure>
|
||
<img src="./recipes/power-supply/filtering.png" height="30"
|
||
alt="The capacitor can filter electrical spikes for a more smooth voltage input" />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">The capacitor can filter electrical
|
||
spikes for a more smooth voltage input</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<a href="#fnref3" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>You can test this using the <em>continuity</em> mode on
|
||
your multi meter, which beeps if electricity can pass through.<a
|
||
href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>Test this by using the volt meter on the multimeter. One
|
||
probe touches your ground pin, the other the pin you’d like to test.<a
|
||
href="#fnref5" class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
<article template-type="circuit">
|
||
<header class="sm">
|
||
<h2>Paper circuit: Power Supply</h2>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section class="media--pcb">
|
||
<img src="./recipes/power-supply/PaperCircuit.svg" />
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
<h3>BOM</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
2
|
||
10uF
|
||
Capacitor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
2
|
||
10Ω
|
||
Resistor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
2x 9V battery clips
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
3 conductive nails for the +V, -V & GND pins
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h3>Your notes</h3>
|
||
<p>....</p>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break-left ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>Single Transistor Oscillator</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<p>This unreliable schematic creates a tone!</p>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<div class="sample fn-sample">
|
||
<audio src="./recipes/SingleTransistorOsc/sample_Cropped.mp3"></audio>
|
||
<svg class="icon play" width="12" height="13" viewBox="0 0 12 13" fill="none"
|
||
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
|
||
<path d="M4 2.52588V9.52588L9.5 6.02588L4 2.52588Z" fill="black" />
|
||
</svg>
|
||
<svg width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 12 12" fill="none" class="icon pause"
|
||
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
|
||
<path d="M3 9.5H5V2.5H3V9.5ZM7 2.5V9.5H9V2.5H7Z" fill="black" />
|
||
</svg>
|
||
<label>play sample (web only)</label>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>This <em>super simple oscillator circuit</em><a href="#fn1"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref1" role="doc-noteref"><sup>1</sup></a>
|
||
makes use of something called a “reverse avalance breakdown effect” in
|
||
transistors. As I understand it, the capacitor and transistor of this
|
||
circuit constantly trigger each other, creating a on-off-on-off-on-off
|
||
situation, which in the audible realm sounds like a saw wave. Not all
|
||
transistors can do it, so it’s a bit of a trial and error process <a
|
||
href="#fn2" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref2"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>2</sup></a>.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="powering">Powering</h3>
|
||
<p>Select the amount of voltage you need based on the transistor<a
|
||
href="#fn3" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref3"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>3</sup></a> you have. Mine needed 18V, so using
|
||
alligator clips, I’ve connected our previously built power supply.</p>
|
||
<h3 id="testing-troubleshooting">Testing & Troubleshooting</h3>
|
||
<p>After double-checking all your connections, hook the audio out to an
|
||
amplified speaker. No sound? Try:</p>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li>Check your connections and orientation of the capacitor.</li>
|
||
<li>Play around with the potentiometer<a href="#fn4"
|
||
class="footnote-ref" id="fnref4"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>4</sup></a>.</li>
|
||
<li>using a multimeter, follow the entire audio trace from the
|
||
transistor up until your audio cable.</li>
|
||
<li>Try a different transistor</li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h2 id="when-there-is-noise">When there is noise</h2>
|
||
<p>If you, like me, have struggled a lot to get any sound whatsoever, I
|
||
can hopefully tell you that <strong>this is where things will get
|
||
fun(ky)</strong>. Getting a single sound out of anything is such a
|
||
eureka moment <a href="#fn5" class="footnote-ref" id="fnref5"
|
||
role="doc-noteref"><sup>5</sup></a>. Because from here, you’ll be able
|
||
to play around with the circuit and use our own imagination. For
|
||
instance, using a different sized resistor to change the pitch. Or,
|
||
using a Light Dependant Resistor to control the pitch based on the
|
||
sound. Or adding a on/off button. Or, building your own keyboard using
|
||
multiple resistors…</p>
|
||
<aside id="footnotes" class="footnotes footnotes-end-of-document"
|
||
role="doc-endnotes">
|
||
<hr />
|
||
<ol>
|
||
<li id="fn1"><p>I am very fed up with the amount of times someone has
|
||
said something would be easy. It is not.<a href="#fnref1"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn2"><p>This is why Reddit has advised against building this
|
||
oscillator. But this is the only sound generating schematic that has
|
||
worked so far and doesn’t use chips.<a href="#fnref2"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn3"><p>Find a datasheet online to discover your transistors’
|
||
voltage limits before plugging in the circuit<a href="#fnref3"
|
||
class="footnote-back" role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn4"><p>mine only makes a sound for a small portion of the
|
||
potentiometers range.<a href="#fnref4" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
<li id="fn5"><p>Making and playing this circuit helped me a lot with
|
||
understanding how electricity flows and how you can manipulate the
|
||
flow.<a href="#fnref5" class="footnote-back"
|
||
role="doc-backlink">↩︎</a></p></li>
|
||
</ol>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
<article template-type="circuit">
|
||
<header class="sm">
|
||
<h2>Paper circuit: Single Transistor Oscillator</h2>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section class="media--pcb">
|
||
<img src="./recipes/SingleTransistorOsc/PaperCircuit.svg" />
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
<h3>BOM</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
2N3906
|
||
Transistor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<i>alternative: 2N4401, SS9014, 2N4124, 2N3904, BD137, BD139, BC337, SS9018</i>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
10uF
|
||
Capacitor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
1K
|
||
Resistor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
100K
|
||
Resistor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
10K Variable
|
||
Resistor
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
|
||
LED
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
1
|
||
|
||
Audio jack
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
18V Power Supply
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
<h3>Build notes</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
“Use alligator clips to connect your 18V and GND to your power supply"
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
Cut the middle leg of the transistor for this to work
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h3>Your notes</h3>
|
||
<p>....</p>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<article class="fix-break-left ">
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
|
||
<h1>PCB Keyboard</h1>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<p>A keyboard to play your oscillator</p>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<div class="sample fn-sample">
|
||
<audio src="./recipes/PCB-keyboard/keyboard.mp3"></audio>
|
||
<svg class="icon play" width="12" height="13" viewBox="0 0 12 13" fill="none"
|
||
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
|
||
<path d="M4 2.52588V9.52588L9.5 6.02588L4 2.52588Z" fill="black" />
|
||
</svg>
|
||
<svg width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 12 12" fill="none" class="icon pause"
|
||
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
|
||
<path d="M3 9.5H5V2.5H3V9.5ZM7 2.5V9.5H9V2.5H7Z" fill="black" />
|
||
</svg>
|
||
<label>play sample (web only)</label>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section>
|
||
<p>This recipe uses the Single Transistor Oscillator created in a
|
||
previous recipe. The keyboard will replace the resistor of the
|
||
oscillator that is in charge of the pitch. That pitch resistor will now
|
||
exist on the keyboard.</p>
|
||
<p>From a PCB that you have salvaged, remove <em>all</em> of the
|
||
components and, with a piece of sandpaper, scratch off the green mask of
|
||
the PCB, making the copper visible. Now, the traces of the PCB can be
|
||
reused as wires. We will place multiple resistors on the PCB, to create
|
||
the following circuit:</p>
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img src="./recipes/PCB-keyboard/schematic.webp"
|
||
alt="Since this power supply will be used a lot, I made it a bit more permanent by glueing it to a piece of wood." />
|
||
<figcaption aria-hidden="true">Since this power supply will be used a
|
||
lot, I made it a bit more permanent by glueing it to a piece of
|
||
wood.</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p>Find or make a couple of tracks or traces that are not connected to
|
||
each other (using the multimeter). These will act as your wires! To one
|
||
trace, solder the audio in from the oscillator. Find a trace nearby,
|
||
close enough that if you can touch the two traces with your thumb and
|
||
solder a resistor on that trace. The other end of the resistor should go
|
||
back to your oscillator.</p>
|
||
<p>Now, when you touch both traces with your finger, a bridge is
|
||
created, closing the circuit, and causing the audio signal to go through
|
||
your resistor back into the original circuit. If you do this multiple
|
||
times with various resistor values, you’ve created a playable
|
||
keyboard!</p>
|
||
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
<article template-type="circuit">
|
||
<header class="sm">
|
||
<h2>Paper circuit: PCB Keyboard</h2>
|
||
</header>
|
||
|
||
<section class="media--pcb">
|
||
<img src="./recipes/PCB-keyboard/sketchpic.webp" />
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
|
||
<aside>
|
||
<h3>BOM</h3>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
A completely clean PCB
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
<li>
|
||
|
||
|
||
Multiple resistors between 1K and 100K
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
</li>
|
||
|
||
</ul>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<h3>Your notes</h3>
|
||
<p>....</p>
|
||
</aside>
|
||
</article>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<article>
|
||
|
||
<section class="meta">
|
||
<span data-chapter-title>Taking inventory</span>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
<header>
|
||
<h1>Taking inventory</h1>
|
||
</header>
|
||
<p>After all the dismantling, salvaging, desoldering, and re-making,
|
||
it’s time to take inventory. For me, this is the moment to sit in the
|
||
middle of a workshop, surrounded by the carcasses of printers, cassette
|
||
recorders, and radios, and deal with the remainders. Can we shift the
|
||
practice of playful tinkering to also account for the waste streams it
|
||
engages with?</p>
|
||
<p>In the DIY synth community, tinkering often happens collaboratively,
|
||
through workshops where participants solder prefabricated kits, as an
|
||
accessible entry point into electronics. When I started the field guide,
|
||
I imagined creating a similar format, but using only salvaged
|
||
components. Logistically, that turned out to be much harder than
|
||
expected:</p>
|
||
<h4 id="waste-streams-are-difficult-to-tap-into">Waste streams are
|
||
difficult to tap into</h4>
|
||
<p>The circular economy, often marketed as a fix for the mountains of
|
||
e-waste, is structured to keep the consumer lifecycle of buying intact.
|
||
There is no method in place for taking waste, meaning we must revert to
|
||
using what comes on our path or is donated. Which is a lot, but not
|
||
consistent.</p>
|
||
<h4 id="salvaging-the-right-components">Salvaging the right
|
||
components</h4>
|
||
<p>Most synths built in workshops rely on chips like the 555 timers and
|
||
op-amps. These chips simplify builds, lower the total amount of
|
||
components needed, increasing the chances of a participant completing
|
||
the circuit. In the past few months, I haven’t salvaged a single 555
|
||
timer, and only a handful of op-amps. That is not nearly enough to
|
||
provide a group of participants with components.</p>
|
||
<p>But maybe these limitations can also be an opportunity. If we let go
|
||
of the expectation that everyone would walk out with a polished
|
||
synthesizer, similar to those that can be bought in shops, new
|
||
possibilities open up. The constraints of using e-waste as material can
|
||
help us to think differently—to engage with different contexts or
|
||
reimagine how existing technologies might be repurposed. Instead of
|
||
following a set in stone schematic, the recipes are a starting point,
|
||
which everyone can execute differently.</p>
|
||
<p>Fennis urges us to rethink waste, not just as a pile of discarded
|
||
phones, but as the material it was before, including the toxic,
|
||
environmentally catastrophic legacy. Through reverse engineering and
|
||
hacking, they explore the material and learn what the technologies can
|
||
do other than what it was designed for<span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="fennisOntologyElectronicWaste2022">(Fennis, 2022)</span>. In
|
||
other words, by dismantling a wired electronic razor, that was deemed
|
||
obsolete and replaced for a battery powered razor, we can remove the
|
||
abstraction layer and see that it is actually a blade, a power supply,
|
||
and a motor, which in turn can become an instrument. In this way, we can
|
||
see the end-of-life of a device, where the consumer is done consuming,
|
||
as a moment of celebration, and give it an afterlife <span
|
||
class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="mansouxPermacomputingAestheticsPotential2023">(Mansoux
|
||
<em>et al.</em>, 2023)</span>!</p>
|
||
<p>It is this kind of tinkering that I think will make us more resilient
|
||
against the ongoing attempts by major companies and manufacturers to
|
||
keep us locked out of our devices <span class="citation"
|
||
data-cites="luUnmakingElectronicWaste2024">(Lu and Lopes, 2024)</span>.
|
||
For me, that means not just rethinking waste but also questioning the
|
||
workshop format itself—and whether I want to keep using the format with
|
||
it. And the truth is, I don’t think so. I see much more to explore in
|
||
collaborative spaces such as the (un)repair cafe. This means, this is
|
||
not the end of the field guide! It’s the beginning. There are many more
|
||
alligator clips to connect.</p>
|
||
<div id="refs" class="references csl-bib-body" role="list">
|
||
<div id="ref-fennisOntologyElectronicWaste2022" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Fennis, M. (2022) <span>‘Ontology <span>Of Electronic
|
||
Waste</span>’</span>. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://vigia.tech/1159-2/">https://vigia.tech/1159-2/</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-luUnmakingElectronicWaste2024" class="csl-entry"
|
||
role="listitem">
|
||
Lu, J. and Lopes, P. (2024) <span>‘Unmaking <span>Electronic
|
||
Waste</span>’</span>, <em>ACM Transactions on Computer-Human
|
||
Interaction</em>, 31(6), pp. 1–30. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3674505">https://doi.org/10.1145/3674505</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
<div id="ref-mansouxPermacomputingAestheticsPotential2023"
|
||
class="csl-entry" role="listitem">
|
||
Mansoux, A. <em>et al.</em> (2023) <span>‘Permacomputing
|
||
<span>Aesthetics</span>: <span>Potential</span> and <span>Limits</span>
|
||
of <span>Constraints</span> in <span>Computational Art</span>,
|
||
<span>Design</span> and <span>Culture</span>’</span>, in <em>Ninth
|
||
<span>Computing</span> within <span>Limits</span> 2023</em>. <em>Ninth
|
||
<span>Computing</span> within <span>Limits</span> 2023</em>, Virtual:
|
||
LIMITS. Available at: <a
|
||
href="https://doi.org/10.21428/bf6fb269.6690fc2e">https://doi.org/10.21428/bf6fb269.6690fc2e</a>.
|
||
</div>
|
||
</div>
|
||
|
||
</article>
|
||
</section>
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
<section template-type="chapter">
|
||
|
||
|
||
<article>
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