Old VCR / toy drum pads

[spinoza]

Hi

I've got an old (non working) vcr I'm about to throw away. Also, cheapo a toy drum pad. I'm wondering what should I "steal" from them before I put the in the trash bin.

I see many parts that seem usefull but don't know what they actually are!

[delbowski]

hi and welcome to the forum! 

i've cannibalized my fair share of appliances in the name of pedal making, and i've come to the conclusion that unless you are looking for a specific component for modding something, or have run out of a specific value resistor or cap, it seems to be more trouble than it is worth in most cases.  if you are looking to build a particular pedal, i would suggest just ordering from either aron or any of the other places talked about on this forum.  the components that you would find useful from a vcr or other appliance don't cost much at all (from 15-30 cents in most cases), and you would still need jacks, enclosures, pots, etc.  plus if you order them, you know they are brand new, and have long leads on them which will make it easier for you to work with.  so, unless you're looking for specific things, i don't think it is worth your while.

that's just my opinion, but i'd guess that others might think differently

del

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

The one good thing from a VCR, if it is a very old one, is the plugs & sockets that connect various boards together. A current production VCR (or anything else!) usually contains bugger all that is useful, in my experience.

[KORGULL]

I disassemble stuff like that, put the circuit boards in a bin and the screws in a plastic organizer. I haven't really used a lot of components from these boards and prefer to buy my parts, but...  there were a few times that I was really glad I saved those old PCB's. Sometimes, for whatever reason there is one part missing or damaged when you really want to finish a project.
-Just yesterday I was putting together a function generator kit and it came with a defective slide switch. Radio Shack doesn't sell PC mount switches like that and I just ordered a mess of parts and am not about to place another order for one lousy switch. Luckily an old VCR board in my bin had the exact switch I needed.
I also recently used a gutted VCR chassis to house a new DVD player so I could stack a television on top of it without putting pressure on the DVD player.

[trevize]

i would say, talking about the vcr:

_chassis
_transformer
_motors (build a tape delay out of a vcr?)

[jmusser]

If you have easy access to new parts, I don't know that I would even mess with it, but.... since I live out in the boonies, I typically strip old VCRs to the bone. It'll give you a bunch of short legged parts, but at least you have them. Someone gave me an old RCA VCR, that must have been put out very early. It was absolutely loaded with discrete parts like we use all the time. Get some cheap bins, and separate the stuff out while you're watching TV. I usually strip things out like most people would do knitting, but then again, I enjoy it. The newer ones are about all processors and surface mounts, and aren't good for much.

[Manolo Dudes]

Old VCRs are great for lots of small trimmers. I've got a box full of them and have used them for various DIYs, for instance in my EA-Tremolo.

Detail:

[markm]

I rummaged through a bunch of old VCRs recently and found only a small amout of real usable components.
Most of the stuff was surface mount so I guess they were not old enough.
  MM

[Pushtone]

OK,  this tip is for personal use only!

An old VCR can sometimes block or filter out the copyright protection schemes encoded into DVDs. I have an 1980's top-loading VCR that I use to copy DVDs. From the DVD PLAYER I pass the composite video signal through the old VCR and into the DVD RECORDER. I get an OK picture, as good as composite with a tiny bit of added noise and no effects from the Macro Vision copy protection.  I know there is more protection schemes comming out of Hollywood so I'm going to keep this top-loader around.

Now before someone complains about intelectual property and copyright...

It's my legal right to make a backup of commercial media I purchased.
And with a house full of kids, it a nessesity!!!

Why,
because KIDS DESTROY DVDs. DVDs are much more fragile than video tapes and I'm not buying the Adventures of Scooby Doo again!

[spinoza]

I realized that there are 2 sets of stereo RCA plugs in there. Might be useful for a future rackmount effect build.

[GFR]

Can the Hal effect sensor in the head be used for example in an expression pedal (or is it not linear) ?