Guides
The reasoning behind the numbers, written out properly.
How to date a circuit board in 30 secondsEra drives scrap value more than any other factor. Read date codes, brand names, connectors and solder finish to age a board on sight.Should you scrap it or sell it working?The single most expensive mistake in e-waste is scrapping something worth more intact. Here is how to tell, with real numbers.How to grade a circuit board by eyeHigh, mid or low grade — the visual features that decide what a board pays, and the popular test that does not work.Safe removal: temperatures, tools and what not to doEvery removal method with real temperatures, plus the handful of things that will genuinely hurt you.Twelve e-waste myths that cost people real moneyHard drive platinum, airbag gold, iridium spark plugs and other numbers that are wrong by an order of magnitude.Refiner or grade buyer? The economics of selling a lotLot fees, treatment charges, payout percentages, freight and the weight at which assay-based settlement starts to win.PCB surface finishes: what the pads are plated withENIG, HASL, immersion silver, OSP and hard gold — how to tell them apart, and why only one is worth going after.Your first teardown: a beginner's walkthroughWhat to buy, what to pull first, what to ignore, and the five mistakes that beginners make with real money.