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The Freebies Thread
- Thread starter TheShortTimer
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During a late night/early hour dumpster diving session (or as we call it in the UK, "skipping") I came across these discarded items:
The monitor at the back interested me the most - I couldn't see any point taking the silver Acer as it's VGA only and I already have an abundance of displays with that port. Let's take a closer look at the one that grabbed my attention. 🙂
18.5" LED and manufactured in 2010. Despite presumably being tossed into the dumpster, it didn't appear to be damaged, which was a good sign. As you can see, it has DVI-D and that's what triggered my interest.
At 4.22g and 444m x 346mm x 165mm, I was able to stash it in a bag and carry it home without any difficulty - which was very beneficial given that I'd already acquired other stuff earlier. The big question was whether it actually worked. Let's find out!
I connected it to the VGA port on a WinBox and turned it on...
Yep it works! 😀
However there seems to be an issue with the max resolution. It's supposed to be 1366x768 but as you can see the limit is 1280x1024 and even that produces a warning from the monitor that the signal is beyond its capabilities.
Eventually the warning disappears and you can use the monitor at the (seemingly) selected resolution but does that mean that it's at risk of being damaged? I'm rather surprised that a monitor produced in 2009/2010 is so restricted and perhaps that's why it was discarded... I suppose that I could use it my iBook G3 as that can't exceed 1024x768 for a 2nd display.
What do you think?
The monitor at the back interested me the most - I couldn't see any point taking the silver Acer as it's VGA only and I already have an abundance of displays with that port. Let's take a closer look at the one that grabbed my attention. 🙂
18.5" LED and manufactured in 2010. Despite presumably being tossed into the dumpster, it didn't appear to be damaged, which was a good sign. As you can see, it has DVI-D and that's what triggered my interest.
At 4.22g and 444m x 346mm x 165mm, I was able to stash it in a bag and carry it home without any difficulty - which was very beneficial given that I'd already acquired other stuff earlier. The big question was whether it actually worked. Let's find out!
I connected it to the VGA port on a WinBox and turned it on...
Yep it works! 😀
However there seems to be an issue with the max resolution. It's supposed to be 1366x768 but as you can see the limit is 1280x1024 and even that produces a warning from the monitor that the signal is beyond its capabilities.
Eventually the warning disappears and you can use the monitor at the (seemingly) selected resolution but does that mean that it's at risk of being damaged? I'm rather surprised that a monitor produced in 2009/2010 is so restricted and perhaps that's why it was discarded... I suppose that I could use it my iBook G3 as that can't exceed 1024x768 for a 2nd display.
What do you think?
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
A height of 1024 lines is greater than 768 lines. You could try it via DVI. Extract its EDID both via VGA and DVI and have a look at it. 🙂
That was only an issue with old CRTs that had no protection against “abuse” and could be physically damaged by driving them beyond their limits. With an LCD, a mode either works — or it doesn’t.
Yeah, I really wasn't thinking logically. For some insane reason I got it into my head that at a lower horizontal resolution, a higher vertical resolution would in turn be available. The lunacy has left me! 😀
Suffice to say that at each resolution this monitor can display, it would likely be capped at 768 lines horizontally?
I'll fish out/purchase the appropriate cables for my Macs and have a go. I'm certain that I've got DVI to DVI here somewhere, which would enable me to hook it up to my MBP 1,1.
Aha! Got it. Thanks for the clarification. 🙂
It actually is the G922HDL! 😀
From the rear panel...
Judging by the resolutions available it would be a great 16:9 mirror display for my iBook G3 via VGA, a decent 720p 2nd display for my MBP 1,1 or a compact 720p monitor for my Mac Mini. Its size would also lend very well to situations where I want to set stuff up or test things so I can see viable scenarios where it has clear strengths.
Thanks @Amethyst1 - as always you have the answers! 😀
On the subject of electrical items of uncertain status, I'm wary that I could potentially plug-in something that might be dangerously faulty. Is there anything that you'd recommend that I purchase to be on the safe side?
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
I plug dubious devices into a power strip with a dedicated on/off switch and a built-in fuse so I can quickly cut power if necessary. If possible, I also look out for obvious signs of damage like blown capacitors or a strange smell before plugging them in.
I’m light-years away from always having answers. I’m just trying to help 🙂
I found this computer dumped in my neighbourhood and didn't hesitate to grab it. 🙂
Unfortunately the display was cracked otherwise it would've been nice to have as a Windows or Linux rig (if it even worked in the first place) but I had a strong suspicion that it might be worth stripping down nonetheless to see if it contained anything that could be salvaged.
The owner had removed the HDD before discarding it - not that I'd use a 2nd hand drive anyway, having learned that lesson the hard way: if you pardon the pun... What else was there to be raided?
Wireless and Bluetooth adapters. Maybe these could be repurposed for my Mac Pro somehow?
Let's check for other goodies.
Interesting! 😀
That's 8GB RAM. I think these could work in a MacBook Pro 2012? This is turning out quite well so far!
The scavenging isn't over either. 🙂
The cage conceals an optical drive and potentially the greatest prize of all.
Yep, a Blu-ray unit. It was worth carrying home the 5600U just for this one item. However, there's an important question to be asked: does it actually work? After all, the computer was dumped without the power supply unit, the LED is damaged and its HDD was pulled. I took a risk and bought a laptop SATA optical drive to USB 3.0 cable and plugged it into my MBP 2012.
Yes! It's recognised in High Sierra and a Blu-ray disc is automatically mounted onto the desktop. 🙂
Due to Apple astoundingly hobbling the Mac's ability to play an HD video format because it could compete with iTunes, macOS lacks a native Blu-ray player. It's amazing what they've gotten away with through the years. Anyhow, the ever reliable VLC can fill the void with a bit of help. All I had to do was create a folder called AACS within Library/Preferences/ and copy keydb.cfg to it.
Next, visit the /USR/ (not USER!) path and copy libaacs.dylib to the lib folder.
(In some instances access to the lib folder might be restricted: in this situation, go to /USR/local/ and create a lib folder there and copy libaacs.dylib to that alternate location instead.)
If you need to enable Blu-ray playback with VLC, both files can be obtained from here.
With that taken care of, I went to VLC, selected File, then chose Open Disk and clicked on Open.
Smashed it, well and truly! 😀
Traditionally I've watched Blu-ray films on my PlayStation 3 but it's nice to have the functionality on a Mac because it opens up the possibility to extract content for ripping, editing, creating screenshots etc. The drive could really do with a case or enclosure that provides a longer cable. Anyway, I'm delighted and a special thanks to whoever discarded the computer!
Unfortunately the display was cracked otherwise it would've been nice to have as a Windows or Linux rig (if it even worked in the first place) but I had a strong suspicion that it might be worth stripping down nonetheless to see if it contained anything that could be salvaged.
The owner had removed the HDD before discarding it - not that I'd use a 2nd hand drive anyway, having learned that lesson the hard way: if you pardon the pun... What else was there to be raided?
Wireless and Bluetooth adapters. Maybe these could be repurposed for my Mac Pro somehow?
Let's check for other goodies.
Interesting! 😀
That's 8GB RAM. I think these could work in a MacBook Pro 2012? This is turning out quite well so far!
The scavenging isn't over either. 🙂
The cage conceals an optical drive and potentially the greatest prize of all.
Yep, a Blu-ray unit. It was worth carrying home the 5600U just for this one item. However, there's an important question to be asked: does it actually work? After all, the computer was dumped without the power supply unit, the LED is damaged and its HDD was pulled. I took a risk and bought a laptop SATA optical drive to USB 3.0 cable and plugged it into my MBP 2012.
Yes! It's recognised in High Sierra and a Blu-ray disc is automatically mounted onto the desktop. 🙂
Due to Apple astoundingly hobbling the Mac's ability to play an HD video format because it could compete with iTunes, macOS lacks a native Blu-ray player. It's amazing what they've gotten away with through the years. Anyhow, the ever reliable VLC can fill the void with a bit of help. All I had to do was create a folder called AACS within Library/Preferences/ and copy keydb.cfg to it.
Next, visit the /USR/ (not USER!) path and copy libaacs.dylib to the lib folder.
(In some instances access to the lib folder might be restricted: in this situation, go to /USR/local/ and create a lib folder there and copy libaacs.dylib to that alternate location instead.)
If you need to enable Blu-ray playback with VLC, both files can be obtained from here.
With that taken care of, I went to VLC, selected File, then chose Open Disk and clicked on Open.
Smashed it, well and truly! 😀
Traditionally I've watched Blu-ray films on my PlayStation 3 but it's nice to have the functionality on a Mac because it opens up the possibility to extract content for ripping, editing, creating screenshots etc. The drive could really do with a case or enclosure that provides a longer cable. Anyway, I'm delighted and a special thanks to whoever discarded the computer!
Last edited:
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
I found this computer dumped in my neighbourhood and didn't hesitate to grab it. 🙂
Unfortunately the display was cracked otherwise it would've been nice to have as a Windows or Linux rig (if it even worked in the first place) but I had a strong suspicion that it might be worth stripping down nonetheless to see if it contained anything that could be salvaged.
The owner had removed the HDD before discarding it - not that I'd use a 2nd hand drive anyway, having learned that lesson the hard way: if you pardon the pun... What else was there to be raided?
Wireless and Bluetooth adapters. Maybe these could be repurposed for my Mac Pro somehow?
Let's check for other goodies.
Interesting! 😀
That's 8GB RAM. I think these could work in a MacBook Pro 2012? This is turning out quite well so far!
The scavenging isn't over either. 🙂
The cage conceals an optical drive and potentially the greatest prize of all.
Yep, a Blu-ray unit. It was worth carrying home the 5600U just for this one item. However, there's an important question to be asked: does it actually work? After all, the computer was dumped without the power supply unit, the LED is damaged and its HDD was pulled. I took a risk and bought a laptop SATA optical drive to USB 3.0 cable and plugged it into my MBP 2012.
Yes! It's recognised in High Sierra and a Blu-ray disc is automatically mounted onto the desktop. 🙂
Due to Apple astoundingly hobbling the Mac's ability to play an HD video format because it could compete with iTunes, macOS lacks a native Blu-ray player. It's amazing what they've gotten away with through the years. Anyhow, the ever reliable VLC can fill the void with a bit of help. All I had to do was create a folder called AACS within Library/Preferences/ and copy keydb.cfg to it.
Next, visit the /USR/ (not USER!) path and copy libaacs.dylib to the lib folder.
If you need to enable Blu-ray playback with VLC, both files can be obtained from here.
With that taken care of, I went to VLC, selected File, then chose Open Disk and clicked on Open.
Smashed it, well and truly! 😀
Traditionally I've watched Blu-ray films on my PlayStation 3 but it's nice to have the functionality on a Mac because it opens up the possibility to extract content for ripping, editing, creating screenshots etc. The drive could really do with a case or enclosure that provides a longer cable. Anyway, I'm delighted and a special thanks to whoever discarded the computer!
I’m just over here, all WOW and gobsmacked. Well done, well done. 😀
Amethyst1
macrumors G3
That looks like a good find for the Blu-Ray drive alone, awesome. It uses a mobile Ivy Bridge CPU... I wonder if it's socketed (it probably isn't)?
Certificate of Excellence
macrumors 68020
Fun thread. Ones trash is another's treasure. I have gotten some neat free stuff over the years. Fantastic score on the 8gb ram and blue ray DVD.
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
It staggers my mind what people throw out — not solely the stuff which can be salvaged, but also that they’re throwing specialized waste into the general stream where it has no business belonging in the first place. None of those electronic components, plain glass excepted, has a place in a landfill.
At least round my way, ever since Covid, you have had to book a slot at the recycling centres just to be shot of anything that won't go into your usual household bins, including electrical items. That extra bit of planning/effort may prove to be the tipping point for some people, who will just leave it on the road to chance.
Thank you. 🙂
I've put it inside an enclosure.
The drive wouldn't open/close with the bezel attached so I ended up having to remove it. A superficial addition anyway.
Unfortunately it has a fixed lead which is only slightly longer than that of the original cable I was using but I can always get around that by using an extender.
Danke. 🙂
I thought about seeing whether the PATA Blu-ray in my dead PS3 could be repurposed for use with a Mac and it's possible but for the cost of the adapter, you might as well put that money towards a fully fledged 5.25 drive that would outclass it hands down
Unfortunately I disposed of it after extracting what I was able to identify as salvageable. Otherwise, I could've checked. 🙁
Cheers, now I need to see which of my Macs is compatible with the RAM. 😀
A throw-away society where only the immediate has any value: unsold food is thrown away because new stock has arrived, unsold clothing is incinerated and consumer electronics products are thrown into bins, abandoned on the street or transported to the Global South to be recycled in hazardous conditions by child labourers - because they're yesterday's technology.
Two years ago, I found a couple of fully working Sega consoles which had been dumped in crates. Whoever did that couldn't be bothered to ask if anyone would've wanted them for free - and they would've been snapped up instantly. Instead, they were destined for a landfill or to be ruined by rainfall.
On a positive note, at least we know that we're doing our best to make Vance Packard proud and that's certainly something to smile about. 🙂
I found (saved) an M1 Macbook Air 2020 from an electronics recycle bin because it’s battery had gone bad. The laptop is pristine also, looks absolutely brand new.
I purchased a new OWC battery online and replaced it myself and the laptop is working perfectly! It turned out to be a 16gigs of ram model as well!!
🙂
So far that’s my best find, although the battery cost around $90 (with tax and shipping) so I’m not sure if that counts as totally free??
I cannot believe that someone tossed it because it needed a battery….
I purchased a new OWC battery online and replaced it myself and the laptop is working perfectly! It turned out to be a 16gigs of ram model as well!!
🙂
So far that’s my best find, although the battery cost around $90 (with tax and shipping) so I’m not sure if that counts as totally free??
I cannot believe that someone tossed it because it needed a battery….
I found this computer dumped in my neighbourhood and didn't hesitate to grab it. 🙂
Unfortunately the display was cracked otherwise it would've been nice to have as a Windows or Linux rig (if it even worked in the first place) but I had a strong suspicion that it might be worth stripping down nonetheless to see if it contained anything that could be salvaged.
The owner had removed the HDD before discarding it - not that I'd use a 2nd hand drive anyway, having learned that lesson the hard way: if you pardon the pun... What else was there to be raided?
Wireless and Bluetooth adapters. Maybe these could be repurposed for my Mac Pro somehow?
Let's check for other goodies.
Interesting! 😀
That's 8GB RAM. I think these could work in a MacBook Pro 2012? This is turning out quite well so far!
The scavenging isn't over either. 🙂
The cage conceals an optical drive and potentially the greatest prize of all.
Yep, a Blu-ray unit. It was worth carrying home the 5600U just for this one item. However, there's an important question to be asked: does it actually work? After all, the computer was dumped without the power supply unit, the LED is damaged and its HDD was pulled. I took a risk and bought a laptop SATA optical drive to USB 3.0 cable and plugged it into my MBP 2012.
Yes! It's recognised in High Sierra and a Blu-ray disc is automatically mounted onto the desktop. 🙂
Due to Apple astoundingly hobbling the Mac's ability to play an HD video format because it could compete with iTunes, macOS lacks a native Blu-ray player. It's amazing what they've gotten away with through the years. Anyhow, the ever reliable VLC can fill the void with a bit of help. All I had to do was create a folder called AACS within Library/Preferences/ and copy keydb.cfg to it.
Next, visit the /USR/ (not USER!) path and copy libaacs.dylib to the lib folder.
If you need to enable Blu-ray playback with VLC, both files can be obtained from here.
With that taken care of, I went to VLC, selected File, then chose Open Disk and clicked on Open.
Smashed it, well and truly! 😀
Traditionally I've watched Blu-ray films on my PlayStation 3 but it's nice to have the functionality on a Mac because it opens up the possibility to extract content for ripping, editing, creating screenshots etc. The drive could really do with a case or enclosure that provides a longer cable. Anyway, I'm delighted and a special thanks to whoever discarded the computer!
Very nice! I also recently found a blu ray drive and placed it into my Mac Pro 3,1 and it works great!!
Well done!
Congratulations! 😀
Can you show us some photos please?
It definitely counts as a freebie because the MBA itself was obtained for free. 😉
I can, unfortunately. As was discussed earlier, we live in a society where yesterday's items are deemed disposable and many people, including the previous owner potentially, wouldn't understand how to replace a battery themselves or discard things if they receive an outlandish quote from Apple or a shady repair centre and rationalise that it's cheaper to jettison the item and buy a new one because it's "old" now anyway.
Thanks and a further congratulations to you on that front also. 🙂
B S Magnet
macrumors 603
Amazing. That MBA can now, if you’re inclined, be sold and its proceeds can be used for picking up other Macs on which you’ll enjoy doing tinkering! 😀
Congratulations! 😀
Can you show us some photos please?
Sure...
Attachments
Another thing I just discovered while using the M1 today is how AMAZING the audio sounds!!! WOW, I have NEVER heard audio this good before. This alone is worth the upgrade over older laptops I feel!
🙂
🙂
It came with 16GB of RAM?! Wow. Maybe I should go look around electronic recycle bins.
Congratulations!
So, this was over a year ago, but I hope this counts. I got my current phone for free because at the time, I was using an iPhone 5, and the 3G networks were going down. My carrier, Cricket, gave me a new phone for free. I didn’t have to pay anything, my parents didn’t have to pay anything, and there were no additional charges.
Sure...
Thanks, you've been very lucky and that's a great find! Congrats.
Enjoy! 🙂
I've found loads of hardware just from walking around my locality: nothing on the level of an M1 though! 😀
There's no time limit. 😉
Nice, what's your current phone - the SE 2020?
Yes. Big improvement over the iPhone 5.