Some folk keep them to scavenge parts off of.

Re: What do you do with broken hardware?

see there especially badmojo's post

Keep them until nano technology makes it possible to repair them.

With a dead 386 board, you should be able to make a Flavor Flav style necklace:

http://www.vegasnews.com/wp-content/uploads/1 … or-flav-570.jpg

Something like that, except a 386 board instead of a clock. It would be pretty stylish.

I keep things that are repairable for when I need them and a replacement will cost too much. Some things just need capacitor replacements, broken tracks fixed, maybe a common part replaced. Anything that needs major work gets recycled (like an 880W gamer PS with multiple blown parts).

Caluser2000 wrote:

Some folk keep them to scavenge parts off of.

Would have been my answer as well ... or repair minor/costeffective damages.

I throw broken equipment out.

Depending on the equipment I, in the first place, mourn it... put it inside a drawer or not-so-exposed shelf on my wardrobe hoping I'll find some use for it, then after some time take it out and study if it is beyond repair and, if it is, put it on a high shelf in my room telling myself I'll eventually throw it out and, once in a blue moon, I actually do it. I think I had a broken AGP 6800 for two years (one day it refused to work, and putting a higher capacity PSU on the PC only allowed a capacitor to literally explode) before I finally threw it out.

I've managed to eBay some dead parts in the past (with full disclosure, to be sure). It takes a while, though.

One good use is crafts artwork. I have an Macintosh SE lamp for instance, and another one I want to make a fishtank from eventually (need to find or make an appropriately sized tank). Have also used old RAM sims as key fobs.

I always try to repair them.. if possible.. If the damage is to much i would remove the usefull parts from the PCB, the blank empty pcb i would dump..