Hot take: I was at the surplus store in Dayton and saw a whole bin of old HP printer power supplies for $2 each.

Grabbed a few to crack open, and the 24v rails are perfect for testing small DC motors or powering LED strips in a pinch, plus they're usually built like tanks.

3 comments

3 Comments

lisa524d agoMost Upvoted

It's funny how the best, most reliable tech is often the stuff that was just built for a single job ages ago. You see it with old kitchen appliances too, like those heavy duty mixers from the 70s that just won't quit. There's a certain kind of over-engineering in older mass-produced items that we just don't get anymore, where the goal was to make it last forever instead of just good enough for now. Finding a use for that old, solid hardware feels like a small win against our throwaway culture.

the_logan25d ago

That's a solid find for sure. Those old HP bricks are basically indestructible. I've got a whole box of them for random bench power needs. Way better than paying for a new supply.

clairem4724d ago

But are they really that much better? I've had a few die on me over the years.