Weekend physical computing DIY: Strip an inkjet printer for parts

Peter writes – “Since receiving my Arduino I’ve found myself looking at technology a little differently. As your post-production skills increase you tend to watch videos thinking: “I could do that”, or “I could do that if someone gave me lots of money and got out of my way”. In my post-Arduino life I now look at technology and think either, “I wonder how I could interface my arduino with that,” or “I wonder if anyone will mind if I pull that apart.”

My partner in crime from Australia, James Loveday, disassembled an old inkjet for parts. It always seemed like a good idea to me and is well-known as a source of stepper motors, but lay out all the parts, and you’ll see there are lots of usable bits, the couple of motors being only the beginning!” – Link.

Old: When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
New: When you have a micro-controller, everything looks like parts.

Related:

• Procuring Electronic Components – Link.
• Procuring lowtech sensors and actuators – Link.
• Inexpensive and abundant LEDs – Link.
• Dumpster World – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Link.

Arduino @ MAKE:

• Spooky Arduino Projects – Link.
• Arduino, the Basic Stamp killer? – Link.
• Arduino – Link.

From the pages of MAKE:

• Arduino Fever – The tale of a cute, blue microcontroller that fits nicely in the palm of your hand, and the expanding community of developers who love and support it. Subscribers–read this article now in your digital edition!