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[on:]

I have a lot of scrap boards form various electronics. Most of them are old or junked alarm panel, but a few are "radios" (cell tower type radios and GSM communicators). I tinker around a little bit with arduinos and such but I am still very much an amateur. I've collected the boards thinking I could harvest the components off of them. I have already gutted all the LCDs, LEDs, capacitors, and voltage regulators. But there are tons of chips and things that I have no idea what to do with. I have tried Googling them but all I get is datasheets which don't tell me anything about what real world use they would have. Anyone know what they are and if they can be used (LCDs, more inputs/outputs etc..)?

I have TONS of:
LM324N, LM358, LM339, ULN2803A, ULN2004A, HCF4099BE, M74HC14B1, M74HC373, 74HC377N, 74F541N, 74HC20N, 74HC365N, 74HCT374N, HEF4021BP, CD4094BE, CD4093BE, CA339E, HEF4013BP, HCF4022BE, HCF4066BE, HCF4012BE, HCF4051BE.

Like the CD4094BE can be used to gain 8 more outputs correct?

Thanks!

[Reply #1 on:]

Yeah, just check out the datasheets... The only problem is when that thing doesn't actually have a datasheet. I have what I believe in a really old RF oscillator (from a really old motion detector setup) and, while I know which company made it, I don't think a datasheet exists for the part on the internet.

[Reply #2 on:]

Hi,

The LM324N is a QUAD Operationnal Amplifier http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM324.html#Overview
The LM358 is a dual Operationnal Amplifier http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM358.html#Overview,
An Op-Amp can be used as a voltage comparator, for active filters, to be used as a oscillator...

The LM339 is a QUAD voltage comparator http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM339.html#Overview

The 74HC20N is a NANDGATE I think, google what this is!

So I won't google you every part :p

But if you read the datasheets of your pieces you can google what they are and get information about their application.

Just to give you an int, a shift register can use 2 pins to get you 8/16 outputs,
Gates, like OR/AND gates are... gates, which open when the right conditions are respected!
Op-Amp are amplifiers which can be used for a wide range of application, from audio to logic.

Good luck reading and googling! I wish I helped you a bit...
If you are not sure about specific use of a type of part ask and I'll try to answer you.

Take a look here: http://tronixstuff.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/tutorial-arduino-and-the-i2c-bus/
There is tutorials about shift registers, and more.

[Reply #3 on:]

If you look at most of those, the first few sentences of each datasheet usually tell you the answer. If you need help with putting that into understandable English, wikipedia, http://www.play-hookey.com/digital , and a quality electronics book are you best friends.

Good luck and have fun! Sometimes the greatest ideas come from salvaged parts...


P.S, for a little help googling (all in good fun of course)  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=CD4093BE

[Reply #4 on:]

LM324N, LM358, LM339, ULN2803A,  M74HC14B1, M74HC373, 74F541N, 74HCT374N, HEF4013BP,  HCF4066BE, HCF4051BE.

Those are all particularly common and useful parts (well, maybe not the F541, which is a power hungry thing by todays standards...)  (from memory: opamp, opamp, comparator, driver, schmitt trigger hex inverter, octal latch, octal driver, octal flipflop, dual D flipflop, analog switch, analog multiplexer.)  The others were not immediately recognizable :-)