Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Is it safe for kids to take apart electronics?

M

momwithtools

Jan 1, 1970
0
For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
Thank you!
Mom With Tools
 
N

NSM

Jan 1, 1970
0
momwithtools said:
For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
be unsafe for the children? Please advise.

Cut the plugs off first. Anything with a tube is bad.

Generally it's not a good idea IMO. Stick to books. Lots of sharp edges etc.
inside things.
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
..com...
For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
Thank you!
Mom With Tools

One of my electronic hints on
http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~diverse
is the following , most safety factors covered but I'm sure there
are more eg kid with hacksaw sawing into a power
transistor and eating the Beryllium Oxide as Sherbert Lemon

Something to keep a kid occupied on a wet weekend
Obtain a dumped VCR (older the better) and get little Johny to take apart
to the last screw and washer.
Safety note cut off the mains lead should he think of powering up,
powerful magnets inside so could nip fingers also sometimes
strong springs that need to be released carefully and some
screws and circlips may be beyond strength or dexterity of a kid.
Interesting bits to be found inside that can be instructively re-used.
Motors and solenoids usually about 12V,pulleys,belts and cogs.
Often a compact reduction gear train attached to one motor.
Infra-red LED transmitter and reciver.
Dew sensor (humidity) usually Aluminium plate screwed onto the base
of the video head assembly - holding usually white ceramic with dark grey
square on it or green epoxy lump with 2 wires coming from it.
Put on a DVM and breath on it.
Inside the capstan motor often 3 Hall effect sensors that would
need desoldering. Put about 5V on the pins that were paralleled
together on the pcb. Or find pair of pins with DVM diode
test with low forward drop in either direction to find the
power pins (assuming 4 pin variety). Monitor the voltage
between the other 2 pins with moving magnet.
Observe the video heads under a kids microscope and imagine
how those turns of fine wire are looped through that tiny hole.
Count all the bits and pieces that make up a VCR
 
B

Bob Shuman

Jan 1, 1970
0
It depends on their ages.... I recall spending many an afternoon taking
apart junker TVs and radios (and lawnmowers, etc.) that I found in the
garbage during Spring clean up. I did this in my parent's basement and
garage. It led me to experiment with the components I salvaged and
eventually led to electrical engineering and computer science degrees. I
still love to fix stuff and see how it works ... to my wife's dismay, I even
still pull items occasionally from the neighbor's trash pick up and in some
cases even return them to them working again.

Go for it if they are old enough not to get hurt. Just make sure you know
and warn them about any hazards.

Bob
 
T

TCS

Jan 1, 1970
0
For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
Thank you!
Mom With Tools

Don't forget to warn the parents.

The only thing more dangerous than a programmer with a soldering iron is a
10 year old with a set of screwdrivers and an interest in seeing the insides
of everything.
 
J

John Bachman

Jan 1, 1970
0
For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
Thank you!
Mom With Tools

The answer to your subject question: No! It is not a safe project.

That being said, there are many of us who did exactly that in the
basements of our homes, spawning interesting and lucrative careers.
It was not a safe activity there either, but who would be at fault?
Us that is who.

In your situation who?

My advice is to find another way to introduce your students to
electronics. How about a hands on description of how video games
work?

JMHO

John
 
K

Ken Weitzel

Jan 1, 1970
0
TCS said:
Don't forget to warn the parents.

The only thing more dangerous than a programmer with a soldering iron is a
10 year old with a set of screwdrivers and an interest in seeing the insides
of everything.

And check with the secretary treasurer of the school board...
make sure there's (number of kids * millions of dollars) worth
of insurance in place.
 
H

hemyd

Jan 1, 1970
0
TCS said:
Don't forget to warn the parents.

The only thing more dangerous than a programmer with a soldering iron is a
10 year old with a set of screwdrivers and an interest in seeing the insides
of everything.

I was such a 10 year old (almost 50 years ago). Got an electric shock from
just about everything around. Lucky to be alive.

There are nasty chemicals, sharp glass and sharp wires and springs to be
found in such equipment. As with anything that young kids do, a certain
level of parental supervision is required, depending on your kids' age and
common sense. This newsgroup and a search through Google should help you
determine what dangerous components and substances to look out for.

Henry.
 
L

Luca T.

Jan 1, 1970
0
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

momwithtools wrote:
| For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart some
| old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into each
| product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or appliances
| we should stay away from because of chemicals or something else that would
| be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
| Thank you!

What age?

Bye,
~ Luca
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with MultiZilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFCDUphliez+Z59f3URAn3FAJ9rNu389r2xz2k3Xg2K03eCITmOtgCgseUk
Xf4ji5m1VAxxRkgAuq0Yrlc=
=rR17
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
 
H

hemyd

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Bachman said:
The answer to your subject question: No! It is not a safe project.

That being said, there are many of us who did exactly that in the
basements of our homes, spawning interesting and lucrative careers.
It was not a safe activity there either, but who would be at fault?
Us that is who.

In your situation who?

My advice is to find another way to introduce your students to
electronics. How about a hands on description of how video games
work?

JMHO

John
There are also electronic kits for children. A discussiob on a circuit board
is (in my opinion) woth more than pulling it apart. Pulling a component
apart will usually not indicate to a child how it works.

I recall as a 6 year old 'dismatling' an old capacitor. I expected to find
some magic mechanism inside. All I found was strips of some metallic foil
and yucky stuff. Didn't teach me anything about electronics - until I was
'bitten by the bug' 15 years later.

Henry.
 
S

Sam Goldwasser

Jan 1, 1970
0
NSM said:
Cut the plugs off first. Anything with a tube is bad.

Generally it's not a good idea IMO. Stick to books. Lots of sharp edges etc.
inside things.

Consdering the things kids get into without high tech, that's kind of
a limiting approach.

Sure, there are sharp pieces of sheet metal and tensioned springs but
with supervision, such an exercise can be fun and safe.

Would have been happy following your own advice? :)

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Note: These links are hopefully temporary until we can sort out the excessive
traffic on Repairfaq.org.

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
 
M

momwithtools

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for all the responses. More warnings than encouragement,
unfortunately. Can anyone think of an appliance or electronic you would
recommend the children take apart? Maybe one you consider "safe"? Sounds
like TVs are definitely out of the picture (no pun intended!).

Thanks again for all the great responses!
Mom With Tools
 
N

NSM

Jan 1, 1970
0
Consdering the things kids get into without high tech, that's kind of
a limiting approach.

Sure, there are sharp pieces of sheet metal and tensioned springs but
with supervision, such an exercise can be fun and safe.

Would have been happy following your own advice? :)

No, but it wasn't a school supervised project, and back then we thought
carbon tet was ok to breathe! We've learned a lot since then.
 
N

NSM

Jan 1, 1970
0
momwithtools said:
Thanks for all the responses. More warnings than encouragement,
unfortunately. Can anyone think of an appliance or electronic you would
recommend the children take apart? Maybe one you consider "safe"? Sounds
like TVs are definitely out of the picture (no pun intended!).

You'd be better off to invite someone with the skills to do a show and tell
for you.
 
S

Sam Goldwasser

Jan 1, 1970
0
momwithtools said:
Thanks for all the responses. More warnings than encouragement,
unfortunately. Can anyone think of an appliance or electronic you would
recommend the children take apart? Maybe one you consider "safe"? Sounds
like TVs are definitely out of the picture (no pun intended!).

Right, basically stay away from TVs, CRT monitors, abd microwave ovens.

The primary dangers from others devices are sharp sheet metal, and maybe
a few springs. Most equipment doesn't really have dangerous chemicals
as long as the kids wash their hands after handling the stuff. But
there may be plenty of just plain dirt and dust in used equipment.

Tape recorders and players, CD/DVD players and CD/DVD drives, boomboxes,
talking toys, remote controlled or motorized toys, and so forth should
be low risk. Things with motors will certainly be more exciting than
stuff like receivers without moving parts.

I agree that if they are too young, better to have someone do the taking
apart while explaining each part. But once they are handy with a screwdriver,
it will be difficult to prevent a curious mind from exploring....

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Note: These links are hopefully temporary until we can sort out the excessive
traffic on Repairfaq.org.

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
 
M

Michael Black

Jan 1, 1970
0
Sam said:
Consdering the things kids get into without high tech, that's kind of
a limiting approach.

Sure, there are sharp pieces of sheet metal and tensioned springs but
with supervision, such an exercise can be fun and safe.

Would have been happy following your own advice? :)
I suspect for many here, they were young when they get interested
in electronics. But as the decades go by, they lose track of that.

I passed the test for a ham license in elementary school, though
it was in June so I wasn't technically licensed until I was finished
with grade six (and here, that's when elementary school ended).

That was right on the cusp of tubes disappearing, so later that year
I did have plenty of tube equipment to play with.

I think taking apart things has a tendency to demistify things. Not
so much in learning, but with everyone so afraid of electronics, a
certain familiarity with what's inside changes that at least a bit. But
random taking things apart isn't likely to be useful, unless those doing
it have an interest (and a limited bit of knowledge so some of the things
are identifiable) or the adult (given that this seems to be a school project)
has taken the time to get some grounding so they can point out what's what.

If someone is really concerned about safety, they could either strip out
the switching supplies in those VCRs, or restrict the project to battery
operated items like cassette players and portable radios.

Michael
 
D

Dr. Anton T. Squeegee

Jan 1, 1970
0
Cut the plugs off first. Anything with a tube is bad.

Generally it's not a good idea IMO. Stick to books. Lots of sharp edges etc.
inside things.

I disagree. Taking things apart was one of the major starting
points for me in learing about electronics (I started when I was about
five or so).

Properly supervised, and taught to use the correct tools and
procedures, such activity could be very beneficial in later life, and
not just for electronics. General mechanical knowledge of
disassembly/reassembly teaches logic, hand-eye coordination, and
(perhaps most importantly) safety in what NOT to do!

My suggestion would be to hitch up with the local amateur radio
club. A listing of such can be found at http://www.arrl.org -- I would
wager they could come up with an easy way to merge their introductory
program to yours.

Happy hunting.


--
Dr. Anton T. Squeegee, Director, Dutch Surrealist Plumbing Institute.
(Known to some as Bruce Lane, ARS KC7GR,
kyrrin (a/t) bluefeathertech[d=o=t]calm -- www.bluefeathertech.com
"If Salvador Dali had owned a computer, would it have been equipped
with surreal ports?"
 
A

Asimov

Jan 1, 1970
0
"momwithtools" bravely wrote to "All" (11 Feb 05 17:50:25)
--- on the heady topic of "Is it safe for kids to take apart electronics?"

mo> From: "momwithtools" <[email protected]>
mo> Xref: aeinews sci.electronics.repair:10246

mo> For an elementary school project, I'd like the children to take apart
mo> some old electronics to get an idea of how things work, what goes into
mo> each product, etc. My question is: Are there certain electronics or
mo> appliances we should stay away from because of chemicals or something
mo> else that would be unsafe for the children? Please advise.
mo> Thank you!
mo> Mom With Tools

The lead (Pb) on circuit boards is very toxic to children and can lead
to brain damage resulting in developmental retardation. Some
heatsinks have highly toxic beryllium oxide insulators which can be
dangerous if broken or scratched. Be sure they always wash their hands
well. Any cuts or scratches must be thoroughly flushed clean in
addition to disinfection. There are new studies implicating common
plasticizers (phtalates), which may cause reproductive abnormalities,
repressed immune system. It has been found that these are breaking
down in the environment into more toxic forms instead of dissipating.
Never let children chew on plastic pens, wire insulation, parts, etc,
which tend to leach such plasticizers. There are many unknown circuit
cleaning compounds which trace amounts may have deleterious effects.
The list is long but I'll probably get flamed for just these few...

A*s*i*m*o*v
 
T

TimPerry

Jan 1, 1970
0
momwithtools said:
Thanks for all the responses. More warnings than encouragement,
unfortunately. Can anyone think of an appliance or electronic you would
recommend the children take apart? Maybe one you consider "safe"? Sounds
like TVs are definitely out of the picture (no pun intended!).

Thanks again for all the great responses!
Mom With Tools

Unfortunately disassembly of most modern electronics give no real clue as to
how or why it works. is all little black blobs soldered to pc boards.

Old real to real recorders or VCRs have enough mechanical gizmos in them to
make it interesting.

An older radio receiver with slide rule tuning might be fun. (restringing
one is a fading art)

Cassette decks have a lot in the way of gears and motors and clutch
assemblies.

Older car radios (if you can find any) with the mechanical pushbuttun
tuning... (remember pulling out to set the preset?)

old computers. how many 286 Leading Edges or Epsons are there laying
around? you cant tell much but you get the idea of how ISA cards go in and
out of slots.

I'd estimate dismantling this stuff, as long as its not plugged in, is safer
then skateboarding on the half pipe.
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
Sam Goldwasser said:
Right, basically stay away from TVs, CRT monitors, abd microwave ovens.

The primary dangers from others devices are sharp sheet metal, and maybe
a few springs. Most equipment doesn't really have dangerous chemicals
as long as the kids wash their hands after handling the stuff. But
there may be plenty of just plain dirt and dust in used equipment.

Tape recorders and players, CD/DVD players and CD/DVD drives, boomboxes,
talking toys, remote controlled or motorized toys, and so forth should
be low risk. Things with motors will certainly be more exciting than
stuff like receivers without moving parts.

I agree that if they are too young, better to have someone do the taking
apart while explaining each part. But once they are handy with a screwdriver,
it will be difficult to prevent a curious mind from exploring....

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Note: These links are hopefully temporary until we can sort out the excessive
traffic on Repairfaq.org.

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

I must have been about 7 when I got my first 240V electric shock.
Bedroom light switch was a push/push switch on the end of a
vertical cord from the ceiling. I must have thought it was safe
to unscrew the housing on this switch , when the light was off, to see
what was inside.
 
Top