FreeGeek is a shop in PDX that takes donations of old computers and turns them into new computers. I wish every city had one. https://www.freegeek.org/
Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
11–20 of 57 posts
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#12I run iPfire on an old MacBook for home network security, ad filteting, etc. Been really happy with the results.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#13I offer old hardware to local charities that reuse/recycle it, or on a “buy nothing” Facebook group where people will almost always take it and (hopefully) make better use of it than I will.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#14My older stuff got turned into TV PCs. I pair them up with a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard and just run Chrome or Firefox on them. Each tab is a different streaming service, plex or youtube. I could use Chromecast or FireTV, but they feel like less freedom than just running a browser.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#151. The same thing we do with Raspberry Pi's
2. Retro gaming / retro development, which given the age of something often means C or C++.
3. If things are really broken, e-waste is probably the only option.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#16Piggybacking on this, but what's everyone doing with their 3g phones? My family has like 5 of them that will supposedly no longer have service in '22. Can we donate these somewhere? The newer ones can still install android apps, send and receive email, etc. I thought about donating them to a shelter but I'm not sure if they'd have a use for them.
I'm thinking of turning my old phones into webcams
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#17I eBay them, even if I get basically nothing for the sale. If someone else wants it, they're using it for something.
The last thing I want is to be an accumulator of stuff, so ending up in a cupboard is not an option.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#18[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#19Building servers or gifting working parts away to community/friends etc.
Re: Ask HN: What do you do with your older hardware?
#20I've taken my stack of old laptops and created a microk8s cluster out of them for the purpose of self-hosting random stuff.