Fw: Control Data Cyber 960 rescue interest?

From: James B. DiGriz <jbdigriz_at_dragonsweb.org>
Date: Thu Nov 15 07:02:51 2001

Mike Ford wrote:

>>>>Anybody have a CLUE as to its value as scrap?
>>>>
>>>Apperently it's not insignificant. Supposedly there is considerable
>>>gold on the circuit boards. May be water cooler myth, can anyone
>>>confirm or deny?
>>>
>>One of the bad guys (professional scrapper) said he paid $10K for
>>Each IBM 360 he got. Sounds like more than $1/llb folks.
>>
>
> *** joke ****
>
> How do you tell when a professional scrapper is lying? Their lips are moving.
>
> $4/lb is about the top end for just circuit boards, and then only when
> filled with expensive chips in sockets. $0.50 to $1.50 is more common for
> well populated boards.
>
> Ceramic chips with gold pins go by themselves for about $25/lb.
>
> Aluminum is something like $0.35/lb.
>
> The rest is mostly breakage which is more like $0.04/lb.
>


I should have clarified. It's not that significant when you factor in
the transport, labor, fuel, processing supplies, hazardous disposal
costs, and other overhead. I have had occasion to haul off worn out
appliances, junk cars, and such to the scrapper, and I even did a
spreadsheet or two for one. The margin is not that high without a little
help sometimes, if you know what I mean.

Something like that might be going on in the case of the Cyber, and the
state may be lucky not to lose more than $10K selling it as scrap, even
with a slash-and-burn removal.

To be fair, that may represent the least cost method of disposal, at
least in terms that beancounters can understand. Unless a rescue plan
that will cost the state less, or maybe net it something, is established.

jbdigriz
Received on Thu Nov 15 2001 - 07:02:51 GMT