Volcano switches at the junk yard

[rdagger]

I made a trip to the Apex electronics junk yard today.  I call it a junk yard because half of the antiquated electronic equipment is outside uncovered being rained upon.  This place has no inventory system.  Just piles of boxes 20 feet high with mainly old aircraft avionics.   A few of the boxes actually have parts on the front to show what's inside.  As I was walking down one of the dark aisles, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.  About 10 feet up was a large box with an Atari volcano switch stuck to the front.  I quickly piled up some junk and climbed up to the box.   I brought the heavy box down and placed it on the counter.  I slowly opened it up and it was filled with tons of switches.  Unfortunately, they were not even close to the volcano switches.  However, after looking through every box on the aisle I was able to score 4 volcano switches.  Three of them have no lens and have mini bulbs in them instead of LED's.  These probably came from an aircraft.  No problem, I will install LED's and cast some new lens.  Maybe I will make a clear and few blue volcanos to go with my green volcanos.  I also picked up some very cool aluminum button volcano switches that do not illuminate.  I gladly paid $2 per switch.  I just finished testing them and they all work.

[Fozzy The Bear]

Half way through, I thought you were about to tell us that you'd found a box of 400 NOS volcano buttons.    Ahh well! that's life.....

Nice find on the ones you got though.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[rdagger]

I knew it was too good to be true.  Still it's good to know that the switches were used for other applications besides arcade.  The 3 switches w/o the lens were made by Licon and are the same as the original volcano switches except that they have miniature sockets in them for incandescent lights about the size of a mini-maglite bulb.  If I can find out what they were used for maybe I could pick up some more.

[Fozzy The Bear]

If I can find out what they were used for maybe I could pick up some more.

Keep us posted on that!

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[MYX]

That sounds like a fun place. I would love to go and loose a few hours at a place like that.

[HaRuMaN]

That sounds like a fun place. I would love to go and loose a few hours at a place like that.

Yeah no kidding.

[rdagger]

That sounds like a fun place. I would love to go and loose a few hours at a place like that.

Yeah no kidding.

You could definitely spend a week browsing.  The place isn't to far from the old Lockheed Skunkworks and they have a ton of cool aircraft parts.  You could definitely build a cool flight simulator with some of the stuff.  They actually have control panels, radar equipment, plane seats and even a few missiles.  Although just about everything needs serious repair.  Also you are on your own and everything just seems to be mixed together.  If the owner got off his ass and hired some people to do inventory, they could probably make a lot money selling the stuff on eBay.

[SithMaster]

missiles you say? and yeah that place would be great to make a flight sim or a mech sim.

[RayB]

HEY I need two of those bomb shells. I want to mount them to my car.

[GGKoul]

Looks like the place the MythBustters go for cool parts...

[Fozzy The Bear]

Looks like Watto's Junkyard from Star Wars Episode 1.... What a cool place...

We have a scrap yard very similar to that, locally to me here in the UK.... They have a lot of ex-Navy scrap in there. So they often have missiles and rockets as well. Lots of military computer junk and helicopter blades and things.  But they mostly deal in scrap metal so don't have that sort of quantity of the cool stuff.  I did find a Jet Engine Starter APU in there once, which is basically a small jet engine itself. So cool.

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[RandyT]

Looks like heaven

But tell me, do they make you sign a waiver before you start digging?  Looks like an injury lawsuit waiting to happen!

Somebody really should offer to eBay his stuff for him for a cut of the action.  Looks like everyone would win on a deal like that.


RandyT

[Tahnok]

...Where, exactly, is that again?! I live out by Lockheed Skunkworks, here in the AV, Quartz Hill. I didn't realize we had anything like that out here. Makes sense though, since aerospace is so huge here. If I could find a local supplier of pneumatic pistons, it would be a great help (for a project unrelated to arcade machines).

[rdagger]

...Where, exactly, is that again?! I live out by Lockheed Skunkworks, here in the AV, Quartz Hill. I didn't realize we had anything like that out here. Makes sense though, since aerospace is so huge here. If I could find a local supplier of pneumatic pistons, it would be a great help (for a project unrelated to arcade machines).

Apex
8909 San Fernando Rd.
Sun Valley

[rdagger]

Looks like heaven
But tell me, do they make you sign a waiver before you start digging?  Looks like an injury lawsuit waiting to happen!
Somebody really should offer to eBay his stuff for him for a cut of the action.  Looks like everyone would win on a deal like that.
RandyT

No waiver, but they should.  It crossed my mind, as I was walking through the tight corridors piled high with tons of sharp metal that I would be in trouble if there was an earthquake.  Especially when I was climbing up a ladder I made out of a pile of batteries to search for the switches.

[SithMaster]

so you can buy anything from them missiles and all?  cause im thinking i could make the greatest mech ever.





or a tank.  then go cruising for chicks.

[Tahnok]

...Where, exactly, is that again?! I live out by Lockheed Skunkworks, here in the AV, Quartz Hill. I didn't realize we had anything like that out here. Makes sense though, since aerospace is so huge here. If I could find a local supplier of pneumatic pistons, it would be a great help (for a project unrelated to arcade machines).

Apex
8909 San Fernando Rd.
Sun Valley

Oh, OK. Not quite as close as I thought. Still within a short trip though. I may have to check that out some time. Thanks for the tip!

[Lon]

...Where, exactly, is that again?! I live out by Lockheed Skunkworks, here in the AV, Quartz Hill. I didn't realize we had anything like that out here. Makes sense though, since aerospace is so huge here. If I could find a local supplier of pneumatic pistons, it would be a great help (for a project unrelated to arcade machines).

 heh, hi neighbor I live just off 60thw and M


Lon

[Tahnok]

55th W and L here. Pretty darn close.