HISTORY:
To many this washer may be just a tiny speck of used Copper but I am big on reusing or repurposing old electronic components and hardware, particularly from the point of view of sustainability.
Sustainability is far more than NOT burying waste material back into the earth but consciously recognising the energy expended to create the item through it's various "stages" in life, beginning with the raw materials being extracted from the earth, processed, finished and then fitted into equipment - every single processing step used energy which is referred to as embodied energy.
To give an approximate representation of how much energy was used in the WHOLE production process of an item, I have created what I refer to as the Ee (Embodied Energy) value, measured in Mj
The Ee value is an approximation only and usually measured in Mj.
Coming up with an Ee value is an attempt to take into account the energy used for extracting and processing of the raw materials, manufacturing of the component, distribution of the component(s) and final assembly of the component. In fact the measurement of Ee can become extremely complicated and technical, many tertiary institutions are involved in this specialised field of science.
I have used various reliable sources online to arrive at approximate Ee values, these are approximations and the sole purpose is to raise awareness of the extraordinary energy consumed in the creation of various electronic components and hardware (particularly Aluminium) - it may give you cause to think twice before wasting all that energy and burying it in the ground, with the possible side-effects of poisoning the environment due to leeching.
HERE is a page I have created which gives some tables and more detailed information about specific Ee values for different materials plus a link which you can use as a starting point to investigate Ee for yourself.
USED
Ex broadcast industry Eurocards and other card based control systems
You may be thinking, OMG! Russ is offering tiny little copper washers now, but these are SO HARD to find and necessary in some situations.
Typically used underneath spacer metalwork where the metal spacer meets the PCB ground plane and it is vital to have as low a contact resistance as possible. Many of the boards these were salvaged from used Gold plated ground planes on the boards but of course, finding a Gold spring washer is next to impossible so Copper was used instead.
These are tiny, and not 'just' a washer .... see details below
GENERIC - Copper Spring Washer (1)
Country of origin is unknown but most likely UK or USA as this is where the original cards were manufactured
Part # Unknown
There are no ID markings of any kind on this component
This advertisement price is for ONE WASHER - don't you hate it when you need just a few components or pieces of hardware and you are forced to purchase of a whole box full? I do and I will supply ANY QUANTITY from one off's but of course larger quantities attract a discount price
MATERIAL: Copper
DIMENSIONS:
It is difficult to tell from the photograph (my camera is like everything I have - OLD, I have only just migrated from a Box Brownie!) but this is not just a standard washer.
The centre has a "star shape" cut-out and ridges have been created from the centre to the outer edges. This creates a very thin spring washer, it does not sit flat naturally.
OUTER DIAMETER: 5.75mm
INSIDE DIAMETER: 2.75mm
THICKNESS: 0.325mm
Yes, these washers are extremely light and you need to take great care handling them otherwise they disappear somewhere on the floor!
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
CLEAN
NO issues with oxidisation
These are currently bulk packed and I will send the required quantity (minimum just 1) in a clear plastic sealed packet
