Babbage's Basement : Donations

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Computer Rescue, Restoration, and Reuse Center, a program benefitting the Sciencenter of Ithaca

D o n a t i o n s

Please, none of these!
There are a few items that we cannot re-use or recycle. In many cases, one of the programs at Tompkins County Solid Waste will take them, often for free. The electronics area is identified on this map of their facility.

These include: computer terminals (old-style, i.e., VT100), television sets, microwave ovens, washing machines, dryers, or dishwashers. There may be a fee to recycle items containing refrigerant, such as refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners. Solid Waste also has a hazardous waste program for mercury (glass thermometers, manometers, etc.) and other hazardous chemicals or materials.

Broken Monitors
We don't have the time to fix broken CRT monitors and don't have the space to store them prior to recycling. Broken monitors should be recycled; please contact Tompkins County Solid Waste.

Exception: If the monitor is part of an all-in-one system (an iMac, for example), we can use the rest of the system!
Another Exception: Broken LCD monitors are fixable!

General Guidelines

We especially appreciate donations of working equipment complete with all original parts.
This is not necessarily a whole computer system. If your donation isn't working for you because a specific part has failed, but you believe it has other useful, working parts, check with Babbage's. We have a lot of spare parts, maybe we have a replacement (or maybe we can use the other working parts!).

The donation should be sufficiently interesting that someone else will donate to the Sciencenter to obtain it.

If a donation uses expendable supplies (such as special paper or ink for a printer), the supplies should be easily available. Please include any unused supplies you have on hand.

Please include manuals, AC adapters and power cords, original software media (DVDs, CDs, floppies), and any other accessories that are relevant to your donation.

Please, think twice before bringing in anything that you can't carry; think thrice if two people can't carry it. Or contact us first.

Although we prefer equipment that is clean and at least somewhat functional, we can sometimes repair non-working equipment and often use it as a source for parts. The newer an item is, the less we care whether it works. If you're donating something with known problems, please attach a brief description of the problems. It will save us a lot of time!

We are especially interested in LCD monitors, laptop computers, and MP3 players regardless of their condition.

If you're not sure whether Babbage's will accept your donation, please contact us ahead of time (Email, phone).

How to...

Babbage's Basement accepts donation drop-offs during scheduled open times. We can usually help you get it inside.

We can do pick-ups in Ithaca and surrounding communities (by prior arrangment), particularly for larger donations.

We have gift-in-kind receipts for your donation, if you would like one.

Files on your disk? Security?

We encourage donors to delete personal and proprietary information from disk drives prior to a donation, but deletion does not usually erase the information, let alone erase it securely. Use your computer's "secure erase" option, if it has one.

Babbage's standard policy is to securely erase the whole disk of all donated drives (not just to delete files, but to overwrite the data). If you request extra special care (please attach a written request to the donation) and we cannot erase the disk, we will destroy it by disassembling and physically damaging the recording surface.

Examples of Donations

Category	Useful	Less Useful
Computers: Vintage	If you have an Apple computer or part that isn't already in the Macseum, bring it in! Ditto, for other very early computers and other unusual items including posters, memorabilia, etc.	Sorry, there are too many kinds of PCs to attempt a collection. Your treasure will have to be very unusual.
Memory	More memory will get you through times of not enough money, better than money will get you through times of not enough memory. One of the most effective ways to upgrade any computer is to add memory. We need lots of memory to upgrade donations and to equip computers that arrive with no memory at all. Laptop memory and DDR/DDR2 desktop memory is in short supply.
Accessories: USB, Firewire, IEEE 1394, IEEE 1284, SCSI	Generally useful! Cables, video cables and adapters, power adapters, wall warts, drive enclosures, etc.
Computers: Apple Macintosh	PowerPC (PPC, G3 or newer) and Intel processors are preferred. It's getting harder to find software for the older PowerPC and 68K processors. If you're not sure what you have, contact us or visit Babbage's.	Motorola 68000-series based computers. We will strip out useful parts and recycle the rest of your donation. Exception: working additions to the Macseum.
Computers: PC	Pentium III and newer are preferred. Please note that many PCs are sold with a license for some version of Microsoft Windows. This license cannot legally be transferred to another computer and we need that license for the next owner. Please include it. Exception: if you bought your Windows license separately from the computer, it may be transferred to your new computer. We'd like the license anyway: those are even more useful! If you're not sure what you have, contact us or visit Babbage's.	Pentium II, I, 486, 386 and earlier computers. We will strip out useful parts and recycle the rest of your donation.
Computers: Laptop	We love laptops, working or not. Sometimes it takes several broken laptops to build one working one, so please donate yours! Please include the power adapter, spare batteries, and accessories.
Computers: Other	We have some folks interested in Sun Ultra and DEC/Compaq/HP Alpha computers.	If we can't get rid of your white elephant, then if becomes our white elephant. We will strip out useful parts and recycle the rest of your donation.
Keyboards and Mice	USB keyboards and mice are in short supply. Mac USB keyboards, even with missing or non-functional keys, are very useful. Keyboards and mice with PS2-based connectors are accepted.	Apple Desktop Bus peripherals are not always useful.
Hard Disk Drives	External USB and Firewire drives are always appreciated. We can also use ATA/IDE and SCSI external and internal drives; large-capacity (4GB or more) drives are preferred.	Disks with capacity below 4GB are politely accepted; disks with less than 1GB capacity are not useful.
Removable Media Drives	All DVD, CD-RW, and CD-R drives. Working Jaz and SyJet drives with power adapters. Internal and external Zip drives (larger capacities are more useful). Unusual--but working--drives for obsolete media.	CD-ROM, especially if slower than 24x. External 100MB Zip drives.
Removable Media Blank Media	Most kinds of blank media, especially if new and in sealed packages. Older, obsolete media.	Babbage's will not erase media.
Monitors Traditional CRT	Multisync monitors, 19" diagonal or larger, in excellent working condition, with VGA connector. Desireable features include: flat screen, multiple inputs. All other CRTs, please read the "less useful" column to the right. Contact us ahead of time before donating any other CRTs.	Please, no non-multisync monitors and no monitors with non-standard connectors. The electronics area at Solid Waste has similar hours to ours. If we can't take your monitor, you can always drop it off there!
Monitors LCD	LCD monitors of all sizes, regardless of condition or operating status.
Networking	Ethernet switches, hubs, routers, print servers, adapters, cables. If it works, it's useful. 1000/100Mbit devices are more useful than 10Mbit.	Non-Ethernet networking devices.
Printers Impact, Dot-Matrix	Special interest in high-throughput, tractor feed, and wide carriage models. Mint or excellent condition is a requirement, and supplies are a huge plus!	Broken printers are not useful. Printers with hard-to-find supplies are not useful.
Printers Laser	Small, personal size lasers. Color lasers, preferably with supplies.	Unusual lasers w/o supplies. Big and/or bulky lasers.
Printers Inkjet	Working inkjets in good condition, preferably with supplies.	HP inkjets prior to 700-series. Lexmark, Compaq inkjets. Epson inkjets prior to C-series. Epson inkjets known to be clogged, or with other print head problems.
Printers Other	Working, compact all-in-one units.	Scanner/printer/fax units can be difficult to test and refurbish.
Scanners	Complete, working USB- or Firewire-based scanners.	Non-USB and -Firewire scanners.
Modems	Internal 56KB/second ISA and PCI modem cards, especially full-featured modems (i.e., not WineModems).	Any modem that cannot support 56KB/second transfer rate.
Speakers	Most speakers are useful. Speaker systems with subwoofers are even more useful. Always include cables and power adapters.	Incomplete speaker systems.
iPods and other MP3 players	All kinds, regardless of condition or operating status.
Cameras	Please! Digital or Film.	But not if completely broken.
Software	Always accepted! Please include original distribution media (DVD, CD, floppy, etc.), documentation (manuals, license, etc.), and the original box, if you have it. The more complete the package, the easier it is to find someone who will donate to the Sciencenter to obtain it. You must donate the license to use the software. Software that is licensed through a "Site License" cannot be donated unless you are donating the entire license (and removing it from your site). If you upgrade from one version of software to another, many manufacturers consider the upgrade to be an extension of the original license, so you cannot donate the old version. But please check...it may be donatable!