"Robert Morein" wrote:

: "Ross Matheson" wrote in message
: ...
: Hi,
:
: I've been parting out some rather large junked but new-ish photocopier
: SMPS boards, as large as ~ 11"x12" in ali chassis, and eyeing up the
: quality fibreglass PCB itself. Wide traces and groundplane areas, and the
: thought has occurred to me to strip off the actual traces and re-use
: sections of the boards with eyelet tags or turrets for my own projects.
:
: Any ideas as to how to go about effectively lifting the copper traces to
: get it back to a blank fibreglass board?
:
: Thanks, RdM
:
: I used to do it with a knife to break and pull up a trace. Then the entire
: trace could be peeled away from the board.

The mechanical option:=})
It's a possibility, given the trace thicknesses.
I've a few of the larger size, and a few more smaller.
Mostly up until now I had just stripped the HV electros and quality
resistors, but left the larger ones still screwed to their chassis.
Tonight I've been unscrewing the larger ones, and realised the quality!
A trial few passes on a corner with a sharp blade shows that it won't be
easy or practical on these, though - small bits and fibreglass shavings.
I haven't gotten out the heat gun yet - I'm still de-soldering parts.

At least one of these boards I suspect were junked unecessarily.
Typical output:
5.1V 3.5A
12.0V 0.3A
-12.0V 0.1A
24.0V 5.0A
24.0V 3.0A
24.0V 3.0A
24.0V 1.0A

Beautiful construction. Pity I can't re-wind or re-make into something else!
Salvaging the best of the parts and the pcb seems the best I can do with it.
Thanks for your input, Robert:-)
RdM